1/43 2019 Bburago Models

Bburago continue to produce their low-budget models/toys, a strange blend of detail and the ability to play with it without hurting yourself or your child eating any bits off it. Adding to the Ferrari cars, comes the Mercedes and the Red Bull versions. As much as I critique models on this blog, I'm glad there's a variety of detail, and more importantly budget. It's not like Bburago have the monopoly to make models of these cars, so I'm all for that. 

2019 Mercedes W11

Bburago BU38036-BOT

First up, we have the Mercedes. Ignoring that the front wing is drooping down at the front edge, they've done a great job in capturing the essence of the W11 shape, from the rounded nose tip, the cape, the high front suspension, the bargeboards and sidepod opening, a great halo and rear wing. There are dimples all over it, on the rear wing endplates, bargeboards, and floor owing to some of the detail on the real cars.

The nose horns have been trimmed and the mirrors point in a slightly random upward position. On this particular model, the engine cover doesn't seem to be on properly, but that's just this particular Bottas model rather than a common issue, as you can see on the Hamilton version below, it fits much better.

I like what they've done with the rear end. They play to their strengths, in that the detailed areas are in dark carbon, so you can't really see the detail on the real car as it's zooming by on your screens, but the general shape is excellently done on the bargeboards and the floor. 

Bburago BU38036-HAM

What impresses me most is the livery, I really like it and it elevates the whole model for me. Thinking back to the mid-90s when I was buying budget Onyx models, with their decals peeling off, the comparatively simple liveries applied wonkily, these liveries have a precision about them that impresses me. My slight nit-pick is that they could have painted the inside of the airbox black. 

Score: 6/10 

2019 Red Bull RB15

Bburago BU38139-VERS

The Red Bulls have tended to start the year with relatively simple and uncomplicated aerodynamics, but compare that to the end of the season, it's usually very highly developed. And that trend is true in its performance, in general, they are more competitive at the end of the year, sneaking a few victories along the way, and 2019 was no exception. And so this model looks a lot more basic than the Ferrari and Mercedes models. Couple that with the dark matte finish, this looks the most toy-like of the three.  

Bburago BU38050

That's not to say that the car doesn't share some of the things I like about the Ferrari and Mercedes. The car has a good front wing, its unique nose, the little S duct outlet at the top of the monocoque, the boomerang on the bargeboards, and a nice rear end. Again the decals look great, nicely detailed, accurate, well applied. 

Score: 6/10 

1/43 Model Review: 2019 Williams FW42 (Minichamps)

Williams were looking to bounce back after a a poor year at the back of the grid. The Martini sponsorship had elapsed and a new livery for the season saw the car blend a bright blue and white, whilst Rokit phones became their title sponsor. Out was Stroll and Sirotkin, the 'pay drivers' and in comes the impressive Mercedes junior driver George Russell and Robert Kubica, nearly 10 years after his horrific rally accident. Expectations that Paddy Lowe, fresh from Mercedes, could lead the technical team to improve the car. Sadly the opposite happened. The car was late and it was terribly slow, confining it to the rear of the grid. The whole saga and season was rather embarrassing for the proud team, truth be told, but they do garner a lot of support from well-wishers in and out of the paddock.

George Russell dominated in all the comparisons compared to his teammate, except for one stat which matters, which was points scored. Russell was unfortunate to not score that point in Germany after the disqualifications of the Alfa Romeos, but it was great to have some good news in a rather depressing season. It wasn't the fairy tale year we'd all hoped for in Kubica, but it is no less a triumphant story of super-human endeavour that got him back into F1 and (more or less) on the pace after the injuries he'd sustained. He didn't ask for sympathy, instead he more than earned the respect of everyone. 

In 2020, the Williams family took the somewhat inevitable decision of selling their team to a group of investors, Dorilton Capital, with the family bowing out of the sport shortly after. But the team did sign the new concorde agreement and the Williams name will remain for the foreseeable future on a stable financial foundation. The FW43 was more competitive and I wish nothing but the best for their future. 

Minichamps 417190088

Onto the model and we only have a Minichamps offering of this car, and no special versions that I know of yet. Again, the model makers have done a fine job in reproducing the car in 1/43 scale. You can see the Mercedes influence, the cape under the nose, the barge-board area, the shape of the sidepods and the raised front suspension. 

I do like the cardboard inlay that you get with the Williams cars, with the black silhouette of the real car behind. The livery looks great for me, but the carbon grey does make it look a bit plasticy. That's not to say they've picked the wrong colour, it's just the matte finish looks more like a toy than a model. I think they could have done a better job on Kubica's helmet livery. 

Overall, a nice model from Minichamps. A nice blend of a great shape, a nice livery and finish, nice detailing on the rims and the bargeboards and the rear of the car. 

Score:8/10

Model Updates - first 2020 preseason cars by Spark

Hey model fans,

I hope you're keeping safe and healthy during this very strange year. 

I was so glad that we do have a 2020 season, and I've been so grateful for a shuffled calendar. 

No doubt the global pandemic has affected the model makers, but I'm glad to see that Spark have started releasing some 2020 F1 models, based on pre-season testing. So I've started a 2020 model summary page. I've been keeping the 2019 model summary page up to date too. 

With the new rules on the horizon, most teams have simply updated their 2019 cars for the 2020 season, with Racing Point being the only team to try a new concept, and it seems to be paying off for them. Now that the same chassis needs to be retained for the 2021 season, we'll be looking at these shapes for a while. With the global pandemic affecting revenues, some teams like Haas will not bring any upgrades to the car in 2020, only specific race setups.