1:43
Classics’ Newsletter #68
Latest news and information from Classic Carlectables in Newsletter #68 (April-June 2017). The only 1:43 scale items are the 2017 Supercars from Triple Eight Engineering – the Red Bull duo of Whincup and van Gizbergen, plus the Vortex machine of Lowndes. These models will be made in all three scales.
Race-To-Race Changes
The latest Raceland newsletter (Jan 27) points out the detail differences between race-to-race versions of various F1 cars manufactured by Spark. The changes made are not restricted to just alternative decoration! Latest Newsletter is HERE
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 thought some side-by-side photos illustrating the contrast between then and now would be interesting. For the time, I reckon the Technicas were a pretty good quality diecast model. The overall shape and proportions of eachRead More
(More) V8s Galore!
Biante has been busy punching out more 1:43 scale V8 Supercars over the past 6 months or so. This has been a combination of catching up on production that was delayed a few years back (including the AMG Mercs!) and releases from the current 2016 season. Production numbers are in the 300 to 500 range for the Biantes (750 for Courtney HRT) , while there are just 204 pieces of each of the Apex DJR Penske Falcons.
Historic NASCAR Daytona 500 Winners
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 looking #40 high-winged 1970 winner earlier this year. The Car: The Plymouth Superbird was developed specifically for racing from Plymouth’s ‘Road Runner’ model. It was the factory’s follow up design to the 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona.Read More
Review: Panini F1 Model Car Collection & Issue 1
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 F1 cars, but didn’t want to pay Minichamps/Spark prices, this could certainly do the job. Check out the review video and pics below! Above: The UK television advert, which is actually quite misleading –Read More
V8s Galore!
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 Vs Biante The models from both manufacturers are, generally, pretty darn good. One could argue the Apex models are a little more refined and detailed, however several of the pieces I’ve bought are let downRead More
Review: 2014 Pepsi MAX Falcons
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 complex decalling, so the finish is not particularly glossy (Edit: a quick run over with a soft cloth does improve the finish quite a bit – both models had some weird residue all over them).Read More
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 was poking way out past the bodywork and the right rear was buckled with massive toe-in. I communicated with the importer/retailer, Apex Replicas, and they were happy to swap it as they still had newRead More
New Stuff From Top Gear (Trax) & Biante
Top Gear’s July product brochure There are some decent models in here I’d like to buy, but Top Gear have priced themselves out of my market, eg: the yellow Des West FX #27. Trax produced a previous FX of West’s a few years back (in diecast), but this resin one is now twice the price! Why not just use the existing mould? (I’ve posed the question to Top Gear about this – now waiting for the reply). Biante V8 Supercars A number of 1:43 scale Supercars became available this weekRead More
Fixing Buzz’s Suspension (and other things)
Having looked at the misaligned push-rods on the Buzz Calkins Indycar (see Quick Review article HERE), I decided I’d have a crack at fixing them. After removing from the plinth, 2 screws hold the model together and the main upper body has to be pulled back a bit to clear the rear suspension. I had to be really careful with the Bradley decal on the sidepod. It was already dried and cracked (this model is about 20 years old these days) and thankfully didn’t get damaged further. At firstRead More
HRT Gems from Biante
Two versions of HRT’s 2015 VF Commodore V8 Supercars have hit the market – the pre-season test car in matte black, and the Clipsal 500 race version, for both drivers (James Courtney and Garth Tander). These are 1:43 scale diecast, RRP $59.95 and a Limited Edition of 1008 pieces of each.
Minichamps to model 80% of the 2016 F1 Grid
Minichamps will model 9 of the 11 Formula 1 teams contesting the 2016 World Championship. Only Ferrari and Manor will not be produced by Minichamps. The company has announced it will produce 1:43 diecast versions of the Mercedes and McLarens, while Williams, Red Bull, Toro Rosso, Sauber, Renault, Force India and the new HAAS team will be done in resin. This is all good news, until one sees the retail pricing, which is positively scary… $160 each for the resin models! (that’s for the 1:43s. The 1:18s are $355!!) In 1:18,Read More
Review: Ertl G-Force IRL Indycar
Ertl’s 1998 G-Force IRL Indycar of Robbie Buhl isn’t a great collectable. But it is cheap and colourful! Read the Quick Review.
Review: Trax LE Coupe
A quick review of the LE Holden Coupe by Trax, an excellent 1:43 scale model that has now sold out.