Private company
Minichamps
German die-cast car producer
Minichamps is a die-cast model car brand founded as Paul's Model Art GmbH in 1990 in Aachen, Germany, best known for its 1:18, 1:43 and 1:64 scale models. The company grew out of the Danhausen trade catalog of miniature vehicles and specially made Danhausen diecast releases during the 1970s.2 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0
Last updated Oct 21, 2026.
Overview
- HeadquartersAachen1
- Websitewww.minichamps.de
- Legal formGmbH & Co. KG1
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Minichamps is a die-cast model car brand founded as Paul's Model Art GmbH in 1990 in Aachen, Germany, best known for its 1:18, 1:43 and 1:64 scale models. The company grew out of the Danhausen trade catalog of miniature vehicles and specially made Danhausen diecast releases during the 1970s.2
Products and brands
- model car
Listed on Wikidata.1
Controversies and legal
UT Models and lawsuit
During the 1990s, in collaboration with Kelvin Kwan of Unique Toys (UT Models), Hong Kong, a line of 1:18 scale models was introduced. Kwan had apparently pushed for development of most of the selection for the UT series of model cars. A small line of 1:64 models called "MicroChamps" was also introduced in 1994 but discontinued in 1999. It included a series McLaren cars driven by Michael Schumacher. In 2009, a new line of 1:64 models was introduced called "MiniChamps 64".
Related to UT Models, in 2004, a lawsuit in Hong Kong courts was initiated by Paul's Model Art as the plaintiff. UT Models and Gateway Global and Gateway Hong Kong was accused of selling certain models in Germany to which Paul's Model Art claimed to have sole distribution rights. It claimed that UT Models had used Gateway for new offerings to circumvent Paul's Model Art's marketing deal. As of 2013, the lawsuit between Paul's Model Art and AUTOArt's parent company, Gateway Global, is still ongoing.
From Wikipedia’s article on Minichamps, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.3
Timeline
- May 1, 1990Founded Founded1
Links
- Websitewww.minichamps.de1
- WikipediaMinichamps
- More imagesWikimedia Commons
- WikidataQ571352
Sources
The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.
- 1WikidataMinichamps on Wikidata
- 2WikipediaMinichamps on Wikipedia
- 3
- 4Wikimedia CommonsMinichamps photo by Lothar Spurzem, CC BY-SA 2.0 de