Four Small Wheels 10/2002

To die-cast or not to die-cast?
That is the question …
by David Harbey

It’s interesting how that phrase “what goes around, comes around" is so true. I started my foray into 1/43 following an article in CCC (Cars and Car Conversions, a UK motor sport monthly) that featured some of their journalist's collections - a mix of die-cast and some strange stuff called white metal and resin. Well as a life long motor sport enthusiast and a lapsed teenage modeller (generally WW2 German aircraft - don't ask me why) I wanted to look into this.

I started out with some Vitesse and Trofeu die-cast rally cars, but the creative instinct and the better range of subjects led me to that centre for such matters, then Watling Street in Radlett - better known to all of us as GPM. There in June 1991 a very helpful young man called André helped me to buy a Mazda 323 rally car and even gave me a scrap bodyshell to practice on! Since then I have visited many times and left with even more small boxes packed with fun / frustration (delete as applicable).

As I learnt more, including a fascinating interview with Brian for the NatWest Bank Motoring Club magazine Chequepoint (yes, really !), I came to understand how this hobby came about. Grown men bought die cast cars and then converted them to competition cars with the help of transkits. People also started to cast blobs of white metal that resembled both the cars of the day and important ones from history. Gradually 1/43 as we now know it emerged.

So with the huge range of subjects on offer, why is this particular collector / builder talking about die-casts ? Simple - there are gaps, even in my modest portfolio, never mind Ron Peggs' "every car that raced at Le Mans" mega-collection. So what are my criteria? Well, probably, confused at best !

I collect, in no particular order, DTM, sports / GT and rally cars. I want to do the classic sports cars of the late 60's / early 70's and Can-Am when there's some more room in the 'to be built' cupboard. The Le Mans winners are gradually accumulating in my Father's collection - now he's retired he preps his kits and I paint and build them. What matters most of all these days is that the cars either have a memory attached - an Alfa 156 road car like the one in my drive - or they simply look good.

It's this latter category that really gets me at the moment. Having developed a suitably (and only slightly tongue in cheek) sniffy attitude to die-casts - horrible wheels, awful decals etc, I'm having to revise my opinion.

Firstly, the quality has improved a lot in recent years and secondly, and this is the difficult bit to accept, they are doing cars that are not available - and with seemingly little likelihood of being available - as kits.

So, come on down BMW M3 GTR ALMS 2001, Red Bull Porsches from recent Daytona 24 Hours, Alex Wurz' late season multi-coloured Calibra from the ITC and Peter Dumbreck's DTM Mercedes with the peeled back bonnet graphics. The latest is the Toyota Supra that Wayne Gardner campaigned in the JGTC with Esso sponsorship - fabulous tiger stripes - in 1999 or 2000.	To be fair they don't look bad in a cabinet - except that the wheels, wipers and aerials let them down. So the circle may yet turn round again - perhaps I should be asking GPM to find me the right wheels and tyres for a GT3 Porsche or an ITC Calibra, get aerials and wipers from my spares box and upgrade my die-casts - much as those before us did.

I almost forgot, what about the Red Bull Audi from the DTM? I believe that the SHMR Superflo tiger stripe Porsche from 1995 Daytona 24 Hours (SHM021K) was popular. I bought one, I built it and I think it looks fabulous (see above), but I don't know who drove it - or even where it finished - and I don't care. So to add either significant cars like the BMW or good looking cars, like the others described, I have to fall back on die-casts.	Not in replacing building kits, but to fill those gaps. Perhaps I should be asking GPM to get me the die-casts too ? Only one slight hesitation, a good die-cast these days costs about the same as a kit - the improved quality clearly comes at a price - and that's before buying the after market items. No doubt someone will do a kit of the Red Bull Ferrari 550 Maranello from the 2002 FIA GT series. It is a Ferrari after all …. We agree, the Red Bull 550 needs to be made, please BBR - Ed

theme 2

Pondering some aspects of sports car and GT racing in 2002
with David Blumlein

Regular readers of this column will know it is my wont to explore the background of the Le Mans contenders as they become available to modellers, but this month the Editor suggested that I have a look back at this year's sports car scene, an invitation I am delighted to accept.

Le Mans may be the 'King' but it cannot be properly appreciated or studied without a wide background of the sports car (and I include GT cars) cum endurance racing scene. Indeed, in my own case, the very first international race I ever witnessed was the Goodwood Nine Hours in 1955 and I have to confess that I was smitten! And to this day I keep as full an archive as possible about every sports/GT event that I can.

