HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL MODEL MAKERS

BEST WISHES FROM SMN and may the New Year bring the kits you want to build!

AIRFIX B-17 FLYING FORTRESS IN MOTION

A FAMOUS BOMBER and excellent kit, revealed in another ace stop-motion mini-movie by Tom Grigat.

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL OUR READERS

HERE'S HOPING EVERY SMN READER gets a chance to build a kit of their choice this coming year.

And maybe it's going to be the year when 'that old kit' comes down from its hiding place in the loft!

FIFTIES-ERA BOAT KIT RETURNS AS A 1:25 SCALE 3-IN-1 CUSTOM

THE AMT CUSTOMIZING BOAT KIT was first produced in 1959. The boat was presented in much the same way as a car kit of the time, with a three-way assembly and some custom parts. 

DORNIER Do X FLYING MODEL: TWELVE SCALE ENGINES, ONE PROPELLER FOR POWER

THE DORNIER DO X was the brainchild of Dr. Claude Dornier, his aircraft taking off for the first time in July, 1929.

1:25 SCALE CHEVROLET EL CAMINO DERBY CHAMP PICKUP FROM AMT

THIS INTERESTING AMT RACING KIT is based on a model first released issued in 1969.

SPECIAL HOBBY HAWKER TEMPEST: ANOTHER STUNNING VIDEO BUILD FROM TOM GRIGAT

FOR ALL WORLD WAR II FIGHTER FANS here's a great video by Tom Grigat, the master of stop-frame animated video model builds.

WRC WINNER FROM 1979: 1:24 SCALE FORD ESCORT RALLY RACER FROM ITALERI

THIS IS A WELCOME ITALERI REISSUE OF what was previously an ESCI kit, Italeri having since acquired the tooling.

SECRETS OF THE NEW 1:24 SCALE AIRFIX F6F-5 HELLCAT

HERE'S A FASCINATING BEHIND THE SCENES interview with the people behind the upcoming Airfix 1:24 scale F6F Hellcat.

INCOMING: SPECTACULAR 1:24 SCALE GRUMMAN F6F-5 HELLCAT FROM AIRFIX

AIRFIX IS ON A ROLL and this giant-size kit underlines the excellence of new products from this company.

1965 LINCOLN CONTINENTAL 1:25 SCALE WAGON CUSTOMIZING KIT FROM AMT

UNLIKE SOME RECENT AMT reissues that use more recent tooling, this 1:25 scale Lincoln Continental is based on the original annual kit, first released in 1965.

COLLECTIBLE 42-PART FLYING AUTOMOBILE KIT FROM GLADEN ENTERPRISES

IF YOU READ ALMOST ANY popular-science magazine from the 1950s, you will see that by 2018 we ought to be driving flying cars, even taking vacations on the Moon.

INCOMING KITS: NEW ROUND 2 MODELS

THE WONDERFEST SHOW IN KENTUCKY IS A MEGA-DRAW for fans of the linked genres of science-fiction, fantasy, and horror. Here we look at models coming from the Round 2 company.

AMAZING WONDERFEST MEGA MODEL SHOW 2018

WONDERFEST IS THE LARGEST science-fiction/fantasy/horror model show you are likely to visit. WonderFest shows off a galaxy of talent every summer in Kentucky.

REVELL 'BLACK PEARL' GALLEON, AS SEEN IN THE MOVIE 'PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN'

IN 2017, WE REVIEWED the 895-part Revell 1:72 scale kit of the Black Pearl, as seen in the Disney movie saga Pirates of the Caribbean. The kit we show here is a smaller 1:150 scale version of the same ship, though it still comes with 112 parts.

'A WAR IN MINIATURE' - AMAZING MODEL COLLECTION AT THE MUSEUM OF FLIGHT, SEATTLE

ONE OF THE BEST AEROSPACE MUSEUMS is the Museum of Flight, Seattle. And the MoF is also home to one of the best model collections you can find.

HAN'S SPEEDER FROM THE MOVIE 'SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY'

THE STAR WARS MERCHANDISE MACHINE continues to be a massive generator of spacecraft models and kits. Han’s Speeder is a Revell 1:28 scale miniature of the vehicle seen in the 2018 Star Wars release Solo: A Star Wars Story.

AVRO ARROW SUPERSONIC DELTA MODELS AT THE BC AVIATION MUSEUM IN CANADA

THE BRITISH COLUMBIA Aviation Museum is well worth a visit if you are on Vancouver Island, Canada.

INCOMING: HURRICANE MOVIE AND AIRFIX SEA HURRICANE

DRAMA IN THE SKIES and on the ground both feature in this upcoming movie. That's good, as the Hawker Hurricane deserves a share of the limelight usually reserved for its elegant sibling fighter, the Supermarine Spitfire.

