Wednesday, April 30, 2014

MORE CHINA AIR POWER: J-10A ‘VIGOROUS DRAGON’ MACH 2 FIGHTER JET FROM TRUMPETER


Here’s another modern Chinese jet, the splendidly named Chengdu 'Vigorous Dragon,' modelled by Trumpeter to 1:48 scale.

Tuesday, April 29, 2014

PC PILOT ATTENTION: 'WAR THUNDER' ACE UPDATE AND NEW AIRCRAFT


Plastic kit modelling it sure is not, but for PC pilots and cgi fans, 'War Thunder' comes near top of the tree for on-screen gameplay.

Monday, April 28, 2014

WORLD WAR II MILITARY VEHICLE: GERMAN HORCH Kfz 15 FOUR-WHEEL DRIVE FROM TAMIYA



A neat model from Tamiya, depicting the World War II Horch used by the combat forces of famed German commander, Irwin Rommel, in the sands of North Africa.

Friday, April 25, 2014

RC FANS FLY HIGH WITH THE MX2 - RED BULL FLIES LOW ALONG THE CORINTH CANAL


The MX2 RC radio-control (RC) plane is a big beast sporting a 1.4m wingspan - more than four and a half feet across the wingtips. And taking a similar type of full-size plane along the Corinth Canal, Greece, is ace Hungarian pilot, Peter Besenyei.

Thursday, April 24, 2014

WEIRD AND WONDERFUL VTOL FIGHTER: CONVAIR XFY-1 POGO FROM LINDBERG

We looked at the Aurora Lockheed XFV-1 recently, and here is its sister tailsitter fighter plane, the experimental Convair XFY-1 Pogo, still available as a 1:48 scale kit from classic kit manufacturer, Lindberg.

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

AIR POWER CHINA - J-15 FLYING SHARK TOP GUNS AIM FOR SUPREMACY IN ASIAN SKIES


Wow - Chinese moviemakers prove they can out-Hollywood Hollywood when it comes to action shots and epic background music. And modellers can echo the movie we show below with J-15 Flying Shark kits from Dragon and Hasegawa.

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Friday, April 18, 2014

FAB FIVE: REVISITING THE GLORY DAYS OF AURORA KITS



Five years ago, we looked at Aurora kits which, "...represented a goldmine of exotica in years gone by. While other companies were giving us familiar (even then) P-51 Mustangs and Spitfires, Aurora teased us with luridly marked P-36 Peashooters and of course, movie monsters like The Mummy…"

Thursday, April 17, 2014

REVELL BOX ART: UNSUNG ARTISTS WHO MADE YOU WANT TO BUY A KIT


Celebrating five years of Scale Model News, here we look again at Revell box art, and the artists who created them. The visuals that decorate kit boxes are what the marketing men call ‘primary sales tools’. Put simply, if you can spot a decent box from a distance - or today, easily on screen - the odds are that you’ll go over to have a closer look.

Wednesday, April 16, 2014

FIVE YEARS AGO: SCALE MODEL NEWS VISITS THE SCIENCE MUSEUM, LONDON


Scale Model News hits the five-year mark around now, so we are revisiting scale models and subjects from that time for the rest of this week.

Monday, April 14, 2014

EXTRAORDINARY VIDEO: V-22 OSPREY FOLDS ITS PROPS AND WINGS. AMAZING!


The Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey is the only operational tiltrotor in combat service. Kits of the aircraft come in 1:72 and 1:48 scale.

Friday, April 11, 2014

MODEL MATTERS FROM FRANCE: 1967-2000 THE STORY OF ESCI KITS


This is the fifth book French modelling expert Jean-Christophe Carbonel (universally known as ‘JC’) has written on aspects of various model kit companies.

Wednesday, April 9, 2014

RIDE OF THE VALKYRIE: MACH 3 NUCLEAR SUPER-BOMBER FROM LINDBERG


This is a Round 2 reissue of an original ‘Lindberg line’ kit, one of the first since the R2 takeover of Lindberg (and Hawk) in 2013.

Tuesday, April 8, 2014

POCHER LAMBORGHINI AVENTADOR: TASTY 1:8 SCALE MEGA-KIT


Pocher's 1:8 scale multi-material Lamborghini Aventador LP 700-4 weighs in at a massive 7.3 kg (16 lb).

Saturday, April 5, 2014

NEW KIT COMPANY RELEASES X-47B US NAVY DRONE BOMBER


Freedom Model Kits is a new scale manufacturer, and the company’s first product is the highly advanced Northrop Grumman X-47B unmanned combat air vehicle, to 1:48 scale.

Friday, April 4, 2014

STEALTH TANK PL-01: INVISIBLE DEFENDER FROM POLAND TO FACE RUSSIAN HORDES?


With Poland seemingly worried about possible Russian moves after the Ukraine and Crimea, this concept for a stealth tank looks well timed. It also makes a fine subject for a kit bash.

Thursday, April 3, 2014

FAMED BIPLANE TRAINER FROM REVELL: BOEING-STEARMAN MODEL 75 TO 1:48 SCALE


The Boeing-Stearman Model 75 (also known as the PT-17 and Kaydet) was a biplane first built in the mid-1930s, followed by wide use as a military trainer throughout World War II.

Wednesday, April 2, 2014

FRENCH RALLY RACER FROM TAMIYA: RENAULT ALPINE RADIO-CONTROL CAR TO 1:10 SCALE


Big 1:10 scale kit of a classic French sports car, beautifully produced by Tamiya. Excellent for RC enthusiasts, and sufficiently detailed to make a display machine alone.