SCALE MODEL NEWS

ARE YOU FREE TOMORROW? Do you like sci-fi themes, models and miniatures? Then smallspace 3 is for you. It's on 10.00-16.00 Sunday in Hanslope, UK. There'll be plenty of action at smallspace 3 , including 1:1 scale Daleks, squads of Imperial Stormtroopers, and much more besides.   For lovers of TV science-fiction, there will be plenty of scale models from the worlds of Gerry Anderson, from Stingray (below) to Thunderbirds and Captain Scarlet. The level of craftsmanship on many of the miniatures is astounding, and only really be appreciated if you can inspect them on the spot. Pictures taken at smallspace 2 . Click here for full details of smallspace 3.

The first-ever Model Market hit the public on February 2, as an experiment to see how successful such a show could be so early in the year. It was run by HaMeX, the group of model shows based in Hanslope, UK, and run by master-modelmaker Mat Irvine and supplies-meister Paul Fitzmaurice. Mat Irvine: The Model Market now takes the HaMeX score to four a year, including the one that kicked things off, the Hanslope Model eXpo, a swapmeet and model display held just before Christmas. HaMeX targets those last-minute moments to snap up a present, even if it happens to be a reward just for yourself! In May, Automodellismo roars in. It specialises in model cars, though we also feature the real things, on gleaming display in the car park. In July, Smallspace comes in to land, concentrating on space, science-fiction and fantasy. This has been the most popular show so far - a horde of full-size Daleks roaming round the car park probably help. The Model Market (TMM) was created to cater for the pos...

MAT IRVINE: The UK-based Milton Keynes Scale Model Club held its annual ModelKraft Show recently, and there were thousands of beautifully-finished miniatures on display. General view of the ModelKraft main hall (below) reveals a mass of models, and plenty of visitors. The smaller exhibition area (below) on the first floor, with the main hall visible through windows at the back. Friend of SMN, and co-organiser of the HaMeX model events, Paul Fitzmaurice’s trade stand (below) was packed with model accessories - and every item on it is transported to and from shows in his Skoda Roomster minivan, which he packs and unpacks with millimetric precision. Paul has also set up the newest model club in the area, details at his website. Visit Paul here . You can’t have too many Phantoms… despite its antiquity (first flight 55 years ago!) the cranked-wing F-4 is still a major draw with aviation fans and modellers alike. A neatly-presented 1:25 scale AMT 1965 Lincoln Continental (below) complete...

Raymond Cusick, the production designer behind Doctor Who’s Dalek enemies, has died aged 84. He worked on the BBC TV science-fiction series from 1963 to 1966. Screenwriter Terry Nation (1930-97) wrote the episode of Doctor Who in which the Daleks made their entrance, but it was Ray Cusick who arrived at the final look, complete with eyestalk, sucker arm, and exterminator armament. Lunchtime inspiration In a 2008 episode of the Doctor Who Confidential TV show, Ray Cusick explained that inspiration for the Dalek design came during a lunch with special effects expert Bill Roberts, who was responsible for making the mecha-monsters. Apparently, Ray picked up a pepper pot and moved it around the table before saying, “It's going to move like that - no visible means.” Chief enemy Daleks have remained essentially unchanged in appearance over the half-century since they first appeared, and are still the best-known of the Doctor's enemies, and have had a new lease of life since the show...

SMN PREVIEW: The sales tables are booked, club stands organized, hot sandwiches on order, models good to go... Yes, it’s HaMeX again, this time the fourth in the annual event series. For anyone living in reach of the Milton Keynes area in the UK, this is the model zone to head for this coming Sunday. As usual, the two organizers will be there, with Mat Irvine displaying his many models, and Paul Fitzmaurice demonstrating airbrushes and other modelling equipment. More kits on show In Mat’s words, “the HaMeX show is invariably less 'things-to-see driven’, compared with Automodellismo and smallspace, as it is intended purely as a swap meet. However I'm aiming to have even more kits there than usual - some 'new old' ones have been dug out, including a range of 1:20 scale cars and I have more 'fix-er-uppers'. More from Mat “I will have some models on display (as it's in the publicity...!), but exactly what I've yet to decide. It won't - necessarily - be F...

 Here's the second of our two catch-up photo-reviews of the 'smallspace' modelfest held earlier this year. As with yesterday's selection, be very impressed with the quality of workmanship on display. And again, there are more to enjoy at Starcruzer* the site with the tagline 'From Earth to Infinity'. Not strictly a sci-fi subject (below) as it's a state of the art UCAV drone, complete with section of tarmac. But the robotic aircraft looks futuristic enough to earn its keep in this lineup. And here's a couple of excellent AFV models, included for variety, and because they simply look so good...

The smallspace show displayed UK science-fiction models at their best. And for nostalgic fans of the Gerry Anderson Supermarionation TV shows, the puppets of Duncan Willis took some beating. Early TV shows Duncan is seen above, with three of his replicas, Steve Zodiac, Lady Penelope, and the chauffeur Parker. In Duncan’s words: “I am a lifelong fan of Gerry Anderson's Supermarionation shows, with my first proper memory being of watching Fireball XL5 on TV, although I can just about remember watching Torchy, a Torchy annual being one of my most-read bedtime books.” Early Anderson inspiration Torchy the Battery Boy was the second TV series produced by Gerry Anderson. Fifty-two 13-minute episodes were made, for airing in 1958-1959. Predating Torchy were the Adventures of Twizzle, the very first Anderson series.    Recycled materials Duncan adds: “I have been making puppet replicas for around six years, and like to make scratch-built props for them to sit on/in. The pr...