[Diecast/Models] The "Flying Mercedes"

[Liz]

Has the 1999 Mercedes been brought out in a diecast? My racing shop says they don't think it will ever be brought out as Mercedes chooses to forget about it and hopes we will too. But I would like to have one.

[Racer X]

The only thing that I know about it, is that it is in a 1/43 scale plastic kit.

[Heeltoe6]

I can't cay w/ certainty that it is specifically the '99 flying Mercededs, but last year Hot Wheels put out a Mercedes Gt1 car in 1/64th scale.

[elephino]

I heard that Mercedes said no to any models...I wonder why

[marcus]

there certainly is a model of the mercedes allthough it may not be the 99 car..i believe it may be the 98 car...a friend of mine has this model and i will try and get some info out of him when i can..but there is a model out there Liz ..so keep hasling them and you may come into some good luck.

[elephino]

There are 1:18 scale models of the 1997 and 1998 cars (CLK-GTR and CLK-LM) and 1:43 of the GTR.

[TimD]

The French manufacturer "Provence Moulage" tries to release a kit of every car that runs at Le Mans annually.

These are 1/43rd scale resin kits, and not too tricky to put together. I've got the 1997 Merc. If you follow the link of ten-tenths affiliate sites to Grand Prix Models, I'd bet they could give you a definitive answer.

[Racer X]

I couldn't remember who made it but TimD said Provence Moulage and it clicked in my head. Here's a link http://www.mafma.com/provence_pricelistlm.htm. Enjoy

[Liz]

Thanks guys! They had it and I've ordered it.

Next I am going to get the Panoz, which is my One True Love in sports cars.

[Liz]

Update: They emailed me this morning that "The Mercedes is Exhausted." Which I take to mean "sold out."

[bobdrummond]

Good luck with the Panoz, Liz. I'll never forget the in-car footage from the Goh car at Le Mans this year. The sound of the engine was far more pleasant than the screamers of F1. You could almost hear each detonation.

Speaking on in-car Le Mans footage, the sight of Katayama's (I think) eyes widening through the helmet as he had a blow out was brilliant. Balls of Steel

By the way, Liz, how in God's name does a person manage nearly 8400 posts?

[Liz]

I will go back to the French guys and get the Panoz since the Mercedes is Exhausted.... If anybody hears of a CD that includes that mighty engine sound, please do let me know. Someone says it is the sound of the V8 Muscle Car of the 1960s ... which would explain why it has such a manly sound. Cars ... and men ... have grown rather soft since then ...

*sigh*

As for all those posts: A person simply needs to have two jobs that both involve a lot of work on the Internet!

[TimD]

Liz, I've found another possibility for your Mercedes. The 1/43 resin kit company BBR released the 1999 car. Grand Prix Models, who over the years have enjoyed a long and profitable association with my credit card, certainly list the BBR flying Merc on their database as still current. The serials are as follows.

BBR Kit
BBP214 Mark Webber's car, which crashed in practice
BBP215 Peter Dumbreck's car, which flipped during the race. (GPM's kit database describes this as "sponsored by Lufthansa")

http://www.grandprixmodels.co.uk should get you there - but be warned, temptation is a dangerous thing.

[Liz]

Thanks and I see what you mean (I have seen about half a dozen cars I want and I've only just started looking!)

The only thing I can't find is the price list. Can you assist?

[TimD]

Ah, yes, the price list.

Brian Harvey (proprietor of Grand Prix Models) is an idiosyncratic old soul, and he tends to work on the principle that "if you need to ask the price, then you probably can't afford it".

Ahem.

For the rest of us mortals, GPM will charge around £32 to £35 for a BBR kit, or if you prefer, would supply a jewel-like prebuilt one for something in the region of £120.

This is, I concede, a lot more than the average Minichumps or Mattel model, but the resulting miniature is in a totally different league. Bear in mind also that as a resident of a non-European country, you can expect to knock 15% off the price, to account for non-applicable taxes.

While I've not tried the BBR Mercedes, I was very happy with their 1995 Jordan, which went together very nicely. They are highly regarded in their field.