December 2004 - February 2005 Archive
28-February-2005 Over recent weeks it appears all the juicy news is coming from Japan - only today our HQ in Tokyo reported that NEKO Publishing who produce "Modelcars" magazine has just issued a new magazine called "Speed King" and had planned to release a Minichamps Tyrrell P34 with rain tyres from the 1976 Japanese GP to coincide with it, but unfortunately this was cancelled.
Whilst on the subject of classic models one dealer I was chatting to yesterday at the NEC commented that the Barclay liveried BMW boxed Arrows A8 of Gerhard Berger has been his best selling F1 model by a long chalk and had already shifted around 60 pieces with another batch expected sometime this week. It's amazing how popular a model can be when it stands out from the crowd like this one does - unlike all the umpteen variations of current grid cars we have to endure, only today this Chinese Grand Prix BAR 006 of Jenson Button has surfaced. Please note the 555 tobacco decals have been added after the event and do not feature on the model.
Also spotted on one stall the Mazda 787B Le Mans winning models selling at a discounted £30 a time !
25-February-2005 I have just received some interesting information from our Japanese HQ. Firstly the yellow Porsche GT1 Kyosho model we featured last week has not proved as popular with Japanese collectors as first expected and at the moment around 30 models remain unsold on the Yahoo! Auction website.
Secondly a large number of the French 'Auto Hebdo' McLaren F1 GTR road cars have surfaced in Japan - apparently the paint is new and a little different from the previous models as well as the interior colour. Surprisingly the same thing has happened with these models on Yahoo! Auction with several remaining unsold which are actually lower than the retail price of 8,400 Yen !!
Also with the latest edition of the Japanese Minichamps book comes the usual lottery model, this time the McLaren F1 GTR prototype in red which is shown on the book cover. Only 1,000 of these items have been produced which the lucky lottery winners can buy for 4,500 Yen - this will be drawn in March sometime.
The content of the book relates solely to road cars and Paul Lang has given another interview the interesting points of which are as follows -
19-February-2005 It seems that every time we log onto the internet at the moment another Minichamps promotional model has surfaced ! The first is the Porsche 956 'Taka Q' car which raced at the 1986 Le Mans race and was piloted by Ludwig/Barilla - limited to 1,200 pieces it's another exclusive for the Japanese market by Kyosho, part number 403 866507.
The second two have been produced surprisingly for the French market magazine Auto Hebdo and are McLaren F1 GTR road cars in red and silver. As you can see from the picture below they come with a pictured insert within the outer cardboard sleeve, part number for these items are 533 133438 for the red and 533 133439 for the silver.
15-February-2005 Yet another 'Kyosho Special' model has been released, this time it's the Porsche 911 GT1 of the Thyrring/Greasley British GTC 1996. I like many other collectors wonder if we are missing the point with these so called 'special' models - is it a way of selling the same model twice to Japanese collectors who we know like to collect variations of the same item ? In this case just stick on a different base and assign a different part number and hey presto another way of making even more money.
Over the past few weeks I've received several emails from collectors stating they much prefer to collect the 'Classic F1' models as they look so different to the current days cars and who can blame them ? It was also brought to my attention that in 2003 Minichamps released an astonishing 100 F1 models in 1/43 if you include all the different packaging variations, test, launch and dealer promos. At this rate I wonder if they will have anything to release in the classic range in another 15-20 years time - that's if today's cars are ever deemed to be classics of course !
14-February-2005 The latest London Toyfair model sold for a whopping £280 on eBay yesterday - a crazy price for a car that has never even existed. We've already spotted several of the Nurenburg versions on German eBay, this particular version is limited to 528 pieces.
If anyone is interested in the 'big hitters' on eBay then one collector has gone to the trouble of compiling a chart of the highest priced Minichamps auctions and includes all models which hit the £100 barrier - the list will be updated every Sunday. Click Here! The model currently topping the chart had no photograph and it was described as the presentation version !
11-February-2005 I'm sure you don't need me to point out the fact that Porsche 911 GT2 & GT3 models are now becoming highly collectable with the majority regularly achieving prices in excess of the £100 mark on eBay. I often sit here wondering if it's a case of collectors simply shifting their attentions onto Porsches or whether it's people buying models speculating for the future.
