SCALE MODEL NEWS

TOLEDO COLLECTORS TOY FAIR CAR KITS on display included some mouthwatering new releases from Moebius Models. Mat Irvine: The Moebius Models stand was fronted by Product Manager Dave Metzner, who deals with the company’s car and truck output. Dave was particularly interested in showing the upcoming 1961 Pontiac Ventura, but also on display was a tantalising glimpse of the new Batmobile that will feature in the movie Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice . The kit - which will be pretty well an essential buy for Bat fans - is due early 2016. New logo for Moebius Models ( below ) replaces one based on an Aurora original. Dave Metzner ( below ) shows off the new Moebius 1:25 scale Pontiac Ventura kit. Moebius 1:25 scale car kits ( below ) include a 1954 Hudson Hornet, 1965 Plymouth Satellite, and the yet to be released 1961 Pontiac Ventura. The new Moebius Models 1961 Pontiac Ventura ( below ) will be a useful kit to swell the ranks of retro-era US vehicles. 1965 Mercury Comet Cyclone ( cent...

THE TOLEDO COLLECTORS TOY FAIR was held earlier this month in Sylvania, Ohio. Today we look at the new models that were shown on the Round 2 stand. Mat Irvine:  The Round 2 stand was manned by one of the product developers, John Greczula. The Toledo Toy Fair is primarily a showcase for model cars, so appropriately enough, most of the R2 models on display were from the AMT and MPC brands.  Reboxed AMT 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T ( below ) as seen in the cult movie Vanishing Point .  John Greczula ( below, standing far left ) talks with Dave Vann. Other reissues on show included the AMT Dodge Deora ( below, bottom right ) in its original box design. Also due is the Flameout show rod, which hasn't been seen since the 1970s. Read about the Deora at SMN here. Racing driver Warren Tope's 1973 1:25 scale Ford Mustang ( below ) reissued in the AMT Original Art series. The recently issued AMT Piranha (otherwise known as The Man from UNCLE car) was on display ( below ) along with a b...

THIS IS THE long-anticipated release of the 1971 Ford Ranger pickup from Moebius Models, which definitely fills a gap in the market. Mat Irvine:  AMT made the Ford Ranger in the mid-1960s, and again from 1975. Although pickups don’t change their appearance as often or as much as cars, there are some year-to-year differences, and until now this fifth-generation version has been absent from the model kit lists. A full review will follow, but as a quick look what do you get? Well, there are 132 finely-moulded parts in light grey, clear, and translucent red tail lights, plus a lot of chrome components. Pickups may be technically commercial vehicles, but that doesn’t mean they can’t look good! I’m looking forward to building this one. The components ( below ) are accurately and finely moulded. Closeup ( below ) on the transparent, red, vinyl, and chrome components. Note that two sets of wheels are included. Pages ( below ) from the comprehensive instructions. As with other Moebius vehic...

THE HORTEN Go 229 WAS A WORLD WAR II German jet that could have made a difference in the air, had it been operational in time. And now here is the Revell 1:72 scale kit, back as a reissue once again. Mat Irvine: The Horten Go 229 was based on a glider prototype the Horten brothers had built in 1933, and the neatly produced Revell kit reflects the lines of the developed twin-jet extremely accurately. The aircraft featured was actually designed as a fighter/light bomber, in response to a technical spec called the '3x1000' - 1000 kg bomb-load, 1000 km range, 1000 km/h speed. As for the model, it's a pleasure to build, especially for fans of 'Luftwaffe 1946' designs, German 'wonder weapons' that might have changed the course of the war. It's not a big model, with a wingspan of just 232 mm (9.1 in) and of course, there is no fuselage to speak of. But the somewhat odd-looking landing gear has been captured well, as have the complex curves of the Jumo jet engi...

STELLAR NEWS FOR SCIENCE FICTION FANS comes with the latest Revell Snaptite kit of the famed Millennium Falcon starship. Released to coincide with the latest Star Wars movie, the kit has some significant mods to bring it up to date. Assembly instructions ( below ) are clear and detailed. The kit goes together reasonably well, though a few components need some extra care when fitting. For a permanent display model, you could think about using liquid cement.  Differences in this latest Millennium Falcon include the antenna ( below ). It's no longer a dish, now a curved rectangular shape. Detailing is generally crisp, and even though there is plenty of pre-finishing out of the box, smaller details will look that much better if you go in with airbrush, markers and paints. We prefer the original dish antenna (below) which has a more prominent appearance. But it's not a make or break thing, and in any case this sci-fi model invites conversion possibilities. We'll be going for a...

WORLD WAR II BUFFS will be delighted by the Airfix 1:24 scale Typhoon, due for release next year. No, it's not a Groundhog Day release, it's actually the 'car door' version of the Hawker Typhoon that preceded the teardrop canopy design already in the Airfix list. The new kit promises to be every bit as good as the present model. We do have a request though, and that's for Airfix to make the landing gear somewhat stronger. Maybe the oleos could do with being made of metal this time round. Neat cutaways in the chunky wings reveal that the guns and ammo belts ( below ) are present and correct. The hatch coverings are accurately detailed too. The cgi images ( below ) show that the 2016 Airfix Typhoon will look excellent, and that the car door opens out in a most realistic way. Bombs ( below ) are an optional ordnance load that will give the assembled model real presence. Airfix Typhoon components ( below ) promise to be accurate and moulded in ultra-clean fashion. Yum, ...