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.

AMAZING MINIATURE WORLDS - BONSAI MEETS MODELMANIA

Tiny treats from Japan:

Tending to a bonsai tree is a labour of love that takes plenty of TLC, but Japanese artist Takanori Aiba has taken the whole concept a quantum leap into the model world, by combining live trees with blow-your-mind superdetail scale models.

REVELL VITRUVIAN MAN - FAMOUS FELLA, SIMPLE KIT

Mat Irvine reports:

Apart from the Mona Lisa, the Vitruvian Man pen-and-ink sketch is probably Leonardo’s da Vinci’s most famous image, and something of an international trademark. And it’s now the subject for Revell’s latest Leonardo kit, the only model in the series that represents a more metaphysical side, rather than his designs and inventions.

KIT INVASION - SPACE CRAFT, EAGLE OWL, PIGGYBACK PLANE, AND MORE

SMN comment:

A glance through the 2012 Revell catalogue reveals a feast of model treats, from standard items to new stuff. And it all looks very tasty indeed. The first new offering that takes our interest is on the front cover, a 1:144 scale model of the Virgin Galactic space travel contender, Space Ship Two and its carrier jet White Knight Two. The pair will form an imposing centrepiece to a space collection, as WK2’s wingspan is 296 mm (11.7 in), a good size for this small scale.

IMPROBABLE MODELS FROM FANTASY-MASTER GREG DeSANTIS

SMN report:

Today’s images are a trip back in time to the years 2005 and 2006, when US concept artist and modelmaker Greg DeSantis made a series of compelling fantasy and science-fiction models. However, these were not wood, plastic, or metal creations - instead, they were 3D models created in a computer - for Greg was, and is, a gifted digital modelmaker.

BEAUTIFUL ROMAN BATH - QUEEN OF CITIES, AND A BRIDGE OF MINIATURES

SMN tourist treat:

We’re not really dollshouse people here at SMN, but a recent visit to the Roman city of Bath, UK, for software training had us scrutinizing products for enthusiasts of very small houses. Bath itself dates back to Roman times, when it earned the name Aqua Sulis, and its present-day name derives from the splendid baths built by the Romans. So where do modern miniatures come into the picture?

HEADING OUR WAY FAST - P-39 AIR RACER FROM HASEGAWA

SMN report:

Due from Hasegawa later this month is the bright yellow-and-black Bell P-39Q Airacobra that was flown to victory by Alvin ‘Tex’ Johnston, in the 1946 Thompson Air Race. The kit is a 1:48 scale model of Johnston’s max-power modified machine, and it makes a real change to see a military aircraft model produced in colourful civilian markings.

50 YEARS OF US SPACEFLIGHT - JOHN GLENN FIRST AMERICAN TO ORBIT THE EARTH

SMN spacenote:

Mat irvine’s article on Dragon’s Mercury-Redstone reminded us that today is the 50th anniversary of John Glenn’s orbital spaceflight. Glenn became the fifth human in space, the third American in space, and the first US astronaut to orbit the Earth.

LIFTOFF! DRAGON 1:72 SCALE REDSTONE ROCKET WITH MERCURY SPACECRAFT KIT

Mat Irvine looks at an important new space kit:

The Hong Kong-based company Dragon continues to surprise, and mostly delight, space modellers with the continuing release of brand-new kits of classic spacecraft. Having dealt with Project Apollo, the company is producing a 1:72 scale kit of the Mercury space capsule that blazed the US trail into human spaceflight, complete with its first launcher, the Redstone rocket.

SUPERDETAIL CZECH-STYLE - A CLOSER LOOK AT EDUARD

SMN weekender:

Here's the first in a series of inside-looks at the model making industry, and who makes what, when, and where. First off, we visit the Czech Republic, and the respected Eduard brand.

INCOMING - MORE NEW-TOOL DIECAST AIRCRAFT FROM CORGI

SMN report:

We noted the big new 1:72 scale Short Stirling heavy bomber earlier this week, and now here’s a pair of smaller aircraft to the same scale, a Hawker Hart inter-war period biplane, and a Hawker Hurricane from World War II. Both releases look interesting enough, the Hart looking especially attractive, with fine interplane rigging a highly appealing feature.

ALIENS BEWARE! ‘AVATAR’ HELICOPTER GUNSHIP KIT FROM FANTASTIC PLASTIC

SMN Report:

The team at Fantastic Plastic (FP) are really in the groove with the ever-increasing range of science fact and fiction kits, choices ranging from NASA aerospace projects to giant starships from science-fiction movies. And the latter is where this latest FP kit comes from - it’s a fictional twin-rotor helicopter that featured in the 2009 box-office smash Avatar from ace director James Cameron, of Titanic fame.

INCOMING - 2012 AIRFIX CLUB MESSERSCHMITT Bf 109 IN UNUSUAL MARKINGS

SMN report:

It’s time for the annual kit release made especially for members of the worldwide Airfix Club. Each year’s kit is an exclusive release, so if you want one, then joining the Club is the way to go. The 2012 kit is a fascinating one - it’s based on the Airfix 1:48 scale Messerchmitt Bf 109E, and the ‘exclusive’ part is the supplied decal set that provides markings for two extremely interesting aircraft.

INCOMING - SHORT STIRLING BOMBER TO 1:72 SCALE FROM CORGI

SMN report:

The team at Corgi has worked really hard with this new diecast 1:72 scale model of the Short Stirling World War II British heavy bomber. In fact, one of the UK’s two leading hardcopy diecast mags gives it a top-score 10/10 rating.

