SCALE MODEL NEWS

IT'S MAY 4, SO TODAY IS STAR WARS DAY and here is a look at probably the biggest kit of the Millennium Falcon available. SMN report: The DeAgostini kit assembles to make a 1:1 scale replica, though the 1:1 scale refers to one of the prop models used for filming – not a life-size ship! Even so, the model is a massive beast when completed, as you'll see in the video below. Of the kit, DeAgostini says: “This official model of the iconic Millennium Falcon is a 1:1 replica of the original Empire Strikes Back movie prop, and also features unique internal details, lighting and movable parts." The kit comes as a partwork, and like many of these, has some extras to go with the actual model components. DeAgostini adds, “Your magazine will include easy-to-follow detailed Assembly Guide plus a fascinating look inside the Star Wars archive with The Starship Fact File, The Guide to the Galaxy and The Secrets of Spaceflight. “Easy to construct but with an unprecedented level of reali...

IF THERE IS ONE spacecraft that sums up the Star Wars saga, then the Millennium Falcon belongs at the top table. Depending on your personal preference of course, the X-Wing or TIE fighter just might compete for gold! But there's no arguing that the Bandai Perfect Grade kit represents the peak where plastic kits are concerned. SMN report: Detail throughout is superb, and of course the kit is made to model aircraft-standard 1:72 scale. And that means the Bandai  Millennium Falcon  can be displayed next to more or less any aircraft to that scale, from a P-40 to an F-15. The flight deck ( below ) includes neatly moulded figures of Han Solo, Chewbacca, Princess Leia, and Luke Skywalker. They bring it to life, as well as adding that important sense of scale. Note the detailing of the ship's side mouldings, where there is plenty of mysterious machinery to add a convincing look.   The instruction book ( below ) is a work of publishing art, certainly good enough to make a perman...

THE STAR WARS MERCHANDISE MACHINE continues to be a massive generator of spacecraft models and kits. Han’s Speeder is a Revell 1:28 scale miniature of the vehicle seen in the 2018 Star Wars release  Solo: A Star Wars Story . Mat Irvine:  This kit is from Revell-Germany, and, as with most R-G Star Wars productions, belongs to the simpler end of the modelling business. However, even junior or beginner kits can look really convincing when tackled by a more experienced modeller. The subject of this new kit is described as a ‘Mobquet M-68 landspeeder’ that was acquired by Han Solo ‘under circumstances he doesn’t care to explain…’ The M-68 is a science-fiction subject, but it’s hardly a spaceship, so can really be considered as a car first or foremost – OK, it flies or hovers, but it’s still a car. Although not produced in a conventional car scale such as 1:24/25 or 1:32, the M-68 is pretty close, at 1:28 scale. Revell has made this a pre-coloured snap-together ‘Build and Play’ kit,...

MAYBE THIS IS THE NEXT STAGE OF MODEL-MAKING beyond assembly and display at model shows and events.

STAR WARS FANS QUEUE RIGHT NOW as it's time to see  Solo, the latest movie in the four-decade old sci-fi saga. SMN report: We plan to see Solo ASAP, but for now let's look at the latest kits from Revell, released to match the movie. First off ( below ) we have the Millennium Falcon flown by Han Solo. With this kit, Revell goes back in time with a *sorta* match the box size, at 1:164 scale. That's certainly an oddity as scales go, but the simple-to-build model should look OK as a stand-alone display piece. The included lights and sounds will certainly add interest on the display shelf, and even at the small scale it's still 235 mm (9 in) long when assembled. The simple construction of this 21-part kit is not necessarily a bad thing, though as the pix show, some careful TLC with super-detailing skills could easily transform the toy-like model into a convincing starship miniature.   Also released is the coffin-like single-seat Imperial Patrol Speeder ( below ). Again, ...

CHRISTMAS COMES EARLY IN HOLLYWOOD and the new Star Wars teaser-trailer is already here. The countdown begins for the latest movie in the long-running saga, called  The Last Jedi . SMN report: We're Star Wars suckers here at SMN, and  The Last Jedi  looks as if it will be up to the standard of the recent movies, especially in the hardware department. View the trailer ( below ) and see what we mean, especially those tasty desert aeromechs with their vermilion surface exhausts. As always for scale model makers, the mechanicals are at least as interesting as the characters. See below for stuff to make you drool - that is, if the likes of Revell will oblige with yet more Star Wars kits in time for Christmas 2017.     Star Wars The Last Jedi arrives in your galaxy on December 15, 2017. Among the players are Daisy Ridley (Rey), John Boyega (Finn), Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker), Adam Driver (Kylo Ren), BB-8, and many others. Click here for the tasty and pricy Revell ...

THREE REVELL MASTER SERIES STAR WARS kits are being released in synch with publicity for the upcoming new Star Wars movie Rogue One . SMN report : In Revell-speak, these three Star Wars models are Level 5 kits, the company’s top build standard. The TIE Fighter and X-Wing are arriving now, the Millennium Falcon will be available shortly. The great thing is that all three are moulded to standard model aircraft scales, so they can be readily displayed next to existing flight hardware. Here’s what Revell has to say about the subjects, all targeted at the advanced modeller.  TIE Fighter 1:48 scale “…Darth Vader used this prototype as the basis for the terrifyingly effective TIE interceptor in the Battle of Yavin. Unlike all other TIE fighters, this prototype has a deflector shield generator and a simple hyperdrive. Vader's TIE Advanced is armed with heavy twin blaster cannon on fixed mounts but has no life support systems. “…characterised by a hull made of duralloy steel, an extended af...

STELLAR NEWS FOR SCIENCE FICTION FANS comes with the latest Revell Snaptite kit of the famed Millennium Falcon starship. Released to coincide with the latest Star Wars movie, the kit has some significant mods to bring it up to date. Assembly instructions ( below ) are clear and detailed. The kit goes together reasonably well, though a few components need some extra care when fitting. For a permanent display model, you could think about using liquid cement.  Differences in this latest Millennium Falcon include the antenna ( below ). It's no longer a dish, now a curved rectangular shape. Detailing is generally crisp, and even though there is plenty of pre-finishing out of the box, smaller details will look that much better if you go in with airbrush, markers and paints. We prefer the original dish antenna (below) which has a more prominent appearance. But it's not a make or break thing, and in any case this sci-fi model invites conversion possibilities. We'll be going for a...