SCALE MODEL NEWS

  THERE ARE TWO SURPRISES with this 1:24 scale kit. The first is that the Diesel Junior 108 tractor was made by sports-car maker Porsche from 1952-63. And second, that Revell has produced the tractor ready to be assembled using its ‘easy-click system.’ Mat Irvine:  In fact, the easy-click system seems to be another name for a snap-together model. Revell brands include Monogram, which came up with the SnapTite label many years ago, though the description hasn’t been used for the Porsche tractor. But whatever the name, the assembly of this easy-click system kit is so good that you’d never miss using cement, as the fit of components is clean and precise. Back of the box ( below ) features pictures and extra information. There are other tractor kits available. Heller has a Ferguson tractor  and Ertl has been dealing with farm machinery for years. That Porsche once manufactured tractors was a surprise to me, though I had known that Lamborghini once made them. Parts ( below ) a...

THIS IS THE SECOND 'SENSE OF SCALE' VID which gives some background information about the professional scale model world. Watch out for the friesian cow!

THIS IS A GREAT LITTLE VID that gives you an outline of specialist model making for the movies. Enjoy, and visit SMN tomorrow for more.

CHRISTMAS GREETINGS from SMN! To add a touch of modeling cheer, here are some delightful scale models with a festive touch. Mat Irvine: My friend Andy forwarded these pictures, so Mr J and I thought you'd like to enjoy them. There's a link below to take you to see plenty more. As Andy says, "...Besides the song Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer , singing cowboy Gene Autry recorded other Christmas novelty songs. In one of them, If It Doesn’t Snow on Christmas , Gene says that he’d really feel much better if he knew that Santa could fly a plane. "Well, a modeler named Al Petrie has imagined what types of aircraft Santa has at his disposal. Attached are a few of Mr. Petrie’s creations." Thanks for the info Andy, and even more thanks to Al Petrie for these imaginative images. An Accurate Miniatures drone ( below ) dons civilian markings to fly as the Polar Predator. Festive markings ( below ) for a Lindberg Convair XFY-1 Pogo. Another decorated Christmas tree ( below...

THE TRAILER FOR MORTAL ENGINES shows that 2018 might be a vintage year for steampunk enthusiasts and kitbash-diorama model fans. SMN report: The upcoming movie Mortal Engines is a *sorta* steampunk view of a world in which entire towns and cities have become mobile, and roll across the desolate landscapes of a post-apocalyptic wasteland. Actually, author Philip Reeve's 'Traction Era' is no world that we are likely to see; instead, he imagines a parallel universe which combines old and new in bizarrely inventive ways. Director Peter Jackson (of Lord of the Rings fame) has shot the movie in New Zealand, and we'd like to think it'll be another win for him. For us model makers, Mortal Engines could be an inspiration for kitbash projects, some of which ought to be aiming to win sci-fi and fantasy awards at model shows. Click here to watch the short teaser-trailer on YouTube. Here are some stills ( below ) from the trailer. They make this sci-fi buff itch to get work...

RIKKI WOLFE OF WOLFE AEROSPACE WAS AMONG THE TRADERS at the 2017 HaMeX model show . He had a selection of kits for sale, ranging from large-scale display-style models, to his latest project, a naval jet concept ( above ) from 1980. Mat Irvine: Models presently available from Wolfe Aerospace include, in 1:48 scale: EADS Mako/HEAT Harrier GR1/3s Harrier FRS1 and FA2 Harrier GR5/9 Harrier T12 Harrier TAV 8 USMC Harrier AV8B/AV8B+ Saab Gripen Tornado GR1/4 Tornado ADV Typhoon But the 3D-printed Hawker P1214 will be the target for anyone interested in what-if aerospace designs and projects. The P1214 was originally intended, along with the bigger P1216, as a replacement for the famed Harrier jump-jet. Sad to say, the X-wing P1214 was shelved before flight, but even in model form it makes an interesting subject. Rikki Wolfe ( below ) with his Wolfe Aerospace advertising banner. The range on display ( below ). Current price for a full kit is £25 GBP, built model £55 GBP.     Gorgeou...

THIS IS A NEW 1:24 SCALE REVELL GERMANY kit depicting a Porsche 934 RSR in the orange markings of Jagermeister, a German drinks distiller.  Mat Irvine:  The Revell Porsche 934 RSR is moulded in orange, black, silver and clear. It’s fully detailed, with the classic Porsche engine at the rear, and a full racing interior. Bottom of the biggish box ( below ) has useful reference photos.  Components ( below ) are moulded in nine groups, plus body and black vinyl tyres. The instruction booklet ( pictures below ) is in the Revell new style, printed in full colour with plenty of information to make assembly straightforward. Decals include the logos of the sponsor company, plus details such as seat belts. The front ( below ) and rear bumper trims should be painted in satin black. The thin bumper bar across the front will be easier to paint if you use masking tape to keep the line straight. The front compartment ( below ) has the fuel tank, battery, and fire extinguisher built...

Mat Irvine:  This is a 1:144 scale kit that many modellers reckoned would never be made. Of all the, admittedly fairly small, number of spacecraft featured in what is generally reckoned to be the best science fiction movie ever made* (including all the ones still to be made…), the one thought the least likely to appear as a commercial kit has to be the  Discovery .  This is primarily down to practicalities. The  Discovery  has a length to width ratio of over 10 to 1, most of the spaceframe being a long spine that would be fine in the free-fall conditions of deep space, but in the 1g of Earth, keeping an assembled model straight and even is a tricky aim.  The box base ( below ) has plenty of pictures and details. But Moebius Models has achieved the necessary rigidity for this large and long model by judicious use of metal tubes. These slot together to slide along the whole craft, making a model that is more than a metre (or yard) long.  This can only be...