SCALE MODEL NEWS

IF YOU LOOK HARD enough, you can usually find an interesting anniversary. And in 2019, Round 2 used the 65th Anniversary of Godzilla, perhaps the most famous of all movie monsters, to add a creature-feature to its list. Mat Irvine: Round 2 already had a license for Godzilla, so decided to take the old MPC Willys Jeep, and reissue it as a Godzilla movie star. This movie is in fact the sixth from 1965, this one being ‘Invasion of Astro-Monster.’   The MPC kit is the first Jeep model kit to 1:25 scale, being issued in 1968 as the ‘star car’ from Hogan’s Heroes , a US sitcom of the time. Putting aside the improbability of a World War II German prison camp internee being allowed his own vehicle, the kit has provided modellers with a Jeep in an automotive scale, rather than the more usual military 1:35.  The model is fairly comprehensive with a separate engine, chassis and four-wheel drive running gear. It has the simplified interior you get with a utility vehicle, plus an optional...

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL and we hope 2020 brings you as many models and kits as you might wish for. And if you enter model competitions, well, we hope you win a few prizes! These pix share several things in common. They are science-fiction subjects, and all date back for decades – truly a look at the futures of yesteryear. Well not quite, as the Star Wars subjects are all from a universe that was 'far far away, and a long time ago.' Mind you, the fantasy machinery created by the creatives under the direction of George Lucas look as futuristic as anything from other sci-fi franchises, such as Star Trek. The British interloper starred in the TV series Blake's 7, and this particular model shows something that was in the future when the first Star Wars movies were made. And that's 3-D printing, now a commonplace way to make models, even if it hasn't replaced traditional kits just yet. Click here for more Blake's 7 at SMN And click here for more Star Wars.

BEST WISHES TO ALL OUR READERS and have a truly excellent scale time over the festive break. And of course, we also wish you a prosperous and productive 2020. Scale modelling need not be limited to plastic kits. The miniatures ( below ) are based on ready-made metal-and-plastic models, tweaked, adjusted, and repainted to make them one-off originals. At left is a Maisto 1:25 scale VW 'splitty' Samba van, complete with transparent roof section, wide wheels, and a sound system interior. Mods include a repaint, and superdetailed engine compartment. Also from Maisto is the 1:24 scale Ford rod ( middle ) which is presently under conversion to 'super-rusty' Mad Max mode. The chromed engine will be replaced by an electric motor, suitable for the dystopian future depicted in the movie series. The 1:24 scale Jada Batmobile ( right ) has rotating wheels, lift-up canopy halves, and a rotating mini-gun in the nose. It's already a good-looking beast, but a reworking next year wil...

IT'S ALWAYS GOOD TO SEE A NEW MODEL MAGAZINE, so we are pleased to see the latest from Guideline Publications, the fascinating  Fantasy Figures International  which is in stores now. Mat Irvine:  Figure modelling has always been popular, whether the subjects are fact or fantasy. The US publication  Amazing Figure Modeler  has been produced for many years, and I reckon that a new British magazine could well emulate the success of its US cousin. The first issue of  Fantasy Figures International  ( FFI ) does basically what it says on the tin, featuring a cross-section of articles that deal with various aspects of figure modelling. For example, there are two articles on Maschinen Krieger (Ma.K), pages on figures and machinery, and a look at figure painter Mark Taylor. The Safest Place  is an article that takes a black-humour look at a post-apocalyptic scene – which happens to be set in a bathroom. There are also features on more traditional subjects,...

Porsche and Lucasfilm have created a 60-inch long concept spacecraft, the Tri-Wing S-91x Pegasus Starfighter, in time for the launch of the new movie  Star Wars Episode VIII: The Rise of Skywalker . The Tri-Wing will be unveiled at the film’s world premiere on 16 December 2019, in Los Angeles, California. According to Michael Maur, Porsche Vice President for Styling, the Tri-Wing concept “...blends the design elements of the fictional Star Wars universe with those of current, production model Porsches.” Maurs adds that the cabin shape tapers towards the rear, and (in a splendid piece of designer-speak) it has “...a highly distinctive topography from the cockpit fly-line to the turbines” which means that his design team have established “...visual parallels with the iconic design of the 911 and the Taycan.” So now you know how to speak designer-Klingon, oops, Star Warsian.  Points to mention are that the high-mounted intakes of the Tri-Wing echo the inlets on the current Porsch...

IT WASN'T A TOP SECRET but the fact that old-style rocker, Rod Stewart, was also a model railway enthusiast was probably not that well known, to many of his music fans, at least. But in the scale model world, Rod (‘Sir’ Rod since he was knighted in 2016) is yet another famous face who is a keen rail modeller. Mat Irvine: This came to light in May 2019, when members of Market Deeping Model Railway Club , having set up their layouts for a display at a local school, were aghast to find their work trashed before the show started. Who would do such a thing? Well, four 16 year-old boys were having a pre-exam celebration the night before by downing a bottle of vodka – and reckoned that kicking a football around the hall housing the rail layouts, would be a ‘good thing.’ The display couldn’t go ahead, but the trashing became national news, and Sir Rod donated £10,000 to a restoration fund. Then a crowdfunding campaign took the total past the £100,000 ($130,000) mark. The damage came to ab...

THIS LAYOUT COMBINES traditional model rail construction with a dash of science fiction. The Edwardian sci-fi story  War of the Worlds by HG Wells makes for an interesting, and very different, diorama setting. SMN report: Invasion from an alien world is an old science-fiction theme, and one that's tackled successfully in this suitably British model rail display. It's a good subject for all model makers, and kit manufacturers have supplied various scale models to satisfy demand. Pegasus Hobbies have an interesting take on the 1953 George Pal movie, an award-winner in its day, and a classic that should be seen by all sci-fi fans. Click to read all about the Pegasus kit. The latest War of the Worlds reinvention is from the BBC ( below ). The three-part series is currently on-air and streamed on iPlayer. It's worth watching, not least because it is set in England, as was HG Wells's original tale. The effects are also worthwhile, even if the pace becomes somewhat ponderou...

IS THIS NICELY-BUILT model more than the sum of its parts? Look and learn to see how careful work can result in something that really looks the biz.

THIS EXCELLENT LITTLE RETRO MODEL will make a useful accessory for dioramas based on US 0-gauge railroads, and aircraft kits to 1:48 scale. Mat Irvine reports:  During a recent trip to the US east coast, I had an opportunity to drop by Atlantis Models, located on Long Island, New York. Atlantis are now best known for taking over the vast amount of unwanted tools from when Revell itself was taken over a year ago, the new owner deciding that it just didn’t want all the old moulds. Fortunately, Pete Vetri and Rick Delfavero – who head Atlantis – stepped in, and acquired the lot. And they have been busy with several reissues a month of models that originated not only from Revell, but also Monogram and Aurora, with some Renwal kits as well. One of the Revell old moulds is the White-Fruehauf Gas Truck in 1:48 scale, which forms one of a quartet of similarly-scaled kits. 1:48 scale was not a scale often used by Revell, especially for vehicles, but 1:48 is 0-gauge in the US, and is also a ...