More scale models

[Tom Nas]

Hi all,

No, not the AutoArt 1:18 urq we've been waiting for since 1644. I've no
idea when we're actually going to see it, though I've heard that a German
scale model magazine was given a review example which was almost perfect.

Today, I've bought three Minichamps rally urqs in 1:43. Excellent models
complete with mudflaps, antennas, driving lights etc. Paint and decals are
superb, nice choices, too (the black TdC car with the yellow and green
decals looks stunning but the other two are pretty good, too) One
criticism- after the Trofeu cars, the antenna on the Minichamps looks like
a TV aerial.
Four more different cars remain to be released in this series, most of
which haven't been available unless you're prepared to pay the price for
handbuilt.

Additional- got the 1:18 Maisto Rosemeyer, what a stunning car. A powerful
blend of Auto Union tradition and TT design features. Rumour has it that
the car will become the Audi RSR, powered by a Lambo V10. Not sure if that
would be a good move, but it would be a nice image maker for Audi, that's
for sure.
Last two purchases were historical- a '70s Audi 60 Variant (pre-Avant) and
a superb Auto Union 1000Sp Coupe, both in 1:43 and done by Minichamps. The
roofline of the 60 looks to be somewhat off, but I can't lay my finger on
the exact problem. They're nice models to add to the collection anyway and
neither has been available affordably before. Given the amount of detail,
these are excellent value for money.

Both the RS6 sedan and Avant are now available in quantity from Minichamps,
though prices for these models (as with the RS4 and allroad) remain higher
than the run-of-the-mill models. Both are in 1:43 and nicely detailed.

Final remark: Boyer in Germany, producer of low-volume handbuilt 1:43s, has
released two type 82s (one a four-door GLS, one a GTE- both are '78s) and
is about to release a type 43 Avant. All three are cars not previously
modelled in decent quality- the late model B1 used to be 1:87-only and of
the C2 Avant there used to be a cheapo plastic 1:25 and a 1:87. Now, for
someone to make a late model Coupe GT!

Regards, Tom