FUTURE FANTASY RACE CAR - 1:18 SCALE X2010 SPEEDSTER FROM AUTOART

Sony PlayStation drivers will love this diecast future-machine, one of the star cars in the record-breaking Gran Turismo 5 video game. This one is now leaving the screen, to arrive as a real-life 1:18 scale diecast model from Hong Kong-based Autoart.

Autoart are producing a whole series of vehicles in various markings, of which the one in current World Champion Sebastian Vettel (below) markings is probably most interesting.

In Red Bull markings, the X2010 really ought to be the one he drives in Formula 1, as it looks just great. Still, if we can’t have that, here’s the next best thing.

Cockpit details
Fit and finish look absolutely excellent in these Autart pix, with top marks going to the simulated carbon-fibre and cockpit detailing. The HUD (head-up display) looks pretty cool too.

More to come
The Red Bull edition in Sebastian Vettel markings is due April, with others in the series to follow, finished in white, red, and orange, plus one in a prototype scheme.

X2010 in white is on the Autoart website, and expected in retail channels soon.

X2010 is available to order from HobbyLink Japan.

Other Autoart diecasts here.

*** Mr J note: Talking of HUDs, I had a Citroen DS5 on test drive last weekend. It was packed with high-tech gadgets, and even had a HUD speed display at the windscreen base. I was dubious at first, but it was fun watching it rising into place, and actually quite useful when driving. I was less amused by the slit-like windows all round, which made reverse-parking mostly a no-no, even with the included rear-view camera. Note to Citroen designers - get the basics right first.

“MOVE OVER RAPTOR - YOU’RE TOAST!” SUKHOI JET REBORN AS ASF-X SHINDEN II BLOWS IN FROM HASEGAWA

For video-game fans, the Hasegawa 1:72 scale Ace Combat ASF-X Shinden II assembles to make an excellent fantasy model. For aviation freaks, the kit provides a chance to build a ‘what-if’ design, based loosely on the Sukhoi Su-47 Berkut (Golden Eagle).

The kit is a limited-edition version that features the near-future fantasy jet flown by a fictional female pilot, Kei Nagase. New-tool components give you a choice of three flight modes -Normal, SSC (Stealth Supercruise) and STOVL (Short Takeoff Vertical Landing).

Options
There are plenty of assembly choices with this 115-part 1:72 scale kit, including two wingtip and engine nozzle options, plus moveable canards and tail surfaces. Weapon loads include six air-to-air missiles and four rocket pods. I’m pleased to report that Hasegawa has included a pilot figure in the box, just right for adding that sense of scale to the finished thing.

Display modes
The Shinden II can be assembled in gear-down configuration for shelf-top display, or cleaned up for flight and mounted on the supplied clear display stand. Decals are provided for Air Command and Ocean camouflage schemes.

When assembled the Hasegawa Ace Combat ASF-X Shinden II is a biggish 1:72 scale model, measuring 273mm (10.75in) long, with a wingspan of 195mm (7.7in).

Background to the Shinden II
Designed by Shouji Kawamori, creator of the long-running Japanese Macross sci-fi series, the ASF-X Shinden II is a fictional-futuristic jet that appears the video game, Ace Combat: Assault Horizon. As featured here, the pilot is a rather tasty female (above, below) called Kei Nagase. She’s a typically elfin-featured anime heroine, and very much centre of the action in the Air Combat video game.

Shinden II genesis
The Shinden II is based on the configuration of the Sukhoi Su-45 Berkut (below), a technology-demo jet first flown in 1997. The forward-sweep main wing was aimed at providing high manoeuvrability in subsonic air combat - up to 9G was a design target - though the design also limited top speed to no more than Mach 1.6 or so.

The Shinden II differs from the Su-45 though, not least being that it has a dorsal air intake behind the cockpit canopy. Still, it makes for an interesting design evolution that could work in real life, though extreme positive-G manoeuvres might starve the engine of vital air mass. There are blow-in ventral intakes to cure this, but it's probably a technical discussion best left for another day.

