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

1/43 Model Review: 2019 Racing Point RP19 (Minichamps)

Hot off the heels of the Spark release of this model of the Racing Point RP19, the Minichamps version has also landed. 

The first thing that I noticed about the model is how much more vibrant the colours are compared to the Spark model. In terms of the shape of the model, there's very little to choose between the two model makers. 

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The other very minor difference is the placement of transition of colours from the inside to the outside of the rear wing endplates, and I do prefer the Minichamps attention to detail there. Having said that, there is more detail on the floor on the Spark model.

With not much to choose between the two, the score for both models is the same.
Score: 8/10

Special Editions:

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Just 150pcs were made for the German model shop of the Bahrain GP version of the car, which I think looks great in the pink box. 

Update of 1/43 Mercedes W10 (Minichamps)

Minichamps have released a US GP version of the same model, commemorating when Lewis drove into a painted spot at the end of the GP reserved for the 2019 World Champion. This means the car is facing the other way in the box.

Minichamps 417191844

Having bought both models, I thought it would be a good opportunity to compare both cars in a bit more detail, both cars being diecast.

From the front of the car, there's not really any noticeable change, other than the front wing endplates which you can't quite tell from this angle. There is a change to the winglets in around the bargeboard area, but we'll consider that later.

Moving to the back of the car, and I know it's been three years now, but I still love the wider rear tyres. Mercedes have very high rear suspension mounts as they do on the front, with the driveshaft covered in a wing shaped cover reminiscent of the Williams FW16. It's great to see even at this scale, the detail that goes into the rear brake ducts and all the tiny wings they squeeze in there. In terms of the two models, I can't really find any differences to spot.

Another area of highly intricate details is the bargeboard region in front of the sidepods. Reduced in size that they're able to develop, hasn't stopped the complexity, with teams managing to get their boomerang wings in. The main difference is on top of the sidepod, with the winglet not connected to the vertical outboard vane, although all the vertical vanes have changed slightly. The new version cleverly incorporates the mirrors, which are vented, hence the increased black region. It's still great to see the winglet on the halo get such good definition, and the different number of gills on the side of the cockpit which is race specific.

The final comparison is from a kind of T-Cam position. I like how the model has the saw-tooth shaped visors in front of the cockpit, and the models feature an accurate steering wheel shape with nice stickers on. As noted above, the US GP car makes an attempt at the vented mirrors.

1/43 Model Review: 2019 Red Bull Racing RB15 Minichamps

Dr. Helmut Marko predicted that Red Bull would win 3 races in 2019 in their first year partnership with Honda, and that is exactly what they achieved, though he would argue they could have won more. Max won brilliantly in Austria, and then in a rain soaked chaotic race in Germany, and a brilliant head-to-head victory against Hamilton in Brazil, somewhat payback for losing out on victory in Hungary where Hamilton passed him on fresher tyres near the end of the race. Verstappen had a few off races, colliding with Raikkonen twice in Belgium. In Italy he started from the back and knocked his front wing, and eventually finished 8th, and he was punted off in Japan by Leclerc. Verstappen truly established himself as a credible title challenger if his car was competitive throughout the year, something they hope will be the case in 2020.

New team-mate Albon drove the second half of the year, and had a slightly easier task of a more developed RB15 than Gasly had. He seemed to do a lot of come-back drives, showing potential and good overtaking. It remains to be seen if he can get closer to Max in 2020, but he was unlucky to be punted off a podium finish in Brazil by a rare mistake from Hamilton.

Minichamps released their version of the early season car with Max and Pierre in respectively.

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Personally, I think the matte paintwork on the Minichamps model is spot on, I don't think the Spark model is quite as good. The only other bigger difference between this and the Spark model is the size of the airbox above the driver's head, the Minichamps one being much larger and for me more accurate.

Minichamps 410190010

A great effort from Minichamps in my opinion, these newer models are fantastic.
Score: 8/10

Verstappen Collection Models

Whilst Spark have been releasing a number of special versions, the Max Verstappen shop have released two versions already, one based on the Australian GP, which is the same as the standard model, albeit with different tyres, and they have done a pre-season shakedown livery which sold out almost instantly.

Minichamps 4131999333 Max Verstappen Collection No. 40

Minichamps 413190133 Max Verstappen Collection No. 42

Minichamps 413190933 Max Verstappen Collection No. 44

Minichamps 413191133 Max Verstappen Collection No.45

Update 2 of 1/43 Model Review: 1994 Ligier JS39B Renault

Well I couldn't help myself to some new 1994 models, and with Spark and Minichamps both releasing the 1994 Ligier, when Schumacher tested the car, I couldn't resist getting them both, taking some pics and comparing the two. If you want to see my other posts about this model and my GP4 car, then you can see the articles here.

