SCALE MODEL NEWS

GRANDPA MUNSTER HAS FINALLY stirred out of his coffin long enough to allow Moebius to finish his likeness in 1:9 scale model form. The box top ( above ) features Al Lewis, the actor who played Grandpa Munster. Mat Irvine:  The Grandpa kit has a similar construction to the Moebius model of his son-in-law, Herman ( SMN article here ) with the classic model figure arrangement of body halves, separate legs and arms. The back of the box ( below ) supplies lots of useful painting hints. It’s best to assemble the body components before painting, though you could omit Grandpa’s head, as it is easier to paint this separately. As with Herman, Grandpa has a pallid shade for his flesh tones, though he’s more to the blue end of the colour spectrum, whereas Herman tends towards the green. Perhaps this is somewhat irrelevant, as the original TV shows were shot in black and white - only the movie Munster, Go Home was in colour. The component layout ( below ) shows the peg-and-socket assembly syst...

The Round 2 model spectrum includes not only the AMT, MPC and Polar Lights brands, but now features the Lindberg and Hawk names as well. Mat Irvine reports from iHobby Expo: Round 2 had the largest of all model kit company stands at the show. My first look here is based mostly around Round 2's new and upcoming space and science-fiction kits. After this, I will look at Round 2 cars, aircraft and the rest. The booth (above) for Round 2 at the 2014 iHobby Expo. Note the display includes all R2 brands, including Auto World which deals with both slot car racing, and is the name for the online store. A pleasant surprise (below) was this MPC Space 1999 line-up. The Eagle Transporter itself is not new, but Round 2's latest offering is the first conventional injection kit to come with the twin-engine dorsal rocket booster pack included in the box. And that's excellent news for Space 1999 fans. Note the neatly applied wear and tear dirtying-down work on the assembled and finished Ea...

KIT REVIEW BY MAT IRVINE If any decade turned the van from commercial vehicle to a statement of cool, it was the 1970s. Until then, the humble panel truck was most likely seen carrying building materials, making store deliveries, or toting tools-of-the-trade. But in the 1970s, vans were tricked out with custom paint jobs, sound systems, maybe a kitchenette, even - if you were lucky - a double bed. And now in 2012, comes a Round 2 Models reissue of such a custom creation, the AMT 1:25 scale Ford Econoline Phantom van. New name Examine the box-tops to see an obvious change to the new kit, and that’s its name. The 1970s original was called the ‘Vantom’, a play on the words, ‘phantom’ and ‘van’ to impart a suitably spooky character. This time round, it’s called the Phantom, as apparently the name Vantom is being used by Mattel. But the rest of the kit is the same, with options to build it stock or as a mild custom, with spooky decals provided. Custom options Most kits of this era were reas...

David Jefferis reports: There are some big smiles at Moebius Models this month, as the 1:8 scale Bela Lugosi Dracula kit won the 2012 Rondo Award. The Moebius win is one of several made in the horror genre, and is for the ‘Best Toy, Model or Collectible.’ The kit The kit shows the famed Dracula actor bela Lugosi, as he appeared on Broadway in the 1920s. It’s made to 1:8 scale, and comes with the diorama base as shown, though the bat is not included, which is a shame. Due very soon is a deluxe version, which will include a female victim (one of his brides, I guess) and extra components to make the necessary larger base. Other winners in the category Runners-up: The Munsters (Diamond Select), Bride of Frankenstein (Diamond Select), Godzilla ornament (Carlton). Honorable mentions: Twilight Zone bank teller (Bif!Bang!Pow!), Barbara from Night of the Living Dead (Emce) Rondo: the Awards The Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards (‘Rondos’ to those in the know) are named after Rondo Hatton,...

Mat Irvine reports: Since its inception, Round 2 has reissued kits that haven’t seen the light of day for many years. But they aren’t all straight down-the-line reissues. Many of the new kits supply more parts than originally, often by combining parts from several versions that you didn’t get first time around. Also, some parts are supplied in varied colours - for example, plain transparent parts in the early kits are now supplied with three other transparent shades, so you can mix and match if you wish. Dune Buggy diorama One such up-and-coming reissue is the classic Mayers Manx Dune Buggy, which features a return of the original cardboard diorama background - Wiktor Hamburgers - that hasn’t been seen since the first issue. There will also be body options available in transparent metalflake plastic, though you’ll be lucky to get one, as the model is part of the ‘Katch the Kat’ scheme.  Katch the Kat ‘Katch the Kat’ is a collector-chase idea in which one of every dozen kits will be...