SCALE MODEL NEWS

Hanslope Model Expo (HaMeX) is due once again - this year it’s on Sunday December 2, so here’s a chance to see what's going on. Marvellous models on show Co-organizer Mat Irvine will be at HaMeX, showing part of his ‘Mat’s Marvellous Models’ collection, including items from popular TV science shows such as BBC TV’s Horizon, Tomorrow’s World, and The Sky at Night. More info when we have it, meantime for a look at previous shows at SMN, go to HaMeX here .

REPORT BY MAT IRVINE The annual show of the UK International Plastic Modellers Society (IPMS) was held over last weekend, November 10-11, at the massive Telford International Conference Centre, now made even larger by the addition of a fourth hall. Important lighting The extra hall was handy as it allowed the competition area to move to its own room. This also had the advantage of having windows down one side, allowing natural light in - very important when it comes to the actual process of judging the entries. And it was especially important to me, as I was one of the judges. Range of entries The pictures you see here are a just tiny taster for the massive number of entries, and that’s all they can be, for attempting to photograph everything on show - competition entries, club stands, Special Interest Groups, special exhibits, let alone the companies and traders - is somewhat impractical. I’d probably still be there if I tried to grab a shot of every single item, so this is a starter ...

Dragon of Hong Kong has added a pair of 1:48 scale Apollo 11 kits to its excellent - and expanding - range of real-space models. Both kits are enlarged versions of previous spacecraft made to 1:72 scale. These big-scale spacecraft models are more or less straightforward enlargements of the 1:72 scale originals, so any comments on the smaller versions also apply here, but a bit larger! It also means that slight faults apparent in the smaller kits are somewhat enlarged here, but they still look the part. One kit into two Unlike the 1:72 kit, in which you got all the Apollo 11 modules - Command (CM), Service (SM) and Lunar (LM) - in a single box, here they have been split into two separate items, so one kit contains the Command and Service Modules (CSM), the other the Lunar Module. Bagged components for the LM, showing the landing leg gold finish. Slight changes The CSM kit follows its smaller 1:72 scale counterpart closely, but some mods appear to have been done to improve constructi...

SMN REPORT Here’s a well-timed kit release, a movie tie-in that’s bang up to the minute. It’s a variation on Italeri’s existing AW-101 kit to 1:72 scale, modded slightly to represent the triple-engined beast shown in the latest James Bond movie Skyfall . We haven’t see the new James Bond movie yet (though an SMN  Crew cinema outing is slotted for Wednesday this week) so we can’t comment on the accuracy or otherwise of this special Skyfall edition. But it seems a good idea and we’re all for kits like this, not least because they help attract newcomers to scale models. Smaller diecast Matching the theme of the 1:72 plastic kit is a smaller diecast version, this time to 1:100 scale. It’s ready to fly out of the box and comes in Skyfall colours and markings. Big boat President John F. Kennedy’s World War II command, PT109, is a famous boat all right, and here is Italeri’s 1:35 scale model of it. As with other motor torpedo boats from Italeri, the PT109 is superb, and comes complete w...

Here’s proof that model making needn’t involve plastic components or a boxed kit. US miniaturist William Robertson spent some 1000 hours making this hand-crafted 1:12 scale replica of an 18th century Colonial-style tool chest. William’s micro-sized item contains the same tools contained in the original full-sized chest. But his skills extend to more than surface appearance, for all the mini-tools work as they should - even the saw has 160 teeth to the scale inch, as it should. Apparently the hardest thing to make was the folding rule, as it has a five-leaf hinge and is barely 7 mm (0.30 in) thick. Other items include details such as joints and engravings - oh, and the chest's lock works, too. Museum connection William spent many childhood hours gazing at the myriad of models of all kinds on display in the Smithsonian Museum, Washington, DC - and if you’ve ever visited, you will understand exactly how he must have felt. ‘Awe’ is probably the best way to sum up this writer’s reaction...

The SMN Crew are extremely fond of dioramas, so news that there's a bunch of realistic downloads ready for instant purchase is good news indeed. In the words of Scale Model Scenery, “Download our kits and print them as many times as you need for your diorama or layout. High-quality scale model buildings and texture papers you can use again and again (for personal use).” Note the “for personal use”, standard practise for this sort of thing - in other words, you don’t take the files and sell them on, which is fair enough. Photo-realistic art According to SMC, the ‘kits’ are created using high quality, photo-realistic brick, roofing and paving textures for ultimate realism. Many come with optional or pre-applied weathering effects giving you realistic models in a fraction of the time. Sounds like they have a team of eager-beaver Photoshoppers keen to use the airbrush tool! Choice of scales The SMS range is expanding to cover an array of popular scales, so whatever you're modelling...

Fans of classic British cars will love this Mini Cooper Mk I from Revell, a neatly produced 126-part kit. The Mini didn’t earn its name without a reason, and its tiny proportions are reflected in the bijou dimensions of this kit - when assembled, the Revell Mini Cooper Mk I measures just 127 mm (5 in) from bumper to bumper. It may be small, but Revell’s kit is nicely formed, with detailed features that include: * True-to-original bodywork with fine surface details.
 * Separate movable bonnet, open or closed.
 * Multi-component detailed 4-cylinder engine.
 * Separate exhaust assembly.
 * Detailed interior with dashboard, front seats and rear bench seat.
 * Car can be built in left- or right-hand drive versions.
 * Wheels rotate. 
* Optional radiators for two versions.
 * Chrome parts include wheel caps, door handles, grille, lamp surrounds.
 * Imitation rubber wheels.
 * Decals with different markings.
 About the real thing In 1956, Greek-British designer Alec Issigonis was commissioned...