SCALE MODEL NEWS

THERE HAVE BEEN SO MANY GREAT KITS released in 2016 that we can't really point to the best or the worst. So, to kick off, we'll start with our love of science fiction.  SMN 2016 lookback: The 1:8 scale Flash Gordon and the Martian is a neat retro-look sci-fi kit from Atlantis Models. Bubble helmets were de rigeur back then, and the two-piece item provided in the kit looks convincing, when worn by our hero. The thigh-high Martian is a strange little critter, but the two look good together, especially as they each have a small patch of Martian terrain to stand on. These are supplied in the kit.  Click here for the SMN kit review.  Read on for more. Note there are assorted links in bold, to kits and to articles at SMN.   The neatly detailed Revell 1:32 scale kit ( below ) of Germany's World War II Heinkel He 162 Salamander jet impressed us, especially as it's an unusual choice of subject. Click here for the SMN review. Mat Irvine built up the 1:24 scale Belkits Ford ...

SIKU IS PERHAPS LESS OF A HOUSEHOLD NAME than classic brands like Dinky and Corgi Toys. Even so, Siku is a thriving company that dates back to 1921. SMN report:  Siku is based in Ludenscheld, Germany, and currently has 850 staff across the world. Its models are accurately detailed, and because they are marketed primarily as children’s toys, are robustly made and often include various play functions. Even so, they are all accurate miniatures, and some ranges are made to recognised model scales such as 1:50 and 1:32. So, with some extra detailing work and suitable weathering, they can be often be usefully integrated into serious scale modelling, especially as part of diorama scenes.  Siku toy models are sold worldwide, with local export markets that include other countries in the European Union (EU). Further afield, Siku is an established name in countries such as China, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, and Mexico. Farm machinery ( below ) is a strong part of the Siku r...

THE 1:72 SCALE RETRIEVER ROCKET is a reissued and reboxed Glencoe Models kit, itself based on one of the Strombecker classic ‘Man in Space’ series. Mat Irvine: The kit parts remain the same, but this time there is new box artwork from Ron Miller, one of the best-known space artists. Ron painted the earlier Glencoe release as conventional artwork, but this time he has digitally combined model photography and background photos. On the back of the box ( below ) you get the original art, plus information on how the design came about. Strombecker first issued the kit in 1957, so it is coming up for 60 years old. Considering its age, the tooling has survived remarkably well, with parts ( below ) that show only touches of flash. But these are as nothing compared to some other old kits, and it has to be said, a few that are a lot newer, too. Strombecker issued the original kit as the RM-1, the designation standing for Round the Moon, as the ship was not designed to be a lunar lander. Glencoe ...

WE HOPE YOUR CHRISTMAS DAY WAS A GOOD ONE! And here's another photo album for you to while away some post-turkey moments. The 1984 movie Ghostbusters has become one of the best known fantasy movies ever made. Matching its popularity must be the awesome number of kits and diecasts featuring Ecto-1, the Cadillac ambulance ( header pic ) used by the trio who saved New York from forces beyond our imagination. Old model kits never die, they just carry on being interesting ( below ). The Rambler company is no more, but it was once a well regarded brand with cars that included the Rambler Station Wagon. The 1:25 scale kit produced by  Jo-Han  was subtitled a 'Curbside Custom Cruiser.' Area 51 ( below ) continues to be a subject of intense discussion and argument among UFOlogists and conspiracy theorists. So this UFO diorama by Mat Irvine echoes the debate by featuring military personnel and a government agent, inspecting dead or dying aliens at the scene of a disastrous crash. ...

CHRISTMAS IN SPACE WITH Robby of the Space Patrol and the mini-Robbies. All robots should look like these classics from the age of early science fiction cinema. Deserved winner of the 2016 Scale ModelWorld show at Telford, UK ( below ) was this gorgeously made alt-history VTOL Ferrari. It was dreamt up by Stefano Marchetti. Retro factual space ( below ) with a fully-detailed can-shaped space station produced by Revell. Star Wars land speeders ( below ) in three flavours, plus a section of alien landscape. A little known Airfix kit, the Gerry Anderson-inspired modular spacecraft Starcruiser. It's currently the machine star of an eBook series . 0n30 model train fans will enjoy this fantasy conversion ( below ) of an 0-4-0 saddle-tank engine. For those who don't know, 0n30 is a cross-gauge size that runs 1:48 scale rolling gear on 00 gauge track, which therefore becomes a narrow-gauge scale. Most available gear is based on stuff that ran on early American railroads. If anyone know...