Malaysia is a bright spot on Shell’s global radar and we often get new products or services before many other markets. Even with promotional campaigns, Malaysia might be chosen to be a pilot market before it is rolled out more widely. The latest campaign is the Limited Edition Shell Motorsports Collection which the energy company is offering only in a few countries.
The seven competition cars in the collection have not been randomly selected but are models where their manufacturers or racing teams have a partnership with Shell. They represent not only Shell’s diverse involvement in motorsports today but also reflect on a long historical relationship the company has had with racing machines, including Formula 1 and the World Rally Championship.
In 2018, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Hot Wheels, the Hot Wheels Legends Tour began as a series of 15 car shows hosted across Walmart locations around the USA. Over the past 4 years, the competition has gone beyond US borders and grown internationally. It now covers 5 continents in countries that include Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Malaysia and, recently, Indonesia.
The Hot Wheels Legends Tour has been successfully held in Malaysia for the past two years, in spite of the restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic. And this year, it returns for the third time, again in collaboration with Art of Speed Malaysia (AOS).
As a celebration of car culture, the Hot Wheels Legends Tour is a global search for a custom car worthy of being reimagined as a 1:64 scale Hot Wheels die-cast vehicle. The model will then be made available for sale in more than 150 countries around the world.
Malaysian custom car enthusiasts can present their creations which will be judged against local fellow hobbyists and have a chance at greatness. For the 2022 edition, the winner selected from the Asia Pacific region (Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Malaysia, and Indonesia) will not only move on to the Global Semi-Finals in October 2022 but will also have an additional opportunity for their custom build creation to be transformed and reimagined into a one-of-a-kind (OOAK) limited-run die-cast vehicle available for sale. This is the first time that Hot Wheels is offering such a prize.
“After four years and dozens of events, it’s incredible to see how much the Hot Wheels Legends Tour has grown, both in the US and abroad,” said Ted Wu, Vice-President, Global Head of Design for Vehicles, Mattel. “Pivoting largely to virtual events over the past two years, we saw the competition unite in an entirely new community of global garage builders and Hot Wheels fans. We’re excited to continue this growth in 2022 as we return to our live event roots. This year’s competition is guaranteed to be the best yet, and we can’t wait to see which epic builds emerge during the Tour.”
The Malaysian round
Shortlisted entries will enter the Malaysian finals in August 2022 and will be judged by members of the Hot Wheels design team as well as local guest judges. The judging panel will have Tengku Djan, a Malaysian professional drift driver; DEV JBC, an award-winning car builder and founder of BIMMERZ ADVOCATE GARAGE; and Ahirine Ahirudin, a lover of all things motorsports and 2-time podium winner in the Vios Challenge of the TGR Racing Festival.
Each submission will be judged on authenticity (how closely the build embodies the Hot Wheels spirit), originality (how well the design stands out from the rest), and garage spirit (how well the design exemplifies the attitude of ‘built not bought’). The top 10 Malaysian entries will be recognised with a certificate, trophy, and exclusive merchandise, and the Top 3 will also receive a limited edition Legends mail-in car.
Global Grand Finale
The Legends Tour will culminate with a Global Grand Finale event in November 2022 which will be livestreamed to the world. A winner will be chosen from the finalists and the winning build will be inducted into the Hot Wheels Garage of Legends. It will join previous champions including the 2018-winning 2JetZ, 2019-winning 1957 Nash Metropolitan, 2020-winning 1970 Pontiac Trans Am, and 2021-winning 1969 Volvo P1800 Gasser.
Hot Wheels at 1oth Art of Speed
Incidentally, at the coming 10th Art of Speed event in MAEPS, Serdang next month, there will be a life-sized Hot Wheels Legends Tour blister pack backdrop. Enthusiasts and visitors can have a professional photo taken with their custom car. This opportunity will be offered on a first-come-first-served basis. There will also be a Hot Wheels Legends tour booth where visitors can buy Hot Wheels products and limited edition Hot Wheels Legends Tour products.
Racing cars are expensive machines, and Formula 1 racing cars are very expensive machines. That’s why each team has only a few cars built so team managers dread accidents during races that damage the cars. But you can own a Formula 1 cars for just RM799.90 – although you won’t be able to drive it or sit in it. Still, it will look good in your home or office.
