SCALE MODEL NEWS

HERE'S A BEAUTIFULLY MADE Fokker Triplane, made by Tom Grigat, a master of building scale models, and of creating stop-motion mini-movies that show how they are assembled. SMN report: The 1:16 scale Fokker Dr1 Triplane is from Artesania Latina. It's a multimedia kit, with parts made largely of wood and metal. Tom Grigat reckons the kit is "... relatively easy to build and well guided. It includes step-by-step instructions with video tutorials and more than 600 photos for a simpler and more pleasant assembly. I tried to let the pieces act for theirselves and show how to build an aircraft." You can see how the kit all goes together in Tom's truly excellent video ( below ). The original aircraft was a compact design, so even at 1:16 scale, the wingspan extends to just 450 mm (17.7 in) which means that storage and display shouldn't too much of an issue. More pix of the assembled Fokker Triplane ( below ). Summation A gorgeous looking result and a great video. Tha...

ROCK BAND ZZ TOP MEETS the world of scale models with this 1:24 scale kit release from Revell. Mat Irvine:  To anyone who thinks this Revell kit looks familiar, that’s because it is a reissue of the Monogram ZZ Top Eliminator kit, first released in 1985. The actual vehicle was commissioned in 1976 as a one-off hot rod custom by Billy Gibbons, founder of the ZZ Top band, and long-time car enthusiast. It took some seven years before the Eliminator was rolling, but since then, it has appeared in various forms on several ZZ Top album covers, and in a number of videos. The car’s first album appearance was on the jacket of the 1983 release  Eliminator . This features artwork by Tom Hunnicutt, which is also used for the box-art ( below ) on this Revell kit reissue. The Eliminator is based on a 1933 Ford three-window coupe, and retains mostly a stock body, though the roof was chopped by three inches. Changes to the running gear are faithfully reproduced in the kit. There’s a small-blo...

TOM WEST IS A FAMILIAR NAME to many movers and shakers of the US model kit industry, though he is less well known to the general public. Mat Irvine:  But if you bought an Aurora, MPC, or Revell kit in the 1970s or 1980s, or more recently a Galaxie Limited kit, you will have had a passing connection with him. Sadly, Tom passed away recently.  Tom West's first model work was with Aurora. As Andy Yanchus, who was with the company then, says, “I met Tom West back in March, 1973. I was in Aurora’s Research and Development Department handling various model kit projects, when Product Manager Jim Keeler coaxed Tom ( below, with a 1966 Cadillac ) from California to join the team.”  Tom already had a well-deserved reputation for auto photography, and also as a creator of cutaway drawings. His skills were needed for a new Aurora line, called Racing Scenes, producing drawings for the tooling required to make some of the most-detailed kits Aurora kits ever produced.  Tom later he...

THIS NIFTY TAKE on a radio control theme from Tamiya offers a bright yellow school bus, riding high on a six-wheel chassis. SMN report:  We’re rather taken with the Tamiya King Yellow 6x6, inspired by the ubiquitous North American school bus. The chassis is the G6-01 from Tamiya, the six wheel-drive being more than powerful enough to speed the lightweight polycarbonate body across rough terrain. The chassis ( below ) is the really interesting part of the King Yellow, as it offers alternative design variations. Apart from the multi-wheel drive, you have the standard front-wheel steer model, but it can also be reconfigured to offer four-wheel steering. The scale is interesting, as when the power is off, King Yellow can be lined up for same-scale display alongside the many (many!) 1:18 scale diecast cars available, from Bburago to Maisto and more. Radio control and function transmitter equipment are sold separately. Assorted options and spares are available as hop-up parts. Scale stat...

FROG KITS OF THE BRITISH ships HMS Repulse and Prince of Wales were recently modelled by entrants for a competition held in Singapore. SMN report from Peter JK Chiang, for Hobby Bounties, Singapore: We also had a book signing by the author GoH Yong Kiat ( below ) for his newly published title Defending our Skies . This is a pictorial history book that celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF). We made an award for our FROG 1:600 scale HMS  Repulse  and  Prince of Wales  competition ( below ). The winners were ( below, right to left ) Ng Kheng Leong (3rd), Timothy Leong (1st) and M Razali Ahmad (2nd).   The FROG 1:32 scale MiG-15 made a good prize, and I will enjoy seeing the finished aircraft. We also had our annual Airfix competition not too long ago, in November 2017. Here are four of the excellent models in that competition ( below ). Ed: We hope to show more from Singapore soon.

WE'VE BEEN SENT SOME attractive model competition entries from Hobby Bounties in Singapore. SMN report: As the pix ( header, below ) show, there's some serious talent on show in Singapore when it comes to making a convincing seascape. More to come shortly, on this and other winning entries.