Spark

Minichamps

It's nice how Spark have put on most of the tobacco decals leaving just a little bit to finish off, but both cars come with the decals to update the cars, not that I trust myself, particularly when these models are so expensive when new now. Almost immediately, playing spot the difference, there are quite a few to spot and from the wide shot, there's quite a few differences in proportions.

You don't get the difference in the modern models, as I believe they get geometric data from the teams, which is why the quality and proportions are very accurate. I can only assume they don't have that data for these models. As noted in other reviews, the front wing is massive on the Minichamps model, but what is there is a lot more refined. There is also much more curvature on the Minichamps model, which I think is a bit more realistic. The rollover bar and sidepods are very basic and quite similar on both models, the only real difference is right at the back of the engine cover, there is a square cut out of the Spark model to allow for the rear wing supports.

Spark

Minichamps

Spark have done some more squat mirrors, which I think over exaggerates the real car a little bit. Bot cars model the round cockpit well, but the Minichamps driver figure and seat fit into it better. Though I prefer the Minichamps helmets, they clearly didn't look at photos of the test as Schumacher ran an early season version of his helmet without the red 'wings' and elf logo. In terms of the overalls, Spark seem to have created some Ligier colours with Benetton logos, odd. On that front, I much prefer Minichamps. 

Spark

Minichamps

The Spark front wing looks so boxy, and the endplate doesn't quite have the unique contours, which I think Minichamps does a lot better in capturing (if it wasn't for the fact that it's huge!). Again the Minichamps wheels and rims are for me much better proportionally speaking. 

Spark

Minichamps

I do prefer the Minichamps suspension, just the points where it attaches to the chassis is much more accurate. However in terms of the lumps and bumps on the monocoque, Spark do seem to have them more prominantly.

Spark

Minichamps

I remember when I was doing the GP4 car that the rear of the engine cover around the Renault logo was not easy, but both manufacturers have done it well, but as I said earlier, the Spark version does have a better trailing edge. Notice the great difference in depth of the main rear wing plain, the Spark car running a particularly low downforce configuration. 

Spark

Minichamps

It's clearer from the above angle the rear wing differences. The bigger difference is in the diffusers, with Spark sporting the early season diffuser whilst Minichamps have produce the end of season version. 

Spark

Minichamps

My, the front wing is huge on the Minichamps car, did I mention that already? Minichamps have added a visor, which is a nice touch, whilst Spark have painted it in the colours of the chassis. The steering wheels are fairly standard and dull, but I prefer Spark's aerials and pitot tubes. 

1/43 Model Review: 2019 Renault RS19 (Minichamps)

2019 is now over, and Hulkenberg is a former F1 driver after a pretty anonymous year, but that was probably more down to Renault's dip in form compared to the previous year when Nico was a constant best of the rest. Ricciardo showed more highlights, becoming more confident in wheel to wheel battles, but he still doesn't look as comfortable on the brakes as his Red Bull days.

The team were disqualified from the Japanese GP for their automatic brake balance management system.

The team finished in fifth place, with their best finish at the Italian GP when Ricciardo lead Hulkenberg to a 4 - 5 finish. The disappointing season lead to a change in the leadership of the design team.

Minichamps have released a limited edition run of Ricciardo's car from the Bahrain GP.

Minichamps 447190003

I think this is a brilliant little model, I prefer it to the Spark model. I think the Spark model if you inspect its separate elements looks nice, but when you bring it altogether, just ever so slightly looks disjointed. I think the airbox on the Minichamps model looks slightly bulkier which I think is more accurate to the car.

I think the car looked particularly good on the dark track under the floodlights, and I think this is a lovely model.
Score: 8/10

Minichamps 417190003

Minichamps 417190027

1/43 Model Review: 1997 Ferrari F310B

Background

When Schumacher joined Ferrari, he declared he would win 3 races in 1996 and challenge for the Championship in 1997, which he fulfilled. The season began with the Williams taking an early lead, but by mid-season, Schumacher fought his way up to lead the battle and carried a one point advantage to the final race at Jerez, the European GP for that season. Schumacher's car developed a cooling leak whilst leading, and Villeneuve eagerly wanted to pounce straight after the pitstop. Famously, as Villeneuve passed down the inside, Schumacher swiped at the Williams, but rebounded off into the gravel trap, as the Canadian brought the car home to claim his only Championship. Schumacher, however, was disqualified from the Championship for this move, though the team kept the points. Despite the costly momentary lapse, this was an impressive season from the German with five wins in total, including fine wet drives to victory at Monaco and Spa stand out to me in particular.

Irvine in his second year with Ferrari, partnered Schumacher in the last of the John Barnard designed Ferrari's. Irvine drove a better year than his first, chasing Villeneuve hard to second place in Argentina, and would have gifted a win to his team-mate at the Japanese Grand Prix to help him fight for the championship. Ferrari finished 2nd in that year's Constructors' Championship.

