SCALE MODEL NEWS

IS THIS JUST AN EXCUSE TO SHOW A GOOD-LOOKING gal on a scale model website? Maybe... but it's also a salute to three talented individuals and a plea to model kit manufacturers. SMN report: The video shows aerobatic pilot Melissa Andrzejewski flying under high-wire ace Sketchy Andy Lewis and freestyle motocross legend Jimmy Fitzpatrick in a first of its kind aviation stunt. The Edge 540 is a stunt plane-and-a-half, with stats that make the mind boggle - and the stomach ready to do a flip-flop. The single-seater can make 265 mph flat-out using its 400 hp Lycoming  engine, and climb at 3700 ft per minute. But it's the roll rate that really boggles - 420 degrees per second! And that makes the Oklahoma-built Zivko Edge 540 ideal for Red Bull air displays, which is where it has become the must-have wings of choice for aerobatic pilots. And Melissa? She certainly seems a top-notch lady. Here's what they say about her: " Award-winning aerobatic pilot, free fly skydiver and ch...

The MX2 RC radio-control (RC) plane is a big beast sporting a 1.4m wingspan - more than four and a half feet across the wingtips. And taking a similar type of full-size plane along the Corinth Canal, Greece, is ace Hungarian pilot, Peter Besenyei. SMN report: Watch the video (below) to see Red Bull aero-ace Peter Besenyei, as he takes his plane on an amazing flight through the famed Corinth Canal in Greece. The Hungarian pilot hurtles along the 21.4 m (70 ft) wide rock cutting, while performing impressive aerial manoeuvres and chest-bursting high-G tricks. Pretty good action  photography   we reckon. But we can't all be air aces, so a good next best bet is to build and fly a decent-size RC aircraft. The Starmax MX2 RC (header, below) is powered by a  powerful brushless electric motor, so there are none of the hassles connected with traditional fuel model engines. According to the makers, the MX2 RC will, "...rocket and weave through the skies, rolling, looping, twisting ...

Sony PlayStation drivers will love this diecast future-machine, one of the star cars in the record-breaking Gran Turismo 5 video game. This one is now leaving the screen, to arrive as a real-life 1:18 scale diecast model from Hong Kong-based Autoart. Autoart are producing a whole series of vehicles in various markings, of which the one in current World Champion Sebastian Vettel (below) markings is probably most interesting. In Red Bull markings, the X2010 really ought to be the one he drives in Formula 1, as it looks just great. Still, if we can’t have that, here’s the next best thing. Cockpit details Fit and finish look absolutely excellent in these Autart pix, with top marks going to the simulated carbon-fibre and cockpit detailing. The HUD (head-up display) looks pretty cool too. More to come The Red Bull edition in Sebastian Vettel markings is due April, with others in the series to follow, finished in white, red, and orange, plus one in a prototype scheme. X2010 in white is on the...

SMN REPORT Red Bull Racing’s Sebastian Vettel won his third Formula One Driver’s World Championship in 2012, and you can help celebrate that milestone by building a Tamiya 1:20 scale kit of the Renault racer he drove in 2010, to become World Champ for the first time. The car is the Red Bull Racing Renault RB6, and is an all-new 1:20 scale tooling from Tamiya. The RB6 was also driven by Vettel's team-mate Mark Webber and you can build the kit in either driver’s team markings. Aero aid In Tamiya-speak, the car is a ‘highly detailed static display model’ that features a removeable engine cover ‘to allow installation of the F-Duct system.’ For non-fans the F-duct is a cunning piece of technical trixie that channels air through and around the rear of the car, for improved aerodynamics. Alternative markings It looks like a fine kit, and has the usual Tamiya attention to detail in the cockpit and the chassis. There are photo-etch metal parts and beautifully printed Red Bull markings by It...