SCALE MODEL NEWS

IN REAL LIFE, THE 1957 CHRYSLER 300C came with long tail fins and a yawning chrome grille. And this 1:25 scale AMT kit models the original nicely. Mat Irvine:  The 1:25 scale Chrysler 300C might seem like a reissue of an AMT original Trophy Series release. AMT did, after all, issue cars from the same year, such as Ford and Chevrolet. But this is a more recent kit, initially dating from the time when AMT was an Ertl brand. Consequently this Chrysler 300C has more modern features, including a full chassis with separate frame, and a multi-piece interior. Earlier Trophy Series were more detailed than the ‘annual’ releases. Although many still came with solid chassis rails and pan, separate axles, suspension and exhaust were the norm, though the interior would have been a one-piece tub, albeit with separate seats and dash. But, unlike earlier Trophy Series, which could usually be built in one of three ways – stock, custom, or competition – this latest release is purely a ‘one way’ build...

THIS IS A REISSUE of an original, and very popular, AMT kit. It’s a 1:25 scale model of the Anglo-American Sunbeam Tiger, a V8 roadster built from 1964-67, by the British Rootes Group. Mat Irvine:  But first, the kit as now issued. It depicts a Sunbeam Tiger, a British sports car based on the Sunbeam Alpine, its four-cylinder engine replaced by a Ford small block, 260 cu in V8. The kit supplies the V8 engine, with a simplified chassis, running gear, and interior. You can build the AMT Sunbeam Tiger perfectly stock, or as a racing version. For this, there are optional lowered rear leaf springs, magnesium-alloy wheels, and alternative exhausts. You can also add flared wheel arches, front air dam, a roll bar, and a rear spoiler. The decals include a variety of stripes and numbers. USA and GB national plates are included, though the kit comes only in left-hand drive form. So how did the kit first appear? In fact, the original was an early AMT Star Car, one that featured in a movie or o...

GERRY ANDERSON MOONBASE ALPHA FANS have the chance to make a realistic diorama with the MPC 1:48 scale Nuclear Waste Disposal Area 2 kit.   Mat Irvine:  The Nuclear Waste Disposal Area 2 kit comes with Alpha Base crew and two Moon buggies. Two Nuclear Waste Disposal Cones cover the pits where radioactive waste is stored. Eight lighting units are supplied, termed ‘lamp posts.’ The Nuclear Waste Disposal Area 2 will go nicely with the existing 1:48 Eagle Transporter kit from MPC ( below ). Many of the kit’s runners are identical, especially for the cones and lamp posts which have duplicate parts. There are ten astronaut figures in all, four seated and six standing. The standing figures have separate arms, which can be swapped around to create different poses. Those for the seated figures are fixed. Each figure has a separately moulded back-pack. There are bases for the supplied cones and eight lighting units, the latter in two sets of four. These are mostly pre-cut, though the l...