Category: Collector’s Corner

Spark’s partworks (update!)

PW much? A TA driver is a good investment!

Until very recently, I had four models of Hachette’s “24 Hours of Le Mans Cars Collection”. These models are diecast and all partworks (pw), however they’re made by Spark. When I got these four, despite being pw models, I was quite happy with the series. I felt that for the price they had a superior value for the money. However, I recently got two more. And now, I have to say I’m not as favorable to the series as I initially was 🤨. If you head to the original page I added an update explaining why.

The devil is in the details

What makes a model “good”? And conversely, what characteristic (or lack of) makes a model “bad”? Being overly simplistic, the answer would be accuracy. If the model accurately represents the real car in scale, it is a good model. In other words, in 1:43, if you recreate the real car 43× smaller you have an accurate model. However, model manufacturers not always can shrink every detail of the real car. Furthermore, some details have more significance in the collector’s eye.

Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche once said “the devil is in the details”. Even though shape and proportions are paramount, some details are more important then others. With that, the presence or absence of a specific detail makes or breaks a model. If you want to understand what I’m talking about, click HERE.

Model customization at its finest

Frenchman Steph mods and customizes models for a living. I wasn’t aware of his work until I saw him featured at Petrolicious, and it’s nothing short of fantastic. From what I understood he works with all scales, big or small. I’ve been known to mod a model or two, but different than mine, Steph’s model actually looks (VERY!) good 😁.

Upgrading models

We collectors, sooner or later, will find a model that is better than the one we currently have. So what do we do? We “upgrade”. That means we buy the better and improved model to take the place of our older and inferior one. The idea is logical, however it’s not something you should do regularly. Why? Because you’re wasting money. Over here I wrote a short essay on why you should try to avoid it. Well, unless you have really DEEP pockets 🤑.

Silver Arrows – Part III: When is a silver car a Silberpfeil?

And finally we arrive at the last part of the series. After explaining what is a Silberpfeil and how they came to be called that, now it’s time to define which cars are Silver Arrows. Even though Mercedes-Benz uses the term very broadly, not every silver car is a Silberpfeil. Historically speaking you can count them on your fingers. Even if you add the variations (like hill climbers and record cars), the actual number is very low. How low? Click below.

Part III: When is a silver car a Silberpfeil?

Silver Arrows – Part II: Where does the name come from?

Last week I briefly explained what are the Silver Arrows. Of course you can write a whole book on the subject but I think my text can give at least an idea about what were these silver cars. For me at least, another very interesting side to these cars is the name. Why are they called Silver Arrows? I find the story behind their name quite entertaining. Through the link below you can have a glimpse of how it came to be.

Part II: Where does the name come from?

Silver Arrows – Part I: What are the Silberpfeile?

My Silver Arrows are a BIG part of my collection, and therefore I’m really proud of them. Throughout my reviews I’ve written a lot about them, and I love all the history behind the machines and the men. A few days ago, thinking about my reviews (or lack of 😥) I reckoned it would be interesting to do a write-up on the history of the cars. Basically, about what they are, why are they called Silver Arrows and what cars are actual Silver Arrows. So with all-new photographs I compiled everything in a three-part series.

I’m still working on the pics and even polishing-up the text, but I believe I’ll publish the next parts in a couple of weeks.

Here is Part I: What are the Silberpfeile?

Did I complete my Silberpfeil quiver?

Silberpfeil

Recently, I got the Auto Union Typ C #4 and a couple of weeks later, the Typ D #4. I was overjoyed to get them, because it was a looooong while since I last got a Silver Arrow. However, that got me thinking and prompted some research.

Do I now have all the Golden Age Grand Prix Silberpfeile 🤔?

If so, the Silver Arrow wing of the Garage is complete. I think probably many would consider that as a good thing. On the other hand, that also means I don’t have any new Silberpfeil to look forward to 😕. And since I’m more a find-happiness-along-the-way type of person than a completist that is a bit sad…

Click HERE to read a little more.

New 1:18 917K from Amalgam

Thankfully it’s 1:18, therefor too big for the W-143 Garage. Because it’s EXPENSIVE – US$ 1300,00 (Classic Driver) 😲😲😲. Ultimately, however, it’s g-o-r-g-e-o-u-s! Though I’m not a big fan of weathered models, for a jewel of this caliber I would easily open an exception.

Amalgam will only make 100 models of the 1970 Daytona winner 917K, so don’t wait too long to go after yours.