It seems that the latter is the case as only yesterday I received an email from a dealer who mentioned that the same individuals will buy multiples of the same models from him via eBay on a regular basis. This sort of behaviour will obviously have an effect on prices especially with a limited edition model as at the end of the day its all boils down to supply and demand. What intrigues me is why these 'speculators' (for want of a better word) have suddenly turned their attentions from McLaren F1 GTR's to Porsches in the last 18 months ?
It's not only the Le Mans, Sebring & Daytona models that are the highly collectable models but the Porsche Cup items also - many of these were priced at a lowly £5 in the bargain boxes on dealers stalls a few years back but not any more. It begs the question whether some people buy models just because they like them or if it's to do with the fact that it's the latest 'must have' model of the month and they don't want to feel left out. The funny thing about the whole episode is that you can't say it's due to the fact that the models are limited editions as many Dodge Viper models were issued in numbers no greater than 1,008 pieces however they only fetch in the region of £30 a time - will these be the next big thing I ask myself ?
09-February-2005 It didn't take long for the London Toy Fair BMW M3 to appear on eBay - the first appeared on the 29 January and sold within 12 hours with a 'Buy-It-Now' for £200 !!! The latest model is currently sat at £200 with four days still to run !
29-January-2005 We've be sent a photo of the 2005 London Toyfair BMW M3 we mentioned the other day (thanks Peter!) and as you can see the decaling is similar to the Alfa 147 & Hot Rods previously released for such events. We are now all wondering how long it will take them to appear on eBay and how much they will fetch !
If you are a BMW collector and are unable to obtain one of the above then you will be pleased to know that a new batch of models has been announced to take your mind off it !
Also some other interesting models to note :
Also some news just in about the McLaren Team Edition models for this year. An initial batch of both Kimi Raikkonen and David Coulthard models in 1:43 has been received however the Kimi model is currently sold out on pre-order as the delivery from China was short due to the ongoing oil energy crisis over there (McLaren's exact words!) They expect the remainder to appear in March - the 1:18ths however have yet to be produced.
We are also receiving reports from collectors regarding poor decal application on some of the Mark Webber Jaguar R5's in 1:43 - in some cases the decals are peeling and in one case actually fell off. If anyone has experienced similar problems then we will be pleased to hear from you.
24-January-2005 Anyone who used to visit Cegerer's 1:43 Diecast Website on a regular basis may remember the legend that was the "SAT Additive" Sauber Mercedes C9. This "rare" non catalogue item was so rare it seems it was leaning onto myth ! Whilst this same model is for sale at a massive $1000 in one diecast store I am now going to reveal the truth behind it.
Our story begins back in the early 1990's when a collector in Europe started collecting just about everything Paul's Model Art had to offer including the Saubers. This was in the pre internet days and if a shop didn't have it you didn't know it existed. Even Minichamps catalogues didn't exist as we know them now just the large Danhausen catalogues which some shops reluctantly opened up to customers. The collector entered a shop outside his hometown which he described as a goldmine as up until this point he had only known the first LBS produced 1989 C9 and 1990 C11 Saubers. This shop however had the Kouros & AEG liveried cars together with the SAT Additive version so he purchased them all even though the SAT car was missing the outer cardboard carton.
Several years later when our collector started going onto the internet he started to share his knowledge with others and it was only then that he realised that he appeared to be the only one possessing the SAT Additive car. On his next visit to the shop he quizzed the proprietor how he had come by the model and he was informed that he had bought it from a guy who had sold him his entire collection just a few weeks before our friend purchased them from the shop. The proprietor pointed out that he had a second copy of the SAT car only this time it was a Starter hand built version so he purchased this too.
At home he started to examine the MAX Models SAT and the Starter SAT side by side and noticed something strange - the decals on both models were EXACTLY the same, no difference in size, colour or shape. It would seem therefore in the absence of any evidence to prove otherwise the MAX SAT was actually converted somewhere along the way but where, when, how and by whom we do not know.
So if this rare model is still on your 'wants list' then you can remove it in the knowledge that the legend is no more than a fairy tale !
12-January-2005 I've always advocated that collectors should keep their eyes open wherever they are as things can turn up in the oddest of places. One of our readers has proved the point by spotting this in the latest issue of Shropshire Life Magazine (for our overseas visitors to the site it's the sort of magazine only posh people like the Queen reads !)
It says these are limited to 911 pieces and were distributed at the latest Porsche 911 launch.
