SCHWARZENEGGER’S “I’LL BE BACK” CATCHPHRASE RETURNS: EXCELLENT 1:6 SCALE TERMINATOR FIGURE MARCHES IN FROM HOT TOYS

The T-800 Terminator strikes back with this latest 1:6 scale figure from the Hong Kong firm, Hot Toys.

iHOBBY 2013: MAT IRVINE SCOPES OUT NEW SCI-FI STUFF FROM PEGASUS HOBBIES

Pegasus Hobbies is the brainchild of Larry Thompson (on stand, above) starting some years ago with accessories produced for model car builders. Today, Pegasus is far better known for its kits covering the wide topic of science-fiction.

“I’LL BE BACK” - ARNIE SCHWARZENEGGER’S WHISPERCRAFT SWOOSHES IN AGAIN FROM FANTASTIC PLASTIC

California-based Fantastic Plastic has just released a new 1:72 scale kit of the Whispercraft, a fictional helicopter that featured in the 2000 sci-fi movie, The 6th Day.

STAR TREK USS ENTERPRISE AT WONDERFEST 2012

REPORT BY MAT IRVINE:

Here I continue my review of the 2012 WonderFest science-fiction and fantasy show, held at the end of May in Louisville, Kentucky - and take a close look at the test shot (above) of the huge 1:350 scale USS Enterprise due for release soon.

WALKERA RADIO-CONTROL HELICOPTER GETS A FUTURISTIC LOOK

SMN report:

A new arrival on the radio-control scene is the great-looking Walkera LM400Q. The design make a real change from the usual RC helicopter, its development team apparently taking a hefty hint from seminal sci-fi movies such as The Matrix and Terminator. And that’s a compliment, because there’s no real reason why an RC chopper should take its appearance slavishly from the real world.

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.

DESIGNER ADDS A CRUTCHBOT TO THE ROBOT HORDES

Science fiction fans generally have something of a love affair with robots. Whether they are small and helpful (R2D2), tall and shiny (C3PO), or deadly enemies (Transformer Decepticons), there seems to be just ‘something’ about a mechanical man that appeals, even more so if it’s a dangerous clockwork killer. And in Texas, designer-photographer Adam Voorhes has joined in robomania with the damaged machine-man shown above (top), its mobility-aid an old-fashioned wooden crutch under the arm. Adam’s even given a title to his creation: ‘Something seems to be missing’...

Japan is ground-zero for robotics, both real and fictional, and robo-culture there is sometimes obsessed with them. Magazines such as the excellent Hobby Japan run big features, and Euro-comics such as the UK’s 2000AD run strips based on robo-themes. The diorama here shows an excellent ABC Warrior from the strip of the same name, wreaking havoc while on display at a model show.

We recently reported on the T700 robot to 1:18 scale which came with the Terminator Hunter-Killer robo-flyer. But of course the small-scale T700 is just one of a seemingly endless horde of robots on sale, any of which would look great in a sci-fi based diorama. Some of the bigger ones are on offer at massive post-Christmas discounts, so it’s worth hunting around to see what’s available, meantime the T800 endoskeleton (bottom pic) is generally available in stores and online.

Visit Adam Voorhes here.

Terminator robots are available here.

And you can see more robots here.