SCALE MODEL NEWS

EVERY NOW AND AGAIN  we come across something that goes way beyond the  normal – and here is a great example, showing the build-up of a metal Feiseler Storch.    Hope you enjoy this video. The Storch is one of our favourite World War II recon machines. Hasegawa released a 1:32 scale Storch years ago – and we say this vid ought to remind Hasegawa to release it once again. Still, you might decide to have a go at a metal miniature with this available Eduard model.

NEARLY 4600 F-16 FIGHTING FALCONS have been built since 1973. Today the US Air Force still flies the F-16, as do 25 other air arms. And that ubiquity is matched by model manufacturers, including Hasegawa. SMN report: Hasegawa makes excellent F-16 kits in various scales, and they are all good to put together. A recent Hasegawa release is an F-16D in Polish Tiger markings. The F-16 is known in Poland as the Goshawk, though early faults and reliability issues led to the nickname 'neilot' which is a Polish word for flightless bird. However, those troubles have largely passed, and today the F-16D provides a powerful defensive punch. The aircraft is also a regular visitor at Tiger Meets, gatherings of fighter squadrons whose crest includes a tiger. The Hasegawa release is a limited edition kit combo that features liveries used at the 2013 and 2014 Tiger Meets. This video ( below ) courtesy YouTuber ScaleModelAircraft, gives an interesting outline of a typical Hasegawa F-16 build. Th...

ACCORDING TO REPORTS, AIRFIX is plotting new stuff 'for the girls' as the 60-year-old model kit maker targets a new generation of female scientists. Not forgetting that Hasegawa ( above ) is already in the female model maker market. SMN report, heads up courtesy Martin Postranecky: A recent news story in the London Daily Mail reckoned that Hornby-owned Airfix wants to move away from 'masculine' war toys. Apparently Airfix bosses reckon that girls have more patience for models than boys. They may be right, and in any case, it's a far cry from the first Airfix model aircraft kit, a 1:72 scale Spitfire ( below ) wearing the RAF unit marking BT-K. That was 60 years ago, and at a distinctly old-fashioned price, just two shillings (10 pence today, equivalent value £2.45 GBP). So what might a new ‘girl-centric’ Airfix offering be like? Joseph Curtis for Mail Online notes that products could be aimed at a new generation of female scientists. And if that’s an excuse for bri...

Hasegawa’s take on the Ma. K (Maschinen Krieger) sci-fi universe, first created back in the 1980s by Japanese artist Kow Yokoyama, is steadily growing, with new figure sets now available to 1:20 scale. The latest kit is the Limited Edition 1:20 scale Mk 44 (header) for which Hasegawa is taking orders. It looks an interesting addition to the Ma. K universe, of which the blurb reads, "In the dark, futuristic world of Maschinen Krieger (Ma. K) most of the Earth's peoples have been burned to radioactive dust and ash by the world-shattering nuclear exchanges of World War IV. However, nothing is forever, and as life returns to the globe, discord also reappears, and warfare erupts in its wake. "Among the Ma. K combat scenarios, the power-suited soldiers of IMA forces struggle against the roving robots of the SDR, making innovation and adaptation keys to an IMA victory.  "New on the field of battle are two weapons, a sophisticated smart-gun and a fixed arm-gun, both designed...

First produced by Hasegawa decades ago, the 1:8 scale structural-build Fokker Dr1 Triplane now earns the title ‘Hot Product’ from Hasegawa USA. Produced in the first place as a true ‘museum grade’ replica, the absolutely gorgeous Triplane is once again becoming generally available. As before, the kit combines a high-detail engine, airframe structures and control systems, all produced in a profusion of mixed materials. Japanese Cyprus woods, soft metals, brass (and plastics!) are all used for this what’s-under-the-fabric kit. The Triplane ( ‘Dreideker’ in German ) is not something you will put together in a night or two, as there are 857 components to assemble. The sheer size is another factor - do you have room for a World War I fighter with an assembled wingspan of some 838 mm (33 in)? Let’s hope so, because it really is a beauty - witness the example we saw (below) at the Flixton Air Museum recently. Is it completely accurate? Well, some researchers claim there are some inaccuracies...

