HaMeX 3 - REVIEW OF THE 2011 HANSLOPE MODEL EXPO

A look at Hanslope Model Expo 2011:

Top of the agenda for many visitors were the 'secret spaceships' - model spacecraft that have appeared in broadcast TV shows. Mat Irvine worked with the BBC for many years, and his comprehensive collection of Visual Effects (VFX) rocketry is one of the very best, so seeing them landed at Spaceport HaMeX was a great hit for science-fiction fans.

NEW BUS FOR LONDON - CORGI ANNOUNCES RELEASE DATE FOR DIECAST ‘BORIS BUS’

SMN update:

Corgi has announced a target release date of March 2012 for the 1:76 scale New Bus for London (NB4L) now under development, and currently running on a similar schedule to the real thing. The Corgi diecast model will scale out to 146 mm (5.75 in) long and be marketed under the successful London Original Omnibus Company (OOC) name. As planned, the first OOC New Bus will wear the livery, destination, and numbers of the first route that the new bus will serve. Corgi planners are expecting to see details of this route very soon.

VIRGIN GALACTIC SPACESHIP RELEASED IN TWO SCALES

SMN report:

Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic seems to be on track to become the world's first commercial spaceline, with a passenger-carrying spaceship, the VSS Enterprise, carried by a twin-fuselage mothership, VMS Eve. Both vehicles were developed by California-based Scaled Composites, headed by the veteran designer Burt Rutan. Eventually there will be two motherships and five spaceships in the Virgin Galactic space fleet.

TEXAS AIRPORT MODEL SHOW

Weekend read from Mat Irvine:

It’s probably a bit obvious to say that you see aircraft at an airport, but more to the point, many airports also display aircraft models.

Military-civil combo
One such, which I passed through recently, is Killeen-Fort Hood Regional Airport, Texas. It’s a military/commercial joint-use airport, in which one section is used by the Fort Hood military reservation, and there’s a check-in desk for arriving soldiers on the first floor of the terminal building. 

KITS FOR SALE AT HAMEX 3 - PLUS CLASSIC TV SCI-FI MODELS ON SHOW

HaMeX update:

Hanslope Model Expo is due tomorrow, Sunday November 27, so there will be a chance to choose from a wide range of model kits for sale, mostly at very reasonable prices.

COUNTDOWN TO HAMEX 3

HaMeX update:

Hanslope Model Expo runs on Sunday November 27, so there will be a chance to have a look at some of the factual space miniatures from TV on display there.

MAD PHYSICIST MAKES MIND-BOGGLING MODELS FROM LEGO

SMN report:

LEGO builders number in their legions, but we've just come across someone who has blown our socks off, a Dutchman titled the ‘Mad Physicist.’

COUNTDOWN TO HAMEX 3

HaMeX update:

Hanslope Model Expo is due this coming Sunday November 27, so there will be a chance to have a look at some of the science-fiction miniatures on display there.

COMING SOON - SEXY ROBOT COLLECTIBLE

SMN report:

To science-fiction fans of a certain age - and robot lovers in particular - the name Hajime Sorayama may well be a revered one. For 64 year-old Sorayama made his name in the late 1970s and 1980s for producing beautiful airbrushed illustrations of ‘sexy robots’, humanoid machine-beings apparently made of gleaming metal, and most importantly, looking highly feminized. The bottom line was that, unlike standard-issue nuts-and-bolts droids, they were utterly gorgeous pin-up material.

COUNTDOWN TO HAMEX 3

SMN update:

Hanslope Model Expo is due Sunday November 27, so here’s a chance to have a look at some of the equipment that will be on demo there.

Airbrush expert

For example, is airbrushing an art that's new to you? Or maybe you need a new one? Whichever option fits the bill, co-organizer Paul Fitzmaurice of little-cars.com will be delighted to demonstrate his wide range from respected suppliers such as Grex and Harder & Steenbeck.

RENWAL TERACRUZER WITH MACE MISSILE - UPDATE

SMN report:

Reference last week’s mention of the upcoming Revell-Renwal Teracruzer and Mace reissue, Mat Irvine has kindly supplied these pictures of an assembled model. We’ve also shown the original box, so you can see the minor differences between the then-and-now kits. 

COUNTDOWN TO HAMEX 3 MODEL SHOW ON NOVEMBER 27

SMN update:

A reminder to anyone living in striking distance of Milton Keynes, UK, that this year’s HaMeX launch is on this Sunday, doors open at 10.00 am.

