DID HEAVY METAL INSPIRE ELON MUSK'S TESLA IN SPACE?

ANYONE WHO SAW the SpaceX Falcon Heavy lift off on February 6, 2018, must have enjoyed the sight of Elon Musk's old Tesla Roadster in orbit, complete with its Starman passenger.

EASY TO BUILD SNAP TITE REVELL 1:25 SCALE CHEVY CORVETTE

NOW AND AGAIN, IT’S GOOD to put a model together that doesn’t involve hundreds of parts, hours of painting, and a decal sheet the size of a small country.

L'AMOUR FRANCAISE - WE LOVE THIS NEW COLLECTION OF FRENCH DINKY TOYS FROM LES EDITIONS ATLAS

THE CITROEN DS19 MAY NOT BE a powerful sporting Corvette Sting Ray or Jaguar E-Type, but as one of the prettiest passenger cars ever made, it is certainly a good choice as loss leader (price just 2.99 Euro) for a new Dinky Toys collection from Les Editions Atlas.

INCOMING: AUTOMODELLISMO 2013 MODEL CAR EVENT THIS SUNDAY, MAY 5

This year marks the 60th anniversary of 'America's sports car’, the Chevrolet Corvette, so the organizers of Automodellismo 2013 have made the tasty sportster star of the show.

1:25 SCALE ‘TWEEDY PIE’ FORD MODEL T CLASSIC ROD FROM REVELL

SMN REPORT: MAT IRVINE
Revell-Monogram has reissued the classic Ed Roth ‘Tweedy Pie’ hot rod car kit to 1:25 scale, with some parts retooled, to include a tubular fuel tank and motorcycle-type fenders.

BIG BOAT FROM REVELL - 1:72 SCALE FLOWER-CLASS CORVETTE

SMN REPORT

For anyone who saw or built the original Matchbox kit, this Revell Platinum Edition must bring back memories. Even better, this 2012 version, due in November, will bring the Flower-class ship to new levels of detail.

THIS WEEK ONLY - 40 PERCENT OFF A 1:32 SCALEXTRIC CHEVROLET CORVETTE RACER

 

SMN report
The Chevrolet Corvette Stingray - we’re not supposed to use ‘Chevy’ according to some recent (and misguided) PR rules, we’re told - has been in production since 1952 (yes, 1952!) and it’s been an all-American performance-car love affair ever since. After six design generations in various body styles, the car is still going strong, and as you can see from the video above there’s no shortage of ideas for many more years to come. Which is great, as it’s one of this writer’s all-time fave road rippers.

This week’s Amazon offer
So it’s ‘yes please’ to this week’s Amazon offer of a 40 percent discount on the Scalextric 1:32 scale race version of driver Steve MacDonald’s 2008 car. To be honest, the ’Vette is not the ultimate best from Scalextric, but for scale model fans willing to put in some effort, it’s definitely a masterwork in waiting, as the basics are pretty much there, with the general shape being captured quite decently.

Adding detail to the Corvette
However, the driver looks somewhat vacant, and details like his straps need some TLC to look convincing, as does the cabin itself. As for the exterior, it’s not too bad at all - you’ll want to carefully hollow out the sidepipe exits though, as well as re-scribe the panel lines to give them some bite and incisiveness. Dulling off the paintwork and muddying the wheel arches with an airbrush will also add authenticity.

And after all that lot, blimey, it goes around a track as well! Not bad at all...

Access Amazon’s 40 percent offer here.

Visit Scalextric here.

HOT WHEELS FREE CHEVY CORVETTE OFFER

Here’s an offer for US collectors from Hot Wheels - a free 1:64 scale 1962 Chevrolet Corvette. It represents a ’Vette from the last year when America’s own sports car came with a wraparound windshield. Add to that the handsome ultramarine blue paint plus a pair of racing stripes and you have a nice addition to any collection to this scale. The Hot Wheels ’62 Corvette is packaged in a ‘Collector Edition’ blister card, and comes in a delightfully-named ‘Kar Keepers’ clamshell pack.

Mind you, there’s free and ‘free’. You do have to buy 20 selected cars from the range at selected Kmart stores in order to qualify for the offer, and all before April 17, 2010. So it really amounts to just 5 percent off - but that Corvette looks terrific, and Hot Wheels prices are not exactly wallet-busters, so who’s complaining - not SMN, that’s for sure.

Visit the Hot Wheels offer here.

If you like Corvettes in other scales, there’s a tasty selection here.

Thanks to Autoblog for the offer heads-up.