Mini GT, Ayrton Senna, James Bond and the 1/12th scale boom
Welcome aboard this new formula where the passion for miniature cars reigns supreme. Here, we will regularly discuss everything that is directly or indirectly related to our passion: miniature cars.
The reduction operated by manufacturers is increasingly fine, the offer is plethora, the new products are ever more numerous, the new manufacturers, ephemeral or not, also. Here, no limits, a real open-mindedness, an overview of current events, of all manufacturers, of all scales, room for freedom of expression, miniature .
For this first opus, I suggest we focus on 3 chapters: the Mini GT brand, analyzing the emergence of a surprisingly discreet scale and ending with an overview of the new products from a brand in the Z-Models group, GT Spirit.
1 - Mini GT under the microscope
Mini GT: welcome to the 1/64 world.
How can we talk about miniatures without mentioning this scale, which has literally exploded in recent years. It's difficult to pinpoint the exact date of the 64 "explosion," but it could take place in the years 2018-2020. A number of manufacturers, however short-lived or unknown, have emerged here and there, particularly in Asia.
Amateurs, collectors, enthusiasts, financiers, converts (?), who knows? A number of brands unknown just a few months ago offer a more or less dubious variety of new models, classics, various variations... from Timothy & Pierre Singer models to Mini LBWK, from Peugeot 505 SW (note the inaccuracy) from DCT, from BMW from Street Weapon to Bosozuku from Pop Race, there is something for all tastes, all budgets.
But a dual trend seems to be emerging: the models are mostly made of resin, and the licenses are often... forgotten. This particular subject will be the subject of another chapter in a future article.
Within this ecosystem, several pioneering brands stand out, thanks to their longevity, their respect for licenses, and their regular presence at trade shows. These include Inno64, Tarmac Works, Tomica Limited Vintage, and, of course, Mini GT, our subject of analysis today.
Mini GT is a brand of the TSM-Models group, owned by Glen Chou and brings together several brands corresponding to several scales: Mini GT for the 1/64 scale, True Scale Models for the 1/43 scale and Top Speed Models for the 1/18 scale.
Although most of the group's miniatures are made of resin, we sometimes find a few miniatures in Diecast.
Difficult beginnings
Mini GT is a brand offering metal miniatures, with metal chassis, a detail much appreciated by collectors of this scale. Particularly active on the Asian and American markets, where the latter are fond of all-metal models, Mini GT miniatures are also "rolling", on soft tires. This approval is very appreciable and contributes to the good quality-price ratio of the brand. However, the models are without openings (except trucks and Kaido House models).
Arriving on the market in 2017, the Mini GT brand could have definitely missed its entry onto the scene. With a real false start, the brand offered as its first model a blue Honda Civic Type-R (FK8) whose manufacturing quality was below the standards expected by Glen Chou, its creator. This was followed by very long delays before the arrival of other models, due to a change of factory. The brand was therefore finally able to offer other models much later , having initially only offered Honda Civic Type Rs, and a very tempting catalog full of new models such as modern Maseratis, BMWs (...), not honored. These models are also only showing up in 2025... almost 10 years later.
Good value for money, therefore, models are now varied, models of old vehicles, modern vehicles, competition vehicles, trucks, F1s... It is sometimes difficult to understand the brand's guiding principle (no more than the numbering used as a reference for its models!), but we can bet that it is guided by Glen Chou's passion and his love for cars of all kinds.
A rapidly expanding range
Recently, the brand unveiled two new collections alongside the "standard" models: an Ayrton Senna collection and a James Bond collection.
The Ayrton Senna collection is a surprise: obtaining the Senna license is not easy, and expensive. The brand has decided to offer a collection from an interesting and somewhat novel angle with models from the driver's early days (with karts), as well as test cars like the red Honda NSX. Of course, Lotus, McLaren, and Toleman single-seaters will be included. The unique feature of this collection will be to offer a Senna figurine in each vehicle.
The James Bond collection is also a nice surprise, and we know that Glen Chou didn't do things by halves. In order to convince the rights holders, including MGM, we know that Glen personally defended his vision of the James Bond collection. This is played out in the details, for example, with several versions of the same car depending on the film, or moments in the films with or without multiple gadgets involving a modification of the molds.
The Aston Martin DB5, for example, is being released with numerous variants (stock, with gadgets, damaged, etc.). The same will apply to other models announced, including superb Lotus Esprits, Ford Mustangs, Citroën 2CVs, BMW 7 Series, etc.