The racing car is the McLaren Formula 1 Race Car by LEGO Technic and it’s been developed in close collaboration between engineering experts from the LEGO Group and McLaren Racing. Just like its real-life counterpart, this LEGO model is truly a one-of-a-kind piece of engineering excellence and packed with functionality.
2021 livery, 2022 looks
While the model has the team’s distinctive 2021 season livery, it gives fans a glimpse of what they might expect from McLaren Racing’s new F1 season model in 2022, which will see big technical changes in the regulations.
The LEGO Technic version is fully modeled on the life-size version featuring a V6 engine with moving pistons, steering activated from the cockpit, suspension and even a differential lock! Although LEGO Technic has many high-performance cars in its range (like the Senna GTR), the McLaren Formula 1 Race Car is the first Formula 1 car.
1,432 pieces to assemble
Like every LEGO Technic model, this one will provide many hours of enjoyment (actually, LEGO says it can be done in about 2 hours) being assembled. There are 1,432 pieces and when completed, the car is over 13 cm high, 65 cm long and 27 cm wide. It also comes with stickers of the various sponsors supporting the team.
“We are excited to unveil the unique LEGO Technic model of our McLaren F1 car, a fun and engaging product that celebrates our 2021 season livery while giving fans a hands-on interpretation of the new 2022 F1 car design. This has been made possible by an agile collaboration with the LEGO Group team, who have truly embraced the spirit of our brave and bold approach to design. The final product looks fantastic, and we cannot wait to make this available to our fans,” said James Key, Executive Director, Technical, McLaren Racing.
The LEGO Technic McLaren Formula 1 Race Car will be available from March 1, 2022, at LEGO Certified Stores, on-line retailers and other major retailers and department stores in Malaysia.
53-year-old Gerrit Braun and his twin brother, Frederik, founded Miniatur Wunderland in Germany’s Hamburg Speicherstadt district 20 years ago. It’s an exhibition space which measures more than 10,000 square metres in size and visited by around 1.4 million visitors a year.
If you have the time to count them, there are 9,250 cars, 269,000 figures, 15,715 metres of track, 1,040 trains with more than 10,000 carriages, 4,340 buildings and 130,000 trees. You’ll find cities, villages, mountain panoramas, an airport, artificial northern lights, and even a fair. It took over 300 employees who spent around one million hours to create this miniature world.
The scale of the models is 1:87 and many of them are Porsche sportscars, including the 99X Electric which was added recently. But unlike other miniature worlds, there will be cars that not just move but also race – just like the real thing, only smaller.
Project started in 2015
The motorsport project has been ongoing since 2015 and it’s their biggest challenge to date. It encompasses the redesigned south of France, which will officially open in the first half of 2022, and features the legendary Monaco Grand Prix course.
“We’ll alternate between Formula One and Formula E races,” said Braun. “Everything true to the original, with parade lap, safety car, starting grid – and then action!”. For visitors to have the perfect view of all the racing action, the Miniatur Wunderland team first had to shrink Monaco. Like everything else, the principality on the French Riviera was reproduced at a scale of 1:87. The racing cars are just 6 cm long and their top speed of 85 cm per second would translate to nearly 270 km/h in the real world. This is as realistic as it gets – but that’s also what makes the whole undertaking so difficult.
A scenario never built before
A small-scale scenario this realistic has never been built before. Everything had to be created from scratch. The software responsible for controlling 20 racing cars was developed on their own computer. The system responds to the driving manoeuvres of the other racers within 50 milliseconds, so each race is different. With real battles for position, passing manoeuvres, and occasionally even a crash. “Of course, we want to avoid that, if at all possible, because then the Safety Car has to come out and a couple of people are kept busy for some time,” Braun said.
While the race simulations are already running in the computer, Braun still has to teach the cars to accelerate at just the right moment. “The software always wants to maintain the lead, but sometimes you just need to slow down during a race. Programming all that is a complicated process,” he explained.
The small electric cars are powered by magnetic fields. The 21-metre course through miniature Monaco is made up of 24 special circuit boards with a total of 1,400 magnetic field sectors, each of which is controlled separately and generates its own magnetic field.
