SCALE MODEL NEWS

THE STAR WARS MERCHANDISE MACHINE continues to be a massive generator of spacecraft models and kits. Han’s Speeder is a Revell 1:28 scale miniature of the vehicle seen in the 2018 Star Wars release  Solo: A Star Wars Story . Mat Irvine:  This kit is from Revell-Germany, and, as with most R-G Star Wars productions, belongs to the simpler end of the modelling business. However, even junior or beginner kits can look really convincing when tackled by a more experienced modeller. The subject of this new kit is described as a ‘Mobquet M-68 landspeeder’ that was acquired by Han Solo ‘under circumstances he doesn’t care to explain…’ The M-68 is a science-fiction subject, but it’s hardly a spaceship, so can really be considered as a car first or foremost – OK, it flies or hovers, but it’s still a car. Although not produced in a conventional car scale such as 1:24/25 or 1:32, the M-68 is pretty close, at 1:28 scale. Revell has made this a pre-coloured snap-together ‘Build and Play’ kit,...

THE BRITISH COLUMBIA Aviation Museum is well worth a visit if you are on Vancouver Island, Canada. Here’s what the British Columbia Aviation Museum Society has to say about its activities, which are “…dedicated to preserving aircraft and artefacts. We collect, restore and display aircraft and artefacts related to the history of aviation in Canada, with emphasis on British Columbia aviation history. “Museum activities include aircraft restoration to static or airworthy status, construction of engine displays, aircraft modeling, artefact maintenance, archive maintenance (aviation books, pictures and videos), and creation of memorials to aviation and the people who made it happen. We have plans to expand the museum by adding more space, and naturally adding more displays. “We are open every day except Christmas and New Years.  We invite you to visit our gift shop, Memorial Room, and aircraft and artefact collection. Browse the museum on your own, or have one of our tour guides show yo...

DRAMA IN THE SKIES and on the ground both feature in this upcoming movie. That's good, as the Hawker Hurricane deserves a share of the limelight usually reserved for its elegant sibling fighter, the Supermarine Spitfire. SMN report: We're not at all sure that the phrase 'coming online' existed back in World War II, as online is a word that pretty much belongs to today's Internet world. But no matter: it's good to see on the big screen some of the pilots from Poland who risked their lives in the air. The movie Hurricane stars Iwan Rheon, Milo Gibson, and Marcin Dorociński. So far as matching models go, our current favourite is the Airfix 1:48 scale Hawker Hurricane Mk I, which is a really nice kit to build. It's been joined in the Airfix lineup by the Sea Hurricane Mk IB ( below ) with various add-ons that include the important arrester hook for carrier landings.   Of this kit's background, Airfix says: "...Sea Hurricane Mk IB was equipped with cat...

WE ARE SAD TO REPORT that David Hannant died recently, aged 88. He may not be that familiar to you, but the Hannants stores have been going for many years, the UK’s largest importer and distributor of model items.  Mat Irvine: David’s father started this side of the business over 50 years ago, and it is his initials that formed the original name of H.G. Hannant. But it has been ‘Hannants’ since then, with David as the main proprietor, his son Nigel running day-to-day operations. Located in Lowestoft, UK, the store’s first premises were in the town itself, but continuing growth ensured a move to an edge of town warehouse in the 1990s. There was also a Hannants store in London, near the RAF Museum, Colindale. The shop closed in the 1990s, but a subsidiary continues to operate in a small industrial estate. David continued to work in the business until very recently, and could always been seen at the IPMS Scale Model World shows in Telford, usually in charge of the decal department! D...

THE REVELL GROUP’S PARENT COMPANY HOBBICO ceased trading in April 2018. Since then there has been a lot of activity, and plenty of speculation. But now the situation is becoming clearer. Mat Irvine reports:  Firstly, the European side of Revell was saved, being taken over by Quantum Capital Partners, under the subsidiary Blitz. This also acquired all the assets of the US arm, Revell-Monogram (R-M), but not the premises. Consequently, the R-M building in Elk Grove Village, Illinois, was closed and the equipment there cleared. Much of the new tooling for kits issued in recent years had been passed over to Revell-Germany (R-G), but this still left a lot of older kit moulds. At this point, step in the Atlantis Model Company ( logo below ). Created and run by Peter Vetri and Rick DelFavero, Atlantis is a well-known name to Scale Model News readers, as we have featured a number of products over the years . Some of these were Revell reissues, so the connection was already there, and when ...