Scale Modelling news, reviews, features and more...
CAT CANNON
Modellers wanting to pose their Academy 1/72 F-14s in a maintenance scene just found their task easier thanks to CMK’s well-designed resin and photo-etched (PE) brass M61 Vulcan cannon bay.
SHOWING THE WAY
Well known for its excellent resin kits and accessories, Plus Model also produces a raft of printed items, such as this collection of 14 military maps, presented on a single paper sheet.
STUKA UPGRADE
Academy’s Ju 87G-1 kit has been around for almost 20 years, yet there has been relatively little aftermarket material available recently, so Brengun’s photoetched ensemble will prove popular.
FURY FASCIA
While Airfix’s quarter-scale Hawker Fury may be getting long in the tooth, Yahu’s pre-painted and assembled instrument panel is a quick way of raising the detail level in the cockpit.
BLUNT DISPENSER
The US SUU-30 was one of the earliest cluster-munition dispensers, with the H/B variant – as supplied by Eduard in resin and photo-etched brass – being one of the ‘blunt-nosed’ versions.
DUST AND TUFTS
Part of AMMO-MIG’s diorama accessories series, this preformed 240 x 240mm scenic section replicates a typical surface as seen at airfields in The Steppe grasslands, so would be suitable for locations in Russia, Ukraine, Hungary and Romania in either of the World Wars.
FITTER FIXTURES
Intended for Modelsvit’s late-variant single-seater Su-17 Fitter, this two-fret photo-etched metal set from Eduard provides pre-painted additions for the cockpit – including a replacement instrument panel, side consoles and ejection seat fittings – and plain components for the exterior.
AVRO’S CLASSIC ‘HEAVY’
Having treated modellers to a monster 1/32 scale Lancaster, it’s perhaps unsurprising that Hong Kong (HK) Models has downsized its efforts and released a new 1/48 version.
BEST EVER BRAVO?
Tamiya has been full of surprises this year, first with the announcement of a newly tooled 1/48 naval F-4B Phantom and then providing the modelling media a ‘white box’ pre-production test-shot sample with little fanfare.
TORNADO COMPETITION WINNERS
Further to our December 2020 issue, we’re delighted to announce the winners of the five Italeri 1/32 Tornado GR.4 kits.
DRY APPLICATIONS
Ultimate Modelling Products has released its own range of weathering powders – commonly known as pigments – comprising ten shades, available separately or as a combined package (UMP149).
DISPLAY CASE
EXTRA IMAGES INSIDE: Ingenuity and creativity are fine skills for a modeller to possess, as proven by the stunning modification, scratch-building and scene-building work involved with these reader projects.
AFTERMARKET TOM-‘CATNIP’
Kazan Model Dynamics has quickly established itself among competing aftermarket companies thanks to its innovative use of ‘HybridCAST’ undercarriage legs that combine metal cores with resin exteriors.
INSTRUCTION TO IMMELMANNS
It's good to see the release of subjects that haven’t previously received attention from model companies, making Special Hobby’s newly tooled 1/72 SIAI- Marchetti SF-260 trainer aircraft most welcome.
FRANCO-GERMAN COMBO
Tamiya's newly tooled 1/35 offering depicts the Sd.Kfz. 135 ‘Marder’ tank destroyer –a combination of France’s Lorraine 37L and Germany’s PaK 40 anti-tank gun.
FLYING FELON
Whenever a new aircraft type is unveiled it is always interesting to see how model companies respond – Zvezda may have been one of the last to release an 1/72 kit of Sukhoi’s Su-57 (but gained the advantage of it being more accurate) and has subsequently been the first to step up to 1/48.
Italeri New Tool 1/72 T-55A Tank
Fans of small-scale armour and military vehicles have an ever-growing selection of subjects to build, and the quality seems to improve constantly. A good example is Italeri’s all-new 1/72 T-55A tank (kit 7081).
New Platz F-15J Boxing
Japanese manufacturer Platz has certainly got the most from its 1/72 F-15J Eagle tooling, which first hit the shelves in 2015. Twelve boxings have been released so far, with differing colour schemes (including special liveries), but a new iteration is now available.
Airfix Best of British Gift Set
What happens when you combine what is arguably the most famous fighter aircraft ever, with a highly successful jet trainer? The answer is Airfix’s new 1/72 scale Best of British dual kit.
ASYMMETRICAL RETURN
Valiant Wings has announced a reshuffle of its forthcoming titles, with a return for the first Airframe Detail guide covering the Blohm & Voss Bv 141 now preceding the release of an Airframe Album book on the Henschel Hs 129.
CHEERFUL ‘CHIPPIE’
See Chris Jones giving Airfix's brand-new 1/48 de Havilland Chipmunk a thorough examination with lots of useful images of the kit inside. Read more here.
ROSATELLI’S FALCON
The second in ICM’s CR.42 series has been released and it’s likely to be a firm favourite with modellers, being the original Italian airframe.
FLAK SUPPRESSOR
The third iteration of Airfix’s lovely 1/72 Beaufighter TF.X provides parts for a snub- or thimble-nosed airframe, matching this with markings for Royal Canadian Air Force and Portuguese Naval Aviation machines.
LATE-WAR LAVOCHKIN
This late version of Clear Prop’s newly tooled 1/72 Lavochkin La-5 includes a slightly reworked runner compared with the early iteration (CP72014), though the remaining six frames and photo-etched (PE) brass fret are unchanged.
MINI SPY-COPTER
Crew-less aircraft, such as Schiebel’s S-100 camcopter, are gaining in popularity – the type has recently been accepted into UK Coastguard service – so it’s no surprise to see kit representations follow.
CONVOY HUNTER
Special Hobby’s He 115 is the only 1/48 kit of the type, so its return will be welcomed by fans of Luftwaffe floatplanes.
FRENCH TUTOR
Esci’s 1980-vintage Alpha Jet returns in Italeri packaging, with unchanged parts and new decals.
ARMY/MARINE SPOTTER
Unmanned aerial vehicles come in all shapes and sizes; the RQ-7B Shadow is one of the smaller types and is the subject of this lovely resin and photo-etched (PE) brass combination from Brengun.
RJ MITCHELL’S LEGEND
Modellers who missed out on Eduard’s limited-edition 1/48 ‘Spitfire Story: The Few’ package, fear not, for the Czech firm’s ProfiPACK edition has now arrived.