Minichamps strive for perfection in every model car they produce.
The company behind the Minichamps brand Paul’s Model Art, was created in 1990 by Paul-Gunter Lang who has remained the driving force behind the venture ever since then.
Initially Minichamps produced 1:43 scale diecast models of DTM cars to cater for there home market in Germany. In 1992 the excellent quality of there models caught the eye of the automobile industry and they stared to receive orders from car manufactures. In this year Minichamps produced their first model of a Formula One Car. It was of the Benetton B192 driven by Michael Schumacher who had just won the Belgian Grand Prix.
In 1993 Michael Schumacher success was growing and this boosted the interest in F1 now Minichamps started to produce many of the cars on the grid for that year. They also started to make some larger 1:18 scale diecast Benetton, Williams and Ferrari F1 models this was to become the start of the rise in interest in 1:18 scale . By 1994 they increased their range of 1:18 scale to include racing saloons and road cars.
Paul’s Model Art headquarters is in Aachen in the West of Germany doesn’t just house their offices but is also home to there futuristic museum . In 600m2 lives a superb collection of Minichamp model cars documenting the history of the company. This is a must see for any serious collector.
"Minichamps produce a huge range of models in many scales but often in limited numbers. So if you want a particular Minichamps model it always best to buy it when you see it as may not be produced for very long."
Some Minichamps models are extremely rare. Legendary with collectors is the model of the Mclaren F1 GTR “West” that won Le Mans. When the car raced the FIA banned the cigarette West logo on the car and it was replaced by the East logo. Minichamps produced the model with the East logo for sale to the public and very few were made by Paul with the West logo for some of his friends. Another model that Minichamp produces every year that is very desirable is the International Toy Fair Model. This limited edition car is to commemorate the event and handed out to Minichamps retailers. Occasionally they find there way onto eBay making several hundreds of pounds.
