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STUMGR004 |
The
first three titles in this series have been eagerly snapped up by
Motorcycle modellers and we know that many of you have been keenly
awaiting this edition, dedicated to the machines of the 2004 Moto
GP season. Of course the bulk of this superb photographic guide is
dedicated to the machines that are available in kit form from Tamiya,
so we see a huge amount of detail of the works supported Yamaha,
Honda and Ducatti machines on a team by team basis, so that any small
detail differences under the skin can be observed on the models.
This doesn't mean that the others are neglected though, far from
it. The other major works machines are included from Suzuki, Kawasaki
and Aprillia as well as the valiant, if underfunded, efforts of Team
Roberts KR5, the Harris WCM and the Honda-powered Moriwaki. There's
plenty here to get your teeth into whether building a Tamiya or Heller
kit straight from the box, adding one of the many decal or detailing
sets from Renaissance or Studio 27 or feeling really confident and
scratch building!
Giorgio Piola's superb high detail technical review of the F1 season
just gets better and better. If, like the vast majority of us mere
mortals, you do not have a degree in aerodynamics or engineering,
Piola manages to show in incredible detail exactly what makes a
modern F1 car tick, while at the same time explaining the developments
in simple terms. He takes a look at the season from a strategic
point of view as well so that we can learn just how the teams achieved
some of their results from the pitlane as well as on the race track.
If you want to know what caused controversy with the stewards,
that's here too, plus of course a wealth of excellent drawings
that will be of use to modellers, whether building kerbside models
or superkits.
Charlie
Mack is one of the foremost experts on Matchbox Toys and in 1977
he founded the Matchbox USA collectors club, so who better
to take a look at the history of the range that so many of us grew
up destroying, I mean playing with. The Superfast range was launched
to combat Mattel's Hot Wheels brand and on the subsequent 35 years
over 10,000 variations have been made. This is the first of two
volumes and covers the basic models, with production colour variations
and the special promotional models. There are over 2000 colour
photographs and the listings include current market values. Volume
2 will concentrate on the special sub-ranges and will be brought
up to date with the 2005 models.
When you see the name Rainer Schlegelmilch on the cover of a book,
you know you are in for some excellent images. This photographic
celebration of the British Sports Car does not disappoint and is
absolutely stunning. It covers machines from the affordable entry
level roadsters from MG and Triumph right up to the millionaires
toys from the likes of McLaren. All of the well known marques appear
to be included such as AC, Aston Martin, Austin Healey, Alvis,
Bentley, Jaguar, Lotus, Morgan and TVR, as well as some of the
very small, less well know companies like Ginetta and Westfield.
Not every model is included but a great many are. A perfect coffee
table book.
|
ISBN1902351169 |
 A
NEW rough guide to book weights & postagesGPM has negotiated with Royal Mail a special rate for books to our overseas customers. This works out at approximately: 50p per 100g to Europe - 60p per 100g to Rest of World. (UK £3.50 per book). This will enable our far distant customers to buy more books which previously the high cost of posting has prohibited. |
New DVDs region 0 Palm |
VID623629585 Yesterday's Racers Vol 1 £15.00  This is
the first in a new series and leaves us with mixed feelings. It is very much
a celebration of amateur film making and as a result much of the commentary
is rather wooden. This particularly applies to the detailed looks at the restored
Lola T300 F5000 car and Brabham BT18 F2, though of course these are interesting
from a technical point of view. The disc is well worth having for Freddie Barratt's
very good home made films from the late 1960s when he filmed trackside and in
the paddock at various races including the British GP and the interview with
the man himself is very revealing. If the commentary were better we would be
able to watch this without the sound turned right down.VID623629208 Lap of the Gods - 172 minutes £25.00 
This is one of those DVDs that, had it been reviewed in the office, no work would
have been done by anyone for the best part of three hours that it lasts, so it
had to be taken home. No, it did, really, it's hard work checking these old films
out and sometimes we have to watch bits over and over to make sure they are OK.
