SCALE MODEL NEWS

Mega Mini - less height, more speed: Revealed by BMW Mini just in time for the Geneva Motor Show next week is the ultra-sporty Countryman JCW. It earns its keep here as a kitbash option for modelmakers keen on the 1:24 scale Hasegawa Mini Cooper S ALL4 Countryman. Alternative parts We’ve had a look in the Hasegawa box, and it all looks very complete in there, with separately bagged-up components to keep things neat and tidy - and of course, avoiding the possibility of parts scratching each other while in transit from factory to workbench. Speed on four wheels As for the real thing, it’s a bit of an oddity, this John Cooper Works (JCW) Countryman. First the designers jacked-up the suspension to give us the Mini Cooper S All-4, now the performance guys lower it again to make the top-of-the-range JCW racer. Ah well, we like to think they know what they’re doing! Fast Mini man As for JCW, it’s named after the late John Cooper, the revered specialist racing car maker and tuner who breathed ...

First look at the big Mini: We’re pleased to report that supplies of the Hasegawa Mini Cooper S ALL4 Countryman are available now. The model represents the 4-wheel drive performance version of the biggest car in the BMW Mini range. It’s a 1:24 scale kit of this newish vehicle, and has 104 components in the box. Alternative parts The kit developers at Hasegawa have decided to include two wheel styles, plus parts that allow modelmakers the choice of building the kit in either left- or right-hand drive versions. The kit looks an excellent choice for anyone interested in Minis old and new, and the upright boxy outline of the vehicle makes an interesting comparison with the smaller original car of the 1960s.  Not really a Mini? Purists often complain that the current BMW Mini is not small enough, and that the bigger Countryman range bloats the beast even more. However, it’s no worse than first time round in the 1970s, when the Brits introduced the shed-like Maxi as a mega-Mini variatio...