SPITFIRE COMPETITION WINNERS: FROM PROTOTYPE TO 'STAR WARS' REBEL FIGHTER

PETER CHIANG’S LATEST MODEL COMPETITION in Singapore focused on an ever-popular subject, the Supermarine Spitfire fighter.

FULL VIDEO BUILD TAMIYA SUPERMARINE SPITFIRE Mk.I

HERE'S A REALLY WATCHABLE video of building the Tamiya 1:48 scale Spitfire.

PROFESSIONAL MODEL MAKERS OF 1968

HERE'S A NICE  LITTLE FLASHBACK movie. We particularly like the large-scale Spitfire, made for the air battle sequences in a World War II movie.

'SUPER MODELS - SOME ASSEMBLY REQUIRED' EXHIBITION AT THE TIME AND TIDE MUSEUM, GREAT YARMOUTH

IF YOU'RE IN EAST ANGLIA then a trip to Great Yarmouth is a must, as a 'Super Models' exhibition is being held at the Time and Tide Museum, an inspirational place that's converted from a piece of Yarmouth's heritage past, a building that was once used to smoke herrings.

NEW LOOK FOR SCALE MODEL NEWS

Watch out for a fresh new look at Scale Model News, due very soon.

INCOMING: 1:48 SCALE SUPERMARINE SPITFIRE PR XIX FROM AIRFIX

A new-tool kit from Airfix that features one of the fastest and most graceful Spitfire versions made, powered by a Griffon engine.

WORLD WAR II 1:72 SCALE SOVIET FIGHTERS IN AIRFIX CLUB 2013 TRIPLE PACK

SMN REPORT 
It’s that time of the year again, when Airfix introduces its latest Club-only kit edition. And the 2013 Airfix Club kit is called ‘Under the Red Star’ but instead of featuring a single subject, there are three 1:72 scale fighters, all in the same box.

FAREWELL DIAMOND JUBILEE

SMN REPORT:

Here’s the SMN Miniature Flypast, to mark Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee. A pity the weather for so much of the four-day celebration was so typically British (aka cool and wet), but it didn’t dampen spirits too much, even if the red-white-and-blue cake got rather soggy during yesterday’s SMN Crew street party. 

2012 INCOMING - NEW AIRFIX KITS AND ACCESSORIES

SMN update:

The 2012 Airfix catalogue is with us, and the company has a host of tasty new products in the pipeline for the coming year. Here’s a look at some of the good stuff to come.

75th ANNIVERSARY SALUTE TO THE SPITFIRE

David Jefferis looks at the aircraft and two excellent kits

Today’s the day, 75 years ago, when the Spitfire took to the skies on its maiden flight. The designer, RJ Mitchell, had already built up experience with high-speed aircraft through his Schneider Trophy seaplane racers, and for the Spitfire, Mitchell sketched a design with unusual elliptical wings that could be armed with no less than eight machine guns. There was a closed cockpit, with oxygen supply for the pilot at high altitude, and a Rolls-Royce Merlin engine that made it faster than any other British aircraft.

THE MODELZONE EXPANDS

David Jefferis reports
Here’s some interesting information for British model fans - the ModelZone chain is adding new outlets to its already extensive number of stores. The new expansion will cover Birmingham, Ipswich, Leicester and Glasgow, with more to come. It’s an encouraging sign that points the way to a good future for the hobby.

Wide range at ModelZone
ModelZone markets a wide array of miniatures, from plastic kits and model trains to sci-fi collectibles and slot-car racers. There isn’t a vast range in any particular genre, but the sheer variety means that there is a tasty ‘Aladdin’s Cave’ flavour to these stores, and it’s almost impossible to leave without purchasing something pleasing. An exploration is highly recommended!

Airfix Fighter Collection
Among products available at the moment is the Airfix 1:72 scale ‘Fighter Collection’ set, featuring five World War II aircraft: four Spitfires of various types, plus a Hawker Hurricane and a big stand. As you can see from the pic, the finished group looks pretty impressive. As is normal with these Airfix gift sets, you also get pots of paint, though how useful these are to serious model makers is another issue - at least they might come in handy for the touch-up collection.

The pictures show, top to bottom:
1  ModelZone logo.
2  Airfix Fighter Collection box.
3  The five-aircraft set, mounted on a very neat included stand.

Visit the Fighter Collection at ModelZone here:

You can view a selection of other Spitfires here.

