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January 28, 2016


As the subject line of today's Email Update suggests, our topic of discussion is the prolific producer of 1/43 and 1/18 scale resin replicas: Spark Model. 

We've divided the discussion into four parts:


One
1/18 and 1/43 New Arrivals:



This week, we took delivery of 40+ new 1/18 and 1/43 scale models produced by Spark Model (along with a few from TSM - see below). Highlights include the 1/18 scale #97 Aston Martin Vantage V8 GTE Pro from Le Mans 2013 (18s154 - $199.00) pictured above and the 1/43 scale #53 SRT Viper GTS-R (s4669 - $80.00) (seen below) that competed at Le Mans in 2015. 

The shipment also included several 1/43 LMP1, LMP2 and GT entries from the 2015 24 Hours of Le Mans along with the usual selection of historic F1, F2 and Sports Car racing subjects. 

Click here for the complete list of new arrivals.














In addition to the Spark models in this week's shipment, we received several new TSM releases, including the two 1/18 scale die cast replicas pictured above:



Scan the full list for other TSM Arrivals.

Two

Coming Soon:

Our next Spark shipment is scheduled to arrive in early February. Highlights include the 1989 Sebring winning #83 Nissan GTP ZXT pictured above (43se89 - $80.00) and the Manor Marussia F1 MR03B as driven by Alexander Rossi in his F1 debut at the US Grand Prix last fall (s4623 - $80.00). 


three

Spark 2016 Catalog:


Late last night, a new 2016 Catalog was uploaded to the Spark website in conjunction with opening day of Toy Fair in Germany, traditionally an event used by manufacturers to announce plans for the coming year. 

Click here to access the 2016 Spark Catalog online.

Over the past year, Spark has modified their advance order procedure. Instead of requiring dealers to submit their requirements for the entire Catalog immediately after Toy Fair, Spark periodically sends out lists of 40-50 items with specific deadlines. As a subscriber to our Email Updates, you receive these lists and and are requested to make your selections accordingly.

Recently, we've seen the time between the ordering deadline and actual delivery shrink significantly. A large percentage of models are produced within 3-5 months, with the exception of Le Mans and F1, which are released over a longer period of time. We think this is a big improvement over the 'traditional' order now and wait a few years method employed by most model companies since we've been in the business. 

But under this system, we are unable to order a model from the Catalog until Spark sends out a request. In some situations, the time between a model's initial Catalog appearance, the ability to order it  and actual delivery can be excruciating.

Which brings us to the 1/18 Lowenbrau Porsche 962 (18da87), which so many of us have been anxiously awaiting. The model first appeared in Spark's 2014 Catalog but is not yet on the production schedule. We asked our contact at the company for a status report on this iconic Porsche earlier today. They've asked for us to be patient for 'just a bit longer'.

That's the model business we've come to know and love!

Which leads us to today's final subject:

Four

February 5 Advance Order List:


Our January 20, 2016 Email Update featured highlights from Spark's first Advance Order List of 2016. We've now uploaded all 55 models from that list to our Online Shopping website. You can also download the complete list as a pdf file

Our ordering deadline for all 55 is Monday, February 5

We will reserve a few extra pieces of the most popular items but urge you to contact us with your selections by the deadline date to insure delivery, especially on the more esoteric pieces. Shortages do occur, as experienced Spark collectors have discovered to their disappointment.

+++++

To summarize, it looks like Spark will continue to offer an interesting selection of quality 1/43 and 1/18 scale resin replicas to collectors worldwide. 

I  hope The Motorsport Collector will continue to be your source for Spark and other 'good stuff' for years to come.

We appreciate your business!

 - Paul

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