AMAZING METAL MINIATURE: EDUARD FEISELER STORCH TO 1:72 SCALE

EVERY NOW AND AGAIN we come across something that goes way beyond the normal – and here is a great example, showing the build-up of a metal Feiseler Storch.

CLOSEUP MODEL MAKING WITH THE LIGHTCRAFT STANDARD HEADBAND MAGNIFIER KIT

 

IN COVID LOCKDOWN, many modellers do not have the excuse ‘I’ve nothing to do.’ Backing this up, model suppliers report that they’ve never been busier, and helpful gadgets have been hot sellers in 2020.

INTERNATIONAL PLASTIC MODEL COMPETITION IN SINGAPORE

 

THIS WEEK SAW the annual Airfix Competition 2020, organised by Peter Chiang, of Hobby Bounties in Singapore. Due to the Covid-19 and the Singapore Air Force Museum being closed, it was held online at Facebook, under the Hobby Bounties’ event 'mini-Airfix Cup 2020.'

BUILDING A TAMIYA 1:48 SCALE CRUSADER TANK

AIRPLANE-SCALE TANKS are go in this well-crafted video. The British Crusader cruiser tank featured is made to 1:48 scale, resulting in a model that is just over five inches (131 mm) long. Nice!

MODEL-MAKING THE OLD WAY FOR THE MANDALORIAN NEW SERIES

THE NEW SEASON OF THE EXCELLENT Mandalorian has the usual range of sci-fi effects, characters, and models. And some of these depend on the old techniques of actual model making.

NIFTY VIDEO SHOWING  a model aircraft collection, and the neat shelving built for the display. Worth looking for a collective sigh of nostalgia. For example, there's a beautifully made Fairey Rotodyne in one corner, one of our fave machines of all time. 

TOP GUN'S MAVERICK FLIES IN WITH 1:48 SCALE F/A-18 SUPER HORNET

IN 1986 WE GOT we got the hugely successful movie Top Gun. Next, what will be 35 years later (the film release is due in 2021) we should see the follow-up Top Gun: Maverick. The star of the first movie, Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell (Tom Cruise), returns again, but now plays the role of a flight instructor.

HALLOWEEN TREAT: THE MUNSTERS LIVING ROOM KIT FROM POLAR LIGHTS

 

IT’S HALLOWEEN AGAIN and here’s a chance to look at a kit that definitely fits the idea of ‘spooky.’ 

WHAT-IF AIRFIX KITS.. WELL, WE CAN BUT DREAM!

MATTHEW TEEVAN IS AN illustrator who shows his work on Art Station, an online centre for the visual creatives community.

JETSONS ANNIVERSARY: FLYING SAUCER FAMILY CAR

This week in 1962 – actually September 23 – saw the first episode of the Jetsons, a US cartoon TV series featuring a ‘space age’ family living in the Orbit City of 2062.

COMING SOON FROM AIRFIX: CLASSIC 1:12 SCALE RACING BENTLEY KIT

A GRAND OLD CLASSIC, the Airfix Bentley is still an excellent kit that shows off the famed Le Mans race car incredibly well.

FANTASY FIGURES INTERNATIONAL MAGAZINE REVIEW

WE COVERED THIS NEW MAGAZINE when it was launched in 2019. Now Fantasy Figures International (FFI) has reached Issue 6, so it’s time for another look.

ALL-METAL MODEL: GORGEOUS SCRATCH-BUILT F4U CORSAIR

SMN MODEL MAKERS are mostly used to working with plastics and similarly easy to work with materials. But long before plastics were invented, models were often hand-crafted from metal.

BUILDING THE 1:600 SCALE AIRFIX HMS BELFAST LIGHT CRUISER

THE AIRFIX 1:600 SCALE HMS BELFAST shown here was first produced in the early 1970s, but the kit stands up well, nearly half a century later.

HUMBROL WEATHERING TUTORIAL ON AN AIRFIX MESSERSCHMITT Bf109E

MOST MODELS LOOK ALL THE BETTER for the addition of some weathering and subtle dirtying.

STROMBECKER CLASSIC KIT HISTORY FROM MAX'S MODELS

ANYONE WITH A NOSTALGIC MEMORY for classic Strombecker kits will enjoy this vid from Max’s Models.

LOOKING BACK AT ANDY YANCHUS AND AURORA

HERE'S A BIO-VID FROM Max's Models, and it makes fascinating viewing of a man who was heavily involved with one of the classic names of the plastic kit industry.

