FAREWELL 2016: LOOKING BACK AT THIS MODEL MAKER'S YEAR

THERE HAVE BEEN SO MANY GREAT KITS released in 2016 that we can't really point to the best or the worst. So, to kick off, we'll start with our love of science fiction. 

VIDEO VIEW: THE FASCINATION OF MAKING SIKU MINIATURES

SIKU IS PERHAPS LESS OF A HOUSEHOLD NAME than classic brands like Dinky and Corgi Toys. Even so, Siku is a thriving company that dates back to 1921.

FLY ME ROUND THE MOON: RETRIEVER ROCKET FROM GLENCOE MODELS

THE 1:72 SCALE RETRIEVER ROCKET is a reissued and reboxed Glencoe Models kit, itself based on one of the Strombecker classic ‘Man in Space’ series.

GOOD CHEER TO YOU ALL FROM SCALE MODEL NEWS

WE HOPE YOUR CHRISTMAS DAY WAS A GOOD ONE! And here's another photo album for you to while away some post-turkey moments.

HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO ALL MODEL MAKERS

CHRISTMAS IN SPACE WITH Robby of the Space Patrol and the mini-Robbies. All robots should look like these classics from the age of early science fiction cinema.

FESTIVE GREETINGS TO ALL MODEL MAKERS

WE HOPE YOUR CHRISTMAS STOCKING comes loaded with a kit or two (or three) and that you find time to build a model over the festive break.

1:24 SCALE CITROEN 2CV FLYING DUCK FROM REVELL

THIS CAR MODEL IS a variation on the Revell Citroen 2CV kit, this time with a set of ‘Sausss Ente’ decals.

INCOMING 2017: BLADE RUNNER 2049 FLIES IN WITH (WE HOPE) NEW TIE-IN MODELS

BLADE RUNNER 2049 is the long awaited sequel to the all-time classic science fiction movie Blade Runner, directed in 1982 by Ridley Scott, of Alien fame.

1:48 SCALE JAPANESE LIGHT ARMORED VEHICLE FROM TAMIYA

THIS TAMIYA KIT COULD MAKE A HUGELY USEFUL addition to a military display. Produced to Tamiya’s usual high standards, the LAV (Light Armored Vehicle) makes an Asian-sourced counterpoint to 1:48 scale machines from other kit makers, such as Airfix.

JAMES BOND ASTON MARTIN DB5 GOES UP AGAINST OTHER GREAT TOYS

THE 007 JAMES BOND-MOBILE featured recently made us look up the best known of all 007 cars, the Aston Martin DB5.

NEW LINDBERG LINE: 1959 CENTURY CORONADO, THE 'CADILLAC OF BOATS'

THIS IS AN INTRIGUING REISSUE of a 1:25 scale kit that has not seen the light of day since its original release in 1960.

1:24 SCALE TAMIYA MAZDA MX-5 BECOMES A 007-MOBILE

THIS 1:24 SCALE TAMIYA KIT REPRODUCES the world’s most popular two-seat sports car. The kit also opens the door to making a possible James Bond car. 

GAMEIN5D STORAGE SOLUTION - MINIATURE WORLDS INTO, AND OUT OF, A BOX

WHERE TO KEEP hobby stuff is always an issue. So if its creator can raise enough money, the Gamein5D foldable baseboard system might become a must-buy for all modellers.

HOW TO MAKE A HOT WHEELS MAD MAX CUSTOM CAR

FANS OF THE MAD MAX movies will find this how-to video the right-on route to converting an off-the-shelf model car to a Hot-as-the-Outback Mad Maxmobile.

1:72 SCALE CONVAIR SM-65D ATLAS MISSILE FROM HORIZON MODELS

THE COLD WAR NUCLEAR MISSILE AGE arrives from Australia with this Horizon Models Convair SM-65D Atlas, to 1:72 scale.

STILL THE WORLD'S FAVOURITE FIGHTER: F-16 FIGHTING FALCON VIDEO KIT-BUILD

NEARLY 4600 F-16 FIGHTING FALCONS have been built since 1973. Today the US Air Force still flies the F-16, as do 25 other air arms. And that ubiquity is matched by model manufacturers, including Hasegawa.

DETAILED MILITARIA FROM KFS MODELS, INCLUDING A BRAND-NEW THUNDERBIRD MISSILE

KIT FORM SERVICES (KFS) IS UNUSUAL for offering military kits in 1:24 scale, rather than the standard 1:35. And that includes the big news for 2017, a model kit of the English Electric Thunderbird missile from the 1960s.

SALUTE TO RON THORNTON, A VETERAN OF SPECIAL EFFECTS SCIENCE FICTION SHOWS

RON THORNTON (1957-2016) WAS WELL KNOWN for his CGI effects work on classic science fiction shows like Babylon 5, Star Trek: Voyager, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

MAT IRVINE MEETS A TRANSFORMERS BUMBLEBEE CAMARO, AND A MINIATURE NEXT TO IT

A TRANSFORMERS CAMARO COMES TO THE Texas town of Killeen, as Mat cruises by, camera at the ready.

