FSW Weekly Edition #23/2026

Toyota's Le Mans Spearhead

Ixo's Toyota GR010 Hybrid 5th Le Mans 2025 #7 Toyota Gazoo Racing in 1:43 scale captures the machine at the very heart of this weekend's action at the Circuit de la Sarthe. Crewed by Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and Nyck de Vries, the #7 GR010 carried Toyota's hopes through the 2025 edition of the great race to a hard-fought fifth place in the Hypercar class, and the timing of its arrival could scarcely be better, with Kobayashi having just put the very same #7 at the top of the second practice timesheets in preparation for this year's running. The GR010 Hybrid has defined the modern Hypercar era since its introduction, and the #7 crew's relentless pursuit of a Le Mans victory remains one of endurance racing's most compelling ongoing narratives.

Ixo's diecast interpretation presents the GR010 with impressive conviction for the scale. The complex Hypercar bodywork, from the sculpted front splitter through to the sweeping rear deck and prominent shark fin, is cleanly resolved, while the familiar Toyota Gazoo Racing livery with its Denso and Fujitsu identification is sharply applied across the car's surfaces. The overall stance conveys the purposeful, low-slung character of the modern prototype generation, presenting a model that captures both the technical sophistication of the Hypercar formula and the emotional weight of Toyota's continuing quest at La Sarthe. With the race about to unfold this weekend, it represents a perfectly timed addition to any endurance collection.

The GR010 arrives within a broader sweep of endurance content spanning multiple eras. Ixo's same delivery includes the 1:18 Ford Mustang GT3 from Le Mans 2024, the #77 Proton Competition entry of Barker, Hardwick and Robichon, while Spark's latest arrivals reach right back to one of the great Le Mans victories with Jacky Ickx and Gijs van Lennep's winning Porsche 936 from 1976, joined by the Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo Nürburgring 24 Hours 2025 entries of Walkenhorst Motorsport, the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup of Max Kruse Racing and, in 1:64, the Porsche 911 RSR Vaillant from Le Mans 1975. TrueScale adds contemporary American endurance interest with both Corvette Racing Z06 GT3.R entries from the 2025 Daytona 24 Hours, the #3 of Garcia, Sims and Juncadella and the #4 of Milner, Catsburg and Varrone, in 1:43 resincast.

Looking ahead, all of the runners and riders for the 2026 Le Mans 24 Hours are now uploaded ready for your pre-order of the potential 1:43 models to come, and there are some cracking liveries this year. As ever, there are no guarantees that every subject will be made, but we will manage your pre-order and make sure you don't miss out once models are confirmed by the manufacturers. Spark continues its theme of 1:64 Le Mans Lancia subjects with the six Lancia Beta Montecarlo entries from 1980 and 1981 in those classic "Battledress" and Martini liveries, while BBR Competition has listed the Triarsi Competizione Ferrari 296 GT3 from Petit Le Mans 2025 in both 1:18 and 1:43 for release in the fourth quarter, and Top Speed/TrueScale bring new IMSA announcements including the BMW M4 GT3 Evo Daytona 2026 entries of Paul Miller Racing and Turner Motorsport, the Iron Dames Porsche 911 GT3R and the Ford Multimatic Mustang GT3.

Toyota GR010 5th Le Mans 2025 #7 Toyota Gazoo Racing - IXOLMM254

Ligier JS17 1st Austria 1981 #25/26 Tambay/Laffite - TMK453

Laffite's Austrian Triumph

Tameo Kits Ligier JS17 1st Austria 1981 #25/26 Tambay/Laffite in 1:43 scale celebrates one of French motorsport's most cherished afternoons. The JS17 marked the return of Matra power to the team, with Gérard Ducarouge's design pairing the naturally aspirated MS81 V12 with adaptive hydropneumatic suspension to fully exploit ground effect against the era's increasingly powerful turbocharged opposition. At the Österreichring in August 1981, the package came good in emphatic style, Jacques Laffite taking his fifth career Grand Prix victory at the head of a memorable 1-2 finish with team-mate Patrick Tambay, a result that kept Laffite firmly in that season's remarkably open championship fight.

Tameo's metal kit interpretation upholds the standards that have made the Italian firm the market leader in 1:43 Formula 1 kits. The combination of crisp white metal castings, extensive photo-etched detailing, superb instructions and high-quality decals allows the builder to produce either the #25 Tambay or #26 Laffite machine, capturing the JS17's distinctive proportions and the iconic Talbot Ligier Gitanes colours with real precision. As a subject, it represents both a landmark in Ligier's history and one of the defining cars of the early-eighties ground effect era, making it an essential build for collectors of classic Formula 1.

