SCALE MODEL NEWS

MOEBIUS MODELS brought us the Batmobile for the movie based on two giants of the DC Universe,  Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice . And now Moebius has released Batman’s other mode of transport from the movie, the Batwing. Mat Irvine:  As with the Batmobile, the Batwing’s design has changed between movies, and this incarnation is possibly the most striking-looking machine to date. It’s certainly the largest, as this 1:25 scale model has a wingspan of 430 mm (17 in). This isn’t the first Batwing to match the scale of the relevant Batmobile, but the 1990 Batwing was a lot smaller, with a wingspan of 330 mm (13 in). Unsurprisingly, the components in this new kit are big, especially the wing-section. The Batwing design incorporates a forward-mounted cannon assembly, the cockpit positioned behind it, which gives an intriguing look to the assembled machine. The movie craft can fold its wings, and the kit option allows you to do the same. But you have to decide before the model is co...

BEST WISHES TO ALL OUR READERS and have a truly excellent scale time over the festive break. And of course, we also wish you a prosperous and productive 2020. Scale modelling need not be limited to plastic kits. The miniatures ( below ) are based on ready-made metal-and-plastic models, tweaked, adjusted, and repainted to make them one-off originals. At left is a Maisto 1:25 scale VW 'splitty' Samba van, complete with transparent roof section, wide wheels, and a sound system interior. Mods include a repaint, and superdetailed engine compartment. Also from Maisto is the 1:24 scale Ford rod ( middle ) which is presently under conversion to 'super-rusty' Mad Max mode. The chromed engine will be replaced by an electric motor, suitable for the dystopian future depicted in the movie series. The 1:24 scale Jada Batmobile ( right ) has rotating wheels, lift-up canopy halves, and a rotating mini-gun in the nose. It's already a good-looking beast, but a reworking next year wil...

THERE ARE PLENTY OF BATMOBILES available, but this 1:24 scale metal and plastic version from Jada is well worth a close look. SMN report: The Batmobile has featured in many scales, with designs to match the various vehicles seen in comics, TV, and movies. The Jada 1:24 scale Batmobile has an appropriately high-tech style, and the model is pre-painted. Assembly is fairly simple, straight out of the box. We are itching to do some re-imagining of the design, either as a competition racer or perhaps an off-world explorer. But that's for the future; this time we are assembling the basic vehicle straight out of the box, as supplied by Jada.   Familiar face and logo on the box ( above, below ) reveal that the vehicle comes from the 2016 movie Batman v Superman : Dawn of Justice . The film starred Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne, Henry Cavill as Superman, and Amy Adams as the lovely Lois Lane.    Back of the box ( below ) has useful closeup pix. You don't need help with pant or ...

A KIT REISSUE THAT harks back to the golden age of Detroit dream cars. SMN report:  The 1950s decade was an amazing era for technical progress. Fuelled by the demands of Cold War politics, civil and military advances went hand in hand, with aviation in particular going from straight-wing slowpokes to Mach 2 skyblazers. And that progress was matched by events on the highway, for it was the age of the Detroit dream car. Every auto show displayed amazing vehicles, many of them taking their inspiration directly from the fast jets screaming overhead. One of the finest of those dream cars was the Lincoln Futura, described at the time as ‘A 250,000 Dollar Laboratory on Wheels’. The fold-back bubble canopies looked absolutely great, as did the hooded headlights and shark-mouth grilles front and rear. Under the sleek bodywork, the Futura was powered by a modified V-8 engine, and supported by a tubular steel chassis. This reissue of the original 1956 kit ( above, below ) takes you back ...

  THE SUICIDE SQUAD BATMOBILE KIT comes from the 2016 movie, and is a repackaged version of the existing Moebius Models 1:25 scale Batmobile, as issued for Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice . Mat Irvine:  The reasoning behind this special edition Batmobile is that the ever-widening DC Comics Extended Universe (DCEU) movie franchise now includes  Suicide Squad , which followed on from the earlier  Man of Steel  and  Dawn of Justice . The  Suicide Squad  storyline is not exactly a superhero tale. It's more about supervillains, something like an update of the classic  The Dirty Dozen  of 1967. This time, a group of anti-heroes are bought together under Task Force X, each with a micro-bomb embedded in their neck, just in case they feel like absconding from their new role. The kit's box base ( below ) usefully adds more details.   In Suicide Squad , the Batmobile is almost a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it experience. Batman (Ben Affleck, re...