SCALE MODEL NEWS

MAT IRVINE REPORTS  Here’s the latest in the series of ‘Space in Miniature’ black and white books from Mike Mackowski. This eighth in the series concentrates on that basic necessity for working in space, the space suit. US suits only SIM 8’s opening editorial states that although the original intention was to feature all type of space suits, it soon became apparent that to try and include Soviet/Russian and Chinese suits as well as US designs was too much for a single title - and of course, there might be a further book down the line.   The book is written mostly by Karl Dodenhoff ( left above ) with editing by Mike Mackowski ( right ). Karl is an acknowledged expert on space suits in general and more details can be found on his website . Aimed at model builders SIM 8 is intended primarily for modellers, so general coverage is on space suits that have been available in kit form, whether in mainstream styrene or more specialist resin. Actually, there have been models of most s...

Weekender with Mat Irvine: The 1:24 scale Gemini spacecraft was one of Revell’s most popular space kits of the 1960s, and now, if you missed the last reissue in 2000, it’s available once more in the 'Revell Classics' range. Different shades The 88-part kit remains pretty much as first issued in 1965, except that this time round, you get components moulded in white. In the past, the Revell Gemini has usually been supplied in dark or mid-grey styrene, though dark-blue and even light-blue versions have been reported. There have been white ones too - when the kit was issued as a ‘History Maker’ in 1982 - but these appear to be rare, or restricted to kits issued in Europe. Incidentally, for this reissue Revell scanned my original box, to use the artwork with the new design.  The parts are the same as before, but are now moulded in white. A few ‘The History Makers’ issues were also in white. Spacecraft in white White parts do make painting easier though, as two of the three real spa...

Mat Irvine reports: AMT originally became the best-known producer of model car kits, but in the mid-1960s, the company was also known for issuing the first Star Trek kits. And, as an adjunct to the science-fiction, AMT also moved to science fact, producing the first - and to date the only - kit of all five US manned space launchers prior to the Space Shuttle. And now, here they are back again. Small scale In chronological order, the first five launchers were the Mercury-Redstone, Mercury-Atlas, Gemini-Titan II, Saturn 1B and Saturn V. Although the 1:200 scale chosen by AMT was smaller than the classic 1:144 Saturn kits from Airfix and Monogram, AMT made up for this in the first issue with a spectacular cardboard diorama setting that not only featured the sweep of the Kennedy Space Center, but also the launch tower assembly for the Saturn V. AMT Pro Shop range First released in 1969, the kit was reissued in 1999 in AMT’s short-lived Pro Shop range, but was missing one vital element - t...

SMN Report:  Netherlands-based LVM Studios has a treat in store for real-space fans in April, with an interior super-detail package, designed to fit the 1:24 scale Revell Gemini space capsule kit, itself a recent ‘Classics’ re-release. About LVM LVM Studios - the initials are from guiding light Leon van Munster’s name - is a small company based in The Netherlands, whose aim is to design, manufacture and sell model kits and detail-up kits for mainly factual-space subjects such as the Space Shuttle, Gemini, and Soyuz. Sounds like an interesting plan for LVM and we’ll follow progress with interest. Stats from LVM: * 1:24 scale to match the Revell Gemini space capsule kit * Highly detailed ejection seats to go with the kit’s astronauts * Detailed instrument panels, including overhead and circuit breaker panels * Lots of detail, including rivets and switches * Detail parts for the hatches * Frames for the windows, including clear plastic components for the panes * Price €23.11 Eu...

SMN report: Here’s a bunch of 2012 aerospace kits from Hong Kong’s Dragon, and very good they look too. First American in space On May 5, 2012, it will be 50 years since Alan Shepard Jr piloted the Freedom 7 Mercury capsule to become the first US astronaut. And now Dragon celebrates Shepard’s sub-orbital flight with a 1:72 kit of the Mercury capsule, together with its Redstone launch rocket. Mercury capsule detail Judging from Dragon’s promo material, the kit looks well worth a look. The emergency escape tower atop the single-seat Mercury capsule is neatly detailed, and includes the trio of rockets needed to blast the capsule free of the Redstone launch rocket if required. The capsule itself has the correct ribbed appearance, and its single tiny window is there too. The original capsule design had no window, but one was fitted at the righteous insistence of the astronauts, and quite right too. Redstone launcher The Redstone looks accurate enough, with rectangular aft rudders present a...