The Ligier headlines a delivery that will be warmly welcomed by classic Formula 1 kit builders. Alongside it, Tameo includes matching Ligier decals, new decal sheets for Ronnie Peterson's March 711 from Italy 1971 and Teo Fabi's Toleman TG185 from Germany 1985, plus the impressive 1:24 Ferrari 312T of Giancarlo Martini from Brands Hatch and Silverstone 1976. Hot on the heels of the recent Renault RE30 announcement, Tameo has also confirmed that Jody Scheckter's 1977 Monaco Grand Prix winning Wolf WR1 is in development for release later in the year, extending a golden run of seventies subjects for metal kit enthusiasts.

Built and ready-made Formula 1 content runs equally deep this week. Minichamps latest delivery features the striking 1:18 McLaren MP4/8 in its special Imola 2024 decoration driven by Sebastian Vettel in tribute to Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger, one of modern Formula 1's most emotional commemorative liveries. Tecnomodel's 1:18 BRM P160E from the 1973 Spanish Grand Prix captures one of Niki Lauda's early drives before his championship years with Ferrari, while Tecnomodel has also announced 1:12 models of the 1984 European Grand Prix Ferrari 126 C4-M2 of Michele Alboreto and René Arnoux for early 2027. On the contemporary front, Spark's "Wolf" decorated Mercedes W17s of Japanese Grand Prix winner Kimi Antonelli and team-mate George Russell are available to pre-order across 1:64, 1:43 and 1:18, perfectly timed given the young Italian's current streak, Looksmart will model Lewis Hamilton's second-placed Monaco Grand Prix Ferrari SF-26 in three scales, Mini GT adds 1:64 McLarens in the shape of the F1 GTR Presentation 1995 and Prost's MP4/4 from Canada 1988, and Centauri Publications offers a limited collection of 1:5 Ferrari Formula 1 helmets covering many of the Scuderia's greats.

Zagato's Silver Masterpiece

Matrix's Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato 1962 Silver in 1:43 scale captures what many regard as the most beautiful Aston Martin ever created. Born of the collaboration between Newport Pagnell and the Milanese carrozzeria, the DB4 GT Zagato combined the already potent DB4 GT underpinnings with Ercole Spada's breathtaking lightweight aluminium bodywork, producing a car that was both a serious GT racing contender and a rolling work of art. With only around twenty examples built, original cars now rank among the most valuable British automobiles in existence, and this 1962 example, chassis #0188-L, presented in period silver, distils everything that makes the Zagato Aston such an enduring icon.

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 flowing curves of Spada's design, the distinctive double-bubble roof and the delicate brightwork are all beautifully resolved, while the silver finish shows off the car's sculptural surfaces to maximum effect. Due in the third quarter and currently carrying a 5% pre-order discount, it is precisely the kind of subject that rewards early commitment from collectors of coachbuilt classics.

The Zagato heads a characteristically eclectic Matrix programme. Scheduled for late June delivery are the Bentley 4¼ Litre DHC Vanden Plas 1939, Cadillac S&S Florentine Flower Car 1951, Cadillac Superior Hearse 1970, Maserati V4 Sport 16 1929 and Mercedes 500K Cabriolet C 1935, while joining the Aston for the third quarter are the Alfa Romeo 1900 C Coupé Pininfarina 1952 and Chevrolet Impala Convertible 1971, a typically broad sweep from pre-war elegance to American flamboyance.

Ferrari road car collectors are equally well served this week. BBR celebrates 1980s excess with the 1984 Ferrari 512BB Targa Anliker in 1:18 and 1:43, joined in 1:43 by the very beautiful 1971 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona Spider in four colours, while BBR also adds the 2002 Ferrari 575M Maranello in eight colours and the Sultan of Brunei's 1995 Ferrari FX in five. KK Scale is to reissue its accessible 1:18 diecast Rosso Corsa Ferrari 328 GTB and GTS, adding a metallic blue version of the open car, and Looksmart's latest delivery includes the hand-built 1:43 Ferrari Daytona SP3 Icona in striking Yellow/Carbon, part of Ferrari's exclusive Icona series inspired by the sports racers of the 1960s.

Elsewhere, competition content adds further depth to the week. Werk83's latest delivery brings a true DTM icon with the 1:18 Mercedes 190E 2.5-16 Evo2 from the 1991 season in the #7 livery of Kurt Thiim, one of touring car racing's most recognisable machines. On the rally raid front, Spark has put its name to the major teams from this year's Dakar, headed by the winning Dacia Sandrider of Al-Attiyah and joined by the cars of Loeb, Moraes and Gutierrez, the second-placed Ford Raptor of Roma plus Sainz, Guthrie and Elstrom, and the Toyota Hiluxes of Lategan, Price, Quintero and Variawa, while Spark adds two further Toyota GR DKR Hilux T1+ models from the 2023 event, entered by Rebellion Racing for the great all-rounder Romain Dumas and team-mate Alexandre Pesci, complete the picture.

Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato 1962 Silver - MTX40108-191