HOW TO MAKE A STAR WARS DIORAMA WITH LASER BLASTS

HERE'S A NEAT DIORAMA based on Bandai components, from YouTube's Boylei Hobby Time.

CLASSIC US MUSCLE CAR IN KIT FORM: REVELL 1:25 SCALE PLYMOUTH AAR CUDA

THIS KIT IS A reissued and reboxed version of an original Revell US kit that dates to around 1995. Just to confirm, this is the newer and more detailed Revell US kit. Monogram also made a very similar 1971 Plymouth which, in convertible form, was the star car that featured in Nash Bridges, a TV cop series that starred Don Johnson.

ALLIGATOR CHEWS A SKELETON'S LEG: LATEST FROM THE NEW LINDBERG LINE

IN THIS TIME OF viral doom and gloom, we all need something to cheer us up, so about a model of a guy about to have his leg bitten off by an alligator? Well, maybe this 1:12 scale kit is not as bad as it sounds.

1:18 SCALE HOBBYBOSS HARRIER: GIANT-SIZED JUMP-JET REALLY LOOKS THE BIZ

HERE'S AN ACE HARRIER to the BIG scale of 1:18. This vid is well worth watching, and is the eighth in a highly-watchable series of build chapters.

REVELL HAWKER TEMPEST: WORLD WAR II LAMINAR FLOW FAST FIGHTER

YESTERDAY, WE LOOKED at the Team Tempest future-fighter project. Today we look at the Revell 1:32 scale kit of the original Hawker Tempest, of World War II vintage.

KITBASHER'S DELIGHT? THE NEW TEMPEST INTERNATIONAL FIGHTER PROJECT

THE TEMPEST IS going forward as a new project, with a target in-service date from 2035. It will almost certainly replace the current Eurofighter Typhoon fleet, used by the Royal Air Force (RAF) and eight other air arms.

BUILDING THE BANDAI STAR DESTROYER FROM STAR WARS

BANDAI HAVE DONE WELL with Star Wars kits, showing solid achievements in accuracy, tight moulding standards, and excellent presentation. The 1:5000 scale Bandai Star Destroyer is a good example of this track record.

MPC RECIPE FOR A GREEN-CHEESE BLUE MOON TRIKE MODEL

THE LATEST 1:25 SCALE TACO TRIKE KIT from MPC includes a vast array of decals, one set being for a so-called ‘Luna Cycle.’

THE MOST UNDERRATED BRITISH AIRCRAFT OF WORLD WAR II?

HERE'S A VERY INTERESTING CHAT VIDEO in which Greg's Airplanes and Automobiles talks about a childhood meeting at the Revell company's factory. Lucky kid!

2021 FORD BRONCO REVEALED: A CHANCE FOR A SCALE MODEL?

CAR FANS CAN APPLAUD Ford for bringing back the Bronco. The 2021 Bronco comes in plenty of variations, including our favourite doors-off open version.

BRAND-NEW 2021 FORD BRONCO, AND A REVELL BRONCO FROM AN EARLIER ERA

OFF-ROAD DRIVERS rejoice, for the 2021 Ford Bronco is due to be revealed next week. This will be the seventh-generation Bronco, even though the line ceased production back in 1996. For scale fans, a 1970s-era Revell Bronco is available in 1:25 scale.

TACO TRIKE: 1:25 SCALE CUSTOM MOTORCYCLE KIT FROM MPC

THE MPC TACO TRIKE has a neatly-moulded V-8 engine, and a wedge-style body, hence its original 1974 name, Wedge Chopper.

ED 'BIG DADDY' ROTH'S MAIL BOX CHOPPER TRIKE TO 1:25 SCALE

THIS IS A CHOPPER-STYLE motorcycle trike, one of a six-strong 1:25 scale range, first issued by MPC in the 1970s. 

WORLD WAR II HENSCHEL Hs 129 TANK-BUSTER FROM ZOUKEI-MURA

ZOUKEI-MURA has some excellent kits out there, including this large-scale Henschel Hs 129, a type nicknamed the 'can opener' for its powerful weaponry.

SUPER-DETAIL BUILD OF THE EDUARD RED TAIL P-51D MUSTANG

ANOTHER FINE VIDEO FROM MASTER model maker, Tom Grigat. The kit is from the 1:48 scale Eduard Royal series, and includes resin and brass components.