But let me launch into the subject by starting with a moan! I have to say that I deplore the fact that sports car/GT races get so little coverage in the normal motor racing press these days, sometimes major events being reduced to a minimal column. Oh dear, were it not for the French Auto Hebdo under Jean-Marc Teissedre's guiding enthusiasm and Malcolm Cracknell's 'dailysports.com' website, there would be alarming gaps in our knowledge, and this in the 21st century if you please! Of course, that spurious god, Formula 1, seems to occupy most of the printed space.

Having aired that, may I crave my readers' indulgence by looking at this season through a particularly favourite angle of mine: I love the presence of the host of 'other' cars that are to be found in endurance events, those that don't necessarily command the headlines by being winners, although some do win their categories yet earn little publicity these days for it. Cars such as the Cabans, Jowett Jupiters and so on are examples at, say, Le Mans; below I pick out some of this year's contenders in no particular order.

I am amazed that so little publicity has been given to the exploits of the MG-Lolas which have been enjoying increasing success in America. We have all witnessed their exciting efforts at Le Mans these last two years with a certain pride but these superb little cars have been winning trophies which barely rate a mention over here! At Sebring the P675 class was won by the Intersport car after Jonny Cane had threatened the leaders in the KnightHawk example. The Intersport car won also at the important Petit Le Mans and other category wins have been recorded, including Laguna Seca.

At Daytona the American built Crawford with Judd power showed promise, took a second place at Fontana and had its first win by September at the Virginia Grand-Am round in the hands of Andy Wallace and Chris Dyson.

Another American contender is the Mosler MT900R. We have happily been made more conscious of its existence recently thanks to Martin Short's acquisition of an example which first appeared in the paddock at the Thruxton GT meeting, first ran at the Donington finale as well as taking in the end of season Belcar race at Zolder. But a Mosler took GT class pole for the Daytona 24 Hours (see photo), and more are promised for next year.

And while we are thinking American, how little is known about the Norma, the brainchild of French 'emigrés' Edouard Sezionale and Norbert Santos! Earlier designs had been presented at Qualifying Days at Le Mans, in 1995 for example, but never made the grade; however this year a Ford V8 6-litre powered car, the M2000-02, actually crossed the finishing line at the Daytona 24 hour race despite two off road excursions!

I was fascinated to find Sodemo, the Magny-Cours based engine tuner, presenting an SR2 version of the Peugeot V6 which normally powers Pescarolo's Courages. It made practice at Barcelona in a Pilbeam chassis but it was too new for this early season FIA sports car round and driver Marc Rostan did not get far in the race. It was hoping for success on home-ground in late June but the car had a Nissan engine substituted after trouble in practice with the local unit. But what an interesting development!

Happily quite a bit has been made of the unexpected appearance of the Dutch Spyker which put up a reasonable show at Le Mans (more to come in a future article!). But what gave me special pleasure was to find it entered for the end of season race for the French GT Championship at Magny-Cours where it raced to 8th position in the first of two events that day. Prospective modellers may care to note that its race number was 48 for this meeting.

I just love also the Gillet Vertigo which has grown up considerably since we saw it in the BPR GT events, even trying to qualify for Le Mans in 1997, powered by a Ford motor. It has since resorted to Alfa Romeo V6 power and is a regular contender in the Belgian Belcar rounds. Two of them ran in this year's Spa 24 hours, not scoring alas, but they looked gorgeous! And there was a superb road-going version in stunning black at the back of the 'village' at Le Mans this year.

Back home it is good to see the Ultima GTR going well in the British GT Championship rounds, Colin Blower's potent car being joined by the Master Motorsport's blue car at Donington in April. And other Ultimas have run in the Grand-Am races, at Watkins Glen for example.

Everyone seems to love Morgan's return to Le Mans and it has, of course, appeared in earlier rounds of the British GT Championship. It is set up and more suited in its present state to fast circuits and shone at Castle Combe shortly after its impressive run at the Sarthe circuit. The recent Birmingham Motor Show was the occasion for the launch of a 4.6 litre 'Cup' version, more tuned to the sprint type circuits.

Were all this richness in this season's sports car ranks to be translated into models it would help to make up for the poor journalistic coverage. Certainly, in this forthcoming season each could go on my list to Santa Claus!