SCALE MODEL NEWS

YOUTUBER TOM GRIGAT"S stop-frame video builds are hypnotically excellent. And here's another one for you, of the Airfix 1:72 scale F-86F Sabre. SMN report: In Tom's words: "...would like to present my recent little clip of a beautiful aircraft. It was a birthday present of my friend Pete Domm and I hope he'll like it... " Tom Grigat adds: "...For the entire body I used a combination of Alclad II alu coatings and Uschi van der Rosten metal pigments, varnished with aqua gloss. Unfortunately I was impatient with some parts of the fuselage coating so I left some fingerprints on it. I see it as a hint how to avoid these damages next time and I'll train how to be more patient - I promise ;-)" We say: Tom, thanks for the brilliant videography - and the model's not so dusty either!

WE RAN ACROSS an old Airfix windmill kit in an antique shop recently. The kit was one of the Trackside Series range, all produced to model rail 00/H0 scale. SMN report: Close inspection of the parts, still safely contained within their original polythene bag, confirmed that the kit was pretty good for the time. There's quite a history behind the present availability of Trackside kits. In 1985 Dapol purchased many tools and moulds from Palitoy. The sale included various Airfix and Kitmaster 00 gauge (1:76 scale) model rail kits, and also the rights to use the Kitmaster brand name. Much of the tooling that was purchased is now well over 50 years old, but the kits are still manufactured by Dapol, and form the basis of the Kitmaster/Dapol range of 00 kits and rail accessories. They are still extremely popular, and are sold across the world. Back in the day, Airfix made a whole range of model railway accessory buildings ( below ) to 00/H0 scale. The windmill was just one of these kits...

HERE IS AN EXCELLENT STOP-FRAME VIDEO from YouTuber Tom Grigat. SMN report: This is a very neat time-lapse video showing the assembly process of the Polikarpov I-3, a relatively little known, but extremely handsome Russian biplane of the 1930s.  The model that Tom Grigat has shown is the incredibly detailed 1:72 scale  Small Stuff kit ( below ) which comes with some components that are finer than a human hair. Tom has included a matchstick at various points in the video, which gives a useful sense of scale to the ultra fine construction.  As for the rigging, all we can say is that Tom Grigat has considerably steadier hands than ours. The final interplane wires look absolutely convincing.  Rigging was completed with 'Rig that thing' from  Uschi van der Rosten . Tom took a great deal of care with the finish, too. He painted the Polikarpov I-3 with Alclad II aluminium and Mil-Spec enamels, then he added some subtle weathering with Warpigs washes .  Summation...

THIS IS A NEAT VARIATION ON THE existing Jet Provost T3 kit from Airfix. The kit is boxed with four pots of paint, a brush, and a mini-tube of cement, all in the familiar Starter Set format. SMN report: The two-seat Jet Provost was introduced in the late 1950s to become the basic jet trainer for the Royal Air Force. The Jet Provost was easy to fly, and an ideal aircraft for trainee pilots. Wingtip tanks were added to the T3 model, and these carried enough fuel to give the aircraft more than two hours flying time. The T4 variant of this latest Airfix kit featured an engine upgrade, but was otherwise unchanged from the earlier T3. This Airfix starter set features a Jet Provost T4 of the Red Pelicans aerobatic team, which introduced the all-red colour scheme in 1965, the four-ship Red Pelicans team wowing the crowds at air displays until 1973. The paint and marking four-view ( below ) provides adequate information for the finish. Scale stats Airfix: Hunting Percival Jet Provost T.4 Scal...

AIRFIX IS ON A BUSY release schedule at the moment. Here's a fine 1:72 scale kit for World War II aviation buffs. SMN report: The excellent Boeing B-17G and Bomber Re-supply Set have been combined in one box. For diorama lovers, the pairing of these two is a natural, unless you are into box collecting.  We appreciate the importance of a 'mint and boxed' scale model, especially in the diecast collectible market, but here it's a convenient way of having all those vital components neatly gathered together. So, an excellent double-kit, and we look forward to seeing some brilliant airfield dioramas in times to come.

