SCALE MODEL NEWS

David Jefferis reports Here’s something for Brits to visit by the seaside from Friday to Sunday, Brighton’s ModelWorld Exhibition, which trails itself as the model show that: ‘has to be seen to be believed’. This is the 33rd show, so it’s certainly been popular down the years. Victoriana at the ModelWorld Brighton ModelWorld should have something to suit everyone, from model trains and RC tanks, to scale aircraft and cars. A previous year’s exhibit featured a charming model of the Volks ‘electric tramroad’ that trundled along the beach in the early 1890s.  Designed for high tide The electric vehicle Pioneer (nicknamed ‘Daddy Longlegs’) trundled along on 7.3 m (24 ft) iron legs, high above the rails, a design needed for operation when the tide was up. Power came from overhead cables, and lifebelts were carried, just in case.  Daddy Longlegs would certainly make an interesting project if you have a thing for that steampunkish era. A good starting point could be an Airfix 1...

SMN report The big, 349 mm (13.7 in) wingspan 1:32 scale Eurofighter Typhoon is an imposing beast when you open up the box. It’s got 391 parts, a fuselage length just short of 500 mm (19.7 in), and it’s a completely new mould, with decent surface details and recessed panel lines. The level of detail rivals Revell’s other big-scale kits, with an 11-piece ejector seat, moveable canards,  jet nozzles in two configurations, detailed air brake, landing gear and bay, plus separate ailerons, flaps and rudder.  This Typhoon is ready for combat ECM pods are provided, as are the in-flight refuelling probe optionally extended or retracted, and two drop tanks. Revell has really gone to town with the weapons fit, with a total of 14 missiles ready for bear - four Meteors, four AMRAAMs, two Sidewinders, two IRIS-Ts, and finally a brace of ASRAAMs for the RAF version. There's also a maintenance stand with supports and suspension points to display one of the two EJ200 engines. Decals...

SMN note Model making (if you discount doll’s house miniatures and the like) is an overwhelmingly male activity. We’re not sure if there has ever been any serious research into the ‘why’ of this, but it’s true nevertheless. So, here’s a reminder for all Scale Model News readers that, much as we all like our favourite hobby, let’s not forget those significant others out there! On the other hand, let’s not forget our scale models either, in the form of the really rather tasty Eurofighter Typhoon from Revell. Another large scale kit, this one looks good straight from the box, with potential to be a showstopper, so more pix next post.   

David Jefferis reports Interesting news from Corgi that the company is linking up with the British Land Speed Record (LSR) team, headed by former record-holder Sir Richard Noble. The team's aim is to build the Bloodhound SSC jet-and-rocket-powered car, its target, to smash the current LSR with an amazing 1000 mph (1609 km/h) two-way run - that’s a Mach 1.4 machine, running at ground level!  Model maker and Bloodhound SSC partnership Corgi’s role is to be the official toy and model partner for a series of replica models of the Bloodhound, as the vehicle is developed into its final record-ready form. So there should be a mini-collection opportunity for tech-hungry diecast fans. Bloodhound SSC at the Farnborough Air Show I saw the Bloodhound display at the Farnborough Air Show last summer, and took the set of iPhone pix shown here. It’s a hugely impressive project, even if the Farnborough Bloodhound SSC was only a life-size development mockup. The Bloodhound's triple-engine techno...

SMN report Talking of Hasegawa, there’s an interesting naval kit coming up soon: a 1:450 scale model of the British battleship HMS Vanguard . The attractive box art shows Vanguard sailing past the Rock of Gibraltar, and Hasegawa promises a 150-component parts count in the box. It should be worth looking out for, not least for its historical appeal. The photograph shows a much smarter and more shipshape vessel than Hasegawa's somewhat rusty version, but maybe that's a touch of artist's license! Too late for the war HMS Vanguard was ordered in 1941, launched in 1944, but not commissioned until August 1946, 13 months after the end of World War II. She was the last battleship built in the world, and the Royal Navy’s biggest and fastest. She was broken up for scrap in 1960, after a peacetime career in which she never fired her guns in anger. This is the first plastic kit of HMS Vanguard , but it’s a pity the scale is 1:450, instead of 1:700 or 1:350, which are starting to beco...

