FSW Weekly Edition #26/2026

Norris' Silverstone Triumph

Spark's McLaren MCL39 1st British Grand Prix 2025 #4 Norris in 1:43 scale captures the machine at the very heart of this weekend's homecoming to Silverstone. Carried by Lando Norris to a hugely popular victory in front of his home crowd, the MCL39 was the class of the field through the 2025 season, and the timing of the model's arrival could scarcely be better, with Formula 1 returning to the Northamptonshire circuit this weekend for the British Grand Prix. Norris' win at his home race remains one of the defining images of McLaren's resurgent form, and the #4 car's role in the team's championship charge makes it one of the most compelling contemporary subjects on the shelf.

Spark's resincast interpretation presents the MCL39 with impressive conviction for the scale. The complex modern Formula 1 bodywork, from the intricate front wing and bargeboards through to the sculpted sidepods and rear diffuser, is cleanly resolved, while the papaya and black McLaren livery with its sponsor identification is sharply applied across the car's surfaces. The overall stance conveys the purposeful, low-slung character of the current ground-effect generation, presenting a model that captures both the technical sophistication of the modern formula and the emotional weight of a home victory. With Formula 1 back at Silverstone this weekend, it represents a perfectly timed addition to any contemporary collection.

The MCL39 arrives within a broader sweep of Formula 1 content. Spark's same delivery includes Max Verstappen's Abu Dhabi-winning Red Bull RB21 and Jake Dennis' Andretti Formula E Gen3 Evo, while Sparky's ever-expanding 1:64 range welcomes Oliver Bearman's Haas VF25 from the 2025 Japanese Grand Prix. Minichamps has published a list of additional 2026 Formula 1 models in 1:18, 1:43 and 1:64, with Kimi Antonelli race winners, Canada Red Bulls, the McLaren 1000 Monaco livery and special decorations for Audi and Racing Bulls all available to pre-order, while Looksmart adds the 1:64 Ferrari SF-25 Italian Grand Prix cars of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton. For the metal-kit builders, Cigale 43 confirms that its two 1:43 kits of the Red Bull RB1 from the Australian and Monaco Grands Prix are now expected next month, with the Monaco decal set also available to pre-order.

Classic Formula 1 collectors are equally well served. Spark has announced a superb new selection of forthcoming 1:43 subjects that reaches deep into the sport's history, with classic Formula 1 cars from Lotus, ATS, Brabham, McLaren, Surtees, Tyrrell, Williams and more, all now available to pre-order with a 5% discount for a limited time before pre-orders close. Together with the recent shipments, it makes for a Formula 1 week that spans the very newest championship contenders and some of the most evocative machines in the sport's past.

McLaren MCL39 1st UK 2025 #4 Norris - SPK9596

Porsche 908/02 Flounder Le Mans 1969 #20 Hart Ski Racing Team - MM357M20

The Flounder at La Sarthe

Marsh Models' Porsche 908/02 "Flounder" Le Mans 1969 #20 Hart Ski Racing Team in 1:43 scale celebrates one of endurance racing's most distinctive shapes. Developed for the 1969 season as an ultra-lightweight open Spyder, the 908/02 gained its famous low-drag body in the Stuttgart wind tunnel, and the flat, wide, fish-like profile earned it the nickname "Flunder", the German for flounder or sole. Beneath the featherweight plastic bodywork sat Porsche's air-cooled flat-eight, titanium running gear and a lightweight gearbox, and the 908/02 went on to become one of the most successful racing Porsches of all, amassing more than fifty major victories between 1969 and 1972. The #20 Hart Ski Racing Team entry represents this celebrated shape at the greatest race of all, the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Marsh Models' hand-built interpretation upholds the standards that have made the British firm a byword for quality among discerning 1:43 collectors. Beautifully finished and faithfully proportioned, the model captures the 908/02's unmistakable "Flounder" silhouette and period Hart Ski Racing Team colours with real precision, doing full justice to a subject that combines technical ingenuity with genuine visual drama. As a subject, it represents both a landmark in Porsche's relentless late-sixties assault on Le Mans and one of the defining shapes of the era, making it an essential addition for collectors of classic endurance racing.

The Porsche headlines a delivery that will be warmly welcomed by endurance enthusiasts. Alongside it, Marsh Models includes the March 83G Chevrolet #16 Pennzoil from the 1984 Charlotte 500kms in both resin/metal kit and hand-built forms, while the wider Porsche 908/02 range extends to a resin/metal kit covering the 1969/70 Imola, Le Mans and Monza cars, plus hand-built versions of the 1969 Le Mans Hart Ski Racing Team entry and the 1970 Martini International Racing Team cars from Le Mans and Monza. CMR adds real large-scale drama with its 1:12 diecast Porsche 917 LH as raced at the 1970 Le Mans 24 Hours by Vic Elford and Kurt Ahrens in the #25 entry, now available to order, while Tecnomodel offers the striking 1:43 resincast Ferrari 330 LMB Press Car 1963 in Yellow, a beautiful development version of Ferrari's legendary front-engined GT racer.

