SCALE MODEL NEWS

OUT OF THIS WORLD MODELING features 16 builds of science fiction and fantasy subjects. I was invited to do two of these, and chose the 1966 Barris Batmobile from Polar Lights, and the Moebius Space Chariot from  Lost in Space .  Mat Irvine:  First, the admittance that I’ve written two of the chapters in this book, but I reckon the others are even better!  Front and back covers ( above, below ) feature assorted finished models from the book. The idea for the book came from Aaron Skinner, Senior Editor with the respected Fine Scale Modeler magazine. Aaron invited various participants (including myself) to write chapters, and edited the results along with Randy Rehberg. Step-by-step pictures ( below ) take you through building a USS Enterprise .   For other builds you get Batman-fan Joe Hudson tackling Moebius Models Catwoman; the more usual armour modeller Brett Avants with one of Nitto’s SF-3Ds - now Wave and Hasegawa - armoured figures into a small diorama, whil...

ITALIAN MODEL MAKER STEFANO MARCHETTI entered this blood-red alt-history Ferrari at the recent Scale ModelWorld show. SMN report: Stefano is no stranger to winning model competitions, and SMN has featured him before here . In 2012, his 'Modern Steam Monobike 1896' was the first entry in the Space, Sci-fi and Fantasy (SSFF) category to take Best of Show winner. And this Ferrari, although a more modern subject, fits the SSFF category neatly. It is an alternative-history concept that has morphed a 1967 Ferrari 330 P4 with assorted technical components to make a turbine-engined vertical takeoff machine. Mind you, we're not quite sure how such a V/STOL racer would work on the Daytona racing circuit that Stefano has indicated. Perhaps those power spheres at each corner lift the Ferrari only to knee-height. No matter: the model looks great and is another deserved win for Stefano Marchetti. Look out for Mat Irvine's account of Scale ModelWorld 2016, which should appear shortly...

It's 1945, and the Allies are on the verge of winning World War II, when suddenly the Nazis unleash an arsenal of super weapons straight out of science-fiction, turning the tide of  combat  in their  favour .   This presentation was done on a very small budget, with all the tanks and vehicles - Willys Jeep, Stuart  and Sherman tanks, Nazi 'Spider' tank - featuring as 1:6 scale models, rather than the CGI that's typically used for almost all sci-fi movies today. In Director Ryan Nagata’s words, “1945A is a presentation I made with George Edelman about an alternate timeline where the Nazi's unveil all sorts of futuristic sci-fi technology at the end of World War II, turning the tides in their favor. “It's essentially what five minutes of the feature film could look like. It was made for a budget of less than $2000. Most of the costumes were made by me for a previous project. We only had five helmets to share between actors, so I had to repaint the different markin...

SMALLSPACE COUNTDOWN: The smallspace “model show for all things space, science fiction and fantasy” will be held this Sunday, July 1, and among the sci-fi stars on display will be the original K-9 robot dog from Doctor Who. Old and new robots The robotic dog stars at smallspace courtesy Mat Irvine ( above ), who has also co-written with Mike Tucker the seminal book BBC VFX . K-9 at smallspace is the original dog, but a newer one was created for an Australian TV series. Here are a couple of pix from the TV series, and note how advanced our canine mechanoid now looks. Detail-up model There are plenty of K-9 collectibles around, but injection kits are hard to come by, that’s for sure, so for model-makers the best bet is to start with a ready-built, then use it as the basis for a superdetailed display model. Kit-bashing from the ground up is another possibility, and if you go this route, then something entirely new might be an interesting route to take. Deadly dog The Sydney-based ...

SMN REPORT: The WonderFest Hobby Expo is a weekend-long feast of science-fiction, horror, and fantasy modelling that’s held every summer in Louisville, Kentucky. This year, there’ll be a star-packed lineup of movie special effects guests, and a mega-size model contest for sci-fi, horror, and comics-related subjects. Model and toy dealers will be there, as will seminars to entertain and improve sci-fi hobbyists of all ages. Louisville's glittering nightscape. Huge range of models, collectibles and events There’s more - WonderFest features the how-to University, plus after-hours parties and get-togethers. There will be modelling demos, even a cinema. And of course, there’ll be plenty of collectibles from around the globe to inspect and buy. All of which sounds ace to the SMN crew, and a top get-go if you’re free and available.  WonderFest - a growth story WonderFest began as a modelling swap meet in August of 1990, called simply: 'The Louisville Plastic Kit and Toy Show.' The...

SMN REPORT: Shizuoka is ground-zero for model robots and mecha of all kinds, and heading the charge from Bandai are Mobile Suit Gundam models and kits, based on a fictional universe that’s been popular since it first hit the stores in 1979. ‘Gunpla’ are Gundam Plastic models, and here’s an especially neat 1:144 scale sci-fi tank kit, the YMT-05 Hildolfr AFV, a deadly weapon named after a son of the Norse god, Odin.  Gods of Scandinavia The name Hildolfr means ‘war wolf’ and we calculate that he’s a brother to Thor, the hammer-wielding god currently wowing audiences worldwide in The Avengers movie. Unlike many Gunpla, and other transformer bots, the YMT-05 Hildolfr can change its shape only partially - you can raise and lower the mighty main gun of course, and the artillery turret too, which reveals mobile suit-style torso hardware and manipulator arms, but that’s about it. Mega-machine No matter, the fusion-powered YMT-05 is a pretty convincing piece of fictional AFV design that ...

SMN report: Today’s images are a trip back in time to the years 2005 and 2006, when US concept artist and modelmaker Greg DeSantis made a series of compelling fantasy and science-fiction models. However, these were not wood, plastic, or metal creations - instead, they were 3D models created in a computer - for Greg was, and is, a gifted digital modelmaker. Museum of the Improbable To publicize his virtual creations, Greg also created another masterpiece, the Museum of the Improbable, its slogan: “Because reality can be overrated”. Which is surely the sort of byline that can be taken up by anyone who’s keen on the twin genres of fantasy and sci-fi. Models on sale Greg DeSantis made the models for sale as limited edition downloads, and by all accounts that side of things was the success it deserved to be - within a year, sales were complete, but the site itself stays on - and you can go there using the link below. Virtual or reality? Well, if they are virtual, you might ask: “Why are the...

SMN report The folks at Fantastic Plastic are visiting the WonderFest international hobby event this weekend, and have a sale on to mark their escape from the office. Up to 30 percent savings are in place, and if you like to model interesting, unusual, or simply bizarre aerospace and sci-fi subjects, then FP is the place to visit. Competed model, ready for takeoff. Wide range of oddities Fantastic Plastic does the sort of subjects that mainstream kit manufacturers won’t go near, as there simply isn’t the mass-market for - let’s say - a weird ‘maybe’ project from 50 years ago that there is in another Spitfire or Mustang. All of which makes FP’s range of kits that much more appealing to the SMN crew. Mind you, many of FP’s kits are short-run items that come and go like the tides, so if you want something, it’s best to get in quick. Sale lineup this week Of the items on the marked-down list, the Avro Project Y really takes our fancy. It was produced in Canada at a time when ‘flying saucer...