SCALE MODEL NEWS

Here’s more on Revell’s new kit of the SpaceShipTwo and WhiteKnightTwo combo that will allow anyone to ‘fly into space’ - with two provisos: that they have a spare $100,000 or so, and can demonstrate that they are ‘reasonably fit’! Mat Irvine: The previous post on this 1:144 scale WhiteKnightTwo-SpaceShipOne kit gave most of the details, but as I helped Revell out with some details, advice, and a check-though of test shots against instructions, here’s a bit of background. In all you get five runners (below) three in white styrene, two in clear. However, because WK2 is in effect two aircraft joined together, two of the white runners are identical, as are both the runners moulded in clear plastic. Because many of the parts are identical, and plenty of them are very small, it is vital to pay close attention to the instructions, and not to remove parts from runners until they are required. This applies especially to the two WK2 fuselages, and the four engines, as at first glance, many co...

2014 looks like being a vintage year for Airfix, with a range of new-release and new-tool subjects in various scales. Here we look at some kits designed to partner with the D-Day landings that commenced on June 6, 1944. New-tool D-Day kits include the 1:72 scale Jeep, Trailer and 75mm Howitzer trio (below). Scaled to fit with the expansive Airfix range to this scale, the Jeep will fit nicely with dozens of aircraft, including a new-tool Douglas Dakota, also due for 2014 release. The D-Day Assault grouping (header pic) is a real bonus for diorama enthusiasts, with Jeep, Landing Craft and troops all included in the box. As usual with these combo sets, paints (12), brushes (2) and a tube of polystyrene cement are included, as is the D-Day logo adorning the box. The box-art looks pretty impressive, too. The new-tool (above) Higgins LCVP (Landing Craft, Vehicle, Personnel) reflects the importance of this craft, of which more than 20,000 were made. Each LCVP (scale plans below) could carry 3...

Space fans - and potential astronauts - will cheer this latest Revell real-space kit of Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic ‘edge-of-space’ craft, due to fly paying passengers in 2014. The Revell 1:144 scale kit is a neat one, with both the four-jet WhiteKnightTwo carrier craft and the rocket-powered SpaceShipTwo included in the box. You can hang SS2 from under the WK2’s wing, or display them separately - the choice is yours. The kit is a brand-new tooling, and, according to Revell, has these features: * Highly detailed fuselage on both WhiteKnightTwo and SpaceShipTwo
 * Clear windows
 * Accurately reproduced engines and structured wings 
* Optional extended landing gear
 * Rocket nozzle
 * Includes display stand
 * Super decal set with colourful Virgin Galactic design
 We’ll reserve opinion on accuracy and build quality until we get a chance to assemble the kit, but from the Revell pictures here, it looks up to the usual levels expected in this admittedly small scale. The WhiteKnightTwo...

Hasegawa’s Captain Harlock 'Arcadia' kit is not the first model of this futuristic warcraft by any means. There have been at least three kit versions, maybe four, plus at least one resin and one paper kit of this vessel. Mat Irvine reports: The first Arcadia (I think!) was the Takara version (above) dating from the 1970s, complete with globe base and Captain Harlock figure. Note the box (below) which actually spells the name 'Alcadia'. Recently, Bandai also did the same version as Hasegawa, with the skull and crossbones mounted on the prow, which the Takara kit does not include. Note the ship's anchor and chain on this Aoshima version (below) with a base that just might be a chunk of asteroid, moon, or other space debris. The Hasegawa kit ‘may’ be a reissue of the Bandai, though from what I can tell, the stand is different. Perhaps Hasegawa could have retooled this item for the release. Most interesting though is that Hasegawa is a relatively late entry in the SF (...

Neat and shipshape - or perhaps it should be spaceshape - model kit of a Japanese anime sci-fi series interstellar war vessel. In the words of Hasegawa, the model company responsible for this and plenty of other sci-fi kits, it’s, “One ship against the galaxy.” “…Captain Harlock pilots the Battleship Arcadia in a fierce resistance to the encroachments of an alien race, the Mazone. His semi-sentient ship is one of the few hopes for survival humanity has left. Pulsar cannons bristle from the sleek green decks, prepared to turn warships into cosmic dust. “Grapnel launchers stand ready to fix into prey and bring the Arcadia's lethal blade ram to bear. Even without ever seeing the movies or mangas, this ship is a piece of lethal art deserving of a proud place in your display case.” That’s a tasty piece of hyperbole, Hasegawa. Still, there’s plenty in this kit to keep the keen sci-fi model maker busy, with 152 components and multi-coloured mouldings coming together to bring this space od...

