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Product Focus #4
No. 4 in a special series - focusing on key areas within the motorsport model industry (Published 05/2010)
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Pre 1988
Every year, one of the major highlights for us, is the publication of the details for the current F1 Grid 1/43 and 1/18 scale replicas. It seems incredible to think that prior to 1988, all Collectors could do was to dream of the possibility of owning diecast replicas from the current season’s grid. Collections at that time would have included a mismatch of a few basic F1 1/24 scale diecast models from manufacturers such as Bburago and very early on, Corgi models (remember the Donnington Collection), and very expensive hand built white metal replicas and kits, together with the popular 1/12 and 1/20 scale plastic kits from Tamiya, replicating a couple of the ‘current’ F1. cars if you were lucky.
Onyx - Transforming Collections 1988-1991
During the Portuguese F1 GP in 1988, we attended a meeting set up by the President of a little known company called Onyx (a division of Minibri of Portugal). What he showed us was set to change the future of the diecast motorsport market forever. This was the pivotal point where models of racing cars moved from the toy market to the adult collectors market in one fell swoop!
The models he showed us were all modern F1 replicas from the current 1988 grid, Ferrari, McLaren, Benetton and Lotus 1/43 scale diecast models in colourful individual team branded packaging. The extremely modest gentleman then asked politely if this was a product we could sell!
To this day this meeting still remains one of the most exciting moment in all of the TRAX history!
The F1 diecast market never looked back. Onyx grew from strength to strength. In 1989, the grid cars were produced again with their colourful branded packaging with five more teams added – now we saw Williams, Dallara, Minardi, Larrousse and Leyton House.
In 1990 the grid was matched yet again, but the colourful team-branded packaging was dropped and Dallara was replaced by the Tyrrell team. In 1991 Leyton House and Minardi were dropped and Jordan F1 was added. Also that year Kyosho produced a version of the Brabham with driver transfers for Blundell and Brundle. This early period still remains one of the most exciting times in the history of motorsports diecast.
The New Kid On The Block 1992-1997
Onyx continued in 1992 with the F1. grid, however McLaren was dropped for Footwork and Larrousse for Ligier. Kyosho on the other hand produced a small range of their own. This range featured F1. teams Benetton, Jordan, Williams and Lotus. The reason that Onyx did not produce the McLaren replicas is extremely significant, because a new F1 model company decided to pay an exclusive license fee to enable them to produce McLaren F1. – locking out any competition. The company was Pauls Model Art (PMA), with their production set-up in China, everything was set for another diecast manufacturer to contribute to the F1. Grid and provide even more choice for the Collector. As we know PMA became Minichamps and they began to really compete with Onyx, producing McLaren, Ferrari, Benetton and Williams 1992 grid cars. Initially PMA advertised on Eurosport, where they offered the 1/64 scale Michael Schumacher Benetton, this proved highly successful and demand for their replicas began to grow at an incredible pace.
In 1993 Onyx changed their F1 packaging design again. Introducing the famous square perspex boxes which covered Benetton, Tyrrell, Lotus, Ferrari Sauber, Williams and McLaren. Significantly in this year, Onyx produced a special edition of five different liveried versions of the Schumacher’s Benetton B193 - Prince, Rollerblade, Kastle, Killerloop, Nordica. Once again, Onyx was leading the way by introducing special Limited Editions of current F1. models.
Onyx continued producing F1. replicas until the 1997/98 season, when, with exclusive licenses up for grabs, and strong competition from PMA, Onyx found themselves with a diminishing range, producing just the Williams, Minardi, Sauber and Tyrrell F1. replicas. PMA, now more commonly known as Minichamps, were the dominant force in 1/43 scale F1. models, building on their early success of the 1992 and 1993 grid replicas which acted as just a minor distraction to the Onyx production schedule, to 1996, where Minichamps replicated the entire F1. Grid – taking complete centre stage from 1997 to this very day. Other companies have made guest appearances along the way; Eligor produced the 1993 Larrousse F1. models, Cardos in 1998 produced the Prost F1 cars.
Onyx will always be remembered as the ground breakers, but the quality and finish of the Minichamps models was unbeatable. With sophisticated production techniques in
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F1. Diecast – The Corporate Business Game
In the 1990s Tamiya tied up a deal with McLaren that was reportedly worth millions of dollars, changing the way licensing impacted upon the model industry. In 1998 Mattel did a huge deal to produce and distribute Ferrari replicas on a world-wide exclusive basis. Something which had never happened previously. Alongside Ferrari F1, Mattel also produced Williams, Jordan and Stewart Racing Replicas, initially in team branded packaging. This continued until 2001.
2002 acted as a sort of transitional year, with Mattel just producing Ferrari and Minichamps producing the rest of the grid. Notable exceptions for this year were BAR, Jaguar and Jordan F1 replicas. Jordan was later produced by Minichamps retrospectively. But BAR and Jaguar have never been produced by any manufacturer. These gaps are generally blamed on licensing issues. The Renaults this year also were exclusively produced by Universal Hobbies.
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From 2003, with the exclusion of Ferrari, which was now a mainstay of the Mattel Hotwheels portfolio, Minichamps produced the entire 2003 F1. grid in 1/43 Scale. Early in this period, limited and special editions became more prominent, with the introduction of Launch or Showcars for each F1. season. This was a range based on the previous year’s chassis with the current year’s liveries, produced in limited quantities, the launch cars always were produced in advance of the actual race versions.
And this is were we are pretty much now. Mattel producing Ferrari F1, Minichamps producing the entire F1 Grid apart from Ferrari and guest appearances by other manufacturers every now again.
How will licensing and corporate strategy affect the F1. grid into the future? Well only time will tell. Just remember that this industry is very young, technology and market forces will continue to influence it. New manufacturers may appear, Minichamps could start producing Ferrari models again! You could have the choice of several manufacturers when it comes to selecting your F1. replicas depending on quality or price. Who knows?
New Collectors to the industry can appear a little blasé with regards modern F1. grids, but seasoned Collectors will always remember what it was like to collect current F1. replicas before Onyx showed us their product which they thought we might be interested in!!!! We have come a very long way since then.
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