SCALE MODEL NEWS

ZOUKEI-MURA has some excellent kits out there, including this large-scale Henschel Hs 129, a type nicknamed the 'can opener' for its powerful weaponry. SMN report: The 1:32 scale Henschel Hs 129 is in the Zoukei-Mura 'Super Wing Series' and straight from the box comes loaded with detail. The Hs-129 is not exactly a popular subject in the kit world, but with this model it has been done some justice. The video ( header ) comes courtesy of Scale Model International, and gives you an excellent idea of what's involved in a typical build. Apart from the kit itself, there are plenty of extras available, including photo-etch interior parts, a turned-metal gun barrel and pitot-tube set, weighted tyres, and metal struts. So, there's plenty to keep the super-detail freak busy, as will a 64-page book and turned-wood diorama base. Click here for more information at Zoukei-Mura. And click here to browse through the instruction manual. Pictures ( below ) courtesy Zoukei-Mura.

ANOTHER FINE VIDEO FROM MASTER model maker, Tom Grigat. The kit is from the 1:48 scale Eduard Royal series, and includes resin and brass components. The kit is marked 'discontinued' at the Eduard website , but is available elsewhere, including at Hannants , the UK-based online model seller. Red Tail Mustangs were flown by the famed Tuskegee Airmen, of the 332nd Fighter Group and the 477th Bombardment Group of the US Army Air Forces. Scroll to the bottom to see a trailer for Red Tails , the 2012 movie from LucasFilm. It's well worth watching, with some excellent action sequences. A lineup of Tuskegee airman ( below ) standing in front of a pair of Vultee Vengeance bombers, used here for training.   The 1:72 scale Airfix P-51 D ( below ) is a good kit, albeit at the smaller size.   Tuskegee airmen wait for a mission ( below ). Note the underwing fuel tank, which gave the aircraft a massively increased range. Once empty, it could be released, hence the term 'drop tank....

THE LAND ROVER IS ONE OF THE WORLD'S best known off-road vehicles, and is found in every country. But considering this widespread popularity, kits of the original Land Rover to 1:24/25 scale have been few and far between. In the military scales of 1:35 and 1:72/76, yes, but to the standard car scale, no. Mat Irvine reports:  But now Revell has come to the rescue with a brand-new kit of one of longest-running Land Rover types, the Series III Long Wheel Base (LWB), otherwise known as the ‘109’ for the number of inches in its wheelbase. Revell could have reissued the old ESCI kit (now Italeri). But that kit is getting a bit long-in-the tooth, so instead Revell opted to make a brand-new tool. Overall this is an excellent kit, although there are a couple of anomalies, more of which later. The model is fully detailed, complete with chassis, engine, running gear, interior, and bodywork. There are various assembly options, depending on what configuration you wish, and you have to decide on...

HERE'S A LOOK AT THE CURRENT GOODIES now on sale from Round 2. It's well worth watching, even if we're not ultra-keen on the bright intro music!