Looking ahead, the endurance pre-order programme continues to expand impressively. Spark leads the way with a new collection of forthcoming 1:43 Le Mans winners featuring the Ford GT40 MkII, Ford MkIV, Ford GT40, Audi R10, Rondeau M379B, Sauber Mercedes C9, Peugeot 905s and Porsche 911 GT1-98, all available to pre-order now with a limited-time 5% discount, while in 1:64 Spark is working on a diecast of the 1991 Le Mans winning Mazda 787B, which could well signal the start of a small-scale Le Mans winners collection. Top Marques has some spectacular large-scale subjects due during July, with the 1963 and 1965 Le Mans winning Ferrari 250P and 250LM in 1:12, plus the 1957 Ferrari 335S Mille Miglia winner, sister car #534 and two Le Mans versions in 1:18, all with detailed engines. Looksmart focuses on Ferrari's recent endurance successes with two 1:43 Ferrari 296 GT3 entries from the 2024 Spa 24 Hours and the 1:64 Ferrari 499P #51 that finished third at the 2025 Le Mans 24 Hours. Looksmart is also offering for pre-order the 1:43 Realize Kondo Racing Ferrari 296 GT3 from the 2026 Nürburgring 24 Hours, joined in 1:64 by two 2025 FIA GT World Cup Macau Ferrari 296 GT3s, the winning Antonio Fuoco car and the fourth-placed Yifei Ye version. BBR adds 1:12 models to its Le Mans 2026 Ferrari 499P programme. Werk83 rounds things off with an 18th-scale Castrol Jaguar XJR9 1st Daytona 24hrs 1988 anticipated for later in the summer.

Aston's Rarest Lagonda

Matrix's Aston Martin Lagonda S1 1974–1975 Metallic Red in 1:43 scale captures one of the rarest and most intriguing four-door cars Newport Pagnell ever produced. Announced at the 1974 London Motor Show and designed by William Towns on a lengthened Aston Martin V8 platform, the Series 1 Lagonda was the first car to wear the Lagonda name since the 1961 Rapide, marrying stately four-door proportions to the muscular 5.3-litre V8. Launched into the teeth of the mid-seventies oil crisis, it found few takers, and with only seven examples built before the wedge-shaped Series 2 arrived in 1976, it stands today as one of the most exclusive Astons of all, a fascinating footnote to the marque's history and a genuine rarity for the collector.

Matrix's resincast interpretation does the subject full justice, with the excellent casting quality and fine photo-etched trim that have become hallmarks of the range. The long, elegant lines of Towns' four-door design and the delicate brightwork are all beautifully resolved, while the Metallic Red finish shows off the car's imposing surfaces to fine effect. It is precisely the kind of obscure but beautifully executed subject that has built Matrix's reputation, and exactly the sort of car that rewards attention from collectors of rare British classics.

The Lagonda heads a characteristically eclectic Matrix delivery of 1:43 resincast road cars. Joining it are the Aston Martin Lagonda S1 in Metallic Blue and Metallic Green, the Ford Zodiac 206E Mk2 Convertible (1958–1962) in Blue/White, the Marcos 3-Litre GT (1968–1971) in Green, Orange and Yellow, plus the Rolls-Royce Silver Seraph (1998–2002) in Metallic Blue, a typically broad sweep from post-war British saloons to sixties sports cars, all available to order now.

Road car collectors are exceptionally well catered for elsewhere this week. KK Scale is to reissue its 1:18 diecast 1976 Porsche 911 3.0 Turbo in Guards Red and add three new colours in black, silver and white, with first delivery set for August. KK Scale has news of more 1:12 Porsche 911s on the way and the 1:18 Ferrari 328 GTS in US spec, two of the Ferraris being movie cars as seen in "Beverly Hills Cop 2" and "Miami Vice", while both Porsche subjects add fresh colours to previously released models. BBR lists the Paris show 2000 Ferrari Pininfarina Rossa concept and the 2019 Ferrari F8 Tributo Spider in both 1:43 and 1:18, the F8 in a number of new colour combinations. Cult Scale Models continues its run of characterful 1:18 subjects with the Jeep Cherokee Chief (SJ), MG RV8, Opel Omega 3000 and Wolseley 16/60, each in a choice of three colours, and, unable to contain its excitement any longer, has also announced a UK-only limited edition of 100 pieces each in red, yellow and green of the 1973 Reliant Robin, that icon of Great British three-wheeled engineering. Mini GT extends its excellent 1:64 James Bond theme with the Citroën 2CV from "For Your Eyes Only" and the Lotus Esprit submarine from "The Spy Who Loved Me", alongside the Pfaff Motorsports Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo2, the Panizzi brothers' Subaru Impreza from Monte Carlo 1999 and the Daytona 2024 BMW M Hybrid V8 GTP.

Elsewhere, competition content adds further depth to the week. On the rally front, DSN 43 offers an interesting group of 1:43 subjects headed by Henri Toivonen's 1000 Lakes Porsche, the NART Ferrari 365 GTB4 from Le Mans, the London to Mexico Ford Capri and an Opel Kadett driven by "PêQêPê", while Trofeu has two new 1:43 rally models in the Vauxhall Chevette 2300 HSR 3rd Bianchi 1982 #2 Kaby/Arthur and the Fiat 131 Abarth 6th Monza 1979 #14 Cane/Brancatelli. For the plastic-kit enthusiasts, Hasegawa reissues its superb 1:24 Lancia Stratos that finished 2nd and 3rd on the 1975 Safari Rally in the hands of Sandro Munari and Björn Waldegård, complete with the classic Alitalia decoration and a pair of huge bullbars. On the touring car front, Werk83 anticipates 18th-scale diecast models of the Warsteiner BMW M3 (E30) 1st Nürburgring 24hrs 1989 and the Ford Mustang DTM 1993 #33 Ruch for later in the summer. Books to tempt the collector this week come in the shape of three new titles, with "20 Years of GT3 Racing: The Story Of The World's Leading GT Sportscar Category", "Andrea Moda Formula: The Legend Of The Formula One Team Too Bad To Be True" and "Ferrari: Icons of Excellence" all now available.

Aston Martin Lagonda S1 1974-1975 Metallic Red - MTX40108-183