SCALE MODEL NEWS

SMN report: Due from Hasegawa later this month is the bright yellow-and-black Bell P-39Q Airacobra that was flown to victory by Alvin ‘Tex’ Johnston, in the 1946 Thompson Air Race. The kit is a 1:48 scale model of Johnston’s max-power modified machine, and it makes a real change to see a military aircraft model produced in colourful civilian markings. About the kit The Hasegawa P-39Q is a 79-component kit, to 1:48 scale, giving it a wingspan of some 216 mm (8.5 in) when assembled. There aren’t too many changes from the standard military machine, though the real thing was lightened dramatically, and had an oil cooler fitted under the belly to cope with the high-power nature of the race, and this is featured accurately in the Hasegawa kit. Naturally enough, there are no guns fitted to this speed racer. The kit includes the bigger four bladed propeller used, and the decal sheet for the race-winning Cobra II looks accurate enough. The nose flash might be easier to paint by hand, rather t...

SMN spacenote: Mat irvine’s article on Dragon’s Mercury-Redstone reminded us that today is the 50th anniversary of John Glenn’s orbital spaceflight. Glenn became the fifth human in space, the third American in space, and the first US astronaut to orbit the Earth. Orbital mission John Glenn flew aboard the Mercury capsule Friendship 7 on February 20, 1962, on the Mercury-Atlas MA6 mission, during which he circled the Earth three times in a flight lasting 4 hours, 55 minutes, and 23 seconds. The pic above shows him climbing into the one-man spacecraft. Salute from Down Under Australians saluted Glenn during the flight, when the city of Perth became the ‘City of Light’, residents switching on all their house and street lights as the astronaut passed high overhead. It was a tribute that Perth repeated when Glenn flew in the Space Shuttle in 1998. On that mission he was aged 77, and still holds the record as oldest man in space. Good for you John Glenn, and NASA for making it possible. Dan...

Mat Irvine looks at an important new space kit: The Hong Kong-based company Dragon continues to surprise, and mostly delight, space modellers with the continuing release of brand-new kits of classic spacecraft. Having dealt with Project Apollo, the company is producing a 1:72 scale kit of the Mercury space capsule that blazed the US trail into human spaceflight, complete with its first launcher, the Redstone rocket. First a ready-built, now a kit Dragon has already released this model as a ready-built, and the company seems now to be adapting this and others into actual construction kits. Frankly though, using Dragon’s catalogue system to try and find out what's been done, and if it’s a ready-built or a kit, is somewhat tortuous… Cylindrical components The Dragon Mercury-Redstone kit has been neatly moulded in just nine parts, the various rocket sections not being broken into traditional halves, but produced as complete cylinders. This eliminates the inevitable problem of, however ...

SMN weekender: Here's the first in a series of inside-looks at the model making industry, and who makes what, when, and where. First off, we visit the Czech Republic, and the respected Eduard brand. Birth of Eduard Eduard Model Accessories was formed in 1989 in the basement of co-owner Ctirad Kurak’s house in Most, Czechoslovakia, now the Czech Republic. Two years before, Ctirad Kurak and his partner Vladimir Sulc had started making photo-etch items for themselves, and once underway, decided that they might be able to expand by selling to model stores.  Opening up a production line In 1990, the first Eduard photo-etch item was produced for retail sale, a super-detail set suitable for a 1:48 scale Sukhoi Su 25K. The same year, Kurak and Sulc made more sets, and sales were so good that the duo moved into a proper office and in 1991, they went further still and opened up a production line. A Sopwith duo There was demand for other scales as well and so 1:72 and 1:35 items were added to...

SMN report: We noted the big new 1:72 scale Short Stirling heavy bomber earlier this week, and now here’s a pair of smaller aircraft to the same scale, a Hawker Hart inter-war period biplane, and a Hawker Hurricane from World War II. Both releases look interesting enough, the Hart looking especially attractive, with fine interplane rigging a highly appealing feature. What’s the Corgi Hart like? The Hawker Hart light day bomber was designed by Sir Sydney Camm, who later designed the Hurricane and Hunter jet. Camm’s design is captured nicely in this Corgi Hawker Hart, from the pointed propeller spinner to the tail skid. Details extend to the strut-mounted pitot tube for indicating airspeed. The long fuselage groove you can see under the engine exhausts is not a cooling intake, but the exit slot for bullets from the single Vickers machine gun, fired by the pilot. The observer had a Lewis gun, mounted on a Scarf ring. You won’t see it on this model, reasonably enough, but for bombing purpo...

SMN Report: The team at Fantastic Plastic (FP) are really in the groove with the ever-increasing range of science fact and fiction kits, choices ranging from NASA aerospace projects to giant starships from science-fiction movies. And the latter is where this latest FP kit comes from - it’s a fictional twin-rotor helicopter that featured in the 2009 box-office smash Avatar from ace director James Cameron, of Titanic fame. Flying workhorse helicopter As conceived for Avatar , the Aerospatiale SA-2 Samson a multi-function ducted-fan aircraft that by the movie’s notional 22nd century timeline, has been in service for decades, in similar fashion to the Chinooks and Pumas of today. Not to be confused, of course, with the similar but combat-only Scorpion gunship. A multi-role ‘flying workhorse’, the Samson’s mission profile is wide and varied, ranging from support ops as a cargo and personnel carrier, to full-on combat duties. In the latter role, the twin-rotor Samson can carry a range of w...

SMN report: It’s time for the annual kit release made especially for members of the worldwide Airfix Club. Each year’s kit is an exclusive release, so if you want one, then joining the Club is the way to go. The 2012 kit is a fascinating one - it’s based on the Airfix 1:48 scale Messerchmitt Bf 109E, and the ‘exclusive’ part is the supplied decal set that provides markings for two extremely interesting aircraft. Captured Messerschmitt The first scheme ( above ) represents an Bf 109 captured by the French early in World War II. The aircraft was flown to Britain, where it was used in the RAF air fighting development unit to help train pilots in combat techniques against Luftwaffe aircraft. Tested by Japanese forces The second decal scheme is perhaps even more interesting, as it depicts a Messerschmitt Bf 109E-7 in Japanese markings, one of five sent to Japan for evaluation in 1941. The aircraft were used for evaluation with possible licence production in mind, but Japanese pilots found...