SCALE MODEL NEWS

WE FEATURED THE BANDAI AT-ST WALKER in July 2018. Here it is again, with a video to show you the way this delightful kit goes together. SMN report: Bandai does a good job with the AT-ST ( header, below ) and other Star Wars kits. Moulding is top-class, and the component fit is second to none. We draw the line at Bandai's attempt at a laser blast ( below ). It's moulded in transparent red, but lacks realism, and is better left off. On the other hand, it's your choice! Here's the excellent build video ( below ) that shows every detail of an out-of-the-box assembly. Click here for info on the AT-ST at SMN. Click here for more Star Wars in general.

MODELLED BY REVELL AT 1:32 SCALE, this is the largest conventional kit of the first aircraft to break the sound barrier, a mission achieved on 14 October 1947. The flight was made ten years to the month before the launch of the Soviet Sputnik 1, the first artificial satellite. Mat Irvine reports:  The Bell X-1 kit is of reasonably simple construction, the bullet-shaped fuselage being in just two halves. The wings are in upper and lower halves, but the smaller horizontal tail comes as a single component for each side. A plus point for the kit is that Revell includes a fully-detailed cockpit, complete with a seated figure of the pilot, Charles ‘Chuck’ Yeager. He can fitted in place, or omitted, whichever you choose. The access door can be sealed shut, or left off. You even get the wooden stick Yeager used to help close the door – he didn’t let on to his bosses that he had broken two ribs the previous evening, making his movements somewhat impaired! Also supplied is the four-chamber R...

THIS HANDSOMELY PACKAGED 1:24 scale cab-over engine (COE) Chevrolet pickup truck from the 1950s adds a gleaming retro flavour to a neatly sculpted Wonder Woman figure. SMN report: The diecast truck is one of the DC Comics Bombshells range from Jada. The 1:24 scale gives it plenty of heft in the hand, and the included figure of Wonder Woman is a good size. The model is one of six, each representing a different vehicle/figure duo from the DC universe. The excellent packaging is a big draw for the range, figure and truck ( below ) both being firmly attached to the card base, but are easily removable when needed. One oddity is that the backdrop includes a flight of British Avro Lancaster bombers, to which we say "...wrong war, Jada!" Movie buffs will note that the film was set during World War I, the Lancaster being a veteran of World War II. And that's all true if this model was based on the highly watchable movie. But it's not. Instead, the range was inspired by a ret...

DESTINED TO BECOME ANOTHER MUST-HAVE on the bookshelves of scale model makers, this new title is written by SMN contributor Mat Irvine. SMN report: The Model Builders' Manual is a 188-page hardback from Haynes Publishing, well known for its comprehensive range of automotive guides. In recent years, Haynes has added titles on a range of subjects including air, space, sci-fi, and now scale models from Mat. Like other Haynes manuals, the aims of the book ( below ) include clarity and ease of use, achieved by simple layouts, clear text, and plenty of photographs supplied by the author. The book consists of twelve chapters ( below ) plus appendixes and useful references. The interest-packed cover ( below ) shows you are in for a treat, with hours of reading enjoyment to come. Detail photos ( below ) include this test-shot for the Moebius Models kit of Grandpa and Herman Munster. Mat clears up the confusion between the terms 'sprue' and 'runner' with ( below ) a defini...

AN INVASION OF SCI-FI AND SPACE MODELS LANDED at last Sunday's Smallspace 8 2019 event. Here are some more pictures we took at the show. SMN report: Science-fiction displays included figures ( header pic ) and vehicles ( below ) from the Alien movies.   Jetsons family ( below ) going for a family ride in the aircar we'd all like to fly in one day. Gerry Anderson's various TV series have inspired many model makers. These beautifully-made vehicles are fully radio-controlled.   More Gerry Anderson models. The sleek aircraft ( below right ) appears to have been based on the F-20 Tigershark of the early 1980s. Behind it, what looks a neatly modified Bell X-5. Robots ahoy, here a Cylon Centurion ( below ) from Battlestar Galactica. Steampunkish anti-gravity tramp ship ( below ) based on the Waldo by Ian McQue .   Tin-can Zorrat 002 ( below ) was one of a group of scratch-built originals on display. Star Wars X-Wing ( below ) finished in a well-used but combat-ready condition....