SCALE MODEL NEWS

SMN report: Researching the upcoming 51st Shizuoka Hobby Show means we’ve bumped into all sorts of good stuff, and that includes these ace shots of the Hasegawa 1:35 scale Lunadiver Stingray spacecraft, complete with a pair of space-combat troopers. Moon attack trio Lunadiver isn’t brand-new, but here you have a couple of same-scale combat troopers cocooned in their Fireball SG combat suits, plus the pilot sitting in the cockpit. Movie postponed - for a short while There’s also a brief cgi movie showing these sci-fi combat craft in action, but the oddities of this blogging platform mean that it’s gotta be processed separately - so we’ll hopefully be able to post that later this week. It’s short but really gives a feel for the backstory and ongoing warfare that’s the raison d'être of this futurespace Maschinen Krieger item. Ma. K stuff to buy here . Also available at HobbyLink Japan here . Visit the Shizuoka Hobby Show 2012 here .

SMN report: We’ll be fascinated to see how many robots will be on display at Japan’s Shizuoka Hobby Show on May 17-20. They’ll probably number in their hundreds, from a host of toy, figure, and kit manufacturers, including Fine Molds, whose 1:20 scale robot shown here comes from the anime fantasy movie Laputa: Castle in the Sky . Unusual robot This Fine Molds robot is not a brand-new release, but the strange mechanoid is worth a mention, if only because it is so definitely not a run-of-the-mill Terminator or Robocop-style creation. There are two versions of the design, the combat 'soldier' type shown here, with 132 components, and the peace-loving 'gardener' type shown at the bottom, with 139 parts.  City in the sky The movie Laputa was first released in 1986, but it’s still going strong, and maintains a faithful following. The recent Fine Molds snap-fit kit includes the hugely long-armed soldier-bot, human figures, and a strange creature that seems to be a weird cross...

SMN report: Last year’s Shizuoka Hobby Show was held not long after Japan’s devastating earthquake and tsunami, so let's extend good wishes to Japan and for no similar shadow over the show this year. The doors are open for the 51st Hobby Show on May 17-20, and it’s a biggie, held in Shizuoka, the self-styled Japanese ‘Hobby City’. Huge event The four-day event means a massive celebration of toys, hobbies, and models, with display stands for hundreds of companies. For SMN readers, the interest will span such brands as Aoshima, Bandai, Doyusha, Fine Molds, Hasegawa, Tamiya, and many more besides.  Learn with Tamiya Among the draws for show goers will be Tamiya’s skill zone, where younger modelmakers can assemble kits and learn tips and tricks for better modelmaking. There’ll be displays aplenty of assembled kits to make you drool, and of course, all the latest stuff will be on display.  Robots on the march We’ll be fascinated to see how the Japanese love affair (OK, obsession) ...

SMN report The Shizuoka ‘Hobby City’ Hobby Show finished earlier this week, and there were many reveals of tempting new stuff. However, yesterday’s look at the new Dragon Type 95 tank kit allowed us to focus on this Chinese company and its wide-ranging product list. Fine detail from Dragon Dragon has looked into various technologies for its new products, including slide moulds, which allow more accurate reproduction of fine detail than standard two-piece moulds. The technique works by creating injection moulds that have built-in moving sections, the ‘slide’ of the name. These are inserted into the mould to form components, then removed for extraction.  Slide advantages Slide-moulding has two main advantages - it helps increase overall accuracy, and reduces the parts-count by adding small details directly into place on bigger components. Items that benefit from the technique include intricate patterns, gratings, one-piece hulls, and turret interiors. The extra detail available also ...

SMN report We are delighted to report that Japan’s recent earthquake and tsunami have not put a stop to the Shizuoka Hobby Show, which is gearing up to mark its 50th year in 2011. Shizuoka is a city of some 750,000 people, in Honshu, Japan’s main island, and styles itself as Japan’s ‘Hobby City’. On show at Shizuoka The show runs from 12-15 May, and hobby companies big and small will be there, packing their stands with new products. A galaxy of names will include Aoshima, Bandai, Doyusha, Finemolds, Hasegawa, Tamiya, as well as many others.  Something for everyone Among the items on show will be Tamiya’s big new 1:48 scale P-51D Mustang, which promises to bring a new level of detail and excellence to this ever-popular subject. Bandai’s sci-fi and Pokemon releases look good, and include something different in the form of a model of the Tokyo ‘Sky Tree’ broadcasting tower. Still under construction, the Sky Tree is due for completion at the end of 2011, and when finished, will be Japa...