MODEL MONSTERS HELP CREATE ‘THE REAL LOCH NESS MONSTER’ eBOOK

MONSTER REPORT
I journeyed to Scotland recently with a team to investigate a famous legend, Nessie, the Loch Ness Monster. We explored all around Loch Ness, visited the tourist sites, went to the museums, cruised out on the water, and theorised late into the night.

We came to some fascinating conclusions, which you can read about in The REAL Loch Ness Monster available from Amazon, Apple, and other online eStores. And there is a model connection with the book too.

THE HAMEX MODEL EXPO - H-DAY VIDEO RELEASE

The HAMEX (Hanslope Model Expo) went off OK, and for a first-time event it really seemed to do the stuff. Mat Irvine demonstrated Doctor Who’s K-9 robodog and showed groups of science fiction enthusiasts various props and models from BBC TV series that he has worked on, including Blake’s 7 and Moonbase 3.

We made the quickie video above with an iPod Nano, which gives pretty good results bearing in mind it’s little bigger than a stick of chewing gum. The tiny machine is particularly impressive for its closeup abilities - even in fairly dim lighting the pimple-sized lens can give sharp results when recording objects as close as 20-30 mm (1 in) away. Simply amazing, especially when paired with the iMovie video editing software that comes free with any Apple computer.

Take a look at iPods here.

HAMEX MODEL EXPO - H-MINUS ONE DAY...

The HAMEX co-hosted event is on tomorrow Sunday, November 29. If you’re in reach (there’s a map on the link below), it’ll be well worth coming.

HAMEX (Hanslope Model Expo) model-master Mat Irvine, will be showing his BBC Special Effects models and props, including the Doctor Who K-9 robodog, the Liberator spacecraft from the classic Blake’s 7 TV series, and a world-first: space models from the 1973 BBC science fiction series Moonbase 3.

UPDATE Mat will also have some spacecraft models from the ultra-long running astronomy series 'The Sky at Night' hosted by Sir Patrick Moore CBE. Mat will also run question-and-answer sessions at 1130 and 1430, when K-9 will be rolling around!

HAMEX co-host Paul Fitzmaurice of Little Cars will be showing tools and accessories for model makers.

Scale Model News will display a range of items from the SMN vaults, plus a slide show.

Check out the Hanslope Model Expo here.

Check out Little Cars here.

If you like spacecraft models, check out the interesting Space Craft Science Kits site here.

THE HAMEX MODEL EXPO - H-MINUS 5 DAYS...

Here’s another trail for the HAMEX event we’re involved with this coming Sunday, November 29. If you’re in reach (there’s a map on the link below), it’ll be well a visit, so do come along and visit us if you can.

HAMEX (Hanslope Model Expo) is masterminded by Mat Irvine, who will be bringing along lots of his BBC Special Effects models and props, including the Doctor Who K-9 robodog, the Liberator spacecraft from the classic Blake’s 7 TV series, and a world-first: space models from the 1973 BBC science fiction series Moonbase 3.

Mat will be hosting two informal question-and-answer sessions, one at 1130, one at 1430 - and if you’re a dog-lover (or a robot fiend) then K-9 will be in rolling-robot demo mode!

HAMEX co-host Paul Fitzmaurice of Little Cars will be there too, with a galaxy of tasty tools and accessories for model makers.

David Jefferis (‘Mr J’) of Scale Model News will show a fascinating range of items from the SMN vaults, and with luck we’ll be showing some videos too.

Check out the Hanslope Model Expo here.

Check out Little Cars here.

Mat Irvine’s site is here.

THE HAMEX MODEL EXPO - H-MINUS 24 DAYS AND COUNTING...

Here’s a trail for a UK model event later this month. If you’re in reach (there’s a map at the link below), here’s the date for your diary: Sunday, November 29. It’ll be the first - of many we hope - model events that SMN will be co-sponsoring.

HAMEX (Hanslope Model Expo) is masterminded by Mat Irvine, who will be bringing along lots of his BBC Special Effects sci-fi stuff, including the Liberator spacecraft from the classic Blake’s 7 TV series (top pic above), the Doctor Who K-9 robodog (bottom) and much more besides.

HAMEX co-host Paul Fitzmaurice of Little Cars will be there, with a galaxy of tasty tools and accessories for model makers.

David Jefferis (‘Mr J’) of Scale Model News will present the Win-A-Prize competition, plus a fascinating gallery of items from the SMN model vaults, and with luck we’ll be projecting some videos too.

Check out the Hanslope Model Expo here.

Check out Little Cars here.

Mat Irvine’s site is here.

ROBOCOP MARCHES ONTO A JAPANESE BOOK JACKET

We were all smiles in SMN Towers yesterday when sample copies of a colourful book series, completed for Japanese publisher Holp Shuppan, appeared in the arms of our friendly postie. The books are a series of four called Robozones, and pride of place goes to the Robot Warriors jacket that features a model of the ED-209 robot from the movie Robocop - proof (as if you needed it ) that us scale model fans can get anywhere.

ED-209 started life as a cheap-n-cheerful clip-together toy, one of the ‘Ultra Police’ from Kenner, now part of Hasbro. SMN’s Mr J (David Jefferis) who authored the books, cleaned up the mouldings, assembled the parts (just two - legs and body, with a cap-firing trigger behind the head) and added a little paint detailing. Now ED-209 was ready to star in a photographic session, followed by a mega-dose of David’s favourite computer tool, Adobe Photoshop.

Using Photoshop, ED-209’s photographic image was removed from its plain studio background, and laid instead onto a suitable night-time cityscape. With that completed, extra details could be added with brush tools, highlights sprayed in, and reflections incorporated - in fact, a junior version of the special effects used in so many movies.

The cover designs for the series were completed in-house by Holp Shuppan’s designers, using images supplied by David, and a very good job they made too.

Robocop toys and models are around in droves, though ED-209 figures are rather thin on the ground, and this particular one is no longer marketed. Amazon has a selection of models, which you can browse here. You can also have a look at English-language editions of the Robozones books here.

INCOMING - SMN will be giving away a FREE ebook soon, and ED-209 will feature in that, so watch out for the offer to appear.

HAMEX - A ONE-DAY EVENT FOR UK MODEL FANS

If you’re in reach of the UK’s Milton Keynes area, here’s a date for your diary - Sunday, November 19, which will be when the first model event (of many we hope) that SMN is co-sponsoring opens its doors.

The Hanslope Model Expo (HAMEX for short) is being masterminded by Mat Irvine (pictured above) who will be bringing along lots of his BBC Special Effects stuff, including Doctor Who’s K-9 robodog, the Liberator spacecraft from the classic Blake’s 7 TV series, and much more besides.

HAMEX co-host Paul Fitzmaurice of Little Cars will be there, with all sorts of tasty tools and accessories for model makers.

David Jefferis (‘Mr J’) of Scale Model News will present the Win-A-Prize competition, plus a fascinating gallery of items from the SMN vaults.


Check out the Hanslope Model Expo here.

Check out Little Cars here.

SMN NOW HAS A DOT-COM ADDRESS

Scale Model News now has its own domain name, which you can home in on at lightning speed here, so you don't need the 'blogspot' bit in the search field any more.

On the other hand, if you stay with the old address you should be forwarded automatically, so no worries either way.

As the site expands over the next few months, there will be more features, which I look forward to implementing.

David Jefferis, aka 'Mr J'