10-January-2005 We have just received photographs of the Kyosho Japanese only release Yellow Corn McLaren F1 GTR from our Japanese HQ in Tokyo.
The addition of 'Race Weight Handicap' decals on the rear quarter glass
Matt Silver Wheels
Kyosho plinth showing Ltd Edition of 1,296 Pcs.
The pictures detail the subtle differences from the original and as mentioned this model comes with the part number 533 224376.
08-January-2005 We finally appear to have got to the bottom of the 'Yellow Corn' McLaren F1 GTR story we featured a few weeks back. It seems that the only difference between this new Japanese only release and the original is the fact that it now has matt silver wheels where the first were gloss plus the addition of the 'weight handicap' decal on the rear quarter glass. It hardly seems worth all the hassle producing a further 1,296 pieces for such minor alterations - talk about making money out of collectors. If anyone has received their model and has a photograph to share then please contact me at the address below.
It seems Toyota don't waste any time either when it comes to releasing models - the ink on the drivers contracts has hardly had time to dry and these two items are already on their website, both Schumacher and Trulli versions are available.
05-January-2005 As the Paris-Dakar Rally is in full swing at the moment it seems Minichamps have timed the announcement of their latest batch of models to perfection as they are all Red Bull liveried VW Touregs.
Whilst the first two releases late in 2004 sold well I'm not sure if they cannot be blamed from going into overkill mode with these. I suppose the proof of the pudding as they say is in the eating so we will just have to wait and see - at least the liveries are popular. All are slated for a Q2 2005 release.
Also due out in February is the Paul's Model Art 212 page Edition I catalogue.
03-January-2005 We are only three days into the new year and look what I've just spotted on eBay !! It's the BMW dealer released Arrows A8 of Gerhard Berger from the 1985 US Grand Prix in Detroit and it comes with Barclay tobacco livery !!
The part number for this work of art is 80420393341. Are we already looking at the contender for F1 model of 2005 ??
31-December-2004
REVIEW OF 2004
It suddenly dawned on me when I was updating the website the other day that the end of another year was nearly upon us which meant that my review of the years events needed to be typed up. As this will be my fourth one I suppose it’s now becoming a bit of a tradition and it’s one I intend to keep up.When I started this website back in September 2001 little did I realise how popular it would become – the fact that we have just exceeded our 280,000th hit is testimony to you our readers. It reflects just how popular the Minichamps brand is globally which is evident from the number of emails I receive from collectors around the globe. First and foremost I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for your support over the last few years, without your emails and photographs much of it’s popularity would not have been possible.
Well what is there to say about 2004 then? The story that made all the headlines this year has to be the effect a certain tobacco brand, namely Rothmans had on the hobby. It wasn’t until an advertisement appeared in a UK Sunday newspaper that they actually cottoned on to what was happening and within hours there were threats of writs and legal action flying around. However controversial what Rothmans failed to realise was that a large number of 1/43 Williams and Porsche models had hit the shops weeks before and had been eagerly snapped up by collectors who knew they were onto a good thing. Who would have thought that Rothmans would take things to such extremes which included employing spies at the British Grand Prix to report any dealers who were trying to offload models - the diecast Gestapo were everywhere it seemed.In a damage limitation exercise Minichamps had to over-decal their recently released Porsche three car Le Mans sets but not before Japan had received their quota. It didn’t seem to matter anyway as collectors came up with ingenious methods to remove the ‘poorly applied’ decals to reveal the correct tampo printed ones underneath. If this was intentional then why wasn’t Paul Lang in the Queen’s New Years Honours List for services to the diecast community??
This year heralded two new F1 Collections, the Benetton and Takumo Sato Collections were just what was needed to introduce some fresh impetus into the hobby. Whilst Paul’s Model Art continued to churn out numerous variations of the latest launch, test and grid cars collectors much preferred to get sentimental and opt for the brilliant retro models that were hitting the shelves. The Arrow’s, March’s, Brabham’s and the newly released Senna models were some of the hottest items of the year. The only other downside apart from there again being too many F1 releases was the fact that Minichamps seemed to be pre occupied with the production other models resulting in a number of this seasons launch and grid cars appearing much later than normal.