David Jefferis discusses Long-term readers will know how enthusiastic we are of science-fiction models, and in particular the Hasegawa kits featuring the Ma.K (Maschinen Krieger) sci-fi universe, first created in the 1980s by Japanese artist Kow Yokoyama. Ma.K is set in the 2800s, with a storyline based on the fighting between various factions as the Earth repopulates after a nuclear war. Hover-tank ahead Thanks to Hasegawa, Ma.K models continue to be released, and now we have one with real appeal for armoured fighting vehicle fans. The 1:35 scale PKH 103 Nutcracker hover-tank is a neatly crafted addition to the Ma. K range, and a delight for all sci-fi buffs, with bolts-and-rivets steampunk overtones into the bargain. As envisaged, the Nutcracker (once named ‘Nutrocker’ btw) is a robotic AFV with no humans aboard - but to make up for that lack, Hasegawa supplies a pair of new-tool troopers wearing armoured Battle Suits. These are works of model art in their own right, and will reward ...

SMN report Today's the last day of this year's Toy Fair, and it has certainly lived up to expectations, with many attractive kits due for release through 2011. British nuclear bomber Here’s the hotly awaited 139-part Vickers Valiant V-bomber kit from Airfix, just seen on display on the Airfix stand at Nuremberg Toy Fair 2011. The display model has been finished in anti-flash white overall, with the pale RAF roundels that went with that finish. Markings for the ‘Val’ are included for four versions, including a camouflage scheme. Valiant available soon The Valiant has been largely ignored by mainstream manufacturers over the years, so it’s good to see the gap filled, at least in 1:72 scale. To this reviewer, the Valiant has always been the Plain-Jane of the British V-bomber trio, but none the less important for all that. The kit will be available soon. More info from Airfix here . Thanks to our friends at Toy Collector for the heads-up on this  model .

David Jefferis looks at the show and the kit The German city of Nuremberg’s annual Toy Fair is far and away the biggest of its kind anywhere, with sheer size something of a mind-boggler - the venue boasts some 160,000 square metres (nearly 40 acres!), providing room for nearly 2700 hobby, toy and craft manufacturers to display their wares. Whether your thing is plastic kits, radio-control, model trains, diecasts, they’re all at Nuremberg for your delectation, as are clear pointers to the latest trends in upcoming products. Visitors at the Nuremberg Toy Fair 2011 This year is the the 61st such show and the organizers are expecting 76,000-plus visitors to visit before the turnstiles close tomorrow. And many of those showgoers will be poring over the wares of long-standing exhibitor, Japan’s Tamiya, which is at Nuremberg this year for the 44th time in succession. Introducing the Toyota LFA Let’s focus in on a hotly-awaited item, the Tamiya 1:24 scale Toyota LFA performance car. The real t...

A Mat Irvine review You had the same situation with the classic Aurora monster kits - all had their own names: Dracula, Wolfman, The Mummy, Creature from the Black Lagoon... except Frankenstein, for it was of course a monster of his own creation, not Dr Frankenstein himself. But over the years the two have ended up as virtually interchangeable names.  Moebius breeds a new monster in the cellar Although the original Aurora kit has reigned supreme for nearly half a century, there’s now a new kid on the block, or in this case, monster in the cellar: the new kit of Frankenstein’s Monster from Moebius Models. Some Moebius kits have simply been recreations of Aurora kits, but this kit is brand new. However, it is made in a similar style to those of Aurora, to the same 1:8  scale, and posed in some appropriate scenic setting, but in a completely different location. Also, and although Aurora modelled the actor most associated with the creature - Boris Karloff - pretty closely, this mo...

The General Dynamics (now Lockheed Martin) F-16 Fighting Falcon first flew on February 2, 1974, and since its active entry in August four years later, has been in continuous service ever since. From lightweight fighter to heavyweight attacker The F-16 was developed originally as a lightweight day fighter, but has evolved into a much bigger, heavier, and more powerful beast since then - it’s now a highly successful all-weather multirole machine  that is flown by the air arms of some 26 different countries. For a jet fighter, production numbers are eyebrow-raising at 4450 manufactured so far, with more orders to come. However, to put that production number into perspective, Russia’s MiG-15 tops the charts with a likely total of some 18,000-plus, though a precise figure doesn’t seem to be available. 1:48 scale F-16 kits to buy There are more F-16 kits than you can shake a stick at, so we’re just going to pick three of our faves - they come from Hasegawa, and are in big scales. Th...