Revell was a major model-kit force at the 2014 London Toy Fair. A number of new 2014 kits had already been revealed at IPMS Scale ModelWorld 2013, but Revell still had plenty of interesting new kits to show at the LondonToy Fair.
Mat Irvine reports: Revell’s catalogue covers the whole range of model subjects, but as far as static display models are concerned, aircraft still top the list, so I will start with them.
For civil aircraft enthusiasts, the classic 1:144 scale Boeing 747 tooling has been converted into the 747-8F cargo version, in the markings of Cargolux of Luxembourg. 747-8Fs were first used by Cargolux in 2011, and currently the airline has nine of them in service.
Another civil aircraft with a difference will be a modified 1:32 scale Piper PA-18, now available with the giant balloon tyres used for operations in rough, ‘bush’ areas. If you’re a fan of the type, then just
look up ‘Cub Driver’ on YouTube for some amazing flying. The Super Cub's box is shown (below) with the just-released 1:32 scale Bf 109 G-10 standing in front.
Two flying boats see reissues, with the big, 1:72 scale six-engine Blohm and Voss BV 222 Wiking flying boat (above) and the Monogram 1:48 scale Consolidated PBY Catalina amphibian (below). There is also another ex-Monogram kit, the Northrop P-61B Black Widow.
In 1:32 scale, there is a reissue of the Bristol Beaufighter (above) and a brand-new kit of the Supermarine Spitfire Mk II (header pic and below). The photograph, probably being used for the box-art, comes from Dick Ward, a regular supplier of details for markings and colour schemes to model companies.
There will also be reissues of World War I biplanes, the 1:28 scale Spad XIII and Sopwith Camel (below) to match the Fokker Triplane already available to the same scale. These were some of Revell’s earliest large-size (albeit somewhat odd-scaled) aircraft kits.
The new 1:144 scale kit of
SpaceshipTwo and
White Knight Two (below) has
already appeared in SMN, and will be joined by a reissue of the Monogram 1:144 scale Apollo Saturn V launcher, released this time under the Revell name. The 1:144 Space Shuttle Orbiter also reappears as a stand-alone kit, and there will be a limited run of the giant 1:144 Space Shuttle Launch Complex, one of the largest kits - well, certainly one of the largest boxes - Revell has ever made.
The 1:48 scale Boeing AH-64D Apache (below) now has new markings supplied, a display scheme marking 100 years of military aviation, 1913-2013.
Another biggish kit, the 1:32 scale BAE Hawk jet trainer (below) finished here in glossy black paint.
Military modellers will like the 1:35 scale Jeep and Landing Craft, presented together in the D-Day June 6 1944 commemorative set (below) while in 1:76 scale, Monty’s Caravan (the old Matchbox kit) gets a reissue, this time under the Revell name.
Motorheads will see a range of car kits from both sides of the Atlantic. Fans of the Volkswagen Golf, arguably the best-selling hatchback of all time, will have the original Mk I version (below) that started it all, but this time in convertible form.
A similarly much-loved car, the original Mini, reappears in 1964 Monte Carlo Rally winner guise, as driven by Paddy Hopkirk (below). There is also a Mini-Cooper Gift Set, with old and new Minis in the box.
At the other end of the motoring scale is the new LaFerrari (below) and going down the motoring spectrum, the Trabant kit is retooled as the 601 Universal estate car.
Staying with utilitarian vehicles, the new Volkswagen Samba Bus is modified into the ‘Bulli’ van version. And this is a new kit, not the reissued Hasegawa van that Revell issued for a time.
For US car enthusiasts without access to Revell-Monogram’s American range, Revell-Germany is reboxing some favourites such as the 1965 Ford Mustang (in 1:24 scale, so a Monogram kit) and Revell’s own Corvette C5-bodied Compuware track version. Most unusual will be a 2005 Chevy Impala police car (above top) which has also been issued in taxi markings for the US market.
Ship modellers have not been ignored, and 2014 will see a new 1:144 scale kit of the latest in non-nuclear submarine technology, a German U-212A class boat (below) plus the World War II German XXVIIB
Seahund midget sub (below right) this time to 1:72 scale.
Also new is the diminutive Search and Rescue (SAR) DGzRS 9.5-metre lifeboat (above). In real life it's a small vessel, so even though the 48-part model is to the biggish - for a ship - 1:72 scale, it still measures just 123 mm (5 in) long.
A Gift Set offering big and small Titanic models (below). They come in 1:700 and 1:1200 scales.
Also new (below) are two 1:350 scale World War I German cruisers, the SMS
Dresden and SMS
Emden. These look really interesting and could be a prime choice for a steampunk modeller who likes the idea of using one or both of them as the basis for a retro-fantasy kit-bash.
And finally, the ‘Final Frontier’ beckons with a new version of the USS
Enterprise from the movie
Star Trek Into Darkness. Scaled at 1:500 (below) this matches the later AMT kit of Star Trek ships.
And if your fancy for ‘Star’ has ‘Wars’ following, Revell now offers nearly 30 different craft (below) to populate your ‘galaxy far far away’.
This large X-Wing (below) comes in 1:29 scale. Another scale oddity, but at a pinch you could display it with 1:32/35 hardware without too many misgivings, especially as it's a fictional subject.
Heaps of Revell kits here.