SAD LOSS OF HANNANTS MODEL STORE PROPRIETOR

WE ARE SAD TO REPORT that David Hannant died recently, aged 88. He may not be that familiar to you, but the Hannants stores have been going for many years, the UK’s largest importer and distributor of model items. 

REVELL KITS GO TO ATLANTIS MODELS

THE REVELL GROUP’S PARENT COMPANY HOBBICO ceased trading in April 2018. Since then there has been a lot of activity, and plenty of speculation. But now the situation is becoming clearer.

1:48 SCALE MiG-21 SMT FROM REVELL

 

THIS IS AN EXCELLENT 1:48 scale Revell kit of the MiG-21, the most-widely produced jet fighter of the former Soviet Union.

AMAZING MODELS: THE WORLD'S LARGEST MINIATURE AIRPORT

MAYBE THIS IS THE NEXT STAGE OF MODEL-MAKING beyond assembly and display at model shows and events.

ARTIST THEO JANSEN: STRANDBEEST EVOLUTION 2018

OK, THESE STRANGE CRITTERS are not exactly our usual scale model fare, but the Dutch artist Theo Jansen surely shares the care and craftsmanship we put into our own miniatures.

CARL CASPER'S COSMIC CHARGER FUEL DRAGSTER

DRAGSTERS ARE BUILT TO do just one thing, and that’s to cover the quarter-mile in the lowest elapsed time (ET). But there’s no reason why they can’t look good as well, and that’s what auto customiser Carl Casper did with his Cosmic Charger fuel dragster.

SMALLSPACE GETS BIGGER EACH YEAR

THE SEVENTH ANNUAL smallspace model show was held on July 1, in Hanslope village, UK.

DOCTOR WHO TV SERIES RETURNS TO OUR SCREENS – AND THE NEW DOCTOR IS FEMALE

STAND BY FOR MORE DOCTOR WHO with the latest in the long-running BBC TV sci-fi drama.

BANDAI WORKS WONDERS: 1:48 SCALE AT-ST SCOUT WALKER FROM STAR WARS

WE HAVE JUST STARTED BUILDING this 1:48 scale Bandai Star Wars walker, and what a delightful kit it's proving to be.

BIGGER THAN YOUR AVERAGE MODEL CAR: THESE ARE 'DWARF' CARS

THESE SMALLER THAN LIFE-SIZE cars are weird but rather wonderful. They are hand-built replicas of retro machines from times past.

THE ANNUAL SHOW for lovers of space, science fiction and fantasy touches down this Sunday, July 1, 2018.

AIRFIX 1:72 SCALE VICKERS WELLINGTON - LOOKS GOOD FOR TAKEOFF

THIS NEW VERSION OF THE famed British 'Wimpey' looks to be a good kit.

AMT 1:25 SCALE CHEVROLET MONTE CARLO SS454

AT FIRST GLANCE this attractive model could be a reissue of the 1:25 scale Chevrolet Monte Carlo kit released by AMT in 1970.

WACKY RACES REVISITED

 

MAT IRVINE GOES GO BACK TO THE WACKY PAST with four Build and Play MPC kits.

HOBBICO AND REVELL: WHAT’S HAPPENING NOW?

HOBBICO, WHICH OWNS REVELL filed for bankruptcy early in 2018. So what is happening with the Hobbico plastic kit brands?

A LOOK AT AIRFIX VINTAGE CLASSICS ARTWORK

ALL THE WAY FROM 1983: 1:25 SCALE KIT OF A HOT HURST OLDSMOBILE

IT'S BACK TO 1983 with this 1:25 scale Revell Special Edition kit of the Hurst Oldsmobile.

HITLER'S FLYING SAUCERS FIGHT ON IN A POST-WAR FICTIONAL WORLD

 

NOT CONTENT WITH making Star Wars kits from 'a long time ago', Revell now journeys to another fictional past with the 1:72 scale Haunebu II. The kit is an absolute must for all Luftwaffe 1946 fans.

A CRAPPY COMMIE CAR PERHAPS, BUT AT LEAST IT PASSED THE MOOSE TEST

A FEW MONTHS BACK, REVELL REISSUED a 1:24 scale kit of the Trabant 601S, to celebrate 60 years since the boxy little East German car was first built, in 1957.

INCOMING: REVELL STAR WARS MODELS FROM LATEST 'SOLO' MOVIE

STAR WARS FANS QUEUE RIGHT NOW as it's time to see Solo, the latest movie in the four-decade old sci-fi saga.

