SCALE MODEL NEWS

MAT IRVINE: This is one of Tamiya’s latest kits in its 1:24 scale Sports Car Series. The car is a highly modified Ford Capri in Group 5 racing guise, as seen in the 1981 German DRM (Deutsche Rennsport Meisterschaft) auto racing series. That 1981 date might give you a clue that this is not a brand-new kit, the original version going back to 1980, in the early days of this Tamiya 1:24 scale range. Then the kit was number 14 in the range, this latest is number 329. Parts layout for the new release (above) with the rear chassis (below), where the motor used to be located. It sat between the rear wheels, battery at the back. Electric power The age of the kit is also signified in that it was originally intended to be motorised. Even in the 1980s, many Japanese car kits still had this feature, originally intended to be a compromise between a full ‘scale model’, and something that still had an element of ‘play value’. The first issue was motorised, but by the second issue, in 2004, this elemen...

MAT IRVINE: The new 16-page colour booklet that comes with the AMT Avanti kit was produced to celebrate the Avanti’s 50th anniversary in 2013, in conjunction with the Studebaker National Museum in South Bend, Indiana, also the home town of Round 2 LLC, who make the kit. I went to the Studebaker Museum not long ago, so here is a selection of pictures to give you an idea of what gems lie inside its walls: the place certainly well worth a visit if you are in the area. Once inside, you can see  clearly that the Avanti remains one of the most striking designs to to be penned and built in the US. Original 1:10 scale clay design for the Avanti, completed by Loewy Associates. A very different automobile For a start, the Avanti was built with a glass-fibre body, itself not unique (the Corvette has one too) but the Avanti was a four-seater. The car also came with an optional Paxton supercharger, had less chrome that was usual for the period, and was shaped by famed industrial designer, Raym...

SMN REPORT: Hong Kong’s Dragon Models (DML) is hot on the Hollywood trail with these two releases, both 1:9 scale kits, featuring action-figures from the newly released movie, Iron Man 3, starring Robert Downey Jr. Both kits are due out in May 2013, and represent two figures from the Iron Man 3 movie: the red-and-gold Mark XLII (Mk 42) and the black-and-steel War Machine version. There are not too many details available yet, so we’ll stick to Dragon’s basic information about the 1:9 scale kits’ special features: * …faithfully reproduced in model kit form, allowing collectors to assemble their figures individually. * …end product of exhaustive CAD design, and the heroes are made with an eye to perfect accuracy and authenticity. * …separated into as few parts as possible to ensure they're extremely easy to assemble. Too simple? For those of us that like at least 100 parts (and preferably more!) it sounds like Dragon has come up with what could be two easy-but-boring kits. But maybe n...

We recently mentioned the upcoming 1:48 scale Soviet lunar lander from Fantastic Plastic, and now here’s another blast from the past, with the same spacecraft made out of Lego bricks. There’s not a lot to say about the construction of, or the parts required to build the lunar lander model, as Lego artist ‘Kei_Kei_Flic’ hasn’t left any details at the Flickr Photostream site. Still, it looks good, which is what counts, and is more proof (if any were needed) that Lego has to be the world’s most useful and diverse toy building-brick system. Enjoy these pix, and note the excellent N1 booster that KKF has made (above right), even if it isn’t to the same scale as the convincing lunar lander model. There’s also a neat-looking Vostok to look at on Flickr, though we think the LK lunar lander outpoints it, all helped by the well-lit and sharp photography throughout. Kei_Kei_Flic Flickr Photostream here . Lego space systems here . Lego Technic here .

DAVID JEFFERIS REPORTS: The tie-up between Hornby and the classic Pocher car kit brand has finally turned to modelmaking gold with the upcoming 1:8 scale kit of Italy’s finest - the Lamborghina Aventador LP700-4. As you might expect from Pocher’s previous kits, the body of this hefty 7kg (15.4lb) 1:8 scale model is made of high quality diecast metal and comes ready painted. The Aventador has more than 600 components, made of materials that include metal, plastic, rubber and various textiles. Functional parts Steering, suspension and spoiler mechanisms are functional as are the swing-up doors. Despite that, the car is claimed to be easy to build, and can be assembled in either left- and right-hand drive versions. Despite the large scale, the low-slung Lambo is hardly a massive shelf-filler, as it barely tops 142mm (5.6in) high. Still, size isn’t everything, though looks are, and this one has it in spades. About Pocher Arnaldo Pocher was born in 1911 in Trento, Italy. He trained as a gol...

MAT IRVINE: The Finescale model of South Korea’s KSLV-1 (Korea Space Launch Vehicle) is a satellite launcher, rather than a ballistic missile, but it is of a similar size to North Korean rockets presently being brandished by the aggressive North Korean regime. The KSLV-1 model was first issued in 2011, and is supplied in white styrene plastic, moulded on one runner. It is a straightforward kit with 20 components to assemble the rocket itself, plus a plastic base and a metal rod to support the completed model. Satellite choice But you do get a payload, or in this case a choice of two satellites, to be placed under the rocket’s removable nose shroud. The satellites are very simple, being basically a cube and a hexagon - but this is in 1:144 scale, and with careful painting they can look convincing. Decals The only slight downside to the model is that although decals are provided, they are the peel-off/stick-on type, rather than the conventional and much thinner waterslide variety. Howeve...

MAT IRVINE: A 3-in-1 AMT Trophy kit from the 1960s, the Studebaker Avanti has been reissued several times, but this is the first time it has returned to the original box design, albeit a box that’s slightly bigger than the first time round. The Avanti was first released in the AMT ‘Trophy’ series, kits with generally more parts than usual, in this case a component-count approaching 150, including extra parts that allow you to build a stock version, a generic Bonneville racer (below) or a mild custom. Round or square? The custom version is distinguished mainly by having square headlamp surrounds, instead of the stock round design. Intriguingly, Studebaker’s 1964 Avanti differed from the 1963 model mainly in having square headlamp surrounds, similar to those designed for the AMT kit by US car customiser, Gene Winfield. Rumour has it that the people at Studebaker saw Winfield’s work for AMT, were impressed by his square lights, and scaled the design up to use in the real thing! Repack the...