SCALE MODEL NEWS

AMT CONTINUES ITS CELEBRATION OF Batman movies by reissuing the Batwing air combat vehicle. The kit is to 1:25 scale, so it assembles to make a good-sized model, even if it is only a single-seater. Mat Irvine:  Perhaps the most distinctive of Batman’s flying machines, the Batwing kit has been reissued much as it was when first released in 1990, shortly after Tim Burton’s Batman movie of 1989 had become a smash hit.  The box base for this kit ( below ) includes plenty of useful extra information.  The kit includes a couple of beneficial updates. The stand is now a solid metal rod, rather than a plastic component, which makes for a sturdier structure. The rod fits into the original plastic base, depicting the famed bat-signal. You also get a diorama background, as is now common with AMT and MPC reissues from Round 2. This one features a spectacular cyclorama of the Gotham City skyline. But the kit itself remains much the same.  The components ( below ) are moulded in ...

THE NEW MOVIE BATMAN v SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE is due for release on March 25, 2016. So Round 2 has taken the opportunity of reissuing the AMT Batmobile kit, as designed for the first  Batman  reboot of 1989. Mat Irvine:  The Tim Burton-directed Batman featured an Anton Furst-designed Batmobile, a sinister vehicle that was far removed from the original Barris TV version. The box base of the new release ( below ) provides plenty of extra details on the kit. The Round 2 kit is straightforward to assemble, with a one-piece body, cockpit-style interior, and enough chromed parts to add a touch of sparkle. You also get, as is becoming increasingly common with Round 2 reissues of AMT and MPC kits, what is described as a 'Bonus Backdrop Display', in this case one that represents the Axis Chemical Plant. The components ( below ) are neatly moulded, and fit cleanly. Tyres are vinyl, and come in two sizes for front and rear pairs. However there is one significant change to the o...

SMN update from David Jefferis: Oops, this Vampire Van has been in the ‘passed us by’ department for a while. It’s a fun kit that was released a couple of months ago by Round 2 under the MPC name, and is now generally available. The Vampire Van is well worth a look, not least because it paves the way for the upcoming vampire movie Dark Shadows , starring the excellent Johnny Depp and bodacious Michelle Pfeiffer. Creepy Classic kit The kit is for anyone with a thing for the undead or for retro-style subject matter, and is themed on the Dark Shadows TV series that ran from 1965-71, then again in re-imagined format in 1991. The MPC kit we’re looking at here is a 1:25 scale MPC Creepy Classic, featuring a Vampire Van that might have been used by the series protagonist, Barnabas Collins. Excellent details The model is basically a hot rod-style hearse that’s been customized with heaps of suitably vampirish details. It’s got curtained windows, old-style carriage lamps, an ornate roof rack, a...