SCALE MODEL NEWS

JUST LUURVE THIS VIDEO which is a reminder of decades of custom car creativity. SMN report: As for model cars, well the VW Beetle is a classic that's available in kit or diecast form. The model (below) is a 1:24 scale custom from Maisto. Detailing is perhaps a little clunky, but the basics are there for a more elaborate model.     And the Beetle-Veyron mashup ( below ) comes courtesy RC workshop, and would look really fine, either in a radio-control circuit race or on a display shelf.

Mat Irvine takes a less than serious view: Zingers date back to the 1970s, and are caricatures of cars and trucks. The vehicles have oversized engines, mounted on undersized bodies, an effect which gives them an original look, to say the least. Zingers originated by a roundabout route, as the idea actually came from model maker Dennis Johnson, as his entry in a competition run by the original MPC company in the early 1970s. His entries created such an impression that MPC decided to produce them as kits, coming out with eight-strong collection. They haven’t been available for 30 years or so, but now they have all been reissued by Round 2 models, the Indiana-based collectibles company that includes MPC among its group of brands. Detailing for a hot rod finish The Zingers are simple kits, though details can be added, just as you might with a more ‘normal’ kit. Drilling out the exhaust pipe ends so they look hollow is a good idea, as is carefully dulling the slick tyres with liquid cement ...