OFF-ROADING IN A 1:24 SCALE REVELL LAND ROVER

THE LAND ROVER IS ONE OF THE WORLD'S best known off-road vehicles, and is found in every country. But considering this widespread popularity, kits of the original Land Rover to 1:24/25 scale have been few and far between. In the military scales of 1:35 and 1:72/76, yes, but to the standard car scale, no.

JUNE 2020 ROUND 2 PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT

HERE'S A LOOK AT THE CURRENT GOODIES now on sale from Round 2. It's well worth watching, even if we're not ultra-keen on the bright intro music!

VIDEO FROM MAX: THE STORY OF TOM DANIEL, MASTER KIT DESIGNER

HERE'S ANOTHER LOOK AT the master imagineer Tom Daniel, this time from Maxsmodels. It's a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at one of the icons of custom models.

SINGAPORE AIRFIX MUSTANG COMPETITION

LAST WEEKEND SAW A 48-HOUR GROUP build, organised by Peter Chiang, of the Hobby Bounties model store, in Singapore.

CLASSIC TOM DANIEL CUSTOM-CAR DESIGNS TO 1:32 SCALE

IT’S TIME TO HAVE a break from the Covid-19 gloom and doom. So here we have two reissues from Atlantis Models, model cars that are light-hearted caricatures of what were basically caricatures in the first place.

VIDEOMAKER TOM GRIGAT ASKS: IS THIS THE FIRST-EVER BATMOBILE?

HERE IS ANOTHER excellent video from Tom Grigat, whose YouTube subscriber count is currently not far short of 50,000. That's pretty cool, Tom, and we hope your fanbase keeps growing!

FIST OF WAR: SCI-FI RETRO-FUTURE TANK BUILD

THIS IS NOT YOUR EVERYDAY war, instead Model Collect has a model range that's based on a version of the Luftwaffe 1946 what-if science faction scenario.

VFX ARTIST REVEALS HOW BIG 'STAR WARS' SHIPS REALLY ARE!

STAR WARS MODEL MAKERS are used to making kits at a seriously wide range of scales. The Bandai Death Star II, for example, is made to an amazing 1:2,700,000 scale.

GERMAN BENZ THREE-WHEELER TO 1:24 SCALE, FROM ICM OF THE UKRAINE

UKRAINE MANUFACTURER ICM has released a 1:24 scale model of the world’s first car, the Benz Patent-Motorwagen of 1886.

AMAZING 1:25 SCALE BATWING FROM THE MOVIE 'DAWN OF JUSTICE'

MOEBIUS MODELS brought us the Batmobile for the movie based on two giants of the DC Universe, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. And now Moebius has released Batman’s other mode of transport from the movie, the Batwing.

CELEBRATING STAR WARS DAY WITH THE MILLENNIUM FALCON FROM DeAGOSTINI

IT'S MAY 4, SO TODAY IS STAR WARS DAY and here is a look at probably the biggest kit of the Millennium Falcon available.

FULL VIDEO BUILD TAMIYA SUPERMARINE SPITFIRE Mk.I

HERE'S A REALLY WATCHABLE video of building the Tamiya 1:48 scale Spitfire.

FICTIONAL LAND VEHICLES: SIZE COMPARISON VIDEO

HERE'S A HANDSOME piece of cgi by our friends at MetaBallStudios (MBS). Sit back and enjoy all those familiar vehicles from the worlds of fantasy and science-fiction. From Batman to Star Wars, Mad Max to the War of the Worlds, it's gorgeous stuff. 

BUILDING THE DEATH STAR: DEADLY WEAPON THAT CAN WIPE OUT AN ENTIRE PLANET

EVERYONE'S FAVOURITE KILLER weapon, the Death Star is the most powerful armament possessed by the evil Empire, and it has been shown (above) in various forms of part-built construction. But brothers Benjamin and Isaac Botkin have gone much further, to create a mesmerising build-sequence that displays their musical and cgi talents.

BUILDING THE 1:72 SCALE BANDAI PERFECT GRADE MILLENNIUM FALCON

IF THERE IS ONE spacecraft that sums up the Star Wars saga, then the Millennium Falcon belongs at the top table. Depending on your personal preference of course, the X-Wing or TIE fighter just might compete for gold! But there's no arguing that the Bandai Perfect Grade kit represents the peak where plastic kits are concerned.