1:35 SCALE THALES BUSHMASTER FROM SHOWCASE MODELS, AUSTRALIA

SMN report:

Here's a kit that promises to be a Triple-AAA choice for military modelmakers. It's an extremely neatly produced 1:35 scale model of the Thales Bushmaster, an IMV (Infantry Mobility Vehicle) currently providing state-of-the-art protection for troops operating in trouble spots around the world.

WALKERA RADIO-CONTROL HELICOPTER GETS A FUTURISTIC LOOK

SMN report:

A new arrival on the radio-control scene is the great-looking Walkera LM400Q. The design make a real change from the usual RC helicopter, its development team apparently taking a hefty hint from seminal sci-fi movies such as The Matrix and Terminator. And that’s a compliment, because there’s no real reason why an RC chopper should take its appearance slavishly from the real world.

NEW KITS FROM ATLANTIS - ANIMALS, PIRATES, GLADIATORS AND MORE

From Mat Irvine:

One of the newest of the ‘new companies’ with connections to the original Aurora company is Atlantis, the model-kit arm of Megahobby, an online hobby distributor with the declared aim of bringing plastic modelling: “back to the level of popularity it once enjoyed.”

Atlantis is run by Pete Vetri and Rick Delfavero, who have cemented the Aurora connection by using as consultant long-time Aurora Project Manager, Andy Yanchus.

NEW-TOOL 1:72 SCALE SWORDFISH TORPEDO BOMBER FLYING IN FROM AIRFIX

SMN report:

The cgi images show some of the treats in store for Airfix modelmakers - in particular, we look forward to the new-tool 1:72 scale Fairey Swordfish, also widely nicknamed the ‘stringbag’. The 125-component kit will be a long-overdue replacement for the venerable Airfix offering. We are promised a folding-wing option which represents a major advance, and we’re hoping the 193 mm (7.6 in) wingspan kit will do for 1:72 scale what Tamiya’s superb Swordfish did for the bigger 1:48 scale.

IPMS SCALE MODELWORLD 2011 - PHOTO REPORT

SMN report:

The Scale ModelWorld 2011 Show was a major event last weekend for the IPMS (International Plastic Modellers Society), and a galaxy of models were on display. SMN’s own Mat Irvine was at the show with a stand (above), and all in all, the annual bash went down very well indeed.

BUILDING BOOM FROM WOODLAND SCENICS

SMN report:

Woodland Scenics offers some interesting new buildings, including a trio in the expansive 0-gauge ‘Built-&-Ready’ series. US 0-gauge is handily equivalent to 1:48 scale, so lots of crossover possibilities are possible using ready-made structures like these.

Sign of the hanging boot

We just love the JW Cobbler building, complete with its hanging-boot sign in the front. Many more details abound, making this worth a display all by itself.

RENWAL’S LARGEST MILITARY KIT - THE US ARMY M65 ATOMIC CANNON

Mat Irvine: Revell has owned most of the old Renwal company’s moulds for decades - actually, since 1976 - and has reissued many of those kits. So far, these have been released in Revell boxes, but now, thanks to Product Manager Ed Sexton, the original distinctive Renwal box-art has been reintroduced, including the Renwal brand name.

COLD WAR WARRIOR RETURNS - MACE MISSILE FROM RENWAL

SMN report:

Mat Irvine spotted the next Revell reissue of a classic Renwal military kit when he was at the iHobby Expo  recently. It will be the futuristic Teracruzer and Mace missile set, and as you will read in Mat’s article later today, there’s been a sea-change at Revell where packaging is concerned.

NEW FROM CORGI - TRAINS, PLANES, CARS

SMN report:

Corgi’s next Aviation Archive diecast release will be a variation on the highly successful 1:72 scale TSR-2 British strike bomber. This one is modelled on the XR220 machine, now on display at the RAF Museum, Cosford. It’s a Limited Edition, with just 1500 in the run, and has extra parts to reflect the stronger landing gear fitted to the aircraft, and the two cameras fitted to monitor gear behavior.

HORNBY STEAMS AHEAD, EXPECTS LONDON OLYMPICS 2012 BOOST

SMN report:

Hornby, owner of the famous Airfix, Corgi, Humbrol, Hornby trains, and Scalextric names, has posted an 80 percent jump in first-half 2011-12 pretax profit, and looks forward to a good result for the next half too, as it eyes a mouthwatering boost from selling Olympic Games-linked products.

