Click on a link to order
a model or the logo to see the complete range from that manufacturer |
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| REN4329EMW
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Maserati 250F 1954 Wharton
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£179.80
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| REN4335M
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Osca MT4 2AD Coupe Le Mans 1952 #48
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£141.85
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| REN4341BM
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Ferrari 500TRC Le Mans 1957 #27
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£145.05
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| REN4341CM
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Ferrari 500TRC Le Mans 1957 #61
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£145.05
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| REN4346M30
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Maserati 150S Le Mans 1956 #30
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£134.75
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| REN4346M31
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Maserati 150S Le Mans 1956 #31
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£134.75
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| REN4342
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Ferrari 250TR61 LM 1962 #15 Serenissima - kit
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£42.00
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When
we reviewed the kit of the 250F there were differences of opinion
over the colour of the BRM entered car of Wharton. Renaissance said
it was blue, but we were adamant that it was BRM green. The recently
published ‘Maserati, A Racing History’ by Anthony Pritchard
(ISBN185960871X) confirms beyond reasonable doubt that the colour
was BRM green. The built model is beautifully painted in a very attractive
metallic green but it looks too light to us. Colour aside the build
quality and finish are excellent.
The other hand builts are also finished to a very high standard and,
but for the occasional mis-sized decals, capture their subjects pretty
accurately.
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 |
 The
photo of the OSCA in the Le Mans bible doesn’t show the yellow
i.d. flashes but further investigation shows that these were painted
on later than the photo was taken. Quite why the crew would need help
in identifying such an attractive and distinctive machine is a mystery
but well done to Renaissance for finding the rare photos and picking
up the detail.
The Ferraris and Maseratis are rather better documented and the latter
fill important gaps for many Le Mans and Maserati collectors. As we
said some decals are slightly off size-wise, these are the tyre decals
on the Ferraris and the Maserati’s nose badges, all of which
are a little generous in proportion!
The kit of Gurney & Bonnier’s Serenissima entered Ferrari
captures the lines pretty well, though the side vents look a little
shallow. Maybe once the p/e grilles have gone over the opening they’ll
look better. Several vac-formed scoops are included in the kit for
various air intakes and some are very small so be careful, but otherwise
the kit is straightforward and should build well.
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| BRK43171 |
Iso Grifo 90 1991
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£44.75
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| BRK43172 |
Sbarro Christelle Geneva 2002
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£44.75
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| ABC161 |
Lancia Thesis Limo Stola 2002
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£150.75
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The Iso Grifo 90 is one of those wonderful ‘what if?’ projects
that never quite made it into production. ABC have done a pretty good
job of capturing this brutal looking Corvette based machine. The main
body casting is very clean, with just a small amount of tidying up
needed and should look very good once painted and fitted with the
wraparound windows and various p/e grilles and lights. The wheel centres
are finely etched and there are drilled brake discs, though you may
wish to add some calipers (RENA048).
The Geneva show of 2001 saw several very attractive concept cars including
one by Franco Sbarro.
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The Christelle was
the other car on the Sbarro stand! Based on an old Ferrari Mondial-T
cabriolet the only clue to the donor car is the hood line, otherwise
the styling is, um, err, hmm..... unique, that’s the word! ABC
seem to have done a good job of capturing the shape, the kit parts
are well made and there’s a reasonable level of detail. This
will certainly make an interesting addition to any Ferrari themed
collection!
The built Lancia Thesis limousine looks very imposing in dark metallic
blue with its heavily tinted windows. |
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Click on a link to order a model or the logo to
see the complete range from that manufacturer |
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| ST0229M
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Citroen Saxo VTS
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£40.10
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| ST0226M
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Peugeot 406 Taxi 3 Film Car
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£57.45
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Two pretty well finished hand
built models of somewhat varied subjects. The first captures Citroen’s
pocket rocket very well, has a decent silver paint finish (often a
problem colour for model makers) and carefully applied detailing.
The stance is also just right. We haven’t seen the third of the
Taxi films yet but if this model is anything to go by, the previous
two will appear quite realistic. Quite how fast the Peugeot 406 will
go on its caterpillar tracks is questionable but there is still a
huge wing on the back.
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| The tracks on our
model were somewhat distorted, possibly to get the very tall model
into the display box, but loosen the mounting screws slightly and
give the tracks a tweak and it should all sit square. Blooming strange
though.... |
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| PMNAT034 |
Renault Floride Cabriolet 1959
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£40.10 |
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| This is a very well finished model of Renault’s
attractive rear-engined roadster. The paint finish is flawless, the
interior well appointed and the detailing carefully applied. The only
real flaw is that the vacform isn’t the clearest we’ve ever
seen. |
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| Still, we know that there are many
collectors with a Renault theme and it would make a worthy addition
to one of these or add to an early 1960’s diorama scene. |
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| SWM015M41 |
Borgward H1500RS Le
Mans 1953 #41 |
£118.40 |
| SWM015M42 |
Borgward H1500RS Le Mans 1953 #42 |
£118.40 |
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| This is becoming another great
issue for those rare Le Mans subjects that have either never been
modelled or not for some time. |
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| We thought when
these first arrived that the windscreen wipers had been damaged in
transit but no, the cars really did run with a wiper pointing backwards
on the roof! The paint finishes are fairly good, though the wheel
arches are a little rough, and the overall standard of build is fine.
Most importantly the models capture the lines of these rather strange
looking coupes very well. Neither finished the race, the #42 car retiring
in the 4th hour and the sister #41 machine suffering engine failure
in the final hour. |
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| ECH023 |
Allard J2X Le Mans 1952 #4/5
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£35.25 |
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Echoes kits are typically fairly
well cast, simple to build and pretty accurate. This latest release
looks as if it will require just simple preparation and will build
well, though the shape isn’t quite right. Looking at the model
in profile it has been made rather sleaker than the real car was.
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| This is obvious
when compared to the photo in the instructions, though from the front
and rear it looks fine and once in amongst the other 1952 Le Mans
cars will still fill an important gap. Both cars retired during the
15th hour. |
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