VODAFONE MCLAREN MERCEDES – MP4/23 – LEWIS HAMILTON – WORLD CHAMPION 2008 – BRAZIL GP (1:18 Minichamps)

Colin · Apr 25, 2018

A little bit of story first: been trying to find this model for a decent price the past few months, but seemed tough to come by. Last week a store in my country post one online, for well under the retail price of current Minichamps 1:18 F1 models, so I jumped on it. Model was described as "perfect", with the box showing some age. I received it yesterday, and was very disappointed to open up the box to see that the right front wheel & side mirror were disconnected from the model and loose in the box, as well as a piece that connects the bargeboard to the body was disconnected on both ends.

After contacting the store regarding the issue, I decided to see if I could fix these issues with some Krazy Glue. Didn't take much longer than 10 minutes, and am very satisfied with the model now:

Guiddy · Apr 26, 2018

What a great model! The best of the 'fins on fins' era of aerodynamics! I have great memories of watching Hamilton that year!

Colin · Apr 26, 2018

Thanks, it really is such a beautiful & polarizing design. As Gordon Murray said about it, "Technically and aerodynamically, this is unbelievably sophisticated. This car is a study in detailed aerodynamic design; it's not a holistic racing car. You could slice it up like a loaf of bread, and each part would have massive, focused, attention to detail-which then has to be integrated back into the total airflow. But even so, something like the wing endplate would have had one or two people working on it for a month."

And such a wild end to the season with Hamilton snatching his first World Championship at the very last moment!

DanielB · Apr 26, 2018

Nice work on the repairs.

It's a nice model. I sold mine last year. Still have the 1:43.

Is the steering really loose on yours?

Colin · Apr 26, 2018

Thanks! Yes, steering is extremely loose; I have the model back in the Minichamps packaging and can move the front wheels by tilting the box either direction. Also watched a review of one on YouTube with the same issue. I assume your example had the same?

DanielB · Apr 26, 2018

Yup, sure did.

VODAFONE MCLAREN MERCEDES – MP4/23 – LEWIS HAMILTON – WORLD CHAMPION 2008 – BRAZIL GP (1:18 Minichamps)

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