3D-printed racing cars
While the software still needs some work, the racing cars are ready to race. They were created using the model building experts’ 3D printer and sheets of plastic just 0.03 mm thick. 3D data comes from companies like Porsche Motorsport which provided data for the 99X Electric used in Formula E.
The chassis are painted over multiple times and faithfully reproduced down to the smallest sponsor stickers to reflect their full-size counterparts. The underbody conceals a Halbach array, a diamond-shaped panel that serves as the counterpart to the magnetic fields along the course.
If everything goes according to plan, the miniature car races will be the Hamburg team’s next global milestone in the field of model building. “The crowning achievement of all our efforts,” said Braun. “Even more complex than the airport with its airplanes taking off and landing, which was commissioned in 2011.”
Time cannot be shrunk
The fact that the masterminds of miniaturization have been working on the ambitious idea of a real racecourse for 6 years demonstrates their passion as well as the sophistication of the project. But Braun reveals one unsolvable problem with miniaturization: “We may be able to shrink down objects, but we can’t shrink down time.”
The Hot Wheels Legends Tour returns to Malaysia for the second time. Held in collaboration with Art of Speed Malaysia, the event is one leg of a global search for a custom vehicle worthy of becoming a Hot Wheels die-cast car. The winner of the Malaysian finals will represent the country on a global stage, going up against the winners from the other legs of the Hot Wheels Legends Tour. The overall winner will see their design inducted into the Hot Wheels Garage of Legends and turned into a 1:64 die-cast car to be sold – and played with by kids of all ages – around the world.
163 entries this year
Like last year, the judging panel, made up of Hot Wheels global designers as well as local guest judges, will shortlist the Top 12 entries. This year, 163 entries have been submitted for the Malaysian finals – more than double the number submitted in 2020. The Top 12 Malaysian finalists offer a great mix of cars from across the globe – with representation from Japanese, German, Italian, and even Malaysian car brands. Each submission will be judged on Authenticity, how closely the car embodies the Hot Wheels spirit; Creativity, how well the design stands out from the rest; and Garage Spirit, how well the design exemplifies the attitude of ‘built not bought’.
The finalists are: Lee Ming Hui (Audi TT Mk 2), Sofyan Darmadi (1969 VW Beetle Vandetta), Norsayang bin Ngatiman (1968 Toyota Corolla KE10), Addison Victor Liew Kian Tek (1980 Mazda RX7/Savanna), Jeffrey Teoh (2008 Ferrari 430), Karrthikan Amerudalingam (1997 Proton Wira 1.5 GL), Abdul Wahab bin Bahari (1986 Daihatsu Mira Walkthrough Van), Elden Schrock (1987 Toyota Cressida), Mohd Iltizam bin Mohamad Sokri (1990 Toyota Estima), Tham Kheng Ming (2002 Toyota MRS Spyder), Norman Ng (2014 Porsche Boxster 981), and Kathires Thanabal (2012 Honda Accord).
The judging team
The Hot Wheels designers on the judging team are Brendon Vetuskey, the current lead designer for the Monster Trucks die-cast and the Red Line Club vehicles; Manson Cheung, a Hot Wheels 3D Modeler best known for his sculpting work; and Sam Kok, a Hot Wheels designer currently the key lead package designer for Mattel.
Guest judges from Malaysia
They will be joined by local guests who will also be involved in the judging process. There will be three guests – Christian Coujin, well known in the community for his collection of RWB cars and enthusiasm for all things custom or modified; Tengku Djan, the professional drift driver; and Azrina Jane Abdullah, a skilled drift and circuit racing driver.
The Malaysian finals will be livestreamed from the RWB Museum in Johor Bahru and scheduled for Sunday, October 17, 2021 at 8 pm.
No Time to Die, the latest James Bond movie, has its world premiere in London today. Its global release was delayed due to the pandemic and it will progressively appear on screens around the world from the end of this month. It was to appear in Malaysian cinemas from September 29, but GSC announced that the film distributor has postponed the first screening to November 25, 2021, reasons unknown.
Once the premiere date was confirmed, the many brands associated with the movie quickly began their campaigns and Aston Martin, which has had a presence since the earliest films, started off with a unique campaign. It is a giant replica of the original Corgi DB5 model toy box that was sold in 1965 when Goldfinger was shown. Parents bought thousands of children the metal scale model of the iconic sportscar which would be a collectors item today, just like the real car.
