1/43 Model Review: 1970 World Champion Jochen Rindt (Lotus 72 Ford Cosworth)

I'm starting a new series of Driver's World Champions of which I have collected over the years. I start with a disclaimer that I grew up as a fan of F1 in the 1990s onwards, so my historical knowledge isn't quite as fanatical about the 80s and 70s and even less so of the 60s and 50s. But I do appreciate the history and the roots of what Formula 1 was back then and how it grew into this global phenomenon it is today. I have a couple of the World Champion models from the 50s or 60s, but not enough to do a series, so I'll begin with 1970 and the Lotus 72 that propelled Jochen Rindt to the title.

There are some very rare models from Spark that I don't have, or I simply can't afford them, and I've not ventured into Brumm, Quatrzo or IXO cars too much to fill in the gaps, as I mainly collect Spark and Minichamps models.

1970 - Lotus 72 - Jochen Rindt

Background

Jochen Rindt was a successful racing driver and previous Le Mans winner, but since his Formula One debut in 1964, he never had a car to match his talent. In 1969, he joined Lotus, and took his first Grand Prix victory finishing the year in fourth place. For the 1970 season, the third race was in Monaco where, due to retirements, Rindt lay second behind Jack Brabham, but his relentless pace caused Brabham to make a mistake on the last corner, letting Rindt through to victory. He then went on to win four races in a row mid-season, giving Rindt the Championship lead.

At Italian Grand Prix, designer, Colin Chapman, experimented by taking off the wings to reduce drag, to try and compete with the more powerful V12 engines, but Rindt's team-mate reported the car as impossible to drive, even in a straight line. In final practice, Rindt suffered a front right brake shaft failure, slinging him into the barriers at the Parabolica corner and taking his life. Nobody was able to gain enough points to overtake Rindt in the Drivers' Championship, and so Rindt remains the only posthumous World Champion to date.

Minichamps

Minichamps 430700005

The original Minichamps offering of the Lotus 72 was a nice simple car from, I think, the British Grand Prix. With the 70's cars, much of the rear end is still exposed, and Minichamps have put in a good effort with the engine and gearbox model.
Score: 6/10

Minichamps 436700005

The World Champions edition comes with wet tyres, a nicely updated driver model and helmet, and decals from, I think, the German GP. I feel they have improved the paint scheme, the original looks a little more like a toy, where as this updated version looks a bit more serious.

Score: 7/10

Other Versions

Spark S4280

Spark released their version from the Dutch GP, and as much as I'm not a fan of their 90s cars, I do love their treatment of the cars from the 60s and 70s, particularly the drivers and the details on the engine/gearbox. Their model is much sharper than the Minichamps model and I think the Spark version is overall a more satisfying model.
Score: 8/10

Quartzo have also done a nice budget model, as have Ixo/Formula 1 Car Collection and RBA.

Quartzo 4019

Quartzo's model is nicely done, lovely details, and despite not being made from resin like Spark, I think it's comparable to it. 

Score: 8/10

Formula 1 Car Collection

Ixo's version, this one from the Formula 1 Car Collection, is a pretty basic, but fairly nicely proportioned car. 

Score: 65/10

RBA

RBA/Atlas released a couple of World Champion cars and here is the Lotus 72, which again for a cheap model comes with nice detail around the engine and suspension.

Score: 6/10



For more from this series of World Champions, click here: https://fongugp4.blogspot.com/p/f1-world-champions.html

Retrospect

It's a sad reminder of a time in F1 where death was a regular occurrence, a state that only begins to change in the 1970s. And it's one criticism of Colin Chapman that his drive to produce a faster car, innovatively brilliant as he was, often pushed the boundaries too far as to risk his driver's safety. That's not to say he didn't care, the death of Jim Clark affected him deeply, but it does make you appreciate the level of engineering, the safety tests, the component testing and the safety standards of the modern day tracks that these days the cars are so reliable and the risk is much reduced.

I came across a comic-strip biography of Colin Chapman when browsing a local book store, and I think the comic was a brilliant way to treat a darker time. Beautifully illustrated and an accurate re-telling of his life is simply fantastic, and I enjoyed going through this book with my young son.