SCALE MODEL NEWS

IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME COMING but finally the gap has been filled between the first Volkswagen MicroBus T1 and the third, T3 version. But now we can give an overdue welcome to this 1:24 scale Revell kit of the model in the middle, the VW T2. Mat Irvine reports:  Revell has decided to issue this kit as an ‘easy-click’ system model. This means it does not have to be glued together (though you can if you want) as all parts ‘click’ into place. Revell also supplies, as with other easy-click kits, two sets of decals, conventional water-slide and peel off/stick on types, so making the kit suitable for both new and experienced modellers.  The instruction leaflet ( below ) is printed in full colour, and the two sets of decals are conventional water-slide ( top right ), and peel-off type ( bottom right ).  Parts layout ( below ) shows the various colours, plus chrome, transparent, and tyres.  One possible downside is that this T2 is moulded in colour. This is so a new modeller ...

THE OTHER HALF of this 1:24 scale Revell Gift Set, the Porsche Panamera, has already been dealt with in SMN, so now here's the other kit in the box – a Porsche 918 two-seater. Mat Irvine:  The Porsche 918 Spyder is a hybrid vehicle, with two electric motors and a V8, though perhaps oddly, the mixed-power layout is not discussed in the kit information. The 918 Spyder was a prototype, but built with the idea it could go into production. Given the price – $845,000 – this was likely to only be a very limited edition, and even a cup holder had to be a special order, at $949. The 918 was available only from 2013-15. The kit is one of Revell’s ‘new style’ car kits in that the transmission and wheel assemblies are simplified, not to reduce external detail, but to give the completed model a more solid structure. When compared with the Porsche Panamera, the 918 has more parts (129 vs 98), and there is more detail in the V8 engine and electric motors. But, as with the Panamera, much structure...

THIS KIT IS A reissued and reboxed version of an original Revell US kit that dates to around 1995. Just to confirm, this is the newer and more detailed Revell US kit. Monogram also made a very similar 1971 Plymouth which, in convertible form, was the star car that featured in  Nash Bridges , a TV cop series that starred Don Johnson. Mat Irvine:  Assembling the Revell 1:25 scale Plymouth AAR Cuda kit is straightforward, with just a couple of areas to watch. There’s a tricky fit to the lower end of the steering column, as there is for the front shocks, but with some patience and TLC, the parts do mate together eventually. The construction is now standard practise for most car kits, with full engine and chassis detail. The interior has bucket seats, and decals to reproduce a woodgrain effect. All decals for engine components – oil filter, even the heater hoses – are supplied, as are some very nice decals for the tyres. The wheels are chrome-plated, though do benefit from a coveri...

THE LAND ROVER IS ONE OF THE WORLD'S best known off-road vehicles, and is found in every country. But considering this widespread popularity, kits of the original Land Rover to 1:24/25 scale have been few and far between. In the military scales of 1:35 and 1:72/76, yes, but to the standard car scale, no. Mat Irvine reports:  But now Revell has come to the rescue with a brand-new kit of one of longest-running Land Rover types, the Series III Long Wheel Base (LWB), otherwise known as the ‘109’ for the number of inches in its wheelbase. Revell could have reissued the old ESCI kit (now Italeri). But that kit is getting a bit long-in-the tooth, so instead Revell opted to make a brand-new tool. Overall this is an excellent kit, although there are a couple of anomalies, more of which later. The model is fully detailed, complete with chassis, engine, running gear, interior, and bodywork. There are various assembly options, depending on what configuration you wish, and you have to decide on...