There were other models of the car but Corgi’s was the most famous. Replicating the action features of the car seen in the movie, it was an instant success earning the UK ‘Toy of the Year’ and ‘Best Boys Toy’ titles at the National Association of Toy Retailers Awards in 1965. The model has proven so popular over the years that it has had to be retooled numerous times. Over 20 million units have been sold worldwide and it is still being produced to this day.
The large box, replicating the original Corgi item, has been on display near London’s Battersea Power Station (which is owned by Malaysian companies) and measures 5.66 metres long, 2.7 metres tall and 2.7 metres deep. Inside is an Aston Martin DB5 Goldfinger Continuation car complete with a broad selection of working gadgets. Fans will recognise the rotating numberplates, a retractable bulletproof rear shield, extending front overriders and of course, those pop-out machineguns hidden behind the headlights.
The display car is one of just 25 DB5 Goldfinger Continuation cars being produced, taking place more than 55 years after the last new DB5 was made. Each of the cars is an authentic reproduction of not only the original DB5 but also of the ‘Goldfinger’ car. Therefore, they are also in the same exterior colour – Silver Birch (just like the original) – with only minor modifications and enhancements to ensure the highest levels of quality and reliability.
“Aston Martin’s relationship with James Bond spans decades and the DB5 is, without question, the most famous car in the world by virtue of its 50-plus year association. Working with EON Productions and Chris Corbould to build 25 of the DB5 Goldfinger Continuations was a truly unique project for everyone involved at Aston Martin. Now, to work with Corgi – another quintessential British brand – and to see James Bond’s most cherished car sitting inside a to-scale toy box in central London is quite outstanding,” said Marek Reichman, Executive Vice-President & Chief Creative Officer of Aston Martin Lagonda.
No Time To Die, also has iconic Aston Martin models from the past, present and future. It is the first time that 4 different models have appeared in one 007 film: the DB5, the classic Aston Martin V8, the brand’s super GT – the DBS – and the Valhalla hypercar.
Like Aston Martin, Land Rover models are also involved in a lot of action in the movie. Alongside 10 of the latest Defenders are the Range Rover Sport SVR, the Series III Land Rover and a Range Rover Classic.
Volkswagen Motorsport’s team has been in many places around the world – at famous racetracks and locations, like the Nurburgring Nordschleife, Goodwood, Pikes Peak and Tianmen Mountain. Despite everything being very different this year, the ID.R super electric car has still been on the road. However, the soundtrack for the first stop of the world tour for the 671-bhp electric racing car was the roar of jet engines, not the sound of powerful electric motors.
That’s because the car was visiting Knuffingen Airport, an airport in the south of Germany which is one of the few that is currently operating as usual. After extensive reconstruction, aircraft like the Airbus A380 are taking to the air again.
The next stop on the tour is Venice. The legendary city is not the kind of place you would expect to see a record-holder alongside the gondolas and between the historic buildings at Piazza San Marco. A few hundred kilometres further south, the lack of tourists mean there is not a lot going on at the Trevi Fountain in Rome.
Back in Germany, a traditional parade can be seen near Neuschwanstein Castle in Bavaria. In other parts of Germany, the car visits a fair close to the home of Volkswagen Motorsport in Central Germany and the Elbe Philharmonic Hall that towers above the Port of Hamburg.
Across the Atlantic, the spectacular, brightly-lit hotels in Las Vegas are obviously particularly inviting for a ‘star’ like the ID.R, which can be right at home on the Strip with its electric atmosphere of neon signs. From here, it is not far to the Grand Canyon, where the car has a glorious view of the national park and a nice long ride the next day.
A miniature world tour
Even the ambitious engineers at Volkswagen Motorsport would have struggled to imagine the Volkswagen racing visiting so many locations, or other stops in Scandinavia and Provence—particularly not in 2020. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has made the world a little smaller and forced Volkswagen to rethink its plans accordingly.
The Miniature Wonderland in Hamburg
Because long-distance travel was made virtually impossible, the powerful member of Volkswagen’s EV family instead visited Miniatur Wunderland in Hamburg… in 1/87th scale. Like the ID.R, Miniatur Wunderland is a record-breaker and constantly striving for new superlatives. The biggest model railway in the world has 15 kms of track, which equates to more than 1,368 kms of real rail, and more than 1,000 trains with more than 10,000 carriages travel around the more than 1,330 square-metre facility.
