DESIGNING A DE HAVILLAND MOSQUITO MODEL KIT

THIS EXCELLENT VIDEO takes us behind the scenes to show the thought process behind creating a state of the art model kit, here the Airfix 1:72 scale De Havilland Mosquito.

'FAST & FURIOUS' MOVIE HERO CAR - 1:24 SCALE DOM'S PLYMOUTH GTX

WE ARE NOW AT NUMBER NINE in the Fast & Furious movie franchise, with at least one more in the works. The films have featured a very large number of cars, consequently it is slightly surprising that there haven’t been many kits of them.

FIRST BATMOBILE EVER?

YOU CAN SEE TOM GRIGAT’S wonderful workmanship again in the video (above). The fascinating subject is a 1:35 scale kit of the one-off Romfell Panzerwagen, built in 1915.

HOW TO TURN YOUR SCALE MODEL HOBBY INTO A FULL-TIME JOB

SMN VISITORS MAY WELL BE familiar with Peter Chiang, the dynamic head of Singapore's Hobby Bounties model store. 

FAREWELL TO ANDY YANCHUS, MODEL EXPERT AND PROJECT MANAGER AT AURORA MODEL KITS

A NAME THAT WILL BE familiar to many modellers, Andy Yanchus sadly died in Florida on 11 September 2021.

IT’S STAR TREK DAY TODAY, SO TRY THIS 1:32 SCALE ROUND 2 KIT OF THE SHUTTLECRAFT ‘GALILEO’

AS AN ALTERNATIVE TO using the matter transporter on Federation Starships, there were the box-like shuttlecraft. 

VEHICLES AND FIGURES MODEL COMPETITION

HOBBY BOUNTIES is run by Peter Chiang in Singapore, who ran another of his model competitions on 7 August 2021. Mat Irvine and Tony James of Timeless Hobbies (ex-Comet Miniatures) were asked to judge the entries.

BIG SNAKE IN THE GRASS FOR SCIENCE-FANTASY LOVERS

THIS IS AN EXCELLENT KIT FOR science-fiction and fantasy lovers. It’s to 1:48 scale, and is based on a TV series from the 1960s.

VIRGIN GALACTIC SPACESHIP TWO AND WHITEKNIGHT TWO FROM REVELL

 

WITH SIR RICHARD BRANSON beating his space entrepreneur rival, Jeff Bezos, into space by a week or so on July 11, 2021, it's time to take a detailed look at Revell’s 1:144 scale kit of the Virgin Galactic craft.

VULCAN KIT DESIGNER TALKS ABOUT CREATING THE SCALE MODEL

THE AVRO VULCAN V-BOMBER is a charismatic aircraft, one that was well-known for its characteristic engine 'howl' when it flew spectacular displays at air shows.

PHABULOUS PHANTOM COMPETITION SHOWS GREAT RESULTS

SINGAPORE'S PETER CHIANG recently ran a two-week Phantom II model build. For Phantom Phans, this was a superb competition, and the results reflect this.

EAT YOUR HEARTS OUT, PLASTIC LOVERS! HERE'S A SCALE SUPERCAR MADE OF WOOD!

OK, SO YOU NEED A FULLY-FITTED workshop to make it, but the result is fantastic – a scale Lamborghini Aventador, complete with working swing-up doors.

MORE MODELS FROM SINGAPORE

 

Model makers have been busy again in Singapore, these photos taken at the Easter weekend competition held by Hobby Bounties, under the direction of Peter Chiang.

COMPETITION FOR PHANTOM PHANS OF THE WORLD

HOBBY BOUNTIES of Singapore has a new competition for modellers.

AIRFIX AVRO VULCAN V-BOMBER KIT

THE DELTA-WING COLD WAR WARRIOR is coming as an updated model from Airfix. The 1:72 scale kit of the Vulcan B.2 includes a drop-down crew access ladder, and under the belly nestles an accurate Blue Steel stand-off nuclear missile. 

Scramble! Scramble!

FAREWELL TO KIT-BOX ARTIST JOHN AMENDOLA, 1930-2021

YOU MAY NOT BE FAMILIAR with the name, but if you are anything like a regular model maker, you will have bound to have seen the work of John Amendola.

FROG MODEL KITS: A QUICK LOOK AT SOME CLASSICS

FAREWELL TO DARRELL BURGE OF HORNBY

Scale Model News is sad to hear of the passing of Darrell Burge of Hornby. Darrell was Product Manager at Airfix, since moving from Humbrol in 2006, and in charge of the revitalisation of Airfix products over the last decade.

FORD GALAXIE COP CAR FROM THE JAMES BOND MOVIE ‘DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER’

JAMES BOND is the movie industry’s longest running franchise, with the 25th movie due for release in 2021. And now Round-2 has a license to produce kits of Bond movie subjects, using the AMT brand. 

A QUICKIE FROM AIRFIX: SUPERMARINE WALRUS GHOST ASSEMBLY

A DELIGHTFUL KIT FROM AIRFIX, the 1:48 scale Supermarine Walrus seaplane is a charming build, which can produce a really unusual addition to your display shelf.

And for diorama fans, adding a seascape for the Walrus to float on will make it a real star on the model show circuit – if we ever get back to live shows, that is. Maybe in Autumn 2021?

NEAT BANDAI 1:60 SCALE KIT OF A TOSHIBA EC160 ELECTROMOTIVE STYLE INJECTION MACHINE

THIS UNUSUAL KIT depicts a Toshiba EC 160, a moulding machine that can inject more than one colour into a single plastic runner. Bandai uses machines like this to produce kits such as Gundam action figures and Star Wars models.

BIGGEST OF THE BIG: HO GAUGE 'BIG BOY' LOCOMOTIVE FROM REVELL

 

OF ALL INDOOR SCALE subjects, the one that stands out compared with, say, aircraft, cars or ships, has been model trains. This is primarily because model railroads are not static models – instead, they are intended to be working miniature replicas. 

1:48 SCALE 1955 CHEVROLET STAKE TRUCK FROM ATLANTIS MODELS

VEHICLES TO 1:48 SCALE are not that common, as it is not a traditional car or truck scale, which is usually 1:24/5 or 1:32. But 1:48 is a common aircraft scale, and is also the American model railroad O gauge, so having road transportation like this Atlantis Chevrolet Stake Truck is a bonus.

1:24 SCALE REVELL CAR KIT. IT'S A PORSCHE – BUT NOT AS WE KNOW IT

THE OTHER HALF of this 1:24 scale Revell Gift Set, the Porsche Panamera, has already been dealt with in SMN, so now here's the other kit in the box – a Porsche 918 two-seater.

HAPPY NEW YEAR WITH A REVELL 1:24 SCALE PORSCHE PANAMERA

PORSCHE-LOVERS STAND BY to enjoy a duo of kits, packed in the same gift box. The Panamera and 918 Spyder are both to 1:24 scale. First we look at the Panamera.