EASY-CLICK SYSTEM PORSCHE FROM REVELL REVEALS ADVANCED KIT TECHNOLOGY

 

THERE ARE TWO SURPRISES with this 1:24 scale kit. The first is that the Diesel Junior 108 tractor was made by sports-car maker Porsche from 1952-63. And second, that Revell has produced the tractor ready to be assembled using its ‘easy-click system.’

MORE SENSE OF SCALE: BACKGROUND ON PROFESSIONAL MODEL MAKING

THIS IS THE SECOND 'SENSE OF SCALE' VID which gives some background information about the professional scale model world. Watch out for the friesian cow!

STAR WARS MODEL MAKERS: A SENSE OF SCALE

THIS IS A GREAT LITTLE VID that gives you an outline of specialist model making for the movies. Enjoy, and visit SMN tomorrow for more.

HAPPY CHRISTMAS FROM SCALE MODEL NEWS

CHRISTMAS GREETINGS from SMN! To add a touch of modeling cheer, here are some delightful scale models with a festive touch.

Mat Irvine: My friend Andy forwarded these pictures, so Mr J and I thought you'd like to enjoy them. There's a link below to take you to see plenty more.

STEAMPUNK FANS: SHARPEN YOUR CRAFT KNIVES FOR MORTAL ENGINES

THE TRAILER FOR MORTAL ENGINES shows that 2018 might be a vintage year for steampunk enthusiasts and kitbash-diorama model fans.

3D-PRINTED 'WHAT-IF' HAWKER P1214 FROM WOLFE AEROSPACE

RIKKI WOLFE OF WOLFE AEROSPACE WAS AMONG THE TRADERS at the 2017 HaMeX model show. He had a selection of kits for sale, ranging from large-scale display-style models, to his latest project, a naval jet concept (above) from 1980.

1:24 SCALE PORSCHE 934 RSR FROM REVELL

THIS IS A NEW 1:24 SCALE REVELL GERMANY kit depicting a Porsche 934 RSR in the orange markings of Jagermeister, a German drinks distiller. 

2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY - DISCOVER THE DISCOVERY FROM MOEBIUS MODELS

Mat Irvine: This is a 1:144 scale kit that many modellers reckoned would never be made.

VISIT TO THE SAC MUSEUM, NEBRASKA

DURING MY 2017 TRIP to see the US solar eclipse, I took the opportunity to visit the Strategic Air Command (SAC) and Aerospace Museum, near the city of Ashland, Nebraska.

RETRO STYLE: 1:25 SCALE MERCURY COMET CYCLONE FROM MOEBIUS

THIS KIT COULD BE IDEAL for astronomers, as the name includes a planet, a solar system phenomenon, even a weather system. But actually, it’s a car!

USING THE SMN SLIDE SHOW FEATURE

IF YOU LIKE LOOKING AT click-to-view slideshows, especially the ones here at SMN, then it's a good idea to choose your web browser for desktop or tablet carefully.

MAKING THE CRYSTAL FOX FROM STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI

MAKING ITS DEBUT ON THE SILVER SCREEN very soon will be the Crystal Fox, an alien critter that appears in The Last Jedi, latest in the Star Wars saga.

INCOMING: HAMEX 9 MODEL SHOW READY FOR TOUCHDOWN

UK MODEL MAKERS should head toward this popular annual show.

Click here for previous HaMeX shows, as featured in SMN.

Click here for more details of the 2017 HaMeX kit swap show.

INCOMING: TAMIYA 1:32 SCALE F-35 LIGHTNING II STEALTH FIGHTER

EAST MEETS WEST with this collaboration between Tamiya of Japan and Italeri of Italy.

ROCKET FROM AUSTRALIA: MERCURY-REDSTONE SPACE LAUNCHER FROM HORIZON MODELS

THIS 1:72 SCALE MERCURY-REDSTONE IS THE FOURTH KIT from Horizon Models of Australia.

CRAZY CUSTOM CARS YOU CAN MODEL

JUST LUURVE THIS VIDEO which is a reminder of decades of custom car creativity.

FUNKY MUSIC ANNOUNCES 1:12 SCALE FIAT 500 FROM ITALERI

THE FIAT 500 is an icon of Italian automotive history, up there in the street-smart stakes with performance cars from the likes of Ferrari and Maserati.

IT’S A SMALL WORLD AT THE GULLIVER’S GATE VISITOR ATTRACTION

DURING A RECENT VISIT TO NEW YORK CITY, my friend Andy Yanchus and I visited a new Manhattan feature called Gulliver’s Gate. The somewhat enigmatic title covers a ‘world in miniature’ attraction, in a street just off Times Square.

CITROEN H VAN IS REBORN AS A 1:1 SCALE CUSTOM TRUCK KIT

 

FANS OF THE UGLY-BUT-NICE Citroen H van have something new to look at. It’s a full-size limited edition project from Italy, which provides food for thought for anyone interested in model conversions.