PRE-ORDERS ARE BEING TAKEN for this new version of the 1:72 scale Airfix BE2c, a new-tool kit released late 2016. SMN report: For biplane lovers, this dainty little kit should be a pleasure to build. It’s due for release from Airfix in May 2017. Markings The black and white pattern ( below ) represents a BE2c based at Turnhouse Aerodrome in Scotland, 1916. Markings are also supplied ( lower pictures ) for a machine based in France, 1915. About the BE2c Royal Aircraft Factory BE2c Scout was designed to obtain overhead reconnaissance pictures of enemy installations on the Western Front. The BE2c was an easy to fly and stable platform, allowing for clear and detailed photography. The BE2c largely replaced observation balloons, which were highly vulnerable to enemy action, and of course the aircraft could fly wherever it was ordered, unlike a fixed-position balloon. Scale stats Airfix: Royal Aircraft Factory BE2c Scale: 1:72 Parts: 54 Assembled length: 115 mm (4.5 in) Assembled wingspan:...

SCIENCE FICTION B-MOVIES WERE A STAPLE OF CINEMAS in the 1950s. Many were appalling, such as Plan 9 from Outer Space . A few were extremely good, such Forbidden Planet , and Destination Moon . Others sat in the middle, the so-so zone occupied by the likes of Rocketship X-M . Mat Irvine:  The plot of the 1950 movie Rocketship X-M was based around a Moon mission, hence the X-M name, short for Expedition Moon. However, the X-M ship didn’t actually land there. Instead, the screenwriters included a meteoroid storm that blew it off-course and on to the planet Mars, despite the enormous difference in distance between the two worlds. Otherwise, the design of the Rocketship X-M spacecraft was a reasonable one, being based on a science-fact article ( below ) that appeared in the Life magazine of January 1949. This had given an accurately-conceived depiction of such a trip, with paintings and diagrams to back up the text. The somewhat phallic Life spaceship design became, more or less, the R...

ARTIST ANDREI TKACHENKO has created his own alternative Soviet automotive history. Andrei's handsome artwork reveals a custom style that didn't exist in the real-life Soviet Union. SMN report: During the Cold War years, American customizers were creating amazing machines and wild paint styles. Behind the Iron Curtain, the authorities doubtless frowned on such capitalist activities. So it's now up to Andrei Tkachenko to fill the gap, with a range of original customs that could certainly fill our driveway. Motorcycle and flatbed truck ( below ) make a fine combo. Designwise, the Soviet vehicle looks much like similar light trucks made in the West.   Side-mounted exhaust pipes give the Zil Night Hawk ( below ) a powerful competition look. In styling terms, the Zil was something of an AC Cobra lookalike, even if the nose intake took its inspiration from the Chevrolet Camaro. The chromed Gaz-13 Chaika ( below ) was used as official transport by many apparatchiks of the Soviet e...

THIS IS AN ALL-TIME FAVE AMT customizing kit. Originally issued in the 1960s Trophy Series, the ’49 Mercury was popular in both full-size and model form as a basis for many build variations. Mat Irvine:  The reissued 1:25 scale AMT Mercury 2-door Club Coupe kit includes the classic ‘3 in 1’ building option, with a choice to assemble the Merc in stock, competition, or custom form. As a model kit, the Mercury 2-door Club Coupe isn’t exactly rare, and has been issued in many forms over the years. But these have mostly been restricted to one option or another, with some parts usually omitted or changed. But this kit returns more or less to the original formula. As with many Round 2 reissues of classic AMT and MPC kits, the box design reproduces the original, though the box itself is larger. I mention this, as there was an old urban myth that once you’d unpacked a 1960s-era AMT kit, you could never stuff all the parts back in the box - and get the lid firmly on again. The new bigger box...