2012 INCOMING - GORGEOUS STEAMPUNK KITS FROM FICHTENFOO AND INDUSTRIA MECHANIKA

SMN report:

Boy, there are some enviable kit-producing talents out there, and they are not just working with the mainstream companies, either. US modelmaker and web designer Michael Fichtenmayer is among those talents, and his FichtenFoo and Industria Mechanika websites bring us all manner of science-fiction delights, including this limited-edition model kit of Ralph McQue’s Remora, a sort of anti-gravity floating cargo ship. Orders are being taken now for this very limited release.

2012 KITBASH - FRENCH SNAIL AVAILABLE FOR STREET ROD CUSTOMIZING

SMN weekender:

We ran a recent story on models of that odd-looking creation, the Citroen 2CV ‘tin snail’, and included an idea from Yasi Design for a custom version. The excellent 1:24 scale Revell kit (above) would make a good starting point. Since then, we’ve come across the 2CV art of a Photoshopper with the online name ‘Olli’. If you're into Citroen models, his work could inspire that next workbench creation. 

LITTLE AND LARGE SCALE MODELS FROM TAMIYA

SMN report:

We mentioned the 1:350 scale Yamato battleship last week, and now comes the question: “What about the crew?” The real thing needed nearly 2500 (yes, two-and-a-half thousand) crewmen to keep her in fighting trim, so it’s a matter of choice whether you display a ghost ship, or one that’s ready to steam in open water, mission to face the enemy. Tamiya has a solution for the latter choice - miniature crewmen made to the same 1:350 scale.

SUMMER SHOW FOR YOUR DIARY - WINGS & WHEELS MODEL SPECTACULAR

SMN preview:

The ‘Wings & Wheels Model Spectacular’ (W&W) will be held this year over the weekend of June 23-24. The radio control (RC) show’s organizers describe it as: “A Modellers’ Paradise." And that’s fair enough, as W&W is reckoned to be the biggest UK event of its kind, and what’s more it’s now 26 years since the first show made its debut at North Weald airfield in Essex, north of London.

SPRING FAIR 2012 - TREASURE CHEST FOR COLLECTIBLES

Spring Fair report from David Jefferis:

Another trade show that’s running this week is the UK’s Spring Fair, held at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC), Birmingham. While not quite as massive as the Nuremberg Toy Fair, Spring Fair is still a major footslogger that attracts more than 70,000 visitors. It’s a mega-roundup of 300,000 offered products, ranging from goodies like coffeemakers and cooking gadgets, to art prints and jewellery. And neatly stirred into the mix are halls dedicated to toys and games, aka collectibles, hobbies, and models.

NUREMBERG TOY FAIR 2012 - A LOOK AT REVELL’S CRYSTAL BALL

Nuremberg report:

The last few days have been busy ones in Germany, as the huge Nuremberg Toy Fair roared through its 62nd annual event. Closing the doors yesterday to more than 80,000 visitors and 70,000 new product announcements, the organizers reckon the show has once again been a big success.

FUJIMI ‘BLADE RUNNER’ SPINNER - BUILDUP REPORT

Mat Irvine update:

After my initial report on Fujimi’s surprise release of the 1:24 scale Spinner Police Car from the classic science-fiction movie Blade Runner, here’s how I worked to complete the model.

INCOMING - GREAT PLANES F-86 SABRE RADIO-CONTROL JET

SMN report:

We’re not radio control (RC) experts here at SMN, but a chance meeting last weekend with the charming lady organizer of the UK’s biggest RC event had us thinking on the subject. So we had a look around to see what’s new in the world of RC stuff, and this Great Planes F-86 Sabre certainly looked the part.

TRIBUTE TO THE SPACE SHUTTLE FROM AIRFIX

Weekend read from Mat Irvine:

As the last of the Airfix space launchers to receive a makeover, the updated 1:144 scale Space Shuttle was released to coincide with the last-ever Space Shuttle mission, STS-135 in July 2011, when the Orbiter Atlantis made its 33rd and final flight. So how did Airfix do with the makeover?

2012 INCOMING - 1:12 SCALE CITROEN 2CV FROM OTTOMOBILE

SMN report:

Due soon from OttOmobile of France is a 1:12 scale model of a famous ‘ugly duckling’, the Citroen 2cv. The curious little machine was built from 1948-1990, during which time more than 3.5 million were produced. This OttO model is interesting for its portrayal of the rarest 2cv made, the twin-engine Safari.

2012 INCOMING - ‘BIG DOG’ HUNTER-KILLER ROBOT PROWLER

SMN update:

We reported on the upcoming ‘Grosser Hund’ Maschinen Krieger (Ma.K) sci-fi kit in October 2011, and now it’s here - big, bold and nasty, but apparently without a set of gnashing metal fangs. The Grosser Hund (‘Big Dog’) is the latest 1:20 scale kit from Hasegawa, featuring the science-fiction universe first created in the 1980s by the Japanese artist, Kow Yokoyama.

BATMOBILE TUMBLER MEGA-MODEL FROM SIDESHOW COLLECTIBLES

SMN report:

More Batmobilia today, with this totally over the top 1:6 scale Tumbler model from Sideshow Collectibles. This really is about the biggest, baddest, and best Tumbler we’ve come across so far.