SCALE MODEL NEWS

CERTAIN SUBJECTS just cry out to be made as model kits, and sometimes you wonder why it takes so long. This is certainly the case with the  Proteus , submarine star of the 1966 science-fiction movie  Fantastic Voyage . Mat Irvine:  Until now the  Proteus  has remained the domain of small garage kit companies, with models created using multi-material techniques, such as resin and vac-form. Now Moebius has produced a fully-detailed kit of the sub - and it’s a magnificent 1:32 scale model, which makes it some 400 mm (16 in) long when assembled. The  Proteus  has a fully-detailed interior, which features the pilot-Captain’s chair beneath a clear bubble canopy, plus seating for the rest of the five-strong crew. The sub's fully-equipped laboratory is reproduced nicely, even down to the kitchen (well, laboratory) sink. There is also the large, clear forward port array, the framework for this being a separate moulding. Nice detailing in the kit, shown on the b...

MODEL KITS OF THE CLASSIC Citroen H-Type van have been a bit like waiting for the proverbial bus. You wait ages when nothing appears, then several turn up at once, or in this case two Citroen Type H panel vans. Mat Irvine:  After years of being ignored by Heller, the French manufacturer did finally produce the common HY version. Now Ebbro of Japan has followed suit with its own model. Incidentally, these are not the same kit, each company having worked independently.  The Ebbro kit components ( below ) are neatly moulded, with no particular assembly issues to worry about. In fact, this latest 1:24 scale Crepe Mobile is the second Ebbro issue. The first kit was a non-specific panel van. Unlike Ebbro’s other 1:24 scale car kits (or the Heller version) this Type H does not have a separate engine. The bodywork is multi-piece, with the distinctive corrugated panels that say ‘Citroen’ crisp and well defined.  The kit’s paperwork ( below ) includes an instruction booklet and two...

THE SURPRISE is not that Heller features a piece of farm machinery - Ertl has been specialising in such for years - but that this French company has released an archetypal British tractor. Mat Irvine: The story of the Ferguson TE20/FF30 ‘Little Grey Fergie’ is a cosmopolitan tale. It was designed and built in Britain by an Irishman, using local manufacturers around the world to make their own versions, including France. So the Heller connection is understandable. The original tractors were painted pale grey, hence the Little Grey Fergie nickname. Heller reflects this by using the French translation, ‘Petit gris.’ What you get in the box ( below ). The components are moulded in 'Fergie' grey, plus vinyl tyres in black. Note there are alternative tyres provided as a front wheel option. The immediate comparison of course - if your memory goes back that far - is with the first-ever Airfix kit, the Little Grey Fergie tractor of 1955. Its 1:20 scale was larger, but Heller has logica...

I WANT TO BELIEVE is another release in the Atlantis Models range of 5-inch flying saucers. Mat Irvine:  This Atlantis model is not intended to be a ‘real’ UFO. Instead, it depicts the flying saucer featured on a poster seen hanging in the basement office of Agent Fox Mulder, star of the hugely successful X-Files TV series. As with other Atlantis five-inch flying saucer UFOs, this is a very simple kit, containing all of three components, the upper and lower hull, plus a flashing LED. There are another four parts for the stand. The back of the box ( below ) has the very simple instructions. Note the stand has twice the number of parts as the saucer! However, more interesting is the subject mattter. Although Mulder has always had a poster on his wall, over the series there were actually four or five different ones, the common features being a similar design, a UFO, and text that declares, ‘I Want to Believe.’ The first poster was made by the X-Files props department, backing up a sto...

  THIS IS A COMPANION KIT to the Lindberg Century Coronado, as featured in SMN a few months ago. Mat Irvine:  Both kits originated with Palmer in 1960 and have come to Round-2 via Lindberg under which label (or rather, The  New  Lindberg Line) it now appears. The Owens has fewer parts than the Coronado, but the moulds appear to have survived better, as there is far less flash. The 1:25 scale is slightly debatable, but that can wait for the moment. The box art is based on the original Palmer illustration. The ‘Made in the USA’ and Cartograf details are stickers on the shrink-wrap. The box base ( below ) has extra information, colours, and specifications for the actual craft. The Owens is an outboard-powered boat, with two large engines. Of the period - 1950s - these could be one of the main names, such as Mercury or Johnson. They could also be Evinrude, a brand that is the third boat kit Palmer made, but for which the tooling can’t be found. The engines are somewhat ...