SCALE MODEL NEWS

WE MOSTLY THINK OF MODELS as miniature versions of the real thing, 1:72, 1:48, 1:87 and so on. Well, every now and again, the models get their revenge and make it the other way round - from small-size original to full-size 1:1 realization. SMN report: Here we feature the Thunderbirds movie from 2004, which featured some full-size versions of Gerry Anderson's miniatures from the TV puppet series. The video ( below ) not only shows a number of 'dream car' designs produced for the motor show circuit, but also takes a sneak peek at updated and redesigned Anderson vehicles. These include a super-sleek updated version of the original bubble-top six-wheel Rolls-Royce FAB 1, driven by chauffeur Parker for the female boss he called, "M' Lady" Penelope. Under the skin, the pink movie car was actually a Ford, but it still looked pretty good to our eyes. You can see it in closeup in the movie ( below ).   Lady Penelope's FAB 1 is presented ( below ) in 1:32 scale m...

A SAD LOSS TO THE modelling world is Dave Carlock, who died recently, aged 77. For many years Dave worked for the AMT Corporation when it started in Troy Michigan, then he went to Ertl in Dyersville, Iowa, and most recently, Testors in Rockford, Illinois. Mat Irvine: David Carlock was an artist and designer, and many of the creations made as kits came not from more well-known names like George Barris or Gene Winfield, but from in-house artists and designers such as Dave. David Carlock was born November 28, 1937, in Dayton, Ohio, though he grew up in Detroit, Michigan, where he attended the Art School of the Detroit Society of Arts and Crafts. He majored in industrial design, which put him close not only to the full-size car companies, but also to the fledgling AMT Corporation in Troy, a suburb of Detroit. David ( below right ) at the 1994 Hobby Show in Chicago, with colleague Tom Haverland at far left. His AMT designs including participation in the Bugaboo, a stretched VW Beetle d...

Aoshima seems to be the only kit company coming up with regular brand new items in the real-space field. This one is the tenth in its Space Craft Series, and features the Epsilon, Japan’s latest launch rocket. Mat Irvine:  The Epsilon is a small satellite launcher that uses solid fuel stages for the first through to third, with an optional liquid fourth. To keep costs down, the first stage is actually a modified booster from the larger H-II Japanese launcher, also kitted by Aoshima. Moulded in white, red and transparent plastic, the kit makes up into the rocket itself plus a launch pad. The latter includes the launch rail, pad, and blast trap. This all sits on a revolving base. Usefully, two metal weights are supplied to add to the base, to help keep the assembled structure stable.  The rocket can be built with an opaque exterior, but the upper stage payload shroud is also moulded in clear plastic, to display the supplied satellite model. This is the Spectroscopic Planet Obser...

IF THIS MODEL LOOKS familiar, it should be, for is it is a renamed Police Spinner from the classic science fiction film Blade Runner , already made as a kit by Fujimi.  Mat Irvine: But then why is this one called ‘Future Car’? This is because it appears in Back to the Future Part II, the second one in the trilogy that really is set in the future, where the car is seen briefly - very briefly - parked in a couple of scenes as, well, a parked car. The kit - as the Police Spinner - has already been reviewed here , and the Future Car is, as far as the parts go, basically a straight reissue. No markings or special paint job are required, and some of the exterior details are not required - just build it ‘out of the box.’ Cleanly moulded components (below) are a Fujimi hallmark, including red and blue transparent light units. Incidentally this is not the only ‘re-used’ Star Car to appear. The car built for the The Last Starfighter  movie was built, as was the Spinner, by customize...

REVELL HAS REISSUED its original 1:25 scale 1957 Chevy Bel-Air kit as one of the creations of zany car customiser, Big Daddy Ed Roth, the ‘Rat Fink’ himself. Mat Irvine: Although you might think of Ed Roth as the originator of some of the wackiest custom cars ever devised - Mysterion, Road Agent, Surfite, among others - he was a painter first and foremost, and used cars purely as a canvas to show off his artwork. Colourful kit box ( below ) also shows the drag-racing version, available as a build option. Ed Roth and two colleagues - Tom Kelly and Kelly’s grandfather, Bud ‘The Baron’ Crozier - had started The Crazy Painters pin-striping business in South Gate, California, in 1957. But Ed needed a practical mode of transport, and his work with The Crazy Painters earned him enough to buy a brand-new 1957 Chevrolet, the car depicted in this Revell kit. Making the kit is generally an easy business. With gloss-black paint applied ( below ) and some of the ‘chrome’ trim from Bare-Metal Foil,...

IT’S WITH SADNESS THAT WE REPORT THE death of fantasy writer Terry Pratchett, who died on March 12, 2015, aged just 66. Mat Irvine: If you are wondering why Sir Terry rates a mention on SMN, well if you are familiar with his 40 Discworld novels, then you’ll be aware of the absolute wealth of suitable scale model material contained in their pages - and the absence of model kits featuring the work of this hugely popular fantasy writer. From Pratchett's Discworld itself - supported by four elephants on the back of the giant turtle, Great A’Tuin, as it paddles through the cosmos - to the multitude of characters he created, you’ll realise that here has been a great opportunity that’s been missed by model-kit manufacturers. It’s true that have been plenty of ready-made figurines, but if Aurora was still in operation, I’m convinced that Discworld characters would have long ago been added to the model kit lineup. Then again, you could try using Lego ( below ). There’s the inept wizard Rin...

WE’VE FEATURED THE LUNA rocket from the 1950 movie Destination Moon before, but this new kit from Pegasus Hobbies assembles to make the tallest model yet. Luna comes in the accepted rocket scale of 1:144, so can be stood next to a Space Shuttle or Saturn V for comparison. Mat Irvine: The Luna  rocketship had a classic 1950s streamlined rocket shape, and reflecting this, the kit is simple in construction. The model is moulded in Pegasus Hobbies’ usual ABS plastic, rather than styrene, which is tougher, and gives a shinier finish. The kit is intended to be cemented together, but the mouldings are accurate enough that it could almost be a snap-tight model. Assembly is an easy matter with few parts ( below ). The plastic lunar regolith base is a neatly sculpted and moulded item. As was also common for the 1950s, Luna in the film had an overall silver finish. Pegasus recommends silver/chrome, but I feel this is a tad too bright. Testors Chrome would be a good choice, but Humbrol ha...