SCALE MODEL NEWS

NEWS UPDATE FROM MAT IRVINE: Round 2 Corporation, owner of the AMT, MPC and Polar Lights brands, has just acquired Lindberg and Hawk, both revered names from the early days of plastic kits. Lindberg and Hawk are two of the oldest kit names, though Lindberg (under which label Hawk has run in the recent past) has had a roller-coaster of ups and downs over the years. However, a resurgence in the 1990s saw brand-new kit lines being introduced, and Hawk bought back some of its iconic kits, such as the Weird-Ohs. Survival doubt But output declined in the 2000s, and company survival has been in doubt more than once over the last decade. But now it seems that both Lindberg and Hawk have a new lease of life with Round 2. New owner The Round 2 Press Release runs: “Round 2 LLC, acquires Lindberg and Hawk Model Kit Brands. Round 2 to Produce Popular Land, Air, Sea & Space Models - Adding to AMT, MPC & Polar Lights. The PR release goes on: “...Round 2, LLC, is pleased to announce the acquis...

Anyone in range of London with an interest in model rail needs to get down to Alexandra Palace this weekend, for what’s claimed to be London's leading railway modelling event. The Festival runs this weekend, March 23-24, 2013, at Alexandra Palace, North London, and visitors are promised a weekend packed with 40 working layouts, more than 100 exhibitors, demonstrations aplenty, clubs and societies on view, and - new this year, though the organizers haven’t said what it is, exactly - the British Railway Modelling Village. Sponsorship Big-name trade sponsors for the Festival are the well known Hornby, Bachmann Branchline and Graham Farish. Layouts to look at The Model Railway Club - otherwise known simply as the MRC - organises the layouts, and whatever their skill level, visitors are always welcome and can get involved on the MRC displays. Different sizes Rail scales and gauges are something else entirely to the non-specialist, so it’s no surprise to find that there will be a myriad ...

SMN REPORT: Eduard Model Accessories is based in the Czech Republic, and it’s a company that has earned a good reputation, especially for its photo-etch accessories. Right now, you can find out a lot more by having a look at 'Info Eduard', the downloadable monthly e-mag. As you might expect, Info Eduard covers most aspects of model making, in particular Eduard’s own output, and it’s a mine of information. Kit range So far as kits go, Eduard has four main strands. ProfiPACK is the basic edition, containing a plastic model kit with extra items such as photo-etch sets, masks, plus decals for four to six marking options. Higher standard Limited Edition kits offer modded kits from other manufacturers as well as Eduard’s own, brought up to a higher standard, with ProfiPACK-style extras. There may also be added resin details, such as exhausts, engines, and figures. Basic release Weekend Edition models offer a simpler and less expensive alternative. Instead of all the extras, the aim i...

Following the excellent Desktop Zero model, Tokyo-based imcth is offering a 1:32 scale kit that assembles to make an ultra-detailed structural model of the World War II-vintage North American P-51D Mustang. Much of the imcth Desktop Mustang is fabricated of metal components, with cast metal and photo-etch parts, plus transparencies, rubber tyres, and much more. No fuss build For all that, actual assembly is claimed to be easy, with a minimum of tools necessary. So that’s all right then, as a no-fuss construction system suits this time-short writer very well. Metal look As the Desktop Mustang is a see-inside structural model, the bare-metal appearance is excellent as it is, with little or no painting necessary - unless you want to pick out details such as the prop blades or canopy surround, even paint the components in factory-finish anti-corrosion green. In our opinion though, this P-51D really looks best in as-supplied gleaming metal, preferably with a small desk lamp picking out the ...

MAT IRVINE WEEKENDER: The ‘Annual’ car kits (sometimes called ‘Yearly’) produced by AMT have been mentioned a few times before in SMN. The Annuals featured the latest cars released by full-size auto companies which AMT, Jo-Han and MPC, and to a certain extent Revell, then matched in model-kit form. AMT started producing Annual kits in the late 1950s, though originally they were all packed in generic design one-for-all boxes, where the only indication of what kit lay inside was a label, sticker, or a small insert panel on the box-ends. Otherwise, the boxes looked identical. Generic to individual This generic approach stayed until 1963, and by then, although the box-top remained the same, at least each box-end was dedicated to a particular car. Then in 1964, individual box-art came in, although an overall style or theme for the particular year was retained. Confused and bewildered? Here’s just an indication of the confusing box designs of early AMT Annual kits, shown by six examples, dat...

SMN REPORT: Appearance to the contrary, the picture shows not a real 1932 Duesenberg, but a beautifully constructed 890mm (35in) long working replica, made to 1:6 scale by skilled US craftsman, Louis Chenot. Lou's 40-year career was spent as a mechanical engineer. In the 1960s he spent seven years restoring a vintage 1930 Cadillac convertible that was on the show circuit for years, but now he prefers to work on smaller projects in the comfort of his home workshop. Working features Louis Chenot has spent much of the last decade building this incredibly detailed model, specifically a 1932 SJ Duesenberg LaGrande dual-cowl Phaeton. Not only does it look good, but the engine runs, the lights work, the folding-top functions, and the transmission and driveline are complete. Half-century project It’s been a long project - Lou started his researches over 50 years ago, with the purchase of a book on the SJ, and through the following years collected many drawings and studied various Duesenber...

Trucking fans get a chance to build the pride of Italy’s highway haulers with this new-tool Iveco Stralis tractor unit. The kit comes with a choice of two marking schemes, plus a whole range of number plates - there are 16 in all, plus matching country badges. Marking options The supplied markings include an unbranded swirling grey graphic scheme, matching the black painted truck on the box-top. The commercial option is a red-and-white decal set for Monjean Transporte, a French-owned carrier run by Detief and Michael Monjean, whose business moves goods mostly across France, Belgium, and Germany. Hinged cab The kit itself is well up to Italeri’s usual standard, with plenty of detail inside and out. Like the real thing, the cab hinges up to reveal the turbo-diesel engine, and seven tyres are supplied - two at the front, four at the back, plus a spare. Inside the cab Transparencies are all cleanly moulded and very clear, allowing you to see what’s inside, and here again Italeri has given ...