SCALE MODEL NEWS

Italeri’s 1:72 scale Martin B-57G Nighthawk is one of those golden oldie model kits that’s been around for a looong time. But it remains an interesting subject, representing a highly successful early medium jet bomber. The new release is much the same as before, with a 277mm (10.9in) wingspan, and adequate, if hardly state-of-the-art detailing. Fuel tanks and ordnance are included, as is the big two-piece nose radome. We’d just love to see a detail-up version, with engines, ground crew and bomb trolleys in the box. Decals However, Italeri has at least seen fit to add a choice of unit markings, and if you haven’t built a B-57 before, it could be an interesting way to while away some evenings at the workbench. Specialist choices A more unusual build for kit-bashers and keen converters would be one of the many specialist B-57s that have flown. The B-57 series listed a host of variants, a couple of which we show here. First off, the long-wing WB-57F Air Weather Service civilian version, fl...

  Mat Irvine: Last Sunday saw the third Automodellismo Show for auto miniatures, held in Hanslope, near Milton Keynes, UK. Inside the show hall, there were plenty of model car displays. These came from model clubs from the surrounding areas, including Watford, West Berkshire and Milton Keynes. Add to this the Car and Bike SIG (Special Interest Group), the model resource Britmodeller, Locate and Cement, MRO F1 Engineering, Ian and Rod Knott’s ‘Motor Museum in Miniature’, Alex and Tony’s comprehensive Motorsports Table. Individual models included (below) this highly-modified AMT Ford Model T custom, by Watford club member Jon Rackham. Miniature variety All this, plus a selection from co-organiser Mat Irvine’s large collection, and you had an amazing variety of miniature autos on display. Co-organiser Paul Fitzmaurice (below) of little-cars.com  had a fine selection of products for sale. Outside the hall There was certainly a mixed bunch of interesting full-size vehicl...

Here’s another big-scale aircraft from Hong Kong Models (HKM). It’s a 1:32 scale Gloster Meteor, the first British jet fighter, and first operational jet flying for the Allies in World War II. The Meteor was a single-seater, so even at 1:32 scale, the model is not going to have the same arms-length wow-factor as HKM’s heavy bomber kits, the Flying Fortress and Lancaster. But this ‘Meat-box’ jet isn’t at all tiny, having a wingspan of 355mm (14in) and fuselage length of 394mm (15.5in). As with the HKM Avro Lancaster, we don’t yet have build-up pix, but the cgi images are mouthwatering enough, particularly for anyone interested in either World War II or first-generation combat jets. About the Meteor The Meteor prototype first flew on March 5, 1943; the following summer, production machines were in service, flying against German V-1 flying bombs attacking London. The Meteor (F Mk3 shown below) proved to be an effective machine, with a total of 3947 being built for the RAF and 17 other air...

It looks like the Hong Kong Models Avro Lancaster will be available sometime in June. And it looks a can’t-miss-out hit with modellers. The sheer size of this Hong Kong Models (HKM) Lancaster has to make it a winner - to 1:32 scale, the wingspan is some 972mm (38.2in), and that’s nearly a metre or more than a yard, depending on your measurement preference. Either way, it’s going to be one big bomber, with a fuselage length of 660mm (26in). We don’t yet have build-up pix, but HKM’s cgi images give some idea of what to expect. Our order is in, and we can’t wait. About the Avro Lancaster The four-engine Lancaster became the RAF’s main heavy bomber in World War II. It was designed by Roy Chadwick, mostly built with power from four Rolls-Royce Merlin engines. The ‘Lanc’ was probably the most famous and successful night bomber, and by the war’s end, Lancasters had flown some 156,000 missions, while delivering more than 600,000 tonnes of bombs. Crews were typically seven-strong, with three gu...

This year marks the 60th anniversary of 'America's sports car’, the Chevrolet Corvette, so the organizers of Automodellismo 2013 have made the tasty sportster star of the show. As planned, there will be a display of full-size Corvettes outside the venue, while inside there will be a Corvette-based competition. Racing cars There’ll be plenty more auto models of course, not least being the Formula One display, last seen at Model Kraft in nearby Milton Keynes. UK event Automodellismo 2013 will be held at Hanslope Village Hall, near Milton Keynes, UK. For anyone in reach, it’ll be a great day-long event. To whet your appetite, here are a couple more Corvette pix. Cameras at the ready As ever in the UK, the weather is a variable, but don’t forget to bring your camera, as even if it’s wet outside, there'll be hundreds of model cars to admire indoors. For more info visit Automodellismo here .

MAT IRVINE: The UK-based Milton Keynes Scale Model Club held its annual ModelKraft Show recently, and there were thousands of beautifully-finished miniatures on display. General view of the ModelKraft main hall (below) reveals a mass of models, and plenty of visitors. The smaller exhibition area (below) on the first floor, with the main hall visible through windows at the back. Friend of SMN, and co-organiser of the HaMeX model events, Paul Fitzmaurice’s trade stand (below) was packed with model accessories - and every item on it is transported to and from shows in his Skoda Roomster minivan, which he packs and unpacks with millimetric precision. Paul has also set up the newest model club in the area, details at his website. Visit Paul here . You can’t have too many Phantoms… despite its antiquity (first flight 55 years ago!) the cranked-wing F-4 is still a major draw with aviation fans and modellers alike. A neatly-presented 1:25 scale AMT 1965 Lincoln Continental (below) complete...