Reviews

Opinion.

Then & Now: F1 Models 35 Years Apart

New technology, manufacturing methods and materials sees the model cars of today a superior product compared to those of the past. Case in point are these Wolf and Brabham Formula One racers from 1977. Both of these cars were produced as part of the Technica/Eidai F1 collection. They have also now been modeled by Minichamps. I … Read moreThen & Now: F1 Models 35 Years Apart

My Indy 500 Winners

One of the aims of my personal collection is to have a model of each Indianapolis 500 winner. At the time of writing, that’s 100 cars! With the models I own, I’m at 12% of target. Now, despite the negativity of me pointing out a bunch of faults on the pieces below, I actually do like them! … Read moreMy Indy 500 Winners

Historic NASCAR Daytona 500 Winners

1970 Daytona 500 winner - Pete Hamilton's Plymouth Superbird

Spark has been churning out the occasional old-school NASCAR stock car racer over the years and have done several Daytona 500 winners. I acquired the 1960 (Junior Johnson, Chev Impala) and 1968 (Cale Yarborough, Mercury Cyclone) winners a couple of years back. Tiny Lund’s Ford Galaxy (the ’63 victor) arrived late last year and the spectacular … Read moreHistoric NASCAR Daytona 500 Winners

Review: Panini F1 Model Car Collection & Issue 1

Panini F1 Car Collection - issue 1, Ayrton Senna McLaren MP4/4 1988

The Panini F1 model car collection is now available in Australia, issue 1 hitting the newsagents recently with the 1988 McLaren MP4/4 of Ayrton Senna attached. What’s the model like? From a distance, it looks okay. But in reality, these are basic entry-level models at an attractive price. If you wanted a collection of iconic … Read moreReview: Panini F1 Model Car Collection & Issue 1

V8s Galore!

FG-X Falcon V8 Supercars from Apex, plus the Nissans and a Volvo, released at the end of last year.

With factories going bust in China (or whatever the reason was), there has not been much in the way of 1:43 V8 Supercar models for the past couple of years. Well, that’s all changed in 2016! Both Apex and Biante have been busy churning out multiple releases over the past 6 months or so. Apex … Read moreV8s Galore!

Review: 2014 Pepsi MAX Falcons

2014 Pepsi MAX Ford Falcon Bathurst winner - Chaz Mostert & Paul Morris

Note: seems I forgot to publish this review when I wrote it about 6+ months ago…   Classics Carlectables FG Falcons from 2014 These are par-for-the-course V8Supercars from Classic Carlectables; sealed body with no interior. Lots of collectors don’t like them because of that, but at $39, I don’t mind too much. The livery is … Read moreReview: 2014 Pepsi MAX Falcons

Aussies In F1 Additions

Models of Australian drivers who competed overseas would be a great collection theme and would make a significant and interesting display, even if it was just F1 cars. While I don’t specifically collect to that theme, I do have models of most of the Australians who have competed in Formula One. Over the past six … Read moreAussies In F1 Additions

Jim Richards’ 1985 ATCC Winning BMW

Spark recently did a run of 500 pieces of Jim Richards’ Group A 1985 Australian Touring Car Championship winning BMW 635CSi (Spark item # AS017). When the 6-cylinder Bavarian bullet arrived in the post the other month, there was a glaring assembly issue with the car – the rear axle was ajar, the left wheel … Read moreJim Richards’ 1985 ATCC Winning BMW