SCALE MODEL NEWS

THIS LAYOUT COMBINES traditional model rail construction with a dash of science fiction. The Edwardian sci-fi story  War of the Worlds by HG Wells makes for an interesting, and very different, diorama setting. SMN report: Invasion from an alien world is an old science-fiction theme, and one that's tackled successfully in this suitably British model rail display. It's a good subject for all model makers, and kit manufacturers have supplied various scale models to satisfy demand. Pegasus Hobbies have an interesting take on the 1953 George Pal movie, an award-winner in its day, and a classic that should be seen by all sci-fi fans. Click to read all about the Pegasus kit. The latest War of the Worlds reinvention is from the BBC ( below ). The three-part series is currently on-air and streamed on iPlayer. It's worth watching, not least because it is set in England, as was HG Wells's original tale. The effects are also worthwhile, even if the pace becomes somewhat ponderou...

STAND BY FOR MORE DOCTOR WHO with the latest in the long-running BBC TV sci-fi drama. SMN report: Doctor Who is set to premiere in Autumn 2018, in a ten-episode series. This will be the 11th series to air following the concept’s revival in 2005, and the 37th season since 1963, when Doctor Who first hit the small screen. This latest series will feature Jodie Whittaker as the 13th Doctor, an alien Time Lord who travels through time and space in her TARDIS. The series is set to include a Christmas 2018 special. Jodie Whittaker has form in the science fiction scene, having appeared in the cult sci-fi movie Attack the Block and the Black Mirror episode The Entire History of You . Jodie takes over from actor Peter Capaldi. In the 2017 Christmas special, Capaldi's 12th Doctor regenerated to become the first female Doctor. We await her performance with interest!  In the world of scale models, a current attraction is the Doctor Who Figurines Collection, on current release from partwork pu...

  An appreciation by Mat Irvine Sir Patrick Moore, creator and presenter of ‘The Sky at Night’, a long-running BBC TV astronomy show, died yesterday, December 9, aged 89. Although Sir Patrick Moore's name is perhaps not automatically associated with scale models, in fact it was through modelling that I first met Patrick Moore more than 40 years ago, when I supplied some spacecraft miniatures to The Sky at Night, a connection that continued on and off until the present day. I don’t think anyone would deny that Patrick was the world’s most famous amateur astronomer, for he was a professional broadcaster, but an amateur astronomer in the true sense of the term. Through The Sky at Night, he inspired countless people, many of whom went on to become professional astronomers, space scientists, or were given a lifetime interest in the subject. It would be difficult to put a figure on these numbers, though I know I was one of them. Patrick in The Sky at Night studio ( above ) around the lat...

MAT IRVINE WEEKENDER If you start a model build, then it’s best to complete it in a reasonable time, as there’s little point in your latest creation hanging around in a partially-built state. Well that’s the usual idea, but plans can go awry... Back-of-the-box text says: “The TARDIS looks like a small wooden box on the outside...” But there’s no mention of its British police box origins. Late news I suspect all of us have kits that have sat around half-built for longer than intended. But eventually they mostly get finished, and as this one - the Airfix science-fiction Doctor Who ‘Welcome Aboard’ pack - has finally been completed after two years or so on the back bench, then I reckon the story qualifies as some sort of ‘news.’ Comprehensive instruction booklet and spreads.  Parts count The Welcome Aboard kit is to 1:12 scale, with the TARDIS (Time And Relative Dimension In Space) - aka the BBC TV British police box lookalike - standing 240 mm (9.5 in) high when built. Accompanying i...

SMN report: An ultra-rare steam-propelled tinplate cruiser became the most expensive single toy ever sold at a UK auction on Friday, April 20, when it shot past the estimate of £40-60,000 GBP to fetch a record £76,000 GBP ($122,500 USD).  Collection on the block The ship was a model of HMS Terrible , part of a lifetime collection of toys and trains belonging to the late Ron McCrindell, who died in August 2011, aged 91. Auctioneer Hugo Marsh said of the sale: "As far as we are aware it is the most expensive single toy sold in the UK." It was bought by an anonymous overseas collector, so sadly we can’t report on the excitement of owning this delightful collector’s treasure trove. The 620 mm (24.4 in) long vessel, made in 1905 by Marklin of Germany, was one of 340 toys on sale. The model itself made the headlines 40 years ago, when it featured in a BBC TV show, steaming across the calm waters of Hampstead Ponds, in north London. The Auctioneer’s description We quote below in fu...

HaMeX update: Hanslope Model Expo is due tomorrow, Sunday November 27, so there will be a chance to choose from a wide range of model kits for sale, mostly at very reasonable prices. Moonbase 3 TV series There’ll be lots of display stuff there too, including this surprise item - a survivor from the short-lived BBC TV series Moonbase 3 of 1973. Well, it appeared at the first HaMeX, so we’re betting that it might make a re-entry for 2011 too! HAMEX 3 details here .

HaMeX update: Hanslope Model Expo runs on Sunday November 27, so there will be a chance to have a look at some of the factual space miniatures from TV on display there. Marvellous models to see Co-organizer Mat Irvine will be at the show, with a small part of his ‘Mat’s Marvellous Models’ collection. You’ll get a chance to see all sorts of stuff, including items from popular TV science shows from the BBC, such as Horizon, Tomorrow’s World, and the long-running astronomy late-nighter, The Sky at Night. HAMEX 3 details here .

HaMeX update: Hanslope Model Expo is due this coming Sunday November 27, so there will be a chance to have a look at some of the science-fiction miniatures on display there. Spacecraft nostalgia There can be surprises at the HaMeX shows. The last time the original London spacecraft - it featured in the 1978-81 BBC TV sci-fi series ‘Blake’s 7’ - was on display, someone bought their own tiny version to sit alongside it! Who knows what may turn up for HaMex 3 this coming Sunday 27th.  Battle among the stars To find out about the stars of Blake’s 7 and their battle with the corrupt Galactic Federation, including the classic (and prophetic) line: “In fact, creating an illusion of reality is quite simple”, visit the Internet Movie database here . HAMEX 3 details here .

David Jefferis turns the pages First things first - BBC VFX is a thundering great tome that tips the scales at not far south of 2 kg (4 lb) and is an encyclopedic 240 pages from end to end. And in fact, that’s just what it is - a show-by-show encyclopedia detailing the work of the BBC Visual Effects (‘VFX’) Department down the years. SMN contributor Mat Irvine The two authors behind BBC VFX are long-time experts in the VFX field. We know Mat well for his contributions to SMN, and for his droolworthy Model Museum, packed with examples just about every kit ever made. Mike Tucker worked at the BBC until 2003, and now runs his own company, The Model Unit, based at Ealing Studios near London. Daleks to Moonbase 3 So what’s between the covers of BBC VFX? Quite simply, the most complete listings, descriptions, and behind-the-scenes information about virtually every BBC TV show that’s featured the Department’s expertise. Some of these are world-renowned - Doctor Who and the Daleks, for example...