CHRISTMAS GREETINGS FROM CHUCK NORRIS AND SCALE MODEL NEWS

Here's wishing all SMN readers a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. May all your scale dreams come true - the bigger the kit, the better!

MIND-BOGGLING JAPANESE KITBASH: PLASTIC KITS TRANSFORM COMPUTER INNARDS TO MAKE AN AMAZING MINIATURE TECHSCAPE

Designer Hiroto Ikeuchi has produced something far out with this extraordinary conversion of a computer into a fantastic miniature world, mixing plastic kits with high-tech computer geekery.

HELO-ATTACK: TOP-LEVEL VISUAL EFFECTS USING A REVELL 1:48 SCALE MIL-24 HIND MODEL KIT

Excellent demo here from South African VFX-master Scott Newman. Being realistic, making a video this good might be beyond many of us, but no matter - it looks great and is something to aspire to.

JADE RABBIT ROBOT LANDS ON MOON: BUT HUMANS GOT THERE FIRST!

This movie dates back to the heady days of Apollo, when astronauts took the electric-powered Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV) for a drive. The update here is to stabilise the video, allowing for a much better viewing experience.

MODEL CANNON BLOWS AWAY EVERYTHING IN ITS SIGHTS

Model engineer T Shamir’s brass mini-mortar operates on the same working principles as the full-size weapons of war dating from the 15th century.

ED ‘BIG DADDY ROTH FROM REVELL: RAT FINK FIGURE AND 'CRAZY PAINTING' GARAGE KIT TO 1:25 SCALE

Here’s a homage to the late, great ‘Big Daddy’ Ed Roth, king of the Customizers and creator of the bulging-eyed Rat Fink rodent. Excellent news for all custom car fans, it’s available now from Revell.

SUN, FUN AND MODEL KITS: HAMEX 5 SHOW REPORT

Sunday December 8, 2013, saw the fifth HaMeX show (Hanslope Model Expo) held in the village of Hanslope, North Bucks, UK. The day was chilly, but bright and dry, which can’t always be guaranteed for this time of year! Above, the new Batman Tumbler from Moebius was built on a suitably grimy Gotham city diorama by Mat Irvine, then loaned to Tony James for his stand.

HUNGRY ROBOTS HEAD FOR HAMEX: K-9 CAFE FEATURES AT THE ANNUAL SWAPMEET AND MODEL SHOW

It’s December again, and that means another HaMeX Swapmeet and Model Show, to be held on Sunday, December 8, 2013, in Hanslope, UK.

MILITARY VEHICLES COLLECTION: WORLD WAR II SERIES TO DIECAST-STANDARD 1:43 SCALE FROM EAGLEMOSS

Here’s another partwork collectible from the publisher, Eaglemoss. For enthusiasts of scale militaria, this World War II series could be a tempter, especially as the models themselves seem to be well made.

FRENCHMAN AT IPMS MODELWORLD 2013: TAKES PIX OF THE EXCELLENT MODELS ON SHOW

French model fan JC Carbonel was hard at work during his visit to the IPMS ModelWorld 2013 recently. His pictures show a kaleidoscopic range of model choices, and highlight the hugely high level of craft skills on display.

JAMES BOND ASTON MARTIN AND JAPANESE WARSHIP: EAGLEMOSS HAVE THEM COVERED AS PARTWORK COLLECTIBLES

The partwork publishers are hard at it with model products these days, and we’ll doubtless be seeing a bunch of new items launched after Christmas. Meantime, here are a pair of ready-built models to inspect, coming piggy-backed with collectible magazine-style publications.

DOCTOR WHO FANS CELEBRATE: 50 YEAR ANNIVERSARY EXHIBITION HELD IN THE LONDON DOCKLANDS

To coincide with the 50th Anniversary of the famed TV sci-fi series Doctor Who, a massive event was held at the giant ExCel exhibition complex in London’s Docklands last weekend, November 22-24, 2013. Among the exhibits was this Sea Base 4 from the 1983 episode, ‘Warriors of the Deep.’

HEAVY-METAL BIKERS: THIS 1:6 SCALE MOTO GUZZI 850V CALIFORNIA IS FOR YOU

Italeri has just released a motorbike kit that will have working-part fans drooling to get their hands inside the box.

INCOMING: AIRFIX 1:24 SCALE HAWKER TYPHOON

Brilliant news from Airfix at the IPMS Scale ModelWorld show is the soon to be released 1:24 scale Hawker Typhoon.

SCALE MODELWORLD 2013: THE WORLD’S GREATEST MODEL SHOW

The massive IPMS Scale ModelWorld is on again this weekend at Telford, UK. For anyone with an interest in scale modelmaking, it’s THE show to visit.

INCOMING: F-101 VOODOO FROM KITTY HAWK MODELS TO 1:48 SCALE

Set for near-future release is a 1:48 scale F-101 Voodoo from Kitty Hawk Models. But can this model beat the classic Monogram kit to the same scale?

HMS ‘ENDEAVOUR’ SAILING SHIP KIT: AHOY THERE, IT’S MADE TO MODEL AIRCRAFT STANDARD 1:48 SCALE!

Sailing ship enthusiasts can climb aboard here for this big model of HMS Endeavour, ‘the ship that discovered Australia.’

JAPANESE ANIME KIT: FINE MOLDS JIRO BIRD-WING AIRCRAFT FROM ‘THE WIND RISES’ MOVIE

‘The Wind Rises’ (Taze Tachinu) is a hugely successful 2013 Japanese animated movie, the fictionalised story of Jiro Horikoshi, designer of the Mitsubishi A5M, and its famed successor, the A6M Zero. And this 1:48 scale Jiro ‘Bird-Type’ aircraft features in the movie.

COMET MINIATURES: THE END OF AN ERA, BUT THE DAWN OF A NEW AGE

Mat Irvine reports: After 30 years of being a major model store in South London, Comet Miniatures closed its doors for the final time last week.

WEEPING ANGEL TEMPORAL VAMPIRE: DOCTOR WHO FIGURINE COLLECTION

Doctor Who fans queue here for a set of collectible figurines from partwork publisher, Eaglemoss. They are moulded to a common 1:21 scale.