TESTORS 1:48 SCALE UFO CRASH SCENE, INDEPENDENCE DAY, 1947

ON JULY 4, 1947, something supposedly happened near the town of Roswell, New Mexico, an event that the world has never forgotten. It was the purported crash of a UFO - an alien spacecraft - and the recovery of the crashed ship and several of its occupants.

1:25 SCALE AMT PHANTOM VAN KIT - OR IS IT A VANTOM?

KIT REVIEW BY MAT IRVINE
If any decade turned the van from commercial vehicle to a statement of cool, it was the 1970s. Until then, the humble panel truck was most likely seen carrying building materials, making store deliveries, or toting tools-of-the-trade. But in the 1970s, vans were tricked out with custom paint jobs, sound systems, maybe a kitchenette, even - if you were lucky - a double bed. And now in 2012, comes a Round 2 Models reissue of such a custom creation, the AMT 1:25 scale Ford Econoline Phantom van.

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.

FUJIMI ‘BLADE RUNNER’ SPINNER - BUILDUP REPORT

Mat Irvine update:

After my initial report on Fujimi’s surprise release of the 1:24 scale Spinner Police Car from the classic science-fiction movie Blade Runner, here’s how I worked to complete the model.

RETRO-STYLE 1:25 SCALE REVELL CHEVROLET SSR

A MAT IRVINE REVIEW
Retro is ‘in’, especially when it comes to cars designed with the past in mind. In the US, it started with Chrysler’s Plymouth Prowler and PT Cruiser, then rival GM took up the challenge and created the Chevrolet HHR (Heritage High Roof) and SSR (Super Sport Roadster) convertible pickup. SSRs were made between 2003 and 2006, although sales were not as high as GM hoped for. The chunky but more practical HHR is currently still in production, though it hasn’t yet been kitted. However, Revell has produced a very nice 1:25 scale model of the SSR.

The Revell SSR is moulded in white, grey and black plastic, plus clear and transparent red, and a chrome-plated runner for those shiny retro parts. The kit is new-style in the accurate way it goes together, and even comes with the interior tub tucked into the bodyshell to show its final position - though that could equally be just for ease of packing!

These vehicles really need to be finished in some distinctive colour, but the SSR’s plans say only ‘red’. For the model shown here, I opted for a Testors enamel spray, Sunburst, which looks more or less as the name, a very bright reddish-orange. The shade was originally one of the ‘Colors by Boyd’ range, but these have now been incorporated into the ‘Car & Truck Enamel Paint’ range. The SSR has optional decals for pinstripes or white panels, though these were not applied to this particular model.

So far as working features go, the real SSR has an electric roof that folds into the trunk when the driver wants to let the sunshine in. The kit is non-working in that respect - the hardtop doesn’t fold, but you can remove it and pretend it is stored! All in all, The Revell SSR is a nice little kit that assembles well, and looks pretty much like the real thing.

Talking of the SSR’s folding roof, I’ll do a piece soon on a splendid piece of retro-Americana, Ford’s extravagant Skyliner of the late 1950s, in which the whole hardtop - for what was a full-size sedan - retracted into the trunk, at which point it left virtually no space for luggage (but who cares...). Revell made a working model of the Skyliner way back, which actually had a working retractable roof. Those were the days!

You can buy the Chevy SSR at model stores and online suppliers, including Amazon here.

You can see the Testors huge paint range here.

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.

TESTORS 1:43 SCALE HELICOPTER TRIO

Scale has long been a bone of contention for this exactoid modeller. The world of diecast vehicles exists largely at railway scales - 00, H0, S - or larger - 1:43, 1:24, 1:18. Bearing in mind the multitude of 1:43 vehicles available, it never fails to amaze me how little there is by way of compatible-scale replicas of other types of transportation.

So when Testors decides to include in its range not one, but three diecast helicopters at 1:43 scale, I’m more than interested. And interesting these helos are, especially the biggie of the three, a CH-149 Cormorant, which is the Canadian Armed Forces version of the Anglo-Italian AgustaWestland EW101.

These big helos trundle regularly across the sky right in front of my hilltop office, near Oxford, UK. They are noisy beasts, with three engines that give out a throaty roar. Not that I mind of course, as having a ringside seat to watch hedge-hopper nap-of-the-earth training flights always gives me a big buzz.

Testors’ other 1:43 helos are a US Coast Guard Agusta-Bell MH-68A and a Bell UH-1D in New York City Police colours. All are pre-painted, and assembly (the Cormorant has just 16 parts) is by screw-and-glue. A touch of subtle weathering and a light blowover with satin varnish will turn them from shiny toys to serious models without too much trouble - and of course, open the door to any number of diorama scenes.

These helicopters are available from retail outlets or direct from Testors here.