SMN report: Due shortly in stores worldwide is this 1:16 scale Hasegawa ‘Museum Quality’ structural kit of the Sopwith Camel F1, an iconic single-seat World War I fighter plane. The original 1:8 Sopwith Camel mega-kit has been lurking in Hasegawa’s back catalog for many years, so it’s a real pleasure to see that the subject has been revamped for 2013, and will shortly be available for World War I fans. It’s good also to see some competition for Wingnut Wings in this area, albeit to 1:16 scale, twice the size of Wingnut aircraft. This see-inside ‘structural’ model kit has a total of 293 components in the box, so there’s plenty to assemble, though at 1:16 scale, even the smallest parts are relatively easy to handle. Hasegawa promo pix reveal a wealth of detail, though perhaps they could have given the fuel tank (below) a bit more care. Its central seam is quite noticeable, and you’ll have to give it a thorough fill-and-smooth job. Other details are much better, such as the highly convin...

Mat Irvine: It’s perhaps a slightly odd decision for Hasegawa to model a spaceprobe that is more than 35 years old… but let us be pleased the company did, as it is a very interesting kit for any space enthusiast. Two Voyager craft were launched in 1977, their mission to study the outer gas giant planets of the Solar System. Initially these were just Jupiter and Saturn, but Voyager 2 was redirected in mid-flight to go on to encounter Uranus and Neptune as well. Currently the Voyagers are the most travelled objects to leave planet Earth, with Voyager 1 now some 18.5 billion km (12bn miles) from the Sun, far beyond the planets in the distant area known as the heliosphere. Just over 80 parts make up the Hasegawa kit, which measures some 325mm (13in) to the end of the magnetometer boom. The components are supplied on two black plastic runners, plus one in white and one gold-plated for the onboard ‘Golden Record’ message disc carried by each craft ‘just in case’ a future civili...

SMN REPORT: Like sci-fi? Like steampunk? Like cars? Like a kit bash? Then here’s an idea for you. It’s a full-size customized show car, the Mini Countryman Steampunk edition from Carlex Design of Poland. Wide range of ideas Carlex Design has an international reputation for well-judged mods to existing vehicles. From special leather interiors to wooden steering wheels, BMWs to Lamborghinis - if you have the money, a unique custom car can be yours. Or indeed, you can have a team of cars - Carlex has made a range of football-styled cars to celebrate Poland’s soccer squad in the Euro 2012 competition. Intricate detailing In fact, most Carlex projects are fairly middle-of-the-market stuff, so the Mini Countryman Steampunk marks a step up in the creative department. Carlex designers have really gone to town on this one, with the hand-tooled leather and copper interior suiting the fantastical genre very well indeed. They’ve maybe got a bit enthusiastic with the cutaway seats that reveal myst...

SMN report: Hasegawa of Japan is bringing us hot new and revised products at a pace-and-a-half. Here a taste of what’s in store - space, sci-fi, aviation, and... girls! Dreamliner The 1:200 scale Boeing 787 Dreamliner comes in two flavours, JAL (Japan Airlines) and ANA (All Nippon Airways), differentiated in several ways, such as the differing engines used by the two airlines. At this scale, the changes are visually minor, but Hasegawa has detailed everything you need for an accurate finished model. Voyager Real-space fans have a treat in store with the 1:48 scale Voyager space probe. Two were launched back in 1977, their mission to record data and information about the outer planets. After swooping past Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune, they are now drifting into interstellar space, beyond the Solar System.  Golden Record The Hasegawa kit includes a scale representation of the ‘Golden Record’, a video disc containing the sights and sounds of Earth. There’s one aboard each space...