SCALE MODEL NEWS

The Airfix 1:24 scale Hawker Typhoon is now for sale, and looks to be a terrific model, packed inside and out with structural detail. We're looking forward to building this one hugely. SMN report: The Airfix super-detailed 1:24 scale model of the ground-attack Hawker Typhoon MkIb marks a new high with state-of-the-art computer-aided design. There's an interview with  the model's designer here , which is loaded with background information on the kit's development. It's well worth a view. To see some excellent detailed shots of the pre-production Typhoon  click here . Th e real thing Introduced into service in 1941, the Hawker Typhoon was designed as a high-performance interceptor for the Royal Air Force, to replace the Hawker Hurricane, for use with the Supermarine Spitfire as a deadly two-prong fighter force. However, early engine problems and inferior high altitude performance meant that the Typhoon eventually found a different - but successful - role. As a low-le...

ISSUED IN THE AMT ‘Silver Screen Machine’ series, this 1:72 scale F-14 Tomcat is the first non-car subject to be included. The kit is also a return to the Tom Cruise movie Top Gun which, although dating back to 1986, still grabs attention. Mat Irvine: The AMT 1:72 scale Grumman F-14A Tomcat model is a straightforward build, as it’s not the most complex F-14 kit out there. However, it features a two-seater cockpit, with instrument panel details reproduced on the comprehensive decal sheet. There are no crew figures included, though the swing wings can be made to operate. The cockpit canopy can be fixed open or closed, and there are alternative parts for open or closed engine nozzles. The decal sheet allows planes from the USS Enterprise - the primary aircraft carrier used in the movie - and also for the USS John F. Kennedy . The names for the movie characters are included, but oddly, the relevant tail-fin markings are absent. It may not worry some, but I’m always intrigued by the origi...

HERE'S A CHANCE TO GET A FRENCH period tramcar at a bargain price. It has to be a great deal at just 2.99 Euros. And if you don't want a French model, how about a British balloon tram? SMN report: Editions Atlas is a European partwork publisher, with a good reputation for making collections available of both usual and unusual subjects. Tractors, tanks, even Volvo cars, are included in the current EA list. The particular French tram here is a Type 500 of 1907, a design that could be seen trundling around the streets for decades after its introduction. Many were withdrawn in the 1930s, though some survived until well after World War II. Today, the tram revival is big news, and sleek new designs are in service in cities all over Europe. The Editions Atlas Type 500 is unbeatable for the price, and it would be possible to motorise it if required. Other uses could be as a non-working fixed cafe conversion, or perhaps as a workman's rest hut. The possibilities are endless. As a f...

AURORA MONSTER SCENES by Dennis L. Prince and Andrew P. Yanchus, has been a long time coming, but for anyone even vaguely interested in Aurora and its monster kits, it’s a book that's been worth the wait. Mat Irvine: Of all model companies, Aurora is probably the one that most interests model historians. It’s not that Aurora ever made the largest number of kits, or that they were the most intricate or accurate (some of the aircraft certainly weren’t) but Aurora carved out a niche by making the best-known series of ‘monster kits’ - ever. Even if you have no interest in monsters, you are almost certainly aware of the Aurora models of Dracula, Wolfman, the Mummy and Frankenstein’s Monster. But this book doesn’t deal directly with these, instead its subject is the sub-category that came out of these models, known as Monster Scenes. Here’s some background, with basics taken from this fascinating book, as are the historical authors' pix (above): Creator of the Aurora Monster Scenes ...

Glencoe Models have started to reissue many of their older kits, and this 1:32 scale experimental McDonnell XV-1 Convertiplane is one of these, making a welcome return for today's model makers. Mat Irvine: The 1:32 scale McDonnell XV-1 Convertiplane represents an intriguing research aircraft from the early 1950s. Two XV-1s were built, and for flight they used a combination of a single main rotor and a pusher-prop at the tail. The XV-1 was the first convertible-format heli-aircraft to be built and tested in the United States. The 1:32 scale kit originated with ITC, its first release being in the late 1950s. Given its age, the kit stands up pretty well. The parts, produced in silver and clear plastic, are slightly heavily moulded, and there is an excess of rivets, common for that era, though not totally unknown even today! Art for the Glencoe box (header pic) was painted by John Ammendola. The transparent components are cleanly moulded, which is fortunate, as most of the front fusel...

ARE YOU FREE TOMORROW? Do you like sci-fi themes, models and miniatures? Then smallspace 3 is for you. It's on 10.00-16.00 Sunday in Hanslope, UK. There'll be plenty of action at smallspace 3 , including 1:1 scale Daleks, squads of Imperial Stormtroopers, and much more besides.   For lovers of TV science-fiction, there will be plenty of scale models from the worlds of Gerry Anderson, from Stingray (below) to Thunderbirds and Captain Scarlet. The level of craftsmanship on many of the miniatures is astounding, and only really be appreciated if you can inspect them on the spot. Pictures taken at smallspace 2 . Click here for full details of smallspace 3.

BORED WITH ORDINARY FIGHTING SHIPS? THEN try converting a US aircraft carrier kit to create a TV advert-style racetrack for BMW performance cars. The ad (below) is a bit of fun, but is also an excellent example of what can be done on a big budget. In the smaller scale world of model ships, things are somewhat limited by comparison, but it still might make quite a challenge to construct something like this - especially when Summer comes to a close, and Autumn nights start to draw in. Of course, there are other aircraft carrier concepts around if you feel like a bit of adventure in your model making. We have featured some, so click on the links below to get some ideas. To get an idea, try here and here .

Here's a fascinating interview with Airfix Industrial Designer, Sam Townshend. It's all good stuff that's packed with info on how the kit was developed. There are plenty of closeups too, which make buying and building the kit look like an absolute must. We're all ready to do a post-war Speed Racer version, finished in round-the-pylons bright colours. Sacrilege? Maybe! But there's room for all sorts, and we're looking forward to seeing a myriad variations on display at model shows in times to come.   Click here to buy the Airfix Typhoon, both both prop and jet versions!

IN A CONTINUATION of looking back at some classic models, here’s one that appeared purely by good fortune, at the Spring 2014 Chicago Toy Fair. Mat Irvine: The Chicago Toy Fair (far better known as the Kane County Toy Fair) is a venue where you never quite know what you will find. In fact, I’m often asked, “What are you looking for?” to which I can only reply, “I’ll let you know when I see it!” The header pic (top) shows late-1950s Revell retro box-art at its finest. Unfortunately, the words 'PRE OWN' have been scrawled with ball-point, but they can probably be camouflaged. The box and a Humbrol paint tinlet (below) provide a sense of scale - it really is quite a small kit. The Revell Global Van Lines Tractor and Trailer kit to 1:87 (H0) scale is a typical example of a lucky find, a little gem that turned up quite by chance, and although I’m hardly an H0 builder or collector, this one really wins, if only for the nostalgic box-art. The kit was also priced at a very reasonable ...