SCALE MODEL NEWS

THE BASSETT-LOWKE BRAND DATES BACK to the late 1890s. So it's appropriate that the Hornby-owned company is now trailblazing a path back to that era with a dedicated range of steampunk-inspired locomotives, rolling stock, and accessories. SMN report: There’s a whole backstory associated with the Bassett-Lowke venture. Here's what B-L has to say about it: “So this is the new world; a world of mad science, eco-warriors beneath the waves and empiric wars. The three-mast clippers are now too slow to get their precious cargo past the devastating submersibles of those that despise empires, whilst the horse and cart falls constant prey to the hungry lizards that slip through the streams. The tea must get through though, the world demands it. “Wenman Joseph Bassett Lowke is one of those concerned; a seasoned maker of steam boilers, industrial brewing equipment and proud owner of some of the finest aromatic tea plantations across the world. That precious crop had to be delivered; he nee...

WE'D LOVE TO SAY THE SHOW GOES ON but Media Modelling 3 is another casualty of the war against the coronavirus pandemic. SMN report: However, here's a look at what might have been, and for steampunk fans, a taster for an event that would have featured your fantasy enthusiasm. Here's the poster for MM3, sadly but sensibly, cancelled for the time being. Ian Crichton ( below ) has won previous 'Best in the Solar System' trophies, not once but twice. His steampunk skills made him a natural to judge this year's event. More examples of Ian's steampunk world ( below ). Coronovirus is the culprit behind the cancellation of Media Modelling 3. A huge shame, but very sensible in the circumstances. We're looking forward to seeing Ian judging in future. However, there's plenty of steampunk elsewhere at SMN – click here to find out.

IN 2017, WE REVIEWED the 895-part Revell 1:72 scale kit of the  Black Pearl , as seen in the Disney movie saga  Pirates of the Caribbean . The kit we show here is a smaller 1:150 scale version of the same ship, though it still comes with 112 parts. Mat Irvine:  The 1:150 scale  Black Pearl  is supplied to assemble using the Revell ‘easy-click system’ in which the parts simply snap together. They don’t necessarily need cementing, though that can always prove an advantage if you wish the finished model to stay completely firm and solid. Although basically a snap-together model, the  Black Pearl  is still a fairly complex build. As with its larger sibling, components such as the sails are injection moulded parts, which are thicker than true-scale, but are far easier to deal with than vacuum-formed parts, which is the usual method for the unfurled sails of galleons. Despite its name, the components of the  Black Pearl  are not moulded in all-blac...

AIRFIX BRINGS BACK A NEW WAVE OF OLD KITS for model makers with a taste for nostalgia. SMN report: Airfix is celebrating its scale model heritage by relaunching a host of old kits, bringing back a mixture of old favourites and highly requested kits from the company’s tool bank archive. As Airfix says, “Relive the excitement of nostalgic Airfix modelling with a ‘Vintage Classic’ twist - the kits and iconic artwork we all love, complete with original release details and current Humbrol paint references.” The first releases look very interesting indeed, especially for military and nautical model makers. The kits ( below ) are to 1:76 scale, originally manufactured to match British OO gauge model trains. They are a little smaller than aircraft standard 1:72 scale, but don't look too out of place in a mix-and-match diorama display. The gorgeous Golden Hind kit ( below ) is that comparative rarity, a nautical subject to 1:72 scale. Which opens up a genre that wasn't invented when t...

FANS OF THE MAD MAX movies will find this how-to video the right-on route to converting an off-the-shelf model car to a Hot-as-the-Outback Mad Maxmobile. SMN report: Mad Max movies mix extreme violence ( ugh ) with extreme style ( ace ). And if you are into steam- or diesel-punk, then modifying a standard vehicle into a post-Apocalypse set of wheels shouldn't be too difficult. The choice of car doesn't have to be classic retro either. The screenshot ( below ) from the most recent movie in the series,  Mad Max   Fury Road  depicts a perfectly ordinary Mercedes-Benz passenger car doubling up as a monster machine, sitting atop a trio of truck front ends, plus the radiator from what could be an old Daimler limo. YouTuber baremetalHW has put together this video ( below ) that starts off with a 1:64 scale Hot Wheels donor car, named somewhat oddly by Mattel as the Shoebox. We guess it's based on a 1949-50 Ford. No matter, the well-shot video shows a clear step-by-step method t...

"COMMAND THE SKIES of a dark, futuristic Earth" is the tagline to this interesting steampunk-meets-deco science-fiction kit from Hasegawa. It’s based on the Japanese anime series ‘Last Exile’, a drama that is set on (despite that tagline) a fictional alien planet called Prester. SMN report: Last Exile's flying machines from Hasegawa are intriguing designs, based on reworked early 20th century technology, coupled with a dose of steampunk and pure fantasy. Hasegawa’s new-tool kit features two vehicles, both two-seaters. The streamlined, 82-component Vanship is the bigger of the two, and looks much like a cross between an old Mercedes-Benz roadster and a 1920s-era corrugated-metal Junkers aircraft. We’d venture that, conceptually, the ridges in the stub wings act as radiators for the anti-grav motors that keep the Vanship airborne. The 32-part Vespa kit ( above ) is named, we’d guess, after the famed Italian motor scooter. The tiny model is neatly done, though this sci-fi v...