SCALE MODEL NEWS

SMN report: The Industria Mechanika sci-fi model outfit is going from strength to strength, and now there’s a contest on to spice things up. If you’re a steampunk fan (and we are) then IM’s invitation to send in figure designs in the genre is a tempting one. Steampunk range Industria Mechanika has some interesting 1:35 scale steampunk-style model kits already, including the fish-shaped Submersible, insectoid Hornethopter, and the upcoming Steam Car and Squid-Shaped Submersible. As for the contest, in IM’s words: “Wouldn’t it be cool if we got the community involved?” And that’s how the idea came about. Again, from IM: “You can now have the chance to become immortalized in your best Steampunk attire as a scale model kit!” Dress for Success Many people in the Steampunk community create fantastic outfits which they wear to conventions and shows, so emailing pix of your outfit means you could be chosen to “become” a figure model kit. Accessories count too, so rayguns, backpacks, electro-sw...

David Jefferis reports I was at a literary get-together at Blenheim Palace, near Oxford, UK, on Friday - and one of the few men in an audience of ‘ladies who lunch’. It was actually quite a treat, especially the joke-cracking platform speakers, a trio of high-powered TV comediennes who opened doors into a female world I barely knew existed... ‘size zero’, ‘control pants’ anyone?! Battle of Blenheim But Blenheim’s real story is a military one - the place was built from 1704-1724 to commemorate the Duke of Marlborough’s victory at the Battle of Blenheim in Bavaria, Germany (incidentally, they spell it ‘Blindheim’ over there). So it was a pleasure to find cases of beautifully executed military modelmaking after the chick-lit ladies had finished. There were dozens of miniatures to drool over, and even my companion Jules was impressed with the workmanship. Wide-ranging models Subjects ranged across the military spectrum, also including a family group of the Romanovs, the royal family ousted...

SMN took in a fascinating exhibition yesterday, at the Oxford Museum of the History of Science (OMHS), in the famed UK university city. The show’s all about ‘Steampunk’, a genre of science fiction that combines Victorian-era technology and materials in a ‘what-if’ scenario of how things might appear with a hint of today’s science in the mix. It’s a very appealing look that features brass, copper, iron, and rich woodwork in a sort of Jules Verne sci-fi style - if you liked the Walt Disney movie 20,000 Leagues under the Sea , then you’ll enjoy steampunk. The OMHS features a bunch of artists and their creations, with a corner devoted to SMN’s favourite steampunker, Stephane Halleux, with work that’s unique in the field for its gently humorous flavour (top two pictures above). All the pieces are notable for the model-making skills that went into making them, and that’s why we’ve included them today. Halleux’s work features stitched leather that wouldn’t look out of place in a World War I b...