On eBay it wasn’t only the McLaren F1 GTR models that continued to command high prices, now Porsche race cars enjoyed a similar popularity and it saw them reach new highs with collectors clambering to own the ‘must have’ models. It was also Porsche together with BMW that continued to set the standard with both their dealer editions and glossy brochures setting out their diecast ranges.
The Edition II of the Japanese Minichamps book was released in 2004 and this continued to get collectors juices running and the English version ‘A Passion For Model Cars Vol II’ sneaked in before the end of the year. My only criticism of the latter was that the book contains a couple of inaccuracies and any model photographed containing a tobacco decal has had it airbrushed out. I just hope our Japanese collector friends realise how lucky they are with the fantastic 'Mini Car Fan' volumes they have access to - if only EI Publishing re-released these in English they would be onto a winner, that's one of my wishes for the forthcoming year.
So as the clock rapidly approaches midnight I'd like to wish you all a Happy New Year and let's hope 2005 continues to bring us even more superb models - whatever your preference I hope you continue to enjoy the hobby. And don't forget to keep those emails coming.
We also have some information on that Porsche 904 model we featured last week. It seems these were specially produced on behalf of Kyosho for the Minichamps 10th anniversary however due to the issue numbers being relatively high in relation to the number of 1/18th collectors in Japan a number still remain unsold on dealers shelves.
28-December-2004 A couple of models which were released this week have been causing a few headaches for both dealers and wholesalers alike and we therefore expect them to be in short supply.
The first is the Audi A4 'Red Bull' DTM winning car of M Ekstrom - the vast majority arrived at dealers minus wing mirrors which was as a result of the model working loose from the base whilst in transit. It seems the screws holding the models in place were over tightened at the factory causing the threads to be stripped bare - although the models had a plastic 'holder' within the perspex lid this didn't stop them from rattling against the sides of the cases causing the mirrors to fly off. There were very few around at Donington yesterday so expect this to be in short supply.
Whilst it was a different case with the Jaguar R5 of Mark Webber it won't be this model that will be the difficult one to get hold of - let me explain. One dealer received his consignment of the Webber cars and noticed something strange - on several models within the batch it had 'B Wirdheim 3rd Driver' on the inserts. A quick telephone call to Amerang the UK importers resulted in a random search of cartons however this didn't reveal anything untoward - therefore it is not known precisely how many models have the incorrect inserts. As the Wirdheim car will only be limited to 1,008 pieces we are betting that they won't be printing any more inserts to make up for the deficit or swapping over models back at the factory !
25-December-2004 MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE !
20-December-2004 Our recently opened European HQ has come across an interesting model we can't recall seeing before. It's a 1/18th scale racing Porsche 904 in silver and is limited to 1,200 pieces and has a start number of '1'. Now from what we can gather this model was part of the Paul's Model Art 10th Anniversary celebrations and was produced for the Japanese market - it even comes in the standard red street 904 box but displays a sticker on the top left hand corner of the box.
If anyone has any further information on the above item then we would be pleased to hear from you.
Yet another new batch of models has been announced within the last few days :
402 040015 - Jordan Ford EJ14 Nick Heidfeld (2004 racecar ltd 3000 pcs and will contain the complete set of 'airbox' logos for the year on the inside of the box)
400 046975 - Porsche 911 GT3-RS Le Mans 2004 Sugden/Smith/Khan #75
400 046984 - Porsche 911 GT3-RS Le Mans 2004 Burgess/Colin/Bagnall #84
400 046980 - Porsche 911 GT3-RS Spa 2004 Ickx/Rabineau/Liddell #80 (Minichamps part sponsored car)
430 982625 - BMW 320i STW 1998 L V Bayern 'Team Isert' (Jagermeiseter livery Ltd 1,008 Pcs)
400 012101 - BMW M3 Street 2001 Metallic Yellow
400 012102 - BMW M3 GTR Street 2001 (With Carbon Fibre effect roof)
402 036269 - Porsche 2 car set 911 RS (30th Anniversary Ltd Edition 3000 Pcs)
403 120463 - Alfa Romeo 75 3.0 V6 1987 Black
The Jordan and Porsche two car set are slated for Q1 2005 release, all the others Q2.
One important piece of information - only five big sleeps to go now until Santa comes !
16-December-2004 Here's the latest 'Stop Press' news item just in from our Japanese HQ - the second Senna Brazil model complete with standing driver figure has just been released.