COFFEE AND CROISSANTS WITH THE EBBRO CITROEN TYPE H MOBILE KITCHEN

THE THIRD ISSUE OF THE EBBRO Citroen Type H Van has now arrived. This time, the 1:24 scale kit is fitted out in great detail as a mobile kitchen, or food van.

VETTING THE 'VETTE: 1:25 SCALE CORVETTE ROADSTER FROM REVELL

THIS IS A REISSUE OF A 1:25 SCALE KIT that first appeared under the ProModeler name, a label used for a short time by Revell-Monogram in the USA.

HEINKEL HE 111 BOMBER TOUR AND FLIGHT DEMO

WORLD WAR II AVIATION modellers have a huge choice of subjects. Two of the best currently available are the Revell 1:32 and Airfix 1:72 scale kits.

GAME ON: 1:32 SCALE REVELL WARTHOG FROM THE VIDEO GAME 'HALO'

 

FICTION-BASED SCALE MODELS are not uncommon in the kit business. However, the 1:32 scale Revell Warthog can probably claim a first, in that it is almost certainly the first science fiction kit based on a computer game - Halo - rather than a movie, TV series, comic or book.

ENTRY CALL FOR 2017 MODEL COMPETITION

THE NATIONAL AIRFIX AERONAUTICAL Model Engineering Competition is open once again for model makers in Singapore.

MOLOTOW COCKTAIL: LIQUID CHROME MIXES WITH A REVELL FORD RANCHERO

ONE BIG PROBLEM car modellers had back in the ‘good old days’ was chrome - or lack of it. For there was no method to properly mimic the chrome embellishments on glass surrounds, emblems, door handles and the like. Well, now there are solutions.

OUT OF THIS WORLD MODELING: STEP-BY-STEP HOW-TO BOOK

OUT OF THIS WORLD MODELING features 16 builds of science fiction and fantasy subjects. I was invited to do two of these, and chose the 1966 Barris Batmobile from Polar Lights, and the Moebius Space Chariot from Lost in Space. 

CUSTOM CADILLAC ELDORADO REVEALS FOOSE FINESSE

REVELL HAS BEEN USING the Foose custom name and designs for some years, but this Cadillac Eldorado is unique. Whereas previous Foose models have been reboxed existing kits with new box-art and decals, the Eldorado is a brand-new kit.

RAF MUSEUM COSFORD: HOME TO A SUPERB 1:5 SCALE P-51D MUSTANG

A TREAT AWAITS MODEL FIGHTER FANS in the entrance lobby of RAF Museum, Cosford, UK.

NEWS FROM SINGAPORE: AIRFIX 1:24 SCALE MOSQUITO

LARGE SCALE MODEL MAKERS should be interested in this build of an Airfix 1:24 scale de Havilland Mosquito.

SCALE MODELS AT NEBRASKA'S PIONEER VILLAGE

A WIDE RANGING MUSEUM OF AMERICANA in Nebraska has plenty of scale models on display.

2018 INCOMING: REVELL TECHNIK JUNKERS Ju 88

DUE FOR RELEASE IN JANUARY 2018 is a 1:32 scale Junkers Ju 88 A-4 from Revell, and it will be an '88' with a difference.

2018 NEW KIT INCOMING: 1:48 SCALE BRISTOL BLENHEIM

THE  NEW-TOOL BRISTOL BLENHEIM FROM AIRFIX looks like it will be a must-build kit for 1:48 scale air fans. The Blenheim is under development for release in 2018, and should be another winner for this long-established kit company.

GMC DESERTER OFF-ROAD PICKUP TO 1:25 SCALE FROM MPC

Mat Irvine: The 1:25 scale Deserter is a reissue of an earlier MPC kit from the mid-1980s. To give the pickup its full title, it’s a GMC Rounded-Line K-2500 Wideside, equipped with the Sierra Grande package.

FUTURISTIC CUSTOM PICKUP TRUCK: 1:25 SCALE AMT DODGE DEORA

THE DODGE DEORA is an original concept from the 1960s, available now as a 1:25 scale AMT kit reissue.

LEGO STAR WARS MILLENNIUM FALCON TIME-LAPSE BUILD

THIS IS LEGO-AND-A-HALF or maybe a galaxy-and-a-half for Star Wars fans.

MOONLANDER: SPACE EXPLORATION THE WAY IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN

WITH THE LATEST PLANS OF ELON MUSK HITTING THE HEADLINES it seems a good moment to revisit what I have dubbed 'factual futuristic' spacecraft, designs that seemed a good idea at the time, but which were never built.

COLD WAR DEFENDER: BOEING BOMARC MISSILE FROM REVELL

THE BOEING IM-99 BOMARC ground-to-air missile makes a welcome return with this Revell kit.

VICTORY FOR VIC TORRY: FLYING SAUCER FROM ATLANTIS MODELS

THE VIC TORRY FLYING SAUCER is the latest in the Atlantis Models five-inch saucer range, and comes with the usual accompaniment of a flashing LED.

