SCALE MODEL NEWS

THE AIRFIX 1:600 SCALE HMS BELFAST shown here was first produced in the early 1970s, but the kit stands up well, nearly half a century later. This model of HMS  Belfast looks particularly good in its diorama setting. We especially like the neat way of reproducing surface waves, and it's also good to see the various video clips of a 2019 visit to see the real ship in London. The Town-class light cruiser  Belfast is anchored on the River Thames as a museum ship, and makes a great tour if you are a visitor to the capital. She is opposite the Tower of London ( below left ) and just upriver from Tower bridge ( below right ).

MOST MODELS LOOK ALL THE BETTER for the addition of some weathering and subtle dirtying. SMN report: Not too much weathering mind, as it's all to easy to overdo it. Here Geoff Coughlin provides a general look at techniques which can add a used look, without going over the top. It's worth inspecting the 1:48 scale Tamiya Bf109 ( below ) from the 'Decoration Series' to see the unique red-and-white markings of the Swiss Air Force. Good as the model is, a touch of weathering using the methods described by Geoff would improve it no end.

ANYONE WITH A NOSTALGIC MEMORY for classic Strombecker kits will enjoy this vid from Max’s Models. SMN report: the video is an update from an earlier one, and Max had some input this time from Andy Yanchus and Mat Irvine. It’s another fact-packed view from Max, and YouTuber Arnold Madderom agrees. He says: “Thanks for this great video. I do have in my collection both the 1909 Hupmobile and the 1902 Rambler from Strombecker. “I do like both the box art and the way the kit is put in the box. The red wheels in a bag and the chassis and wings put in the middle stuck on a piece of carton in the box and the rest of the parts in a bag. “The fact that I'm collecting and building 1/32 scale kits and I do have these 1/24 kits shows how much I do like these kits.” Here are some Strombecker kits from times past:    

HERE'S A BIO-VID FROM Max's Models, and it makes fascinating viewing of a man who was heavily involved with one of the classic names of the plastic kit industry.  

HERE'S A NEAT DIORAMA based on Bandai components, from YouTube's Boylei Hobby Time. SMN view: One of the neatest things in the vid is the use of a scrunched-up ball of shiny steel wool. This provides a simple but effective VFX short-cut, to amplify the blaze-effect of a laser shot. Bandai are past masters of Star Wars kits, and the small-scale X-Wing and TIE Fighters used here are typical of the company's precise work. The clip-together construction of these kits makes assembly an easy task, though as usual some cement helps to provide a firm grip here and there. This is especially useful where the TIE Fighter's hexagonal wings join the hull. There's so little area available for the joint that a precisely-targeted squirt of cement is needed for a solid connection.

THIS KIT IS A reissued and reboxed version of an original Revell US kit that dates to around 1995. Just to confirm, this is the newer and more detailed Revell US kit. Monogram also made a very similar 1971 Plymouth which, in convertible form, was the star car that featured in  Nash Bridges , a TV cop series that starred Don Johnson. Mat Irvine:  Assembling the Revell 1:25 scale Plymouth AAR Cuda kit is straightforward, with just a couple of areas to watch. There’s a tricky fit to the lower end of the steering column, as there is for the front shocks, but with some patience and TLC, the parts do mate together eventually. The construction is now standard practise for most car kits, with full engine and chassis detail. The interior has bucket seats, and decals to reproduce a woodgrain effect. All decals for engine components – oil filter, even the heater hoses – are supplied, as are some very nice decals for the tyres. The wheels are chrome-plated, though do benefit from a coveri...

IN THIS TIME OF viral doom and gloom, we all need something to cheer us up, so about a model of a guy about to have his leg bitten off by an alligator? Well, maybe this 1:12 scale kit is not as bad as it sounds. Mat Irvine:  The model is a new version of a 1972 MPC kit, one of a series of seven. It's now released by Round 2 as a kit from the New Lindberg Line. The poor skeletal soul is sitting on the obligatory island, one bony leg in a manacle, the other in the jaws of an alligator. But the (ex) pirate has a trick up his sleeve (what remains of it), in the form of a large cutlass about to swing down on the unfortunate reptile.  The ex-pirate's swing-action is a working feature of the kit, thanks to a wind-up elastic band, with a push-switch at the back. The parts count amounts to only two dozen components, so there’s not much to assemble, though fitting the moving arm is slight tricky. The rest goes together easily, and includes a barrel and assorted bones. The finish is then...

HERE'S AN ACE HARRIER to the BIG scale of 1:18. This vid is well worth watching, and is the eighth in a highly-watchable series of build chapters. SMN report: 1:18 scale is on the large side for a model, especially a modern combat jet. We had a Cutlass naval fighter once, and it was definitely too big even for our generously-sized shelves. Click here to visit Primed Model Works and get a close look at this excellent model build.

YESTERDAY, WE LOOKED at the Team Tempest future-fighter project. Today we look at the Revell 1:32 scale kit of the original Hawker Tempest, of World War II vintage. SMN report: This Revell kit features the Hawker Tempest, an aircraft designed by Sydney Camm, also responsible for the earlier Hurricane fighter, of Battle of Britain fame. The Tempest, originally named the Typhoon Mk II, became one of the fastest fighters of World War II. The Tempest entered service in 1944, and was used for ground-attack and various interception duties, including patrols against the V-1 flying bomb, an early form of cruise missile. The Revell kit is a detail-packed kit, which is rewarding for its ‘rivet count’ which cover the surfaces of the all-metal machine. The pix here show that Revell engineers have gone all-out to create a true-scale miniature, though no pilot is included. That’s a pity, as such a figure gives a real sense of proportion. However, 1:32 scale figures are available from other manufact...

THE TEMPEST IS going forward as a new project, with a target in-service date from 2035. It will almost certainly replace the current Eurofighter Typhoon fleet, used by the Royal Air Force (RAF) and eight other air arms. The UK-based BAE Systems is leading Team Tempest, with partners that include Leonardo, MBDA, Rolls-Royce. There's no model kit of the future Tempest released yet, though several are in development with garage companies. Our bet for a future Tempest kit is with Allen B. Ury and his excellent California-based Fantastic Plastic. Click here to visit the Fantastic Plastic site , and drool at the amazing range of concept and fictional air and space craft that's available.  The Tempest will doubtless change as it develops, but even now surely supplies a real-life look at the worlds of the future. Click here to see a glimpse at the upcoming website for Worlds of the Future.