NEVER SAY DIE - BLUE BEETLE RETURNS AS THE BLUE BANDITO 1:24 SCALE MONOGRAM CUSTOM CAR

THIS IS ONE OF Monogram’s classic 1:24 scale Hot Rod kits, originally released in 1964 as the Blue Beetle, but now renamed the ’29 Ford Street Rod Blue Bandito.

TOMORROWLAND: A WORLD BEYOND

THIS TRAILER FOR TOMORROWLAND: A WORLD BEYOND marks the movie as one that we're looking forward to very much.

Disneyland visitors may recall that Tomorrowland was an important part of the original California theme park, and to lure you in, a third-scale Moonliner stood on its three landing legs, resplendent in the red-and-white markings of TWA (Trans World Airlines).

PONY CAR REVIVAL - 1:25 SCALE FORD MUSTANG-BASED MALCO GASSER FROM MPC

This is an MPC reissue of a 1:25 scale drag racer kit, “Ohio” George Montgomery’s Malco Gasser. The Gasser is based on a 1969 Mustang, but the body shape is where the resemblance ends, as everything else is pure dragster.

EARTH vs THE FLYING SAUCERS: WE COME IN PEACE - NOT!

Atlantis Models seems to be vying for the title of ‘model company making the most saucers’, with this latest UFO addition, the Attack Saucer from the 1956 movie Earth vs. The Flying Saucers.

RAY MEYERS, A TALENTED SCULPTOR BEHIND AURORA FIGURE KITS

RAY MEYERS, who sculpted Aurora figure kits in the 1960s and 1970s, passed away on April 7, 2015. Meyers’ deft hands gave Aurora models incredible detail and when they were assembled, an appearance of hugely realistic and dynamic motion.

ADIOS TO SHERIFF ROSCO COLTRANE FROM THE DUKES OF HAZZARD

The modelling world lost one of its ‘characters by association’ with the death of American actor James Best on April 6, 2015. The modelling association is that although Best featured in over 40 movies and appeared in nearly 300 episodes of various TV series, it is one of the latter, The Dukes of Hazzard, for which he will almost certainly be best remembered.

COLLECTING VINTAGE PLASTIC MODEL AIRPLANE KITS

HERE'S A GOOD-LOOKING BOOK that's of interest to any kit enthusiast, and particularly if you have a pile of unbuilts keeping a corner of the house warm.

REVEALED: RENAULT ALPINE VISION GRAN TURISMO AUTO CONCEPT

IF ALL RENAULTS OOZED THE APPEAL OF the performance cars above, then SMN would have a line of them outside the front door.

INCOMING ROCKET - GLENCOE MODELS THOR MISSILE TO 1:87 SCALE

I HAVE BEEN ASSISTING Glencoe Models with up-and-coming reissues of two Adams launch rocket kits, Thor and Vanguard. Here is an exclusive first look at one of these, the Thor IRBM (Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile), a kit that was first released in 1958, along with the Vanguard.

HELLER KITS 2015 - INCOMING FRENCH BEAUTIES, AND MORE BESIDES

HELLER, THE BIG NAME IN FRENCH model kits, seemed to go though a few years of uncertainty after the separation from Airfix-Humbrol, with a shrinking catalogue and little in the way of new kits. However, in 2015 Heller appears to have a new lease of life.

WHEN IS A BOAT NOT A BOAT? WHEN IT’S A REVELL HOT ROD HYDRO!

ANOTHER ANSWER TO THE HEADLINE question could be, “When it’s a car.” For this is how model companies have usually treated powerboat kits - as an extension to their model car catalogue.