TAMIYA SUPERDETAIL SPITFIRE NOW RELEASED

We were talking Spitfires in mid-September, when we saw that Tamiya was showing its brand-new 1:32 scale Mk IXc at the Tokyo Hobby Show. And now the little beauty is officially on release. As the pics above show, the Spit is loaded with mouthwatering detail, in particular the 12-cylinder Rolls-Royce Merlin engine. The engine cowling panels are pretty much to scale and to achieve this are just 0.4 mm (0.01 in) thin. You can remove them easily to show off the Faberge jewel-like Merlin that Tamiya has crafted.

There’s also a highly-detailed cockpit and a neat little 16-page booklet, packed with reference pics taken by the Tamiya team when they were researching the model. The aircraft is marked JE-J, which was the Spit flown by Royal Air Force ace James ‘Johnnie’ Johnson, and Tamiya’s sculptors have done a pretty good job in creating a fair likeness of him to 1:32 scale.

The Mk IX is pretty much SMN’s favourite Spitfire, so the Tamiya kit will be given a workout in the near future, if only to check Tamiya’s ‘most accurate yet’ claim.

The Tamiya 1:32 Spitfire will be available from stores and online suppliers very soon. Meantime, if you can’t wait - or would simply like to graze a Spit or three - there’s a tasty lineup for you here.

Pictures courtesy Tamiya.

SENSATIONAL SPITFIRE MODEL

It’s not often that the SMN crew is stopped in its tracks by something quite so drop-dead gorgeous, but Jean-Pierre Cousinet’s 1:3 scale (yes, one-third scale!) Spitfire brought us to a halt PDQ. The gleaming Spitfire Mk IX is something of a crusade for Frenchman Jean-Pierre, who is a passionate aviation fan, for eventually he would like to see his creation produced in a limited-production run.

J-P’s Spit has a wood airframe that’s covered in aviation-grade aluminium plate, with exact reproduction of skin panels, structure and internal parts. The detailed cockpit was put together using original drawings, and has an adjustable seat, illuminated gun sight, and rear-view mirror. Future developments could include armament compartments with ammunition boxes, belts and rounds; a working scale engine is another possibility.

Incidentally, J-P dedicated the Spitfire to the late Sir Ray Hanna, famed for being a founding member of the UK Red Arrows aerobatic team, and The Old Flying Machine Company, which keeps vintage warbirds in flying condition.

It looks terrific Jean-Pierre, and SMN wishes you bon chance with the project.

For those of us who want a biggish Spitfire but don’t have room for a 1:3 scale replica, Forces Of Valor offers a diecast 1:32 Mk IX Spit, complete with decent pilot figure. It’s a hefty beast, and some of the detailing is perhaps a little heavy, but it certainly looks impressive in its 356 mm (14 in) square box. Prices vary with supplier, but Amazon has reasonable deals on the FoV Spit.

Find out more at Jean-Pierre Cousinet’s site here.

Inspect the Forces of Valor Spitfire Mk IX here.

See The Old Flying Machine Company’s Mk IX Spitfire and P-51D Mustang here.

Video and pictures courtesy Jean-Pierre Cousinet, Pyperpote.

BATTLE OF BRITAIN DAY

Today is Battle of Britain Day. From July to September in 1940, the German Luftwaffe attacked shipping and ports in southern England, moving on to target RAF airfields and infrastructure. The Battle of Britain was a close-run thing - at one point the Royal Air Force had all its aircraft in the air, with no backups left at all. But after September 15, Hitler changed tactics, and historians generally agree it marked the turning of the tide in that air war.

The aircraft heroes of the Battle of Britain were the Hawker Hurricane - a Guernsey Airport Model Show 1:72 specimen with fuel truck is shown at top - and the Vickers-Supermarine Spitfire (pictures below). There are more Spitfire kits that you can shake a stick at, but the grandaddy of them all is surely the big old 1:24 scale offering from Airfix, dating back to the 1970s. It’s still a pretty good kit that offers a wealth of detail, even if the undercarriage legs can be a little weak at the knees. The Spitfire shown was made by Warren Osborne, and looks to have just about the right amount of weathering, giving it a hard-used daily combat look.

If you like the outdoors then maybe a radio-control Spit could be a buy. ParkZone’s neat ready-to-fly electric Spitfire MkIIb is a great way into RC, as it comes complete with all the bits and bobs you need. It’s not too twitchy in the air, enabling a relative beginner (even this reviewer) to do loops and rolls in fairly short order. Unusually, the pilot figure manages to look semi-human, even if he does come minus body and appendages.

