SCALE MODEL NEWS

THE LATEST 1:25 SCALE TACO TRIKE KIT from MPC includes a vast array of decals, one set being for a so-called ‘Luna Cycle.’ Mat Irvine:  So I decided to assemble a second kit and finish it completely differently to the first ‘desert scene’ version.  This time I finished the trike in a dark Metalflake blue, with a matt blue interior. Unlike the Taco version, there were not too many decals to worry about. Once I had all the paintwork and assembly completed, I just needed the two supplied ‘Luna Cycle’ logos either side of the body and a selection of stars. And that was it – voila, a fresh take on the trick trike theme.   Boxes compared, for the 2005 issue ( below, top ) and the latest release. The artwork for both is the same, but the new box is bigger. It's now the same as a standard car kit box, but only half as deep. The new decal sheet in detail ( below ) has Luna Cycle decals printed at top right. Assorted stars are scattered in convenient gaps. Standard taco trike ( bel...

THE MPC TACO TRIKE has a neatly-moulded V-8 engine, and a wedge-style body, hence its original 1974 name, Wedge Chopper. Mat Irvine reports:  The 1:25 scale Taco Trike can basically be built much you would a car kit. The body halves can be cemented together and painted as one, as can the engine, which could even be wired if you wish to add some pleasing detail. However as it’s a trike, the front end is a bit different to a car, with a fully-chromed steering setup, and a small motorcycle wheel at the front. As with many current AMT and MPC kits, the transparencies are supplied in clear, plus transparent red and blue. So choose what you want for windshield, head and tail lights. The main problem with this kit is deciding which of the decals to use, as there is a big choice on the sheet. Here’s what MPC has to say about the Taco Trike 1:25 scale, skill 2, paint, and cement required The Trick Trikes™ is back by popular demand! Wild custom-bodied 3-wheel show trike Molded in white, the ...

THIS IS A CHOPPER-STYLE motorcycle trike, one of a six-strong 1:25 scale range, first issued by MPC in the 1970s.  Mat Irvine reports:  Kits of motorcycles (two or three wheels) are not unusual, but they are mostly in large scales such as 1:12 or 1:8, because bikes are mostly smaller than cars. This kit and others in the range are unusual in that they are moulded in the traditional 1:25 car scale. The Mail Box Chopper is a custom design, with unique bodywork, and rear wheels and tyres that wouldn’t look out of place on a dragster.   The Mail Box Chopper’s cab comes in two halves with a single seat, but the kit’s Honda 750 cc four-cylinder engine is what takes the most building skills. There are a number of small plated parts, which require the chrome to be scraped away so that components can be cemented together. However, the rest of the chrome (such as the cylinder head area) is ideal for over-painting with transparent paints to give different effects. The engine itself ...

HERE’S A CLOSE LOOK AT MPC, short for the Model Products Corporation, an American manufacturer of plastic scale model kits and promotional models that were especially popular in the 1960s and 1970s.  SMN report:  Traditionally a Michigan company, the MPC name has been part of Round 2 LLC of South Bend, Indiana, since 2011.  The video, created by Maxsmodels, is packed with information – but do make sure you watch and listen to the last few minutes, as there are plenty of ‘self-agrandizements,’ accompanied by some excellent period music. MPC specialised in cars, but also featured plenty of other subjects ( below ) down the years.

After Thunderbirds, arguably the second most popular Gerry Anderson production was the live-action TV series Space: 1999, originally aired from 1975-77. The series was based around the unlikely premise that the Moon was knocked out of its orbit round the Earth, to become a wanderer in space. Mat Irvine: As with other Anderson productions, many of the craft and vehicles seen on-screen were bound for reproduction as model kits. Examples from Space: 1999 include the Eagle Transporter, the Hawk warship and Moonbase Alpha. These three were modelled by the original MPC company, but then came the subject of this review, a lunar roving vehicle called The Alien. But The Alien never appeared in Space: 1999, instead being a small lunar car which used the TV series name for marketing purposes. The Alien kit is usually quoted as being a modified Moonscope, which was a semi-practical George Barris custom design for a stylised lunar rover, which MPC had earlier produced as a kit. But in reality, The...

This is a 1:100 scale model of the classic Soviet A-Type launcher in its best-known Vostok version, as used to launch Yuri Gagarin, the first man in space, on April 4, 1961. This time, the MPC kit comes as a Round 2 re-release. The kit was first issued by MPC way back in 1970, when details of the launch rocket were still relatively new in the West. The design, featuring four tapered strap-on boosters, looked distinctly odd then, especially compared to cylindrical Western launchers. However, the design is now highly familiar - the basic rocket is still used to launch Soyuz and Progress craft to the ISS (International Space Station) and now also by ESA (European Space Agency) as one of its main launchers. The new box (header pic) has a 'Made in USA' label, a sign that at least some kit manufacturing is returning from the Far East. The name ‘Sharik’ ( Russian: 'little sphere' ) is printed under the Vostok title, though this really refers only to the single-seat spherical d...