FORD CLUB COUPE 'GAS MAN' RACER IN 1:25 SCALE

THIS RETRO DELUXE KIT IS A reissue of one of AMT’s very first Trophy Series kits, retaining the classic ‘three-in-one’ build options.

CASSINI SPACE PROBE'S FINAL PLUNGE TO A FIERY END

 

ONE OF THE LONGEST-SERVING and most adventurous space probes met a fiery end today, when it plunged into the atmosphere of the ringed gas-giant planet, Saturn.

BATBOAT IN BLACK: 1:25 SCALE FROM AMT

THE ROUND 2 COMPANY continues to delve into the tooling of its kit company acquisitions, in this case, AMT. So here is another in the Batman series, the Batboat, produced in 1:25 scale. 

1:24 SCALE McLAREN 570S SUPERCAR KIT FROM REVELL

THIS FULLY DETAILED 1:24 SCALE MCLAREN 570S kit from Revell is a new-tool production, definitely not a reissue of the Aoshima release, the only other available kit to a similar scale.

INCOMING: CITROEN TYPE H STREET FOOD VAN

TO MOST OF US it's a French street food van, but the Japanese Ebbro company reckons the Citroen Type H is a Mobile Kitchen. Either description is fine, as our recent look at the Ebbro Crepe Mobile version shows that the basic kit is really worth building.

PROTEUS SUBMARINE DIVES IN FROM FANTASTIC VOYAGE

CERTAIN SUBJECTS just cry out to be made as model kits, and sometimes you wonder why it takes so long. This is certainly the case with the Proteus, submarine star of the 1966 science-fiction movie Fantastic Voyage.

FLIPPING PANCAKES WITH THE 1:24 SCALE CITROEN TYPE H VAN FROM EBBRO

MODEL KITS OF THE CLASSIC Citroen H-Type van have been a bit like waiting for the proverbial bus. You wait ages when nothing appears, then several turn up at once, or in this case two Citroen Type H panel vans.

LITTLE GREY FERGIE TRACTOR FROM HELLER

THE SURPRISE is not that Heller features a piece of farm machinery - Ertl has been specialising in such for years - but that this French company has released an archetypal British tractor.

I WANT TO BELIEVE: FLYING SAUCER UFO FROM ATLANTIS MODELS

I WANT TO BELIEVE is another release in the Atlantis Models range of 5-inch flying saucers.

OWENS DELUXE CRUISER RETRO-STYLE BOAT KIT

 

THIS IS A COMPANION KIT to the Lindberg Century Coronado, as featured in SMN a few months ago.

PRETTY IN PURPLE: CLASSIC DC-9 JETLINER KIT FROM ATLANTIS MODELS

 

THIS IS A REISSUE OF an original Aurora model that first appeared in 1965. It’s a very simple kit, with none of the options you might find on more modern equivalents, so there are no poseable flaps, opening engine covers or similar, but frankly that makes for a far more robust model. The box-art reproduces a classic painting by illustrator John Amendola.

FANTASTIC PHANTOM FROM AIRFIX

THE AIRFIX 1:72 SCALE PHANTOM II KIT is an excellent example of the improvements that computers have brought to the model building scene.

HAUNEBU FLYING DISC: REAL FOO FIGHTER OR PLASTIC PEGASUS SAUCER?

WEIRD DESIGNS ARE A FEATURE OF Luftwaffe 1946, aircraft designs that were being worked on toward the end of World War II. And perhaps the oddest Luft 46 project, and frankly least likely, was the Haunebu II Saucer, as featured in this 1:144 scale Pegasus kit.

PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN SALAZAR'S REVENGE: 1:72 SCALE KIT FROM REVELL

 

PIRATE KITS HAVE ALWAYS done well for model companies, both as figures and ships, so issuing the star vessel from Pirates of the Caribbean, the most successful pirate movie franchise ever, has to be a good move.

SCIENCE FICTION EXTRAVAGANZA: SMALLSPACE 6 LANDS IN THE UK

HERE ARE JUST A FEW OF the exhibits at smallspace 6, the ‘Big Little Show’ held in the village of Hanslope, UK, last Sunday, July 16, 2017.

A US NAVY STARSHIP PROJECT FOR SCI-FI KIT-BASHERS

Mat Irvine's Smallspace 6 model show blew the weeds off similar events yesterday. Until next year, how about a look at this concept. We're looking at our existing Star Trek miniatures, thinking of ways to customise them!

COUNTDOWN TO SMALLSPACE 6 SCI-FI SHOW

COMING THIS SUNDAY - the sixth and best mega show from the Hamex team.

Click here for full details of the unmissable event.

A SUPERSONIC TRIDENT FROM FRANCE

THE TRIDENT SINGLE-SEAT RESEARCH PLANE is the subject of Jean-Christophe ‘JC’ Carbonel’s second book exploring French aviation projects.