SCALE MODEL NEWS

Here’s a neat little item that was first displayed at the 2014 Scale Model World show in Telford, UK. The 1:35 scale Taxi de la Marne was released by French manufacturer Mach 2, to commemorate the centenary of World War I. Mat Irvine: Didier Palix ( below ) is the founder of Mach 2 models, an outfit that has provided modellers with an intriguing array of aircraft and spacecraft models, many not made by any other company. Didier came up with a rather special vehicle to commemorate World War I, in the form of a Renault Taxi de la Marne from 1914. The taxi is produced to the military scale of 1:35, as it is intended to be seen in dioramas with other military models of the same era. A question to think about is whether this Renault would have been sent to war zones in the decidedly non-military paint scheme depicted by the kit. It may well have been the case, but you could give the taxi a more serious look by adding a coat of khaki camo finish instead, to give it a similar look to the tro...

This latest Wingnut Wings kit was released in late March 2013, at the Easter Weekend Omaka Classic Fighters Airshow, in New Zealand. Like other Wingnut aircraft, the Fokker DVII is a top-quality production. The 1:32 scale Wingnut Wings Fokker DVII has 198 injection-moulded components, including 36 parts that relate specifically to the BMW IIIa-powered DVII ‘F’ version. There are also eight photo-etch metal parts in the kit, plus propeller and engine cowling options. For the skilled model maker, full rigging details are supplied to make a museum-grade model. Neat details The pictures show an unpainted prototype model, nice, as you get to see the fine detail that has been incorporated, especially in and around the engine compartment. Also visible are the welded-steel tubular frameworks around which the fuselage, tail and ailerons of the highly successful real machine were built. Good size The 8.7m wingspan of the DVII translates to a 1:32 scale span of some 272mm (10.7in) and an overall ...

SMN report: In 1912, war clouds were gathering over Europe, and leading the charge for command of the air was the British RFC (Royal Flying Corps), set up on this day, 100 years ago. And suitably enough, the New Zealand-based model manufacturer Wingnut Wings has another 1:32 scale World War I aircraft kit for us, the biplane FE2b, as used by flight crews of the RFC. What’s in the box? The Wingnut Wings ‘early’ FE2b has a set of high quality decals, produced by the excellent specialist Italian Cartograf company. There are markings for no less than five different aircraft, so you’ve plenty of choice. Assembling the machine will involve putting together 366 injection-moulded plastic components, surely a record for an aircraft of this type.  Details, details... In addition to all those parts, there are a dozen photo-etch detail components, and the Beardmore engine alone requires 32 pieces to put together. It looks utterly convincing when assembled, so top marks here to Wingnut Wings. O...

SMN update: In our opinion, Wingnut Wings of New Zealand are purveyors of the most drool-making 1:32 scale World War I aircraft kits ever produced. We looked at one of Wingnuts’ earlier kits, the German Gotha bomber, last year - and here’s the Rumpler C.IV, another German aircraft that should join the Gotha, high on the list of must-make kits for any modeller keen on this early era of the aviation story. Rumpler kit details The Wingnut Wings Rumpler C.IV kit features high quality Italian Cartograf decals with markings for five aircraft, and the complex lozenge camouflage is also included. The kit features no less than 259 injection-moulded plastic components, plus a further dozen photo-etch metal detail parts. The engine - a Daimler-Mercedes D.VIa - looks quite excellent, and builds up nicely from a supplied total of 18 parts. Other details include various optional parts - whether you want gun rings, a wireless, flares, radiators or cameras, Wingnuts have them all covered. There’s even...

SMN report: It’s a hard question to answer, bearing in mind that the model-maker ‘craft’ market is different from the ready-built ‘collector’ market, and that our idea of a well-made kit varies. But there are crossover points between the two, and it’s exemplified by the latest Corgi World War I biplane, a 1000-off Limited Edition 1:48 scale model of the Sopwith Camel flown by Captain CM McEwen in Italy, January 1919. Looking at the basics As models go, the basic airframe of this Corgi Camel is good, if not outstanding. The same subject, made from a kit such as the 1:48 scale Eduard release, will give a much finer result, especially round the undercarriage, machine guns, and components such as the pitot tube on the starboard interplane strut.  Decals and details Then again, Corgi’s chequer-pattern markings are very neatly applied, as are the roundels and unit markings. Kit and diecast score roughly level pegging in this department. However, the diecast takes a dive where the pilot a...

Every now and again a model appears that simply blows us away, and here we are, duly blown, with the wonderfully detailed 1:32 scale Gotha G.IV from New Zealand’s Wingnut Wings. Building the Gotha G.IV The real thing had a wingspan of some 23.7 m (77.75 in), a spread which is reflected on the model shelf, at an extensive 730 mm (29 in). It’ll be a build-and-a-half if you decide to splash out and get one - there are 436 plastic components, plus 22 metal-etch fine detail parts. The instruction book’s 40 pages will help you all the way, and there’s a rigging diagram for those with more dexterity (and patience) than this writer. Wingnut Wings have also included various optional parts, decals for five different aircraft, and a pair of engines that are a work of model art in their own right. Zeppelin or Gotha? The Gotha G.IV was designed as a direct replacement for the Zeppelin airships that attacked Britain from the air. Zeps were far from ideal as weapon platforms, being expensive to build...