SCALE MODEL NEWS

SMN report: Argh! What should I build in 2012? What new models are coming up? These are questions we might all be asking, so here’s a quartet of kits from Italeri that should be available right now - so all the better to get on building. Whether you go for a boat, a plane, or a tank, is up to you, but whichever it is, we wish you modelmaking success all the way through the year to come. Motor Torpedo Boat First and foremost is this big-scale entrant in the market which Italeri has made its own - 1:35 scale naval vessels. And here’s another Italeri MTB (Motor Torpedo Boat), this time the high-speed Royal Navy Vosper MTB of World War II fame, used for coastal patrols and anti-submarine support. The Italeri model measures 636 mm (25 in) long and is loaded to the gunwhales with crisp detail, including neat metal-etch components. Ghost ship or active duty? As supplied, the Vosper MTB is something of a ghost ship - for a full crew complement you will need to source the 1:35 scale figure set,...

SMN report: The 1:72 scale Revell Airbus A400M models the tactical airlifter that is the long-delayed European answer to the hugely successful Lockheed-Martin Hercules, a military cargo plane that’s been produced continually since its first flight in August, 1954. Big airlifter Actually, the A400 aims to be somewhat more than that, as it is both faster and bigger, roughly half-way in size between the Herk and the newer turbofan Boeing C-17. Flights by the A400M ‘Grizzly’ test aircraft should result in the A400M finally making squadron service with the eight nations that have ordered it, starting in 2013. Interior detail The Revell A400M is a biggie all right - produced to 1:72 scale, it has a wingspan of no less than 588 mm (23.15 in) and measures some 626 mm (24.6 in) long. There are 210 components, but perhaps the best thing about the kit - as you can see from these newly-released Revell buildup pix - is the amount of interior detail. All models benefit from a certain amount of convi...

SMN report: Revell is planning a nice Christmas present for military aviation fans - it’s the Airbus A400M airlifter to 1:72 scale. Fitting neatly in size between the smaller C-130 Hercules and the bigger C-17, the A400 is Europe’s tactical transport solution that is finally, after many delays, making its way toward operational status. A big A400M model The Revell kit will be quite a brute, with a wingspan of 588 mm (23.15 in) and length of 626 mm (24.6 in), so make sure there’s room available on that display shelf. We show here test shots of the 210-component model, and detail looks pretty good, with refuelling probe faithfully reproduced, as well as a neatly-cut forward door and steps.  Flight deck windows It looks as if Revell has decided to do a one-piece flightdeck transparency, leaving the modelmaker to mask off the windows before painting. The swept-blade props appear to have the correct (complex) shape, while the vast interior is revealed by the opening rear door. There see...

David Jefferis reports from the show The SMN crew spent yesterday at the UK’s premier business-orientated aerospace show. The weather was fantastic (which just goes to show how useless the predictions of some iPhone weather apps are...) and it was a real pleasure to watch high-power aerobatics and more genteel flypasts in bright blue skies, with puffy clouds to set them off. Stealthy delta Highlights of the day included new aircraft like the Airbus A400M military airlifter, and old-stagers such as the delta-wing Avro Vulcan, currently maintained in flying order by an enthusiast group, and good for them. The Vulcan’s shape gave it stealth-like abilities long before stealth became a design essential for survival in aerial combat... A380 airliner For model fans, shows like this are fantastic. Wandering round the real machines parked by the flightline reveals so much detail you just never see in photos. And as for weathering, one look at the A380 demo airliner should give you airbrush mode...