SCALE MODEL NEWS

MOVIE MOTORS come to the model bench with this Fast and Furious 1970 Dodge Charger. Mat Irvine: There are two points to make about this kit of the Dodge Charger that featured in the movie The Fast and the Furious  of 2001. First, this Charger is unique to Revell, having nothing to do with the similar kit from AMT. That was issued in the 1990s (and was an MPC kit, anyway) when Ertl had the licence for the movie franchise.  Secondly, and perhaps more surprisingly, the kit we show here has nothing to do with Revell’s existing 1969 Dodge Charger kit that first appeared in the ProModeler range.  The box side panel ( below ) shows some of the kit’s features. Adapting this earlier kit might have been more logical, as the 1969 and 1970 Chargers were very similar, and Revell obviously already had the tooling. In addition, although the movie car is listed as a 1970 model, it was almost certainly built from both 1969 and 1970 parts. But no, this is a brand-new kit, of the Sta...

INCREDIBLE ATTENTION TO DETAIL and a beautiful finish mark out Stefano Marchetti's fantasy Ferrari. The model took overall gold in the 2016 International Plastic Modellers' Society (IPMS) competition. SMN report: Mat Irvine's closeup pix reveal the minute detail portrayed by Stefano. Handsome work indeed, and something of a shame that the car doesn't exist in reality. Hot Wheels take note! The turbine exhaust ( below ) is nicely discoloured, indicating a high exhaust temperature. Lift-up entry hatch ( below ) echoes the original 1960s-era Ferrari cockpit. Fictional-tech curving vertical-takeoff lifters ( below ) replace rubber tyres in this alt-history model. Note the extendable landing pads that take the weight of the Ferrari when the turbine is switched off. Stefano has managed assorted peripheral details well ( below ). Here, a classic oil can vies for attention with spanners, screwdriver, plus other bits and pieces. Flammable fuel and a hot turbine engine are a fi...

LOOK AND LOVE this collection of more than 3500 Hot Wheels cars, with a video that visits a specially-housed million-dollar display of miniatures. SMN report : One thing that distinguishes Hot Wheels from competitors is the sheer variety and creativity shown in the assorted car ranges. Hot Wheels are hot on trend with subject matter, so if there's a new Batman movie, then there'll be one or more Hot Wheels vehicles ( Dark Knight Batmobile below ) or themed sets to match. Star Wars is a hot-selling theme. But Mattel's Hot Wheels brand goes further than simply making replica vehicles, as the Darth Vaderized Character Car shows ( below ). It must be great to design products like this. Not for these Hot Wheels creatives a week's-worth of measuring an original. Instead, Star Wars can mean getting out the Magic Markers or an iPad Pro and Pencil - then drawing up a new concept from scratch. Give me a job now please, Hot Wheels! As for collector Bruce Pascal's pride and jo...

ITALIAN MODEL MAKER STEFANO MARCHETTI entered this blood-red alt-history Ferrari at the recent Scale ModelWorld show. SMN report: Stefano is no stranger to winning model competitions, and SMN has featured him before here . In 2012, his 'Modern Steam Monobike 1896' was the first entry in the Space, Sci-fi and Fantasy (SSFF) category to take Best of Show winner. And this Ferrari, although a more modern subject, fits the SSFF category neatly. It is an alternative-history concept that has morphed a 1967 Ferrari 330 P4 with assorted technical components to make a turbine-engined vertical takeoff machine. Mind you, we're not quite sure how such a V/STOL racer would work on the Daytona racing circuit that Stefano has indicated. Perhaps those power spheres at each corner lift the Ferrari only to knee-height. No matter: the model looks great and is another deserved win for Stefano Marchetti. Look out for Mat Irvine's account of Scale ModelWorld 2016, which should appear shortly...

AS PLANNED, AIRFIX will be showing a development kit of this new-tool 1:72 scale McDonnell Douglas Phantom II at the IPMS show, Scale ModelWorld this weekend. SMN report: The Phantom II news coincides with the huge IPMS (International Plastic Modellers' Society) Scale ModelWorld show in Telford, UK. It’s an important event on which Mat Irvine will be commenting in SMN next week. According to Airfix, “For readers who will be making the journey to Telford, we will have prototype samples of our McDonnell Douglas Phantom FG.1 displayed on the Airfix stand, which will certainly give everyone a good idea of how this beautiful model kit will look when it is eventually released. “Visitors to the show will also be able to take advantage of a unique opportunity on Sunday 13th November, as our lead researcher and the lead designer on the Phantom project will be holding a talk on their work in bringing this iconic aircraft to the Airfix range - a fascinating insight for any modeller.” Airfix ...

RARE AND COLLECTIBLE MODEL KITS are a popular subject with model builders. Here, Mat Irvine answers some questions about a North American Mach 3 bomber from the 1960s, the B-70 Valkyrie. SMN report: Reader ‘Alfa158’ asked this question not so long ago: “…Lindbergh also issued a now super rare kit of the proposed supersonic airliner version with passenger windows and airline markings, but I haven't seen one in the flesh since it was issued and I attend pretty much every model swap meet in Southern California. “Also, maybe my memory is going wonky, but wasn't there a release with box art showing a B-70 in service at an Arctic base? Maybe I just saw an advertising illustration done for North American Aviation in one of my reference books on model kit art.” Mat did some sleuthing around, and came up with some interesting answers and observations. He reveals, “…The 'Arctic’ B-70 ( below ) is most likely one issue of the Aurora kit, not Lindberg. I don't think it's speci...

YET ANOTHER 1:48 SCALE AIRFIX KIT DUE IN 2017 will be that classic heavy metal machine that saw service after World War II, the Hawker Sea Fury. SMN report: 2017 is going to be a bumper year for 1:48 scale fans, if the Airfix release roster is anything to go by. Interior detail, folding wings, and plenty of ordnance are likely features of the Hawker Sea Fury kit, presently under development. Computer images ( below ) show that there will be plenty of detail, both inside and out. However, it'll be a while before one of these can grace the display table, as release is presently slotted for Q4 2017.    More CGI visuals released by Airfix ( below ) reveal a heavily armed machine, complete with folding wings. We're enthusiastic about this kit, and reckon it will be a winner. Our request would be for a section of carrier deck to be included in the box, as a first step in making a ready to use mini-diorama setting. Kit builders will have plenty of options, including the red-nosed ex...

WE'RE PLEASED TO SAY that the new Airfix Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress is now available, and very good it looks, too. SMN report: The new kit's box art is extremely handsome, and a near-match for the classic painting by the grand master of the genre, the late Roy Cross . As usual with Airfix, decals supplied with the kit offer a choice of markings ( below ). But as some 8680 B-17Gs were built, there's no shortage of choice if you want to build something different. Click here for more on B-17 kits at SMN. Click here for more on Roy Cross. Click here for more at Airfix. And to put you in the mood, here's a video clip from the excellent 1990 movie Memphis Belle . Unmissable, especially if you crank up your loudspeakers to the max.