Minichamps

Minichamps 510974305

Minichamps 430970006

Though this Ferrari is dubbed the B spec version of the F310 from 1996, it bears very little resemblance to the 'truck'. Much more refined shape, much less bulky, much more conventional aerodynamics from the outside made this car quite a nice looking car. Sadly this was the first Marlboro red car, departing from the traditional scarlet red, which takes away from the beauty of this car for me.

Minichamps produced another nice model of this car, featuring two shape variants, well different rear wings at least. There are French GP variants of the non-tobacco livery, and the barcode version ran at other races.
Score: 7/10

Tameo

Tameo TMK430

I've found two versions from Tameo, this one above is based on the car that won the Monaco GP, with rain tyres. Tameo have done another excellent job in recreating this car, from the intricate shape of the front wing end plates, to the cockpit and the extra rear wing elements, this is another find model.

Tameo TMK349

The other version is based on the Japanese GP, which comes with removable engine cover, showing some nice detail underneath of the engine, radiators, gearbox and rear suspension assembly. They've updated the airbox which is a nice detail, as well as a more boxy shaped front wing endplate, and of course the rear wing. A fabulous model.
Score: 9/10

1/43 Model Review: 1997 McLaren MP4/12 Mercedes

Background

McLaren kept the Mercedes engine for the third year, and the combination of Mika Hakkinen and David Coulthard for a second year. The biggest change was the livery, having lost Marlboro sponsorship, the cars were no longer the distinctive red and white  for the past 23 years, but in recognition of their relationship with Mercedes ran a silver livery with West sponsorship. The team ran in traditional McLaren Orange before the livery launch. The car was very promising, but the unreliability of the Mercedes motor masked their potential. Hakkinen retired from leading positions on three occasions and Coulthard suffered the same fate in Canada.

Coulthard started the year with a race win, the second of career, and the first for McLaren since 1993. Coulthard was able to convert another race victory at the emotional Italian GP, dedicating his victory to Princess Diana's death the previous week.

The car was found to have two brake pedals for brake steering after a photographer snook a camera into the cockpit at the end of the season. The technology was soon banned, but was put in the MP4/12C road car which featured many of the F1 cars technology. Hakkinen finally won his first Grand Prix at the finale in Jerez, after coming to an agreement with Williams who was nursing a damaged Villeneuve after Schumacher tried to take him out.

Minichamps

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I remember back in 1997 when one of my friends was on a family holiday in London at the same time that Mika Hakkinen was doing a signing session at the Alex Reade model shop and he bought this model and was able to get Hakkinen to sign it, I was obviously well jealous. Anyway, the model comes in the new silver race livery, which Minichamps have done a great job with, and also the pre-season orange livery. The model is a good representation of the car, no real complaints from me. I particularly like how they integrated the sidepod into the winglet and onto the rear endplate.
As with other McLaren cars, the main car is available in Mercedes box and also in Team McLaren editions.

Score: 7/10

Tameo

Tameo TMK237

Tameo TMK238

Tameo have likewise produced a pre-season orange version as well as the race car. This high end model is superior to the budget diecast Minichamps model, featuring much more detailed modelling, finer details. It's nice they have made an effort around the fuel cap opening, all the cameras on the car and the rear end is just beautifully modelled. My only tiny nitpick would be the lack of body lines around the cockpit head protection. Otherwise this model is pretty much perfect to me.
Score: 9/10

1/43 Model Review: 1997 Jordan 197 Peugeot

Background

The 1997 season was all change for Jordan, signing rookies Giancarlo Fisichella and Ralf Schumacher, although Fisichella had driven for Minardi for a few races the previous season. Gone was the gold livery, and the start of various nature inspired liveries. The snake livery remains the most striking and memorable of the 5 liveries it ran up to the 2001 season. The teams fortunes seamed to have turned for the better, being a regular points scorer, which included three podium finishes and scoring its highest haul of points at the time. Fisichella was particularly impressive in the car, scoring a second place at the Belgian GP, and being in contention for the win at the German GP before a puncture dropped him down the order. Schumacher recently claimed that he could have won the Argentine GP if he hadn't tangled with his team-mate.

Minichamps 

Minichamps 430970012

Minichamps 514974311

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The model is based on the early season car, with the shorter sidepods. The livery seems to be a mish-mash of non-tobacco liveries they ran during the year. The team ran mainly yellow wings in France with some extra ribbons rather than text, whilst at the British GP they amended the snake on the nose, and they had various one-off sponsors for that race too. The sidepods were the same for both races, but at Silverstone they ran with Bitten & Hisses written instead of Benson & Hedges. In Germany, they ran with the nicknames of the drivers with a large number of 'S's for the hissing of a snake.
Score: 7/10

Tameo

Tameo TMK243

This is a model of Fisichella's Jordan from the Monaco GP. The Monaco GP that year was a wash-out so this car comes with rain tyres. This model is another beauty from Tameo, for me replicated perfectly.

Score: 10/10