STEAMPUNK WORLD'S FAIR 2015 PROVIDES INSPIRATION FOR SCI-FI AND FANTASY MODELLERS

FOR SCI-FI AND FANTASY MODEL FANS, steampunk - Victorian flavoured gee-whizzery - has provided a new dimension to miniature making. And the recent 2015 Steampunk World's Fair (video above) provided plenty of ideas that might be incorporated into a scale model, especially where figures are concerned.

1:35 SCALE FANTASY SKY-BOAT 'WALDO' FROM INDUSTRIA MECHANIKA

Science-fiction fans start here, with this whimsical fantasy aerial trampship, named Waldo. The concept was penned by designer Ian McQue, made available as a kit from Industria Mechanika to 1:35 scale.

INDUSTRIA MECHANIKA: HOME OF SCI-FI'S FINEST CONCEPT KITS WITH A DIFFERENCE

It's good to return to our friends at Industria Mechanika, purveyors of original science-fiction models that are a world away from standard-issue Star Wars and Star Trek.

ORIGINAL SCI-FI INCOMING - 1:48 SCALE ORBSHIP, 1:35 SCALE TROOPERS ON RELEASE FROM INDUSTRIA MECHANIKA

SMN REPORT:

Industria Mechanika are making a name for original sci-fi and fantasy modelmaking, and here are some of the latest works being prepped for sale.

ROBOTS ON THE MARCH IN JAPAN

SMN report:

We’ll be fascinated to see how many robots will be on display at Japan’s Shizuoka Hobby Show on May 17-20. They’ll probably number in their hundreds, from a host of toy, figure, and kit manufacturers, including Fine Molds, whose 1:20 scale robot shown here comes from the anime fantasy movie Laputa: Castle in the Sky.

CONTEST - DESIGN A STEAMPUNK FIGURE CONTEST, WINNER GETS IT MADE AS A MODEL KIT

SMN report:

The Industria Mechanika sci-fi model outfit is going from strength to strength, and now there’s a contest on to spice things up. If you’re a steampunk fan (and we are) then IM’s invitation to send in figure designs in the genre is a tempting one.

NOW TAKING ORDERS - STEAMPUNK FIGURES FROM INDUSTRIA MECHANIKA

SMN report:

Industria Mechanika has just opened the order book on a trio of precisely sculpted scale figures, ‘Deckhands’ for the Ralph McQue Remora anti-gravity floating cargo ship. The excellent Remora was released earlier this year, and it’s good to see the steampunk-inspired fantasy vessel will have a scurvy crew before long.

2012 INCOMING - GORGEOUS STEAMPUNK KITS FROM FICHTENFOO AND INDUSTRIA MECHANIKA

SMN report:

Boy, there are some enviable kit-producing talents out there, and they are not just working with the mainstream companies, either. US modelmaker and web designer Michael Fichtenmayer is among those talents, and his FichtenFoo and Industria Mechanika websites bring us all manner of science-fiction delights, including this limited-edition model kit of Ralph McQue’s Remora, a sort of anti-gravity floating cargo ship. Orders are being taken now for this very limited release.