Dear Spark, Minichamps & Truescale: I’m bored
What if Bill Murray was a model maker?
Like Bill Murray in the movie “Groundhog Day”, it seems 1/43rd scale model manufacturers (Spark, Minichamps & Truescale) can’t stop doing the same things over and over again. Why repeat the same models over and again, when there are so many race cars, great cars, that haven’t even been modeled yet?
Seriously, how many more Rothman’s/New Man 956s or Mazda 787s do we need?
For collectors, it’s hard to keep up with all the great new models that come out. Are collectors supposed to replace all previous models with similar newer production? If you aren’t doing something significantly new (like opening door or a full engine), why bother making something that probably won’t sell all that well? Besides, all of the reruns bring down the residual market when collectors thin out their collections. One of the beauties of collecting used to be exclusivity/rarity that brought up the value of models. Future rarity and value generates more sales for new models.
Many Minichamps Alfa 33TT12s sit on dealer shelves to this day. A very good model made some years ago, TSM has seen fit to produce yet more of them. Retailers of Spark, Minichamps & Truescale lines find it hard to know which models will be popular sellers, and as a result many, many models sit on dealer shelves for a long while, no matter the wonderful subject. Inventory sitting on shelves is money sitting on shelves, which causes retailers to order less from manufacturers. It has also caused many a retailer to cease business…
Everyone needs help sometimes
We present a short list of 1/43rd race car models hardly ever/never produced in large production. Or just need a seriously better model than that on the market. We focus on 1/43 as the “collector scale”. Relatively little has been produced in 1/18th or other scales compared to 1/43rd. There are no Ferraris because of continued licensing issues:
Open wheel
Toleman 185 (the flag car) • Surtees TS9B • Lotus 49 (high wing, low wing, no wing) • Lotus 63, 87, 92, 93, 94, 95 • Lola T500 (Indy winner and Pennzoil) • Parnelli VPJ1 Indy (the dihedral car) • Penske Indy cars from the Rick Mears era • STP Indy cars not yet modeled (think Novi) • Toyota Eagle and AAR Indy cars
Sedans and GT
Mustang and Camaro Trans-Am cars (tube frame cars of Sharp, Schroeder, Pruett) • Javelin Trans-Am cars
• AAR Cuda and Dodge Challenger Trans-Am cars • Alfa Trans-Am cars (think Wetson’s/Horst Kwech)
• BMW Art Cars (they’re all good) • Falken and CORE IMSA Porsches • Rahal IMSA BMW M6s
IMSA/Endurance
Mazda 792P GTP • Mazda retro P2 cars/Watkins Glen 2016 • Nissan NPT-90 GTP • Goodwrench and Budweiser Corvette GTPs • Holbert March GTP • Holbert Miller sponsored 962 • Ford Mustang and Probe GTPs
• Porsche 962 GTPs (Dyson, BF Goodrich, many others) • March BMW GTP (the first one) • Lola T600 GTPs
• Toyota Eagle Mk I/II GTP and Celica GTO IMSA • MOMO everything (IMSA Moby Dick #30, please!) • TWR Jaguar XJR10/12/16 GTPs • Alan Mann P68 and P69 Fords with wings • Mirage M6 longtail
Can-Am and F5000
Lola T530, Frisbee and Prophet Can-Am cars • Schkee Can-Am car • Paul Newman’s Budweiser Spyder and March Can-Am • Porsche 917/10 Can-Am cars not made yet (RC, Brumos, Wiedmer) • Holbert CRC Can-Am cars
• Shadow Can-Am cars not yet made • VDS Can-Am cars • Wolf Dallara Can-Am • McLaren M1B, M8C D, E, F, M12 Can-Am (let’s try to agree on what McLaren orange is) • Lola T330 and T332 F5000 cars (Redman, Hobbs, Mario, Big Al, Ongais) • UOP Shadow F5000 cars • Surtees F5000 cars (Posey) • Eagle F5000 cars (early cigar and later Hunt/Schuppan types)
I know that some of these cars have been promised, but that doesn’t mean they ultimately will get produced.
With this list before you, there is no excuse for more senseless repeats of models that are still on dealers’ shelves otherwise! Again, with so many other race cars yet to modeled, we want the other cars! After you get done with this list, we have more for you. Just ask.
So, no more endless permutations/reruns of the same old model, yet again. Like Rothman’s/New Man Porsche 956s, Mazda 787s, Alfa 33TT12s, or Shadow DN8s.
So there you go. Something new at the factory. The designers, dealers, and we collectors, will thank you.
More model cars here
