Four Small Wheels 9/2003

news

Christmas holidays

Is it really that time again already? GPM's mail order department will be closed for our Chistmas break from 1pm on Tuesday 23rd December until 9am on Friday 2nd January.
During this period you can still send us your orders by fax, email or via our website. We will attend to your queries and clear the accumulated orders as quickly as possible on our return in January, but please be patient as it will take us a couple of days to catch up.

Saturday opening

In addition to our regular opening on Saturday 6th December we will also be open on Saturday 20th December for you to grab those last minute supplies. Our open Saturdays in 2004 and the corresponding Mondays when we will not be here are as follows;

Open Saturday	Closed Monday
January 3rd	January 5th
February 7th	February 9th
March 6th	March 8th
April 3rd	April 5th
May 1st	May 3rd
June 5th	June 7th
July 3rd	July 5th
August 7th	August 9th
September 4th	September 6th
October 2nd	October 4th
November 6th	November 8th
December 4th	December 6th

Wish lists

Some of the more sensible suggestions we've picked up on over the past few weeks. You never know, they might get made......

Alfa Romeo 33TT12 1975
Leyton House 1991
Audi R8 Team Goh Spa 2003
Lotus 58 F2
Old Yaller Mk1
Dubonnet Hispano Xenia

More Indy cars!

Last month we brought you news that Formula Models were hard at work on several Penske related subjects. Looking at their future releases, these will just be the tip of the iceberg as there are plenty more Indy subjects waiting in the wings.
We can now confirm that the Penske run Dallara will be offered for both 2001 and 2002 seasons and there will be the choice of either de Ferran and Castroneves as options. Other Dallara models will offer the Panther/Team Green cars from 2001 and 2002 seasons, again as multi option kits and hand builts. Bringing us bang up to date Formula Models are also offering de Ferran's 2003 Indy 500 winning G-Force. Reference numbers for all of these can be found on the coming soon page.
Staying with the Indy 500, but going back a generation or two, SMTS have announced their plans to release the winning cars from 1953 - 1956. These front engined machines make great modelling subjects even when they're not winners and we can't wait to see them. But as most are winners there really is no excuse! Kit and built references are again on page 5. SMTS also hope to have Smokey Yunick's wonderfully eccentric Hurst Floor Shifter Special (RL061/RL061M) available very soon.
And then there are two more winners from Midlantic Models which were in last issue's forthcoming list. MID060 will be the 1952 winner and MID061 offers the 1951 car. Both will also be available built, just add an M to the reference.

GPM Racing

You may remember a few issues back we brought you news of ex-GPM staffer Matthew Marsh's racing exploits at Bathurst. Well, he's been at it again, this time at in the Merdeka Millenium 12 Hour race at Sepang in Malaysia.
Matthew was driving the BMW M3-GT built by BMW Motorsport to contest the ALMS in 2000. It is now owned by Genji Hashimoto's Amprex Motorsports team and is used in the JGTC. In the race Matthew and his co-drivers led for much of the time but eventually finished 9th. If you look really closely you can see the GPM sticker on the back bumper.

New Birdcages

Elsewhere in this issue you will find news from the recent Novegro show in Italy. Rather closer to home, many of the British kit manufacturers could be seen at Modellex. Midlantic Models were on hand with many new releases including this prototype kit of the Maserati Birdcage. The first version, available shortly as kit & hand built MID057, will be the famous Moss/Gurney Camoradi Nurburgring 1000kms winner and Midlantic are planning to add several other versions. These will include the Jim Hall and Carroll Shelby cars and the boys at Midlantic are busy researching other cars. If you have colour shots of any of the privately run cars that raced in America please let us know and we'll pass them on. And before you ask, yes they will be including the #7 Moss car from Cuba.....

...line by line...

Tameo Kits' new 312T3 superkit is imminent at the time of writing and will soon be followed by another high detail Ferrari, the 126C3...... just arrived we have 1:12th scale Ferrari Daytona kits from two different manufacturers, RPM & Titan, we'll take a good look at them next issue..... we know that many collectors missed out on First Formula's Lotus 12 a couple of years ago. Fear not SMTS will be releasing a model of this subject in the near future (RL094)..... great news for rally fans, Racing 43 have several 2003 subjects due soon including the latest Focus..... Arena are extremely busy and will be including many of the leading Group N contenders in their next releases...... and in 1:24th scale Model Factory IV will be producing a kit of the Giro d'Italia Fiat X1/9 Abarth..... staying with a rally theme, at the time of writing we're looking forward to a showdown for the title on Rally GB, with Loeb and Sainz going into the event level on points, Solberg 3 points behind and Burns also in with a shout. By the time you read this it will all be over and whoever the winner is, we've got the models..... MG Model have added several more 1:18th Ferrari 550s to their schedule including the spectacularly decorated JMB car..... and how long we wonder before someone releases a kit of the new Ferrari 575 racer which won on its debut at Estoril?......