You wouldn't believe what a chore it was to watch nearly 3 hours of on board
footage but someone had to do it. Filmed during the late 1970s during the DFV-Turbo
change over period, the onboard footage was specially commissioned from French
director Alain Boisnard by Elf. My advice is pull up your comfiest armchair,
lock out the cat/dog/kids/wife and open a bottle of something comforting. Then
you may just be able to cope with being chauffeured around 23 Grand Prix circuits
on board Renault, Lotus, Tyrrell, Ligier and Brabham GP cars by drivers such
as Andretti, Stewart, Arnoux, Villeneuve, Lauda, Depailler, Mansell and one or
two others. Ooh, hang on, I think I missed a bit. Oh, well better take it home
again tonight to make sure.VID623629550 Motorfilms Quarterly Vol 13 - 90 Minutes £20.00 
Thanks to the vagaries of our deadlines and deliveries, it's rather less than
three months since our last look at an MFQ title. The links between the eclecticly
selected films are often quite humorous and Doug Nye exells himself in the opening
sequence this time before introducing the content. First up is an excellent colour
film of the 1961 Monte Carlo Rally from the Rootes archive. We then have an interview
with WB 'Bill' Boddy who was editor of Motorsport magazine from the 1930s to
the 1990s who gives a wonderful insight into the glory days of racing at Brooklands.
Next we return to 1961 and another period colour film, the first of many promised
prints of the BRSCC season reviews, made by David Roscoe in a wonderful tongue
in cheek style. If you enjoy Python and the Goons this is for you! Chapter 4
is a close up look at the Bugatti 35B with which Grover Williams won the 1929
Monaco Grand Prix. This car has been unmolested since the 1940s and MFQ have
been given exclusive access to the car for a close up view, it is absolutely
beautiful and fascinating for anyone wanting to model a car in tatty, aged form.
As usual, stunning. If you haven't latched on to this series yet, they are well
worth the investment.VID623629518 The Speed Merchants - 94 minutes £17.00 Originally
released many years ago, Michael Keyser's superb film of the 1972 World Sportscar
Championship is now available on DVD. No attempt has been made
to digitally remaster the original film and the occasional scratches and flickers
add to the atmosphere. It is all filmed in a relaxed cinema verité style
and narration is provided by two of the leading competitors, Ferrari's Mario
Andretti and Alfa Romeo's Vic Elford, giving a unique insight into the two top
teams. We visit the races at Sebring, Le Mans, Targa Florio, the Nurburgring
and Watkins Glen, there are visits to other leading drivers such as Jacky Ickx,
Helmut Marko and Brian Redman at their homes and we see behind the scenes in
the factories. All in all it's a superb look back at one of the most exciting
periods in sportscar racing. An Audi R8 is very impressive but you can't beat
the sound of a Ferrari 312PB or Alfa 33TT3 at flat chat in the Sicilian mountains! |
Senna
spent three years of his spectacular career at Lotus, from 1985-87,
and these were three of the most dramatic seasons seen
in F1, with Lotus, McLaren, Ferrari and Williams involved in titanic
battles for victory. The author has interviewed many of the people
involved behind the scenes of these battles and those at Lotus
in particular to give a superb insight into a fascinating period.
This a frank and honest account, with no punches pulled and is
lavishly illustrated throughout with many of the photographs previously
unpublished. A must for all serious Lotus and F1 fans.
For
forty years, Jo Ramirez has been a familiar and popular figure
around the F1 paddock. He grew up with the Rodriguez brothers in
Mexico City and soon followed them to Europe to pursue a career
in motorsport. Having started at the bottom as a 'gofer' at Ferrari
he made his way through John Wyer's Porsche squad, Fittipaldi,
Shadow, Theodore and all the way to senior management at McLaren
where he built strong relationships with both Prost and Senna.
This is an often amusing personal insight into the sport in the
man's own words and is blessed with the honesty that had earned
the author so much respect from his peers. A fascinating read.