Thanks to Warren Osborne for his Spitfire pictures. You can see more at the excellent Aircraft Resource Center here.

Amazon has the Airfix 1:24 scale Spitfire here, and the ParkZone RC Spitfire here.

GIANT RADIO CONTROL SPITFIRES

For World War II radio control (RC) fans, here are two ace videos featuring the beautiful Spitfire. The flying shots (top) were made at the Southern California 2009 Scale Fly-In at Prado Air Park, earlier this year. The 1:4 scale Spit was built by Don Reno over the course of two years, and looks to be well worth his time and effort. The only thing we need now is for someone to make a noise-converter that will make an RC fuel engine sound like a Rolls-Royce Merlin!

The second video shows an Australian Spitfire Mk Vb RC project in the making. It has a 2.4 m (96 inch) wingspan, and is an ongoing build. We look forward to seeing this biggie in the air sometime soon.

Where RC is concerned, there’s been huge progress from the manufacturers over the last few years. Rather like computers and other tech products, you get far more for your money, which is a great place to be.

Among the available ready-to-fly Spitfires is the excellent electric-motor Parkzone Mk II (bottom). Inside the box is everything you need to fly, and the RC system has two switchable modes - easy for beginners, max for combat vets. There’s no undercarriage, but at this level that’s no bad thing.

The Parkzone Spitfire is widely sold, with various offers available, including this £109.99 GBP ($180.00 USD) price from online outfit Wonderland Models, here.

FAB FIVE: EXOTIC AURORA KITS

Aurora kits represented a goldmine of exotica in years gone by. While other companies were giving us familiar (even then) P-51 Mustangs and Spitfires, Aurora teased us with luridly marked P-36 Peashooters and of course, movie monsters like The Mummy. Today, such kits achieve good prices on the collector market, and quite right too - though of course, once they achieve such status, they’ll never get built, which is a bit of a shame. So which early Auroras have achieved stardom in my hall of fame? Find out now, with Mr J’s five Auroras from the vaults:

1 The Mummy
Creatures from the movies were Aurora’s stock-in-trade, and made the range very different from the likes of, say, Airfix. Of the various Aurora offerings, The Mummy wins, for his classic grusomeness. But the nearest I got to frightening anyone with the model was to fix him inside a sealed black box, with a pair of eye holes in the front. “Look inside the box, Sue”, I said to my elder sister. She emitted a faint squeak as she stared at the dim ‘Glow in the Dark’ bits of The Mummy, then sighed and went back to combing her hair. Score: Mummy 0, Boyfriend 1.
2 Lockheed XFV-1
The 1950s was an era of dramatic invention, with a scale and range of aero-experiments that was mind-boggling. And Aurora was right there, reflecting those ideas. The XFV-1 was one of a pair of US VTOL prop fighters that achieved little flight success, never went into military service, but to a tech-obsessed youngster, their amazing looks were signs of things to come.
3 Roman Bireme
A school project got me going with this, and its 1:80 scale wasn’t too far away from standard aircraft 1:72. We created a Roman invasion scene with a plaster-of-paris sea, and a beach made with real sand. It looked pretty impressive, and I took it home afterwards to add a few 20th century items, thus creating a Rome-with-the-Allies D-Day landing zone.
4 Swedish ‘S’ tank
I wasn’t an overly military boy (though my Dad was ex-Army) but I did enjoy a tank or two, with Shermans and Centurions among my top heavy weapons. The ‘S’ hit the spot for its futuristic weirdness - a tank with no turret? What were the Swedes thinking about?! The scale - 1:48 - sold it to me, as I was (and still am) a fan of this scale. But after assembly, it didn’t look much like a tank somehow, so I mounted an instant-coffee lid on top, attached various dish antennas, then sprayed the lot white, to create an exploration vehicle with built-in helipad. And I won a model competition with the result!
5 Orion 2001 spaceliner
I was lucky enough to go to the London opening of Stanley Kubrick’s 2001, and it was the very first sci-fi movie I saw that had convincing special-effects: look - no strings! The Orion, complete with Pan Am markings, was my idea of what a spacecraft really ought to look like. As for being served by a tasty (and weightless) space hostess, the mind boggled. Aurora’s kit was made to a notional 1:144 scale, and had good detail for the time, including a spacefaring nuclear reactor in the tail.

OK, that’s my Aurora Fab Five - what are your choices?