The exhibition also features over 9,000 cars and 130,000 trees, while almost half a million LEDs illuminate the little wonderland. More than 300 employees have invested almost a million hours of work so far.
How it began
The idea of building Miniatur Wunderland came about on a journey.: “About 20 years ago, I was in a model railway shop in Switzerland,” recalled one of the founding members, Frederik Braun. “It brought back childhood memories and the dream of building the biggest model railway in the world was reborn. When I told my brother, he initially thought I had lost the plot completely.”
“That is true,” confirmed Gerrit Braun. “But it then ignited a spark in me too, and we started to consider how we would go about doing it. It was clear that we did not simply want to build another display, but something totally new.”
Work began on Miniatur Wunderland in December 2000. One year later, the first part was ready to open, and construction on the model railway continues to this day. It is definitely well worth a visit – and somewhere in there, you will find a record-breaking Volkswagen.
Volkswagen Passenger Cars Malaysia (VPCM) and Wei-Ling Gallery successfully raised RM133,200 from the charity auction of Arteon art cars recently, with the proceeds going to the Breast Cancer Welfare Association Malaysia (BCWA).
The auction marked the culmination of the collaboration between Volkswagen and the art gallery to celebrate the launch of the all-new Arteon R-Line. Featuring the talents of 13 Malaysian artists, the collaboration provided the unique opportunity to collectors and art enthusiasts alike to own diecast scale models of the Arteon that have been transformed by the artists into unique one-of-a-kind sculptures.
“It was truly heartening to see Art and Arteon come together at the auction, and to witness how much the bidders recognised the value of owning such collectible art pieces. What more, was that their enthusiasm stemmed from their desire to contribute to charity, in this case, breast cancer awareness and support,” said Erik Winter, the Managing Director of VPCM, who was delighted to see the enthusiasm displayed by bidders.
“The Arteon is more than just a car for Volkswagen. It also represented a way for the brand to engage with art fans around the world, as it has also been described many times as a true work of art. To have been able to work on this collaboration with Wei-Ling Gallery has been an honour for us, and we would like to express our sincerest appreciation to Wei-Ling Gallery and all 13 artists for this,” he said.
The Arteon project was an extension of the recent ‘18@8 Turning Points’ exhibition by Wei-Ling Gallery, curated with this idea in mind and explores the 13 artists’ pasts through different philosophical, technical and aesthetic approaches, in the form of thought-provoking art pieces that reflected on this ideology.
Those who want to view and experience the full-sized Arteon R-Line, priced from RM225,490 (RM220,043.28 with sales tax exemption until the 31st of December 2020), can contact any authorised Volkswagen dealership. To locate a dealership in Malaysia, visit www.volkswagen.com.my.
Automobili Lamborghini and The LEGO Group have announced a new partnership that will introduce the first ever Lamborghini super sportscar in the LEGO Technic range. This new partnership will see Lamborghini and LEGO Technic joining forces to deliver the engineering excellence and design flair that both companies have become famous for.
While having the same building system concept using small ‘bricks‘ since 1958, the Technic models are for older kids (and also adults) as they are more advanced and complex. With the possibility of constructing transmissions, differentials and gearing systems, LEGO Technic is an advanced building experience that many fans find challenging yet rewarding.
The new 1:8 scale set will be in LEGO Brand Retail shops and its Online Store from June 2020 and will be the third model in the LEGO Technic Ultimate series, following on from its hugely popular predecessors.
“The LEGO group has amazed entire generations with beautifully simple or extremely complex constructions. In the digital age, where entertainment is often via a screen, our collaboration with The LEGO Group allows enthusiasts to live a real experience, reproducing a Lamborghini super sportscar in every detail to create an outstanding model, just like the real car,” said Katia Bassi, Automobili Lamborghini Chief Marketing & Communication Officer.
For Niels Henrik Horsted, LEGO Technic Marketing Director, partnering with a company like Automobili Lamborghini is an ideal choice: “Following the success of the former Ultimate models, it was crucial for us to find a new partner with an iconic vehicle, an unmistakable design DNA and ground-breaking use of technology.”