SCALE MODEL NEWS

SMN report: Automodellismo is the only UK show specializing in model cars, and 2012 sees the second day-event held at Hanslope Village Hall, north of Milton Keynes, Bucks. Automodellismo 2012 is run by SMN Model-Meister Mat Irvine, and Auto-Ace Paul Fitzmaurice of little-cars. Mark your diary now, as the show runs for just one day only, Sunday April 15, 2012. Tools for modelmakers Mat and Paul will be at the show with various displays, and a galaxy of modelmaking tools and accessories, plus heaps of kits for sale.  Club displays Who’s showing stuff at Automodellismo 2012? There’ll be displays from the Milton Keynes Scale Model Club and the Watford Scale Model Club. The UK Car and Motorcycle SIG (Special Interest Group) will be showing too, as will the websites ‘Britmodeller’ and ‘Locate and Cement’. The intriguing ‘Beyond the Box’ SIG will be there too, featuring Wallace and Gromit models.  Winning models Last year’s winning model duo, Ian and Rod Knott, will be there with th...

SMN report: Due soon from OttOmobile of France is a 1:18 scale model of a “complete animal” of a mid-engined British race car, the MG Metro 6R4 from the 1980s. What’s in the OttOmobile model? OttO has modelled the all-racer nature of the 6R4 very well indeed. Race markings are the most obvious external giveaway and these all seem to be present and correct. Inside, the most obvious difference between the MG road car and the racer was that the engine was taken from between the front wheels to a midships position, behind the crew - and grew to a massive race-winning 3-litre V-6 lump. And OttO has produced a very good looking engine, so that’s all right then. Metro 6R4 on the track For a taste of 6R4 driving, have a look at this test drive video from the specialist Autocar motoring magazine. It’s a shortish clip, but includes lots of speed and power, background and tech-talk. Yum! Bright and bold, the OttO 6R4 will look terrific on the display shelf, so if you like the car, pre-orders ...

SMN Report:  Netherlands-based LVM Studios has a treat in store for real-space fans in April, with an interior super-detail package, designed to fit the 1:24 scale Revell Gemini space capsule kit, itself a recent ‘Classics’ re-release. About LVM LVM Studios - the initials are from guiding light Leon van Munster’s name - is a small company based in The Netherlands, whose aim is to design, manufacture and sell model kits and detail-up kits for mainly factual-space subjects such as the Space Shuttle, Gemini, and Soyuz. Sounds like an interesting plan for LVM and we’ll follow progress with interest. Stats from LVM: * 1:24 scale to match the Revell Gemini space capsule kit * Highly detailed ejection seats to go with the kit’s astronauts * Detailed instrument panels, including overhead and circuit breaker panels * Lots of detail, including rivets and switches * Detail parts for the hatches * Frames for the windows, including clear plastic components for the panes * Price €23.11 Eu...

Hobby Master of Hong Kong makes a wide and expanding range of diecast models, of both aviation and military armour subjects. The aircraft in particular hit a sweet spot, with sizes that range in scale from 1:200 airliners to 1:32 combat types. Huge range of models - and collectors Latest aircraft on 2012 sale include a Duxford ‘Flying Legends’ Spitfire Mk. XIV, ‘City of Jacksonville’ F-106 Delta Dart, and a MiG-17 in Cuban Air Force markings. So there’s variety for you, a miscellany reflected in the widespread nature of the buyers, collectors living in dozens of countries. Hobby Master runs an interesting fans page, with profiles of enthusiasts and their collections - and if you get accepted onto the site, hey, you get a free HM model. Introducing HM collectors We’ve taken just three enthusiasts at random to give you a fix on the HM Brigade - but there are many more on the HM site, and it’s well worth going over to have a look. Australia: Chris Hansen Occupation: Security officer, part...

SMN report: After posting news on LEGO’s upcoming R2D2 last week, we were sent a link to LEGO in space, for real this time. Astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) recently assembled a one-off model as part of an education linkup between the space agency NASA and the Danish LEGO company. Japanese space builder Building a Lego model in the weightless conditions of the ISS wasn’t exactly child’s play, as untended bricks would float around, free to clog up vital vents and hatches. Also, plastics can be a fire-risk, especially if they drift close to warm machinery. So, the solution adopted by Japanese astronaut Satoshi Furukawa was to build the biggish - 600 mm (24 in) - Lego ISS using a scientific glovebox. Inside the transparent walls of the box went the Lego bricks, while Furukawa built his model using special manipulator gloves, a bit like the Marigolds used for kitchen sink washing-up duties. Floating away Furukawa managed to complete the Lego build in only two hours ...

SMN update from David Jefferis: Oops, this Vampire Van has been in the ‘passed us by’ department for a while. It’s a fun kit that was released a couple of months ago by Round 2 under the MPC name, and is now generally available. The Vampire Van is well worth a look, not least because it paves the way for the upcoming vampire movie Dark Shadows , starring the excellent Johnny Depp and bodacious Michelle Pfeiffer. Creepy Classic kit The kit is for anyone with a thing for the undead or for retro-style subject matter, and is themed on the Dark Shadows TV series that ran from 1965-71, then again in re-imagined format in 1991. The MPC kit we’re looking at here is a 1:25 scale MPC Creepy Classic, featuring a Vampire Van that might have been used by the series protagonist, Barnabas Collins. Excellent details The model is basically a hot rod-style hearse that’s been customized with heaps of suitably vampirish details. It’s got curtained windows, old-style carriage lamps, an ornate roof rack, a...