GORGEOUS BUICK 'VILLA RIVIERA' FROM GEORGE BARRIS, THE AUTOMOTIVE 'KUSTOM KING'

THIS 1:25 SCALE BUICK RIVIERA CUSTOM is a reissue of a kit first released by AMT in 1965.

AFTER LOCKDOWN: SINGAPORE UPS ITS COMPETITION GAME IN 2020

THE MODEL ENTHUSIASTS in Singapore are hard at work, preparing the National Airfix Aeronautical Model Engineering Competition. It's scheduled for November 2020, when the pandemic caused by Covid-19 will hopefully be in the past.

SOPWITH CAMEL IN MOTION: 1:16 SCALE BIPLANE KIT WITH MULTI-MEDIA COMPONENTS

HERE'S ANOTHER VIDEO TREAT from the master of stop-motion videos, Tom Grigat. This time he assembles a 1:16 scale model from the Spanish manufacturer, Artisania Latina.

A VIDEO HISTORY OF THE MPC MODELS COMPANY

HERE’S A CLOSE LOOK AT MPC, short for the Model Products Corporation, an American manufacturer of plastic scale model kits and promotional models that were especially popular in the 1960s and 1970s. 

FAREWELL TO SPECIAL-EFFECTS MODEL MAKER BILL PEARSON

WE ARE VERY sad to learn of the death of professional model maker Bill Pearson.

STEAMPUNK COMES TO MODEL RAIL WITH A NEW BASSETT-LOWKE RANGE

THE BASSETT-LOWKE BRAND DATES BACK to the late 1890s. So it's appropriate that the Hornby-owned company is now trailblazing a path back to that era with a dedicated range of steampunk-inspired locomotives, rolling stock, and accessories.

FROM PHANTOM MUSTANG TO DELTA DAGGER AND MORE: THE REVELL MODELS STORY

REVELL HAS REMAINED A TOP NAME in the model kit world for decades, and continues to turn out excellent kits.

SCALE MODELLERS AND SELF-ISOLATION

THE WORLD CURRENTLY FACES the deadly coronavirus on the rampage. But – and so we can maybe escape some of the gloom and doom – modellers can use some of the anti-virus measures to our advantage. And that includes the all-important isolation from others.

MEDIA MODELLING SHOW, ESPECIALLY FOR STEAMPUNK FANS

WE'D LOVE TO SAY THE SHOW GOES ON but Media Modelling 3 is another casualty of the war against the coronavirus pandemic.

A VIDEO HISTORY OF HAWK MODELS

THANKS TO MAX KOHNKE on YouTube we can show you this excellent video history of the Hawk Model Company.

1:24 SCALE DEUTZ D30 FARM TRACTOR MODEL KIT FROM REVELL

THIS IS THE second tractor kit in Revell’s new 1:24 scale series, this time featuring one of the most popular small tractors of the early 1960s, the D30 from the German manufacturer Deutz.

LIKE NOTHING ON EARTH: PLAN 9 FLYING SAUCER LANDS ON THIS WORLD

FOR THOSE WHO don’t know their science-fiction, this kit from Polar Lights represents one of the ‘flying hubcap’ UFOs that featured in a 1959 B-movie called Plan 9 from Outer Space.

BERLIN WALL-BUSTER REVELL TRABANT ESCAPES TO THE WEST

LAST YEAR MARKED the 30th anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall, when Germany united from its Cold War-era ‘East’ and ‘West’ halves. So in 2019 Revell Germany celebrated the event by reissuing a Trabant kit with a large diorama base. This depicts a ‘Trabi’ breaking through the wall, into the West.

DIECAST COLLECTIONS AND THE DINKY TOYS STORY

DIECAST SCALE MODELS are traditionally a collector's market, rather than one for builders. But there are plenty of times when ready-built models make perfectly good sense.

BUILDING A BANDAI DEATH STAR II MODEL KIT

BANDAI HAS WHAT IS probably the best selection of Star Wars kits today, even if there are plenty of competitors out there.

1:25 SCALE JEEP vs GIANT GODZILLA IN 'INVASION OF ASTRO-MONSTER'

IF YOU LOOK HARD enough, you can usually find an interesting anniversary. And in 2019, Round 2 used the 65th Anniversary of Godzilla, perhaps the most famous of all movie monsters, to add a creature-feature to its list.

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2020: AND A LOOK AT YESTERYEAR'S SCI-FI FUTURES

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL and we hope 2020 brings you as many models and kits as you might wish for. And if you enter model competitions, well, we hope you win a few prizes!