FUNKY MUSIC ANNOUNCES 1:12 SCALE FIAT 500 FROM ITALERI

THE FIAT 500 is an icon of Italian automotive history, up there in the street-smart stakes with performance cars from the likes of Ferrari and Maserati.

DINKY LITTLE 1:35 SCALE TAMIYA SIMCA 5 IN GERMAN STAFF CAR SERVICE

REPORT:DAVID JEFFERIS

Available shortly from Tamiya is this very neat 1:35 scale Simca 5 military staff car. The tiny Simca 5 was a French-built version of the better-known Fiat 500 Topolino, and many of them were pressed into military service during the World War II occupation of France.

BARBIE DOLL HITS MIDDLE AGE WITH HER 51st BIRTHDAY TODAY

David Jefferis reports
Every teen girl’s favourite, the Barbie doll, first went on sale on March 9, 1959, and shows no sign of slowing down in the 21st century, through a constant series of reinventions to keep her up to date with the latest fashions.

Of more significance to us model fans is that Barbie opened the door to non-girlie ‘male dolls’ such as Action Man, and through him to today’s host of science fiction miniatures, from Terminator robots to Star Trek aliens. And of course, the she-doll is so popular that real-world marketeers have produced a host of tie-ins over the years. For example, last year’s 50th birthday saw a totally cutified and chrome-laden blush-rose Fiat 500 (top picture).

The Fiat 500 is a terrific designer-look car, and model manufacturers seem to be queueing up to produce miniature versions. One of the newer names is Mondo Motors, a diecast company based on the outskirts of Alba, in north-west Italy. Mondo produces both ready-made and kit-versions of the 500, including the variations shown in the pix above. Mondo produces in all the popular scales - 1:18, 1:24, 1:32, 1:43, 1:64 - so there’s likely to be a 500 to the size you want somewhere. Mondo also produces an older style of 500, the original Cinquecento (bottom pic). This was a car so small that when my friend Kate used to give me a lift down the trendy King’s Road in London, my head pushed up the canvas roof into a dome-shape! Luckily in fine weather, the canvas rolled back, so the only danger then was a suntan and eyeball contact with the micro-skirted Chelsea chicks...

So far as accuracy goes, Mondo vehicles are sold primarily into the toy market, rather than as out-and-out scale models. Even so, they are mostly well up to the standards of better-known makers, such as Bburago. There’s a 1:18 scale Mondo metal-kit on the SMN model bench right now - we’re currently stripping off the paint to bare metal, ready for a Mad Max-style post-nuclear external finish. We’ll be adding suitable detail, such as weapons and sensors, plus appropriate battle damage and radiation-scarring too. With luck the project will turn into a sci-fi delight. We’ll show the MM 500 off when she’s ready.

Visit Mondo Motors here.

The Mondo Motors range, including the Fiat 500, is available to buy here.

RADIO-CONTROL BIGGIES FROM TAMIYA - RUSSIAN KV-2 TANK AND ITALIAN 500 RACER

Tamiya’s choice to model the KV-2 tank (‘KV’ was short for Kliment Voroshilov, a defence commissar of the time) is quite unusual, as it was one of the rarest tanks of World War II - only about 255 were made. It was a 45-tonner, and massively armoured, but these were downfalls for a fast-moving battle. The KV-1’s turret was so heavy it needed flattish ground to even turn properly, on top of which the tank was quite slow and unreliable.

However, the Tamiya model shows off the ‘Gigant’ well. It’s made to 1:16 scale and is some 443 mm (17.4 in) long. It’s packed with working features, including forward and reverse, steering, gun elevation and target tracking. Even better, there’s recoil action on both the gun and the KV-2’s hull, with recorded engine sounds to bring digital audio into RC tanking.

Coming right up to date with model choices, Tamiya’s 1:10 scale RC Fiat 500 Abarth is a fine replica of one of the best cars to come from this Italian automaker in many years. The real thing is a hoot to drive, and is only marginally outpointed in the handling stakes by the BMW Mini. The Tamiya model is made of ultra-lightweight plastics, and is less of a ‘scale model’ than the KV-2 - it’s an XB-series ready-to-run racer - but even so, it’ll look great on a display shelf until it’s collected some dings and dents on RC race circuits.

Pictures show, from top to bottom:
1 KV-2 Heavy Artillery tank 1:16 scale RC model.
2 World War II KV-2 picture, courtesy German Federal Archive.
3 Fiat Abarth 500 Assetto Corse 1:10 scale RC model.

Both these models will be available shortly from model stores and online suppliers. Meantime, here are some options:

The 500 RC is available now as a factory-fresh street machine here.

The KV-2 is available as a very neatly produced 1:48 scale kit here.