FORD AIMS TO LEAVE CAR PRODUCTION, BUT HAS A GLORIOUS RETRO PAST, REFLECTED IN THESE TWO KITS

NEWS THIS WEEK reveals that Ford will be selling mostly SUVs and trucks in a few years time. The plans make two recent car kits of special interest.

HOT WHEELS FIFTY YEARS OLD - FIVE 'SWEET SIXTEEN' CARS RELEASED TO CELEBRATE

THE FIRST HOT WHEELS CARS were released in May, 1968. Known as the ‘Original Sweet Sixteen,’ those cars all had redline wheels, and original paintwork and style that directly challenged existing diecast toys such as Matchbox cars.

AIRFIX GOES BACK TO THE FUTURE WITH THE LAUNCH OF A NEW ‘VINTAGE CLASSICS’ RANGE

AIRFIX BRINGS BACK A NEW WAVE OF OLD KITS for model makers with a taste for nostalgia.

THE RED BARON STILL FLIES HIGH IN A REVELL FOKKER TRIPLANE KIT

MORE THAN 60 YEARS OLD, this Revell kit still makes a decent aviation project for World War I buffs.

MEDIA MODEL MADNESS HITS THE STREETS THIS WEEKEND

LIKE THE MODELS THAT STAR IN MOVIES? THEN MAKE IT TO THE HAMEX ZONE this coming Sunday, May 6, 2018!

SINGAPORE STRIKES AGAIN WITH A 2018 AERO MODEL SHOW

HERE'S THE INFO on Singapore's 2018 National Airfix Aeronautical Model Engineering Competition.

SHOW-ROD AUTO DESIGNER JOHN BOGOSIAN SHRINKS A CLASSIC VW BEETLE BUS

DER BEETLE BUS IS A REBORN AMT show rod from the 1970s, and this 1:25 scale kit is the first reissue.

ARTIST HEROES WHO PAINTED MODEL KIT BOXES

THE VISUALS ON MODEL KIT BOXES are what the marketing men call ‘primary sales tools.’ Simply put, if you can spot an attractive box in a store or on screen, the odds are that you’ll want to home in for a closer look. 

RETRO-FUTURE STYLE: DOUBLE-BUBBLE LINCOLN FUTURA DREAM CAR

A KIT REISSUE THAT harks back to the golden age of Detroit dream cars.

1:144 SCALE CONVAIR NUCLEAR EXPLORATORY VEHICLE FROM MOEBIUS

IF YOU KNOW YOUR 1950s spacecraft kits, this new Moebius model of the NEV (Nuclear Exploratory Vehicle) might look familiar as a kit that Strombecker produced - except that it isn’t.

BLAST FROM THE PAST: SWEET NOSTALGIA FROM THE GOOD OLD DAYS

FOR THE MORE MATURE MODEL MAKER out there, then these old kits might bring back a few memories.

X-32 AND X-35B KITS FROM ITALERI

 

ITALERI HAS RELEASED AN INTERESTING double-kit, with two 1:72 scale experimental aircraft of the 1990s, issued together in a single box.

OFF-ROAD RACING STYLE: FORD BAJA BRONCO FROM REVELL

 

THIS IS THE second issue of a recent 1:25 scale Revell kit, which was created in response to buyers’ requests. And that proves that sometimes the model companies do listen to us!

STARSKY AND HUTCH FORD TORINO: REVISED 1:25 SCALE KIT FROM REVELL

WHEN THIS KIT WAS FIRST ANNOUNCED we expected it would be a stock Ford Torino, with no real connection to the TV stars, Starsky and Hutch.

TIANGONG-1 SPACE STATION HURTLES BACK TO EARTH: AND THERE'S A 1:48 SCALE MODEL TO MATCH IT

TIANGONG-1 IS THE NAME OF THE Chinese prototype space station, launched in September 2011. It was visited by several taikonauts (Chinese astronauts) up to 2013, but in 2016, ground controllers lost contact with the craft - and now it has plunged back to Earth. Most of Tiangong-1 burnt up during a fiery, uncontrolled re-entry, with surviving parts splashing down in the Pacific Ocean.  

WHERE’S THE FIRE?! FLAMEOUT CUSTOM SHOW ROD FROM AMT

THIS KIT REPRESENTS an AMT show rod that was designed as a custom concept. First released in the 1970s, this new version includes a number of useful extras.

TWO MODEL KIT NAMES HOLD HANDS: MOEBIUS JOINS PEGASUS

KIT-MAKER MOEBIUS MODELS has linked with Pegasus Hobbies, another company that releases many science fiction and fantasy subjects.

1:35 SCALE TACOM V-2 KIT: FINISHED AT LAST!

HERE IS PART THREE OF BUILDING this highly complex triple-kit from Hong Kong-based Takom.