TAMIYA 1:72 SCALE ZERO FIGHTER

SMN REPORT:

Here’s another Tamiya kit about to hit the model stores, a beautifully produced 1:72 scale Mitsubishi Zero Type 21 fighter. The kit joins Tamiya’s new War Bird Collection, and it’s really to be welcomed as 1:72 has been looking something of a Cinderella scale in recent years.

LAND OF THE RISING SPACE LAUNCHERS - OHSUMI SATELLITE AND LAMBDA ROCKET FROM AOSHIMA

REPORT: MAT IRVINE

Following Aoshima’s 1:350 scale H-IIB launch vehicle, the company has come up with another Japanese launcher, the four-stage Lambda L-4S. This fired Japan’s first satellite into orbit in 1970, the Ohsumi 5, making Japan the fifth country to launch its own satellite with its own rocket. 

ANOTHER MODEL STORY FROM EARTHQUAKE-HIT JAPAN

SMN report

Our best wishes go to all in Japan, and especially those directly affected by this event. 

We are pleased to report that one of our favourite internet stores, Hobby Link Japan (HLJ), has survived, though it did not go unscathed, as HLJ President, Scott T. Hards, relates below.

Weird noises on the telephone

In Scott's words: “The quake started small, as they usually do. We'd had a few little ones in recent days here, so I didn't even think to end the phone call I was on. As it slowly grew in strength, I eventually mentioned it to the person I was speaking with. “Yeah, I can hear some weird noises coming from over there,” they offered. As it continued to grow in power, things around my desk started to jump about, and I finally hung up the phone with a quick “call you back.”

SALUTE TO ALL VICTIMS OF THE JAPANESE EARTHQUAKE AND TSUNAMI

SMN comment

Our sympathies and best wishes go to all the victims and their families involved in this tremendous and still unfolding tragedy. 

Twitter messages from Kyosho

It was brought home to us when we read the Twitter messages from Kyosho of Japan, respected for all its excellent RC products, and admired at SMN especially for its excellent 1:18 scale cars. The latest news is that Kyosho will be closed until the 21 March, so our best wishes to all at the company, and we trust you can restart on schedule.