It seems it was initially planned to have a Brazilian flag added to the model on the cockpit however as the overall finish was not up to usual exacting standards the Senna Foundation decided against it. Originally both items were scheduled to be sold at the Ayrton Senna Memorial Fair at the time of the Japanese GP near Suzuka city however the models did not arrive in time therefore the meaning the Senna Foundation lost the chance to sell them at the event - this resulted in the proprietor of GP Collection taking the full allocation of models off their hands.
A couple of new Porsche road cars have been announced today in both scales -
100062630 Porsche Carrera GT 2003 Red (1/18 scale due Q2 2005)
400063020 Porsche 911 Carrera 2004 Blue (due Q2 2005)
400063021 Porsche 911 Carrera S 2004 Metallic Grey (due Q2 2005)
400063030 Porsche 911 Carrera S Cabriolet 2005 Red (due Q3 2005)
13-December-2004 I attended the NEC toy fair yesterday in Birmingham and as I walked round the hall it suddenly dawned on me that some dealers are still trying to sell the same models as they had back in 1998 when I first started collecting ! I know I'm not wrong as another two people passed comment about it. When you look at the stalls in question you don't have to be a genius to work out the reason why their merchandise isn't flying off the shelves at the rate it does with the more professional dealers.
The first issue are the extortionate prices some dealers are charging - I've actually heard some dealers say that if someone actually wants something badly enough they will pay the price they are asking. Well guys I've got some news for you they don't anymore ! This possibly was the case pre internet days but the vast majority of collectors have done their homework beforehand and know they are being ripped off and will consequently buy it much cheaper elsewhere.
The second issue is the condition of the packaging that is trying to be passed off by some dealers. In some instances the perspex cases are so badly scratched it appears that the inside of the box has steamed up ! Also many cases are cracked all as a result of being transported without any protection. Who wants to buy a model only to have all the hassle of searching for a replacement lid or box ?
So where does this leave these dealers ? Well collectors aren't stupid and these guys get a reputation for either being rip-off merchants or for selling substandard merchandise so collectors will avoid them like the plague - sorry guys but it's true so time to wake up and smell the coffee.
One dealer who certainly knows how to sell models is John Best who has just gone 'on-line' with his own website namely 'eeano model cars'. When I was chatting to John yesterday he mentioned that not all his stock is listed on the site so if you are looking for something in particular you can email him at info@eeano.com
09-December-2004 I'm sure many of you are as perplexed as I am when you see the low production numbers on some of the racing Porsche models released recently - it's hardly surprising then that many change hands on eBay at extortionate prices only a few days after release. Are these production numbers due to contractual obligations with Porsche or based on the number of pre-orders made through the diecast retailers ?? If the latter is the case then why are some models easier to obtain than others and sell for less than their RRP ?
Whilst on the subject of Porsche does anyone have any information on this item ? It seems that models of both this Cayenne S and a Cayenne Turbo were given away as a special door prize at the Cayenne launch event and not many were made but we don't know precisely how many. A few have been popping up on eBay over recent months.
I've just returned from Prague and spotted a promotional item whilst I was looking round the airport duty free shop. It was a Mika Hakkinen 1/18 McLaren MP 4/14 with full WEST livery and came in a specially made perspex case. A couple of packets of WEST cigarettes were inside and a special WEST branded badge was visible on the baseplate. Unfortunately with airport security as it is I didn't think it would have been prudent to start taking photographs !
04-December-2004 Here's some information from our newly opened European Office - Auto Bild the German car magazine have in the past offered one of five exclusive limited edition Minichamps models in return for taking out a six month subscription. When you consider that the price of the subscriptions were between 15 to 28 Euros (different car magazines were available) then they are quite a bargain. Each of the models are limited to 3000 pieces and all have exclusive colours, the part numbers all begin with '433'
We also have gotten wind of a rumour that Minichamps will release the Porsche 911 GT3 RS #90 V. Ickx T2M Motorsport 'First Point' Spa 1000Km 2004 Limited to 999 pieces. Also another format of the 'Yellow Corn' McLaren F1 GTR will be released with a part number 533 224376 (former number 530 224376) - as I say these are unconfirmed at present and we have no idea what format the McLaren will take. As soon as we have confirmation or any further information we will of course post it.
02-December-2004 A new batch of new releases has been announced in 1/43 scale :
All the above are due in the first quarter of 2005