IPMS SCALE MODELWORLD 2011 - THIS WEEKEND

SMN report:

The Scale ModelWorld 2011 Show is a big event in the IPMS (International Plastic Modellers Society) diary, and is thought to be the world’s largest model show, in both size and visitor numbers. It attracts thousands of people from all over the globe, and is on today and tomorrow, November 12-13.

SMN’s own Mat Irvine will be there, and there are many other highlights if you can make it, such as:

ITALERI 1:48 SCALE HURRICANE MK I

SMN report:

Is there room for another Hawker Hurricane kit? There are certainly plenty of them around, but this new-tool Italeri kit looks worthwhile, even if it does face stiff competition, not least from Hasegawa’s kit to the same scale.

CLOUD OF KITS FLY IN FROM PEGASUS

Mat Irvine reports from iHobby Expo:

Continuing my look at the new goodies on show at iHobby, this time I'm inspecting Pegasus Hobbies, a company that started off by making glitzy accessories for car modellers, an aspect it still does, but that now also makes aircraft and military models, and is best known for its science-fiction kits.

REVELL 1:32 SCALE SEA LYNX COMING INTO THE HOVER

SMN report:

Another treat is due very soon for helo-lovers - Revell’s new 1:32 Westland Sea Lynx should be released this side of Christmas. Revell is going a storm in big 1:32 scale these days, and a helicopter like this is particularly suited to the size, as there is so much detail that can be packed into the cockpit and interior.

REVELL LONDON BUS AND TAXI KITS ARRIVING SOON

SMN update:

It looks like the Revell 1:24 scale AEC Routemaster London Bus will be generally available this side of Christmas. And better still, the big red double-decker will be joined by a same-scale London ‘black cab’ taxi. Both kits should be in the stores shortly, and by the looks of things, ought to be on any public transport lover's Christmas stocking list.

ITALERI PIASECKI H-21 ‘FLYING BANANA’ HELICOPTER KIT

SMN report:

The Italeri twin-rotor Piasecki H-21 is a 1:72 scale kit for nostalgia-loving helo fans. First flown in 1952, the H-21 was flown by half a dozen air arms, and numerous civil operators, so the choice of markings for this kit is large.

EARLY REVELL MAXWELL CAR KIT - A TRIBUTE TO FAMED US COMEDIAN JACK BENNY

Mat Irvine reports:

I’ve just got back from an interesting US trip, and while there collected a number of items, which I will write about in the weeks to come. To start with, here’s the Revell Maxwell Auto ‘Action Pull Toy’, an oddity from the early days of Revell, with links to US comedian Jack Benny, whose weekly radio show ran from 1932 to 1955. 

IPMS SCALE MODELWORLD 2011 - A MUST-VISIT SHOW FOR MODEL FANS

SMN update:

The Scale ModelWorld 2011 Show is heralded as: ‘The Greatest Model Show on Earth’. It’s certainly a mega-event that the IPMS (International Plastic Modellers Society) reckons is the world’s largest model show, in both size and visitor numbers. It attracts thousands of people from all over the globe. So keep your diary free for next weekend, November 12-13.

THREE HOT 1:10 SCALE RADIO CONTROL CARS FROM TAMIYA

SMN report:

Radio Control is a mega-popular hobby-cum-sport, with the widest possible range of models to choose from - helicopters, combat planes, ships, subs, tanks, cars - you name it, there’s a wealth of choice.

MOEBIUS MODELS AT THE 2011 iHOBBY EXPO

Mat Irvine reports:

The 2011 iHobby Expo show took place from October 20-23, at the Rosemont Center, near Chicago, Illinois. It's an amazing place to visit, as it showcases a mind-boggling array of model and hobby products. 

COMING SOON - DEEP DIVING SHINKAI 6500 SUBMERSIBLE IN TWO SCALES

SMN report:

The Japanese Shinkai 6500 is the world’s deepest-diving crewed submersible. It’s capable of going down 6500 metres (4.03 miles), carrying two crew and a researcher inside the titanium pressure hull.

And now there are two upcoming kits of this interesting DSV (deep-submergence vessel), one at 1:48 scale from Bandai, and a 1:72 scale kit from Hasegawa. Both should be available soon.