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:
1/18 and 1/43 New Arrivals:
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.
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:
Coming Soon:
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.
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:
February 5 Advance Order List:
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.
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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