It should also be noted that the blisters of the published models reproduce the film posters, which themselves differ depending on the country! Thus, the Aston Martin DB5 from Goldfinger is offered in blister (with cardboard box) with a reproduction of the French, English or Japanese film poster.
Mini GT is therefore a manufacturer that occupies a large part of the 1/64 scene, throughout Asia and North America. Europe also seems quite receptive to the brand, which is quite easy to access via numerous distributors.
The Kaido House branch
Also interesting is that Mini GT distributes, manufactures and produces the Kaido House brand, led by Jun Imai, a former Hot Wheels designer who took the plunge to create his own brand. With designs that have become cult classics at Mattel, he was able to find at Mini GT the opportunity to create his works as he had always intended: kitted, enlarged, colorful models, shiny chassis, metal, with openings, in quality cardboard boxes... success is there, and the brand is a real hit and has its loyal followers. Kaido House also offers special editions called Black Limited, which are snapped up at high prices, as are the special miniatures published for the shows that are very present in Asia.
Diecast shows around the world… Asian
Let's finish this discovery of Mini GT with the presence of the brand at the MDX show (Malaysia Diecast Expo), as well as the special evening very inspired by the Hot Wheels conventions "One night in Malaysia", where a dinner is held, a presentation of the upcoming models and the allocation of exclusive model(s) for the occasion.
Mini GT had a large stand with life-size models and around a hundred samples representing the new products to come in the coming years. Among other things, we will note a very original set of 20 Mercedes-Benz 190 E Evo 1 from the 1984 Race of Champions (!)
The James Bond collection was present, as were samples from the Ayrton Senna collection. The molds developed for these series will of course be found in the main range, as mold optimizations. For example, the beautiful BMW 750 iL (E38) will be available in gray and blue.
You can find a video of this show and its behind-the-scenes via this YouTube video directly filmed by the brand:
Ultimately, Mini GT is a popular brand that has quickly found its audience and offers quality models at a reasonable price. The catalog is expanding year after year, and this is not displeasing to collectors.
The success of the pink model: the Porsche Roxy of the AO Racing Team
An illustration of the TSM Models group's derivatives can be made with the Roxy model, the famous pink AO Racing Porsche GT3 R, which raced in IMSA and which is the "little sister" of the Rexy model, with its now iconic dinosaur green livery.
A definitely popular model that has been reproduced by many manufacturers (Hot Wheels, Mini GT, Sparky, Spark …) and which has even found a rather exceptional popularity rating with the model of the said brand of Mattel Hot Wheels. Already quite difficult to find on the shelves, this green “Rexy” model had the particularity of being reproduced for its “chase” version (secret version produced in smaller quantities randomly placed in the boxes) in pink “Roxy”.
Rarely has a "chase" model in a Hot Wheels series been so successful, nor attracted so much desire. The result was an immediate rise in the price of this pink version, regularly exceeding €200 (given that a basic model costs around €10).
It's quite difficult to predict the future trends and successes of miniatures for one reason or another. A product showcased by popular YouTubers, a model with a recognized track record, a new model...
TSM Models has reproduced this Porsche 911 GT3 R AO Racing “Roxy” in 3 scales for the 3 brands of the group: 1/18, 1/43 and 1/64 (the latter being released soon).
2 - A discreet scale but with great potential: 1 1/12 12th.
We have discussed the 1/18, 1/43 and 1/64 scales through our brand "Mini GT from the TSM Models group", but what about the 1/12 scale?
1/12 is a scale that remains fairly discreet in the landscape of collectible miniatures, and yet many manufacturers have taken on the task, if not almost all.
General presentation
We are of course thinking of AutoArt, BBR, Spark, Ottomobile, GT Spirit, Norev, Amalgam, Kyosho, Looksmart, Tecnomodel, GP Replicas… and so many others, including TSM with Porsche 956s, in particular.
The size of a 1/12 scale miniature is around 35 cm, which is starting to seriously require space to display the model in your collection. There will be the resin school and the diecast school, whose differences will be little different from those of the other scales, namely precision of the mold engravings, quality of painting, openings or not.
Ottomobile is probably the most popular brand for quality resin miniatures (while remaining an entry level) and is starting to build up a very serious catalog of 1/12 scale miniatures with many special sales regularly.
Recently, we have seen iconic rally models like the Lancia Stratos, the Clio Maxi and the Peugeot 206 WRC. We also find road models with American vehicles (Camaro Z28, Mustang Shelby GT500), and of course German and French references (205 T16, Clio Williams, Renault 5 Turbo ...).
