STEAMPUNKS UNITE - COPPER AND STEEL MINI FROM CARLEX

SMN REPORT:

Like sci-fi? Like steampunk? Like cars? Like a kit bash? Then here’s an idea for you. It’s a full-size customized show car, the Mini Countryman Steampunk edition from Carlex Design of Poland.

Wide range of ideas

Carlex Design has an international reputation for well-judged mods to existing vehicles. From special leather interiors to wooden steering wheels, BMWs to Lamborghinis - if you have the money, a unique custom car can be yours. Or indeed, you can have a team of cars - Carlex has made a range of football-styled cars to celebrate Poland’s soccer squad in the Euro 2012 competition.

Intricate detailing

In fact, most Carlex projects are fairly middle-of-the-market stuff, so the Mini Countryman Steampunk marks a step up in the creative department. Carlex designers have really gone to town on this one, with the hand-tooled leather and copper interior suiting the fantastical genre very well indeed. They’ve maybe got a bit enthusiastic with the cutaway seats that reveal mysterious parts lurking between your legs, though - all we can say here is: “Yikes, let’s hope there aren’t a bunch of sawtooth gears or probing things that rise up from the depths without warning!” Still, no complaints really, as the whole thing looks ace.

Smart externals

As for the outside, the copper and steel finish looks terrific, and actually sets off the Mini Countryman’s hefty lines extremely well. The blacked out front and rear lights help, too.

Base kit for the conversion

As for making a model of the Carlex Mini Countryman Steampunk, the place to start is the Hasegawa 1:24 scale kit. We ran a story on this neatly produced kit of a very interesting subject in February here, so it’s worth having a look there, via the link below.

SMN story on the Hasegawa 1:24 scale Mini Countryman here.

1:24 scale Mini Countryman kit is available at a good price here.

Visit the Carlex Design Steampunk Mini here.

  

‘BIG MINI’ - BMW SHOWS OFF JCW SPORT COUNTRYMAN

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 more speed and and better handling into standard production Minis. Today, the JCW company produces all sorts of performance equipment for the BMW Mini, and now the Countryman range has been added to the roster.  

Summation

The new JCW Countryman gives the modelmaker more kitbash options for the Hasegawa 1:24 scale Mini Countryman kit.

Hasegawa model article here.

All sorts of Hasegawa tastiness here.

Tamiya 1:24 scale kit of the original Austin Mini Cooper 1275S here.

Assorted Mini Cooper models here.

LATEST ‘BIG MINI’ TO 1:24 SCALE FROM HASEGAWA

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 variation. The Countryman certainly provides the interior space that many people need, so it earns its success in the car market - even if it’s kinda pig-ugly with it. Mind you, that’s our opinion - we’ve all got our own ideas on auto styling, so if you like the car’s looks, that’s fine: it’s up to individual choice.

Rally racer

Looker or minger, the Mini Cooper Countryman is an absolute blast in the World Rally Championship (WRC), and this is where keen modelmakers could take this kit, shake it up, and create a really terrific-looking model, dressed in full-metal racing gear. As the pictures show, the new WRC car is a serious piece of competition machinery, even if it towers over the original Monte Carlo Mini like a beetroot-red Incredible Hulk. The styling sketches (below) show the way to an ace conversion of this plain vanilla standard-spec Hasegawa kit. 

Summation

A terrific little kit to 1:24 scale, and absolutely ripe for conversion to full racing spec. Who’s going to be first with a show-winning diorama?

Visit heaps of Hasegawa kits here, from racers to robots.

Tamiya 1:24 kit of the original Austin Mini Cooper 1275S here.

ROARING ALONG FOR DECEMBER RELEASE - HASEGAWA 1:24 SCALE MINI COUNTRYMAN

SMN report:

Car fans should be pleased with Hasegawa’s December release of the Mini Cooper S ALL4 Countryman, a mouthful that indicates the 4-wheel drive sporty version of the biggest Mini in the range. Hasegawa has released a 1:24 scale kit of this newish vehicle, which will have 104 components. When fully assembled the Hasegawa Mini Cooper S will measure 173 mm (6.8 in) long.

Alternative parts

Hasegawa have decided to include two wheel styles, and the thoughtful ability for the modelmaker to build the kit in either left- or right-hand drive versions. It looks like an excellent choice for anyone interested in the Mini, and the upright boxy outline of the vehicle makes an interesting comparison with the smaller original car of the 1960s.

Mokei Show

The grey display test model here was shown at the spectacular All-Japan Mokei Hobby Show, held earlier this month, more details here.

Various Hasegawa kits here.

Tamiya 1:24 kit of the original Austin Mini Cooper 1275S here.