HUMBROL WEATHERING TUTORIAL ON AN AIRFIX MESSERSCHMITT Bf109E

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

DO YOU LIKE DIRTY MODELS OR CLEAN ONES? WITH HUMBROL, THE CHOICE IS YOURS

MAT IRVINE REPORTS
When Hornby acquired Airfix, it got Humbrol as well, providing an ideal addition to Hornby’s modelling portfolio, for Humbrol is one of the world’s major model paint and accessory manufacturers.

HORNBY BRINGS BACK HUMBROL PAINTS FROM CHINA - RESTARTS PAINT PRODUCTION IN BRITAIN

SMN REPORT
The Hornby company’s model paint brand, Humbrol, known for its familiar enamel paint tinlets, has shifted some two-thirds of production back to Britain, around ten years after such operations went to China.

AOSHIMA H-IIB SPACE LAUNCHER KIT

ROCKET REVIEW BY MAT IRVINE

Give that the H-IIB launch rocket is the mainstay of Japan’s satellite launch industry it’s somewhat surprising that there has been no kit of it before - this kit from Aoshima is a first.

HORNBY GETS GROWN-UP - 2012 AD CAMPAIGNS TARGET ADULTS

SMN market report:

Hornby Hobbies are expanding the company image away from pocket-money-price ‘small boys’ toys’ to moneyed-and-mature ‘big boys’ toys.’ Well, that’s our take on the plan. In advertising marketeer-speak, Hornby has launched: “a long-term brand campaign as part of a big push to introduce adult consumers to its products.” Having said that, Hornby traditional strengths remain, with updates to the rail range that include the 4-4-0 locomotive above, and the ready-weathered 4-6-0 Black 5 shown after the jump.

AIRFIX DAMBUSTER LANCASTER DIORAMA TO 1:72 SCALE

David Jefferis reports
Airfix takes us back to the night of May 16-17, 1943, and the classic raid ‘Operation Chastise’ on German dams in the Ruhre river valley. The aircraft featured is a 1:72 scale Avro Lancaster, containing 125 parts and a wingspan of some 430 mm (16.9 in).

There are plenty of Lancs around from manufacturers that include Revell’s 1:72 version, but Airfix is the granddaddy of them all, with its first kit dating back to the early 1960s. This ‘Chastise’ edition is considerably better than that early kit (and so it should be!) but still features a not-quite-right fuselage cross-section.

Section of dam
Not to worry though, as the kit makes up well and looks great with the included section of dam, which turns the whole assemblage into something of a shelf-filler. There has been some license taken with the actual architecture, but the general effect is impressive.

Upkeep bomb
Also included in the kit is a separate ‘bouncing bomb’, inventor Barnes Wallis’s brainchild device that made the Dambuster raid possible in the first place. Named ‘Upkeep’ the cylindrical bomb was spun up to 500 rpm by an auxiliary motor before being dropped, then it skipped across the water to sink down the face of the dam, where it exploded.

Summation
All in all, a useful addition to the annals of World War II era aircraft models, and one that will look mightily impressive when displayed. It will almost certainly take a lot longer to put together than the ‘four flying hours’ suggested by Airfix though, even though brushes, cement and eight Humbrol acrylic paints are included in the box. Perhaps that’s just for a quickie basic-build, because the SMN crew plans to allow a week of evenings to do the kit justice.

Upkeep bomb picture courtesy Martin Richards.

The Mohne Dam pictured above was taken after the raid by Flying Officer Jerry Fray, flying a Spitfire PR IX.

For a video view out of the bomb-aimer's nose bubble, visit The English Eye here.

The Airfix Dambuster kit is available from Airfix directly or model stores and online suppliers, including Amazon here.

The Airfix 1/72 Avro Lancaster B1 (Grand Slam)bomber is also available as a kit.

AIRFIX 1:24 SCALE MOSQUITO BREAKS COVER AT IPMS SHOW

Report: Mat Irvine
The UK branch of the IPMS (International Plastic Modellers Society) held its annual National Meeting at the International Conference Centre, Telford the weekend before last. There were two main halls, plus a slightly smaller one used for the competition area. The main halls were packed with trading stalls and club stands, which incorporated SIGs (Special Interest Groups) the ‘Interests’ of which ranged widely - Korean War, seaplanes, NASA, Wallace & Gromit and much more besides.

One of the show's prime interests for aircraft fans was the sneak peak of what has to be the most anticipated model kit ever - the Airfix 1:24 scale de Havilland Mosquito. Airfix Product Manager Trevor Snowdon talked kits with customers, while in front of him stood the ‘wooden wonder’ (well, plastic in this iteration) itself, a Mosquito in part-assembled test-shot form. And very nice it looked, with pale-grey parts laid out around. The box was there too, and really showed off the excellent design trend exhibited by Airfix these days - brightly attractive for general buyers, yet clean-looking and serious for experienced ones. Just right.

The Airfix 1:24 scale Mosquito will be available shortly. Meantime, other Mosquito kits are available here.

The pictures show, top to bottom:
1 Box-art for the initial version of the Airfix 1:24 scale Mosquito.
2 Test-shot of the Mosquito on display.
3 Trevor Snowden, Airfix Product Manager and one of the driving forces behind Airfix since the Humbrol days, discusss models with a customer.

SMN note:
Mat Irvine took many pictures at the IPMS show, and we’re planning to release these in Freeebook form for you shortly. There are many tasty items, so keep checking for the Freeebook release.

A NEW TAKE ON THE ’57 CHEVY FROM REVELL

A MAT IRVINE REVIEW
One of the most popular American cars ever made was the 1957 Chevrolet. The US ‘Big Four’ in the model car field - AMT, Monogram, MPC and Revell - have each made their own kits of the ’57, some dating from decades ago, which have been issued, reissued, and modified over the years. So why has Revell come up with a brand-new 1:25 scale 1957 Chevy kit? It’s mainly because previous models have featured the top-end Bel Air version; this new one is the exact opposite, the entry-level 150 Utility Sedan.

The 150 was more the sort of car you would take racing, rather than the top-of-the-range Bel Air, and it was also the cheaper model that Joe Public would drive, and was often used by travelling salesmen with the back seat removed, to leave more room for samples.

This Revell 2’n1 kit comes with optional parts that allow either stock or race-ready versions to be built, the racer dubbed ‘Black Widow’, reflecting a popular showroom scheme of mostly black with white rear quarter-panels and trunk (‘boot’ to UK readers). Among the changes made by Chevrolet for the Black Widow were to install a 233 cu in fuel-injection engine, add an internal roll bar, leave off the wheel embellishers and wipers, and fitting covers over the headlamps - and these parts are supplied by Revell for the kit, as is the simple racing numbers scheme.

Modern model touches include decals for the interior door panels and seat patterns, and separate chrome-plated door handles - in earlier years these were usually moulded into the bodywork. The ‘V’ emblem Chevy used at that time can either be applied as a decal along with the word ‘Chevrolet’, or they are supplied as separate chromed parts.

The interior of the model I built for this review was finished in Humbrol paints, mostly shades of grey. For the exterior, I used Testors spray paints - Classic White for the white bits, and the new black lacquer for the, well, you can probably work that out. When these coats were thoroughly dry, the whole car was finished off with Testors High Gloss Clear.


Visit Revell-Monogram here.

Visit Humbrol here.

Visit Testors here.