New announcements
I have a veritable truckload of Mattel news for you today!
I’ll start off with my favourite item, a new 1:18 replica commemorating Kimi Raikkonen’s hat trick of victory, pole position and fastest lap in this year’s Australian Grand Prix (DC2706A). The model will come mounted on a base featuring the Australian and Finnish flags and a plaque commemorating the event. The driver figure in the car will also have both arms in the air, as Raikkonen’s were when he crossed the finish line. It will be limited to 3,333 pieces.
There are also some new Michael Schumacher replicas, which look very exciting. The first is a 1:18 replica entitled ‘Anatomy Of A Champion’ (HW6234). It will consist of a model of Michael’s 2006 Ferrari F248 mounted vertically, with a plinth behind it detailing why he enjoyed such a successful career. Also included will be a ‘leaping’ Michael Schumacher figure (i.e. his victory celebration when stepping onto the podium), and an engine part from one of his F1 Ferraris. The car itself will also be half-finished in carbon fibre, which contributes to the whole presentation looking very dramatic. This one will be limited to 7,676 examples.
Then there is a 1:43 presentation commemorating Michael’s five consecutive world championships with Ferrari (HW6237). It will consist of a replica of each of his championship winning Ferraris from 2000 through to 2004 mounted on a special base, with a plaque detailing the extraordinary achievement. It will be limited to 5,555 pieces.
There is also an ultra-special 1:18 presentation of Schuey’s 2004 Ferrari F2004, his last championship winning car, commemorating all of his all-time records in Formula One (HW6235). What is so exciting is that it will come with a removable engine cover, the first time that Mattel will ever have done this on one of their Formula One replicas. It will be a limited edition of just 3,030 pieces.
Finally there is a 1:24 replica of Michael’s 2006 F248 (HW6236). This presentation will feature the car mounted on a plinth that details all of Michael Schumacher’s all-time career records. This release is the only one that will not be a limited edition.
I will finish today with some information about Mattel’s 2007 Formula One Ferraris. As with Minichamps’ recent 1:12 replicas of the Moto GP Ducatis (see Troy Bayliss’s 2006 Valencia example), they will not come with the Marlboro ‘barcode’ livery, as it is categorically not allowed to be reproduced. While this is a little unfortunate, it could have been a lot worse had this livery adorned the entire car. I felt that I should make our customers aware of this in case some of you felt that something was missing when you receive your model!