UFO ENCOUNTERS DIORAMA FROM ATLANTIS MODELS

HERE'S A NEAT LITTLE KIT for UFO enthusiasts. The Atlantis Models kit is easy to build and includes a lighting pack for after-dark encounters.

INCOMING 2017: REVELLATIONS AT SCALE MODELWORLD 2016

THE MAIN EUROPEAN KIT COMPANIES show us what’s up-and-coming at Scale ModelWorld. At the 2016 show, Revell served up a feast for the year to come.

'THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS' DODGE CHARGER: 1:25 SCALE KIT FROM REVELL

MOVIE MOTORS come to the model bench with this Fast and Furious 1970 Dodge Charger.

IPMS 2016: SCALE MODELWORLD WINNER CLOSEUPS

INCREDIBLE ATTENTION TO DETAIL and a beautiful finish mark out Stefano Marchetti's fantasy Ferrari. The model took overall gold in the 2016 International Plastic Modellers' Society (IPMS) competition.

BEAT THAT! AMAZING WORLD'S BIGGEST HOT WHEELS CAR COLLECTION

LOOK AND LOVE this collection of more than 3500 Hot Wheels cars, with a video that visits a specially-housed million-dollar display of miniatures.

FANTASY FERRARI RACER WINS AT SCALE MODELWORLD 2016

ITALIAN MODEL MAKER STEFANO MARCHETTI entered this blood-red alt-history Ferrari at the recent Scale ModelWorld show.

INCOMING: NEW-TOOL ROYAL NAVY PHANTOM II FG.1

AS PLANNED, AIRFIX will be showing a development kit of this new-tool 1:72 scale McDonnell Douglas Phantom II at the IPMS show, Scale ModelWorld this weekend.

THE MIGHTY B-70 VALKYRIE, AND MORE AMAZING SUPERSONIC KITS

RARE AND COLLECTIBLE MODEL KITS are a popular subject with model builders. Here, Mat Irvine answers some questions about a North American Mach 3 bomber from the 1960s, the B-70 Valkyrie.

INCOMING 2017: AIRFIX 1:48 SCALE HAWKER SEA FURY

YET ANOTHER 1:48 SCALE AIRFIX KIT DUE IN 2017 will be that classic heavy metal machine that saw service after World War II, the Hawker Sea Fury.

INCOMING: NEW-TOOL 1:72 SCALE AIRFIX BOEING B-17G NOW RELEASED

WE'RE PLEASED TO SAY that the new Airfix Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress is now available, and very good it looks, too.

AAAAH, NOSTALGIA... MAKING DINKY TOYS FIVE DECADES AGO

THERE AREN'T MANY OF US WHO didn't have a few diecast vehicles as children. Dinky Toys were one of the premier brands, so it's fascinating to see how they were made, as the video clip shows.

RED ARROWS FLY OVER SINGAPORE - AND SPARK A MODEL COMPETITION

OUR COLLEAGUES AT HOBBY BOUNTIES in Singapore ran a kit competition recently, to commemorate a recent visit by the Royal Air Force Red Arrows aerobatic team.

SPOOKY MINIATURES FOR HALLOWEEN DISPLAYS

PERHAPS THIS IS NOT a scale modelling article in the plastic kit sense. But as it’s that time of year, here is a look at some Halloween displays.

HAND MADE MINIATURE SEAPORT IN THE COTSWOLD HILLS

HERE'S A NICE FIND, a hand-crafted miniature harbour, presently hidden away in the English Cotswold Hills.

STUNT PILOT FLIES LOWER THAN LOW TO TAKE A WORLD-FIRST RECORD

IS THIS JUST AN EXCUSE TO SHOW A GOOD-LOOKING gal on a scale model website? Maybe... but it's also a salute to three talented individuals and a plea to model kit manufacturers.

INCOMING: NEW-TOOL AIRFIX 1:48 SCALE P-40B WARHAWK

YET ANOTHER 1:48 SCALE warfighter from Airfix, the Curtiss P-40B Warhawk is due for release shortly.

INCOMING 2017: NEW-TOOL 1:48 SCALE AIRFIX P-51D MUSTANG

MORE MOUTHWATERING STUFF FROM AIRFIX with a pre-announcement of a 1:48 scale P-51D Mustang kit, due for release in July 2017.

CITROEN 2CV PICKUP KIT: 1:24 SCALE MODEL FROM EBBRO

A DETAILED KIT OF AN UNUSUAL FRENCH MODEL describes the Citroen 2CV Pickup, a 1:24 scale release from Ebbro of Japan.

JAMES MAY OF TOP GEAR TALKS AIRFIX KITS WITH ROY CROSS

IN THIS SHORT VIDEO, JAMES MAY INTRODUCES AIRFIX and talks to the Airfix box illustrator Roy Cross about his art and how it came about.

