SCALE MODEL NEWS

HERE'S A HANDSOME piece of cgi by our friends at MetaBallStudios (MBS). Sit back and enjoy all those familiar vehicles from the worlds of fantasy and science-fiction. From Batman to Star Wars, Mad Max to the War of the Worlds, it's gorgeous stuff. 

EVERYONE'S FAVOURITE KILLER weapon, the Death Star is the most powerful armament possessed by the evil Empire, and it has been shown ( above ) in various forms of part-built construction. But brothers Benjamin and Isaac Botkin have gone much further, to create a mesmerising build-sequence that displays their musical and cgi talents. SMN report: The video was a personal fan film, created by musician Benjamin Botkin and his FX-guru brother, Isaac. The visuals were planned and created in Lightwave 3D software, while the score was composed especially for the sequence. Ben’s goal was to arrive at an original melody that echoed the iconic music style of John Williams. The musical piece for the sequence was created by Ben, using virtual instruments, available from a galaxy of online music libraries. It’s all truly inspiring stuff, and fascinating for any Star Wars fan – and indeed for anyone who is interested in visual effects, and music apps such as GarageBand. For scale model builders,...

IF THERE IS ONE spacecraft that sums up the Star Wars saga, then the Millennium Falcon belongs at the top table. Depending on your personal preference of course, the X-Wing or TIE fighter just might compete for gold! But there's no arguing that the Bandai Perfect Grade kit represents the peak where plastic kits are concerned. SMN report: Detail throughout is superb, and of course the kit is made to model aircraft-standard 1:72 scale. And that means the Bandai  Millennium Falcon  can be displayed next to more or less any aircraft to that scale, from a P-40 to an F-15. The flight deck ( below ) includes neatly moulded figures of Han Solo, Chewbacca, Princess Leia, and Luke Skywalker. They bring it to life, as well as adding that important sense of scale. Note the detailing of the ship's side mouldings, where there is plenty of mysterious machinery to add a convincing look.   The instruction book ( below ) is a work of publishing art, certainly good enough to make a perman...

THIS 1:25 SCALE BUICK RIVIERA CUSTOM is a reissue of a kit first released by AMT in 1965. Mat Irvine: I mentioned the chassis of a 1965 AMT Buick Riviera in my recent article, ‘Scale modellers and Self Isolation’ so here’s a closer look at the Riviera, the chassis of which was in the photo of my workbench ( circled below ). The kit is a reissue of the AMT 1965 Buick Riviera, one of the company’s ‘annual’ kits, released each year from the late 1950s to the early 1970s. These were ‘3 in 1’ kits, meaning that you could build one of three supplied options, almost always being stock, competition, or custom. The 1965 Riviera was a 3 in 1 kit, but there was no competition version, instead having two custom options. The ‘Villa Riviera’ came about as a present from General Motors’ Buick division to car-customiser George Barris ‘to do with it what he thought best.’ Unsurprisingly, Barris accepted the car, and was ready to start some mild customising on it. George Barris workshop The Barris wor...

THE MODEL ENTHUSIASTS in Singapore are hard at work, preparing the National Airfix Aeronautical Model Engineering Competition. It's scheduled for November 2020, when the pandemic caused by Covid-19 will hopefully be in the past. SMN report: As we write this, the Airfix competition, themed 'Fighter Aircraft over Singapore' is more than seven months away. And that leaves enough time for model makers to get cracking and detail-up their entries. Previous competitions have had impressive results, so entrants will have to really go for it in 2020. SMN wishes you all good luck, and we look forward to showing off the winners later this year. Click here for more details.  And here is a selection of entries that ran in the 2019 competition. It's all excellent stuff, and there plenty more to see at the Airfix Cup website .          

HERE'S ANOTHER VIDEO TREAT from the master of stop-motion videos, Tom Grigat. This time he assembles a 1:16 scale model from the Spanish manufacturer, Artisania Latina. SMN report:  Artesania Latina kits are produced in Spain, and the company’s models are respected by model makers worldwide as among the most detailed and historically accurate replicas it’s possible to get. Here’s what the company has to say about its activities: “We are a family company which designs, makes and commercializes our products in 47 countries around the world.” The principal subjects of Artesania Latina are naval models and doll’s houses, for which the company makes all the parts and accessories, as well as supplying woods, adhesives, hand and electrical tools, for these and all kind of model-making and hobbies. The company headquarters is in Lamadrid on the northern cost of Spain. There is also a manufacturing plant in China, an office in Hong Kong, and a distribution affiliated company in the UK. Tom ...