It seems to me that Ottomobile has a lot to do with the popularization of large-scale resin models in general, and especially 1/12 12th, offering models from around €150 for road versions to €180 for competition versions.
Generally speaking, prices obviously vary greatly depending on the manufacturer. Ottomobile and GT Spirit start at around €150 to €180, and around €200 for GT Spirit. At Spark, the price will be around €350, BBR around €750 for certain competition models such as F1, Looksmart €880, Tecnomodel €550, BBR and its Ferraris over €1000, prices climbing to over €2500 for Amalgam models.
Bigger scale, more detail? Analysis
Is a 1/12 scale miniature necessarily more detailed than a smaller scale miniature? You have 4 hours.
Do you really get what you pay for? Not so sure, at least it all depends on the manufacturer.
A larger scale will mean larger parts and a maximization of visible details, especially in interiors, or on details like brake discs and calipers. These types of details actually become even more visible and therefore must be treated with more care!
It all depends on the manufacturer you are dealing with; a Looksmart, BBR or even AutoArt miniature with openings will have quite detailed details.
On the other hand, a 1/12 scale Norev miniature won't necessarily have this level of detail. The recent Ferrari F40, reviewed by Mininches, comes to mind, made of metal, which doesn't benefit from very detailed scale models. The Porsche 917s are also beautiful pieces, but are limited in terms of detail.
All in all, these miniatures are original collector's items that have more of a decorative aspect than a purely collectible one for a lover of detailed details.
Ottomobile seems to be an interesting compromise, with resin miniatures and photo-etched details, but necessarily finding their limits in the absence of openings and limited details such as chassis, exhausts or engine details.
Ultimately, the 1/12 scale is a particular scale which consumes space and which is mainly aimed at two types of needs: having a favorite miniature in your collection, a flagship model, a classic, or looking for a detailed execution and very worked details, in which case you will have to put a significant budget into it.
Spark is trying to relaunch its 1/8th scale range...
While we're on the subject of large scales, let's take a quick detour to a very recent announcement from the manufacturer Spark, a major specialist in "jack-of-all-trades" competition resin miniatures, which is trying to relaunch its 1/8th scale range.
This announcement speaks of a "new program" of a 1/8th scale miniature every 4th of the month, with a level of detail never before achieved. The brand has created a special website for the occasion: https://www.sparkmodel8scale.com/fr .
The first two models of this revival are a 1973 Porsche 911 Carerra RSR 2.8 Martini LM, and a 1962 BRM P57 Dutch GP Graham Hill World Champion 1962.
Note that the website also offers a "permanent" range of models with GT3, LMP1, Le Mans winners, or Monte Carlo Rally winners (...) - in short, iconic vehicles with a track record.
The announced price is €4,700 (!), which remains an elitist price compared to models from other manufacturers. We are thinking, for example, of GT Spirit (entry level) at €1,200, the HC Model (around €2,000) or Frontiart at €2,900 (top of the range with exceptional quality).
3 - New products available for pre-order from the manufacturer GT-Spirit
G T Spirit, a brand of the Z-Models group, has for years offered a complement to the typical "youngtimer" models of Ottomobile, as a sister brand.
GT-Spirit 's goal is to offer modern, luxurious models, such as modern German sedans, modified or not, supercars and other eye-catching cars. All for a reasonable price (around €100), and of guaranteed quality, all in resin and in a box with transparent plastic.
The brand recently published on its networks the new products for the coming months with 6 new products / month at 1/18 scale and one new product / month at 1/12 scale.
We will therefore find, at 1/12 scale, a pink Porsche 911 (992) GT3, a Range Rover Sport P510E, another Porsche 911 (991.2) GT2 RS Weissach Package, among others.
The brand will also offer 1/8 scale models with a Porsche 911 (991.2) Turbo S, a 2022 Porsche 911 (992) GT3 green, a 1984 Porsche 911 (964) Turbo S Yellow and a white Koenigsegg Jesko.
Level 1/18, Porsche Taycan, RWB models, LB-Works, hypercars with Koenigsegg, Aston Martin Valour and Valliant, Mercedes-Benz AMG, an intriguing Corvette C4 or even a very reproduced hypercar Rimac Nevera R.
A great program that will delight fans of sports models, modern and other modified cars. Porsche enthusiasts will also not be left out. These models can be found for pre-order at AN Model Cars.
By Willdiecast, for AN Model Cars