Bet there aren't too many model-makers who can even dream of equalling martial-arts expert Jean-Claude Van Damme's Volvo ultra-lithe super-split advert, but it's a fun-view anyway. Happy Boxing Day! Not forgetting of course that a 1:24 scale truck can make an excellent project, with challenges that are somewhat different to the usual aircraft, car, or tank. Italeri in particular have a wide range of trucks to choose from, both Euro and US designs, plus a spectacular line in custom paint jobs the one above featuring a Viking theme, appropriate for the truck itself, a Volvo from Sweden. So here's the challenge - find a 1:24 figure from the parts box, gently heat the hips, then bend the legs and pose between a couple of truck models to recreate JCVD's amazing truck advert - of which Volvo inform us that no special CGI techniques were used in its making. It's all real folks.  Truck kits here. Preiser figures in various scales here.

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! This CGI Chuck Norris fun piece was based on a real-life video-ad, commissioned by Volvo to illustrate the accuracy of the on-board truck steering systems. Come back tomorrow, Boxing Day, for that ouch-making reveal. Have a good day and trust you don't eat too much Xmas pud! Plenty of Volvo truck kits here.

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. Hiroto Ikeuchi’s year-long kit conversion led to something that’s more of an incredibly detailed diorama than any kind of computer we’ve seen. Certainly ergonomics and ease of use took a back seat to an amazing eye for detail. In Ikeuchi’s words about the variety of kits available in Japan today, “It is possible to make anything.” And that’s certainly true for this mini-extravaganza, which he calls his “secret base,” every surface packed with stuff to drool over - Tamiya tank, digital camera, combat soldiers - they’re all there if you look hard enough. Ikeuchi didn’t stop at the actual computer either, for he’s also had a go at various peripherals, including a USB flash drive disguised as an artillery piece, and a mouse two-timing as a battle tank. The overall theme is defence, in which plastic com...

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. The Russian Mil-24 Hind gunship is a big helicopter, and has been modelled well by various manufacturers, including Revell, with its 1:48 scale kit, which Scott used in this video. Assembly is reasonably easy, with enough internal detail to be convincing, especially under the two big nose canopies. Plenty of weapons are supplied - rockets, missiles, and nose cannon - so the big beast can be modelled loaded for bear with minimum effort, or resorting to third-party suppliers. The kit has 150 components, and when assembled measures some 405mm (16in) long, showing what a big beast the real thing is. Crew figures are supplied, and if painted carefully, they can look really convincing. As for the VFX side of things, Scott's tutorial looks interesting (thanks Scott!) and of course, you can use th...

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. The software used is called (wait for it) Deshaker v2.5 filter for VirtualDub 1.9.9 (blimey) and you can see the transformative effect, especially when you note the jiggling of the frame, which indicates just how much unwanted camera movement the software has managed to remove. That was the real thing more than four decades ago, but today you only get to build a model. However, the Dragon 1:72 scale kit of Apollo 17 - the last Apollo mission - is a good rendering of the scene, a part of the Moon known as the Taurus-Littrow Valley. The LRV covered nearly 36km (22.3miles) during its short stay on the Moon, astronaut-drivers Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt being aboard the four-wheeled buggy for 4 hours 26 minutes in all. The mission ended successfully, with crew an...

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. You’ll probably believe the destructive power of this tiny hand-crafted brass cannon only when you see it in action on the video. Builder Shamir has added a gunsight to an earlier model he made, and has also refined the mortar’s bore, both of which improve firing accuracy. As you’ll see, its target-tracking is second to none. The tiny weapon fires steels balls just 3.2mm (0.126in) in diameter, but they have enough hitting power to punch clean through an unexpectedly wide range of targets in Shamir's home. The real thing From the 15th to the early 20th centuries, very heavy siege mortars were used, with cast-iron throats ranging up to around 39in (100cm) in diameter. As early as the 1400s, mortars could lob cannonballs weighing a massive 260kg (0.26 tonne), to create massive damage when they hit. ‘Roaring Meg’ was another big mortar, used ...