OOPS - LOST A WING! STAR WARS TIE FIGHTER CRASHES WHILE WAITING FOR ROGUE ONE MOVIE

A NEAT LITTLE DASH-CAM mini-mov here, depicting a crashed TIE fighter, complete with unharmed crew, waiting for a pickup from the space equivalent of a local garage to tow them home.

LEGO DEATH STAR STOP-FRAME ANIMATED BUILD

HERE'S SOME FASCINATING VIEWING for you: Bart van Dijk's beautifully smooth animation of building a Lego Death Star. In Bart's build, 4016 individual Lego pieces come together as if by magic.

FINE DETAIL ON A ROKAF KAI T-50B BY DAVID DAMEK

THE KAI T-50B GOLDEN EAGLE is a single-engine supersonic jet trainer, produced in South Korea. The T-50 is a handsome design, the looks of which are captured nicely to 1:48 scale by Academy Models.

INCOMING: NEW-TOOL AIRFIX SUPERMARINE WALRUS DUE TO LAND MID-2017

HERE’S ANOTHER TASTER FROM Airfix for new kits due in 2017. This time it’s a biplane, the ugly-but-useful Supermarine Walrus, designed by RJ Mitchell, the mastermind responsible for the famed Spitfire.

PROFESSIONAL MODEL MAKERS OF 1968

HERE'S A NICE  LITTLE FLASHBACK movie. We particularly like the large-scale Spitfire, made for the air battle sequences in a World War II movie.

AIRFIX MODEL COMPETITION IN SINGAPORE 2016

HERE’S A RUNDOWN ON ENTRIES at the annual Airfix Aeronautical Model Competition 2016. The event is run every year by Singapore dealer Hobby Bounties, and attracts some first class talent.

MAT 'N' PAUL UNPLUGGED MODEL AND TOOL SALE

IF YOU’VE BEEN A HAMEX MODEL SHOW ADDICT then you’ll be interested in a special one-off show that’s coming on Sunday, October 2.

HOW TO BUILD A BOEING 737: AT 1:1 SCALE THIS JETLINER IS THE REAL DEAL

IF YOU'VE FLOWN MORE THAN A FEW TIMES the chances are that at least one trip was aboard a Boeing 737. And here's how Boeing makes this most successful machine.

1:24 SCALE VOLKSWAGEN SAMBA BUS IN LUFTHANSA MARKINGS

THIS IS ANOTHER ISSUE OF REVELL’S 1:24 SCALE KIT OF THE ICONIC Volkswagen Samba, also known as the Combi, Microbus, T1, or just plain ‘Bus.’

INCOMING: NEW-TOOL Me 262 WORLD WAR II JET FROM AIRFIX

GREAT NEWS FOR 1:72 scale fans, a new-tool Messerschmitt Me 262 is on its way from Airfix.

SCALE MODEL NEWS FROM THE ALL JAPAN MODEL AND HOBBY SHOW 2016

COURTESY THE BUSY VIDEO CREW AT HOBBY LINK JAPAN, here is a close look at the All Japan Model and Hobby Show 2016. 

SUPERCAR FROM JAPAN: NEW-GENERATION HONDA NSX TO 1:24 SCALE FROM TAMIYA

A GRINNING SHARK'S-MOUTH GRILLE marks out the latest Honda NSX to hit the streets. And Tamiya marks the entry of this Japanese supercar with a 1:24 scale replica.

MAKING MODEL AIRCRAFT FOR THE TRAVEL INDUSTRY

WORLD AIRLINES ARE FAMED FOR their glossy and inventive marking schemes. Whether it's a simple cheat line, or an overall finish like the Braniff jetliner (above) every airline strives for its aircraft to look different from the others at an airport.

RETRO LOVERS SHOULD ENJOY THIS 1:25 SCALE FORD WOODY STATION WAGON FROM AMT

THIS 1941 FORD ‘WOODY’ STATION WAGON is a reissue of a kit that first appeared during the time the AMT name was owned by Ertl.

1:72 SCALE RUSSIAN SS-25 ROCKET LAUNCHER VEHICLE FROM REVELL

REVELL'S NEW 1:72 SCALE KIT DEPICTS the mobile transporter for the SS-25 intercontinental ballistic missile. A single SS-25 is carried inside a long cylindrical housing.

CUBAN TRIO - COLD WAR CAR KITS FROM THE CUBAN CRISIS ERA

THE THAWING OF RELATIONS between the US and Cuba brings to mind an interesting set of car kits, released by AMT in the 1970s.

SCI-FI NOSTAGIA-FEST: MASTER MODEL MAKER CRAFTS DAN DARE SPACE FLEET

BRITISH SPACE HERO DAN DARE has been ignored by the mainstream model kit manufacturers. It has been down to individuals like special-effects model maker Martin Bower to produce one-off miniatures of the galaxy of spacecraft that filled author-illustrator Frank Hampson’s universe.