Summation
Highly recommended 1:72 scale kit that's suitable for video game, sci-fi, and what-if fans alike. Looks great and is interesting for its vision of how the Sukhoi Su-45 could look now, had full development gone ahead.


Hasegawa Shinden II kit here.

Plenty more Hasegawa kits here... and still lovin’ those egg planes!

Air Combat Assault Horizon video game info here.

Air Combat website here.

SALUTE TO RAY CUSICK, CREATOR OF THE DOCTOR WHO DALEKS

Raymond Cusick, the production designer behind Doctor Who’s Dalek enemies, has died aged 84. He worked on the BBC TV science-fiction series from 1963 to 1966.


Screenwriter Terry Nation (1930-97) wrote the episode of Doctor Who in which the Daleks made their entrance, but it was Ray Cusick who arrived at the final look, complete with eyestalk, sucker arm, and exterminator armament.

Lunchtime inspiration
In a 2008 episode of the Doctor Who Confidential TV show, Ray Cusick explained that inspiration for the Dalek design came during a lunch with special effects expert Bill Roberts, who was responsible for making the mecha-monsters. Apparently, Ray picked up a pepper pot and moved it around the table before saying, “It's going to move like that - no visible means.”

Chief enemy
Daleks have remained essentially unchanged in appearance over the half-century since they first appeared, and are still the best-known of the Doctor's enemies, and have had a new lease of life since the show's 2005 revival. Tom Spilsbury, editor of Doctor Who Magazine, has hailed Ray Cusick's design as ‘timeless’, and we have to agree with that.

And of course, the Dalek call to “Exterminate” has become something of a cultural meme, especially in the UK. Our pictures here were taken at the 2012 smallspace model show, which featured life-size Daleks moving in the streets outside, and as you can see, Imperial Stormtroopers were out in force, and Doctor Who's robodog companion K-9 was snuffling around, too.

Other TV shows
Apart from Doctor Who, Ray Cusick worked on other British TV shows, including the cop series Z Cars, Dr Finlay's Casebook and the historical drama, The Forsyte Saga.

To see Daleks for real, make a date in your diary for the 2013 smallspace model show, which will be held on July 7. 

More SMN Daleks here.

Dalek models, kits and collectibles available here.

1:24 SCALE RENAULT TN6 AUTOBUS KIT FROM HELLER

Bus modellers should be pleased to see this latest addition to the French Heller line. It’s a classic 1930s-era single-decker, a Renault design that gave reliable service for decades.


The Renault TN series buses came into service in the early 1930s, and the TN6 C2 modelled by Heller was probably the most popular version. The improvement of rubber technology was key to vehicles like this, with new-design pneumatic tyres allowing heavy loads and a comfortable ride, making it possible for a 50-seater bus to travel at fairly high speeds.

Display option
Heller's mould-makers have captured the ugly-but-nice appearance of the TN6 very well, especially the snout-like engine housing. There is plenty of crisp detail in the engine itself, and in the chassis underneath too, so a mirror display base could make sense when the kit is assembled and painted. Originally released as far back as 1982, the new-issue kit remains competitive in 2013.

Fast routes
Despite its somewhat porcine looks, a petrol-engined TN6 could manage nearly 55km/h (35mph) on reasonably flat roads, allowing the development of fast and smooth bus services to link many towns and villages in rural France. Diesel versions were slower, but were fine in cities and on shorter routes.

Service entry
The first 10.3-tonne TN6A went into service in 1932, later models of the series giving reliable service until the late 1960s. And here we are in the 21st century, more than 80 years later, with Heller saluting this French classic with a fine model.

Green Heller, red Revell
The Heller Autobus kit should be on every public transport fans must-have list, not least because it provides a fascinating comparison with the excellent ‘big red’ 1:24 scale Revell London double-decker. The Renault TN6 is a decent model in its own right - and a biggish one too - measuring some 396mm (15.6in) long when assembled.

Clear instructions
Heller’s instruction manual is neatly produced, leaving little to chance (especially for the novice) with extremely clear illustrations, and a full-colour four-view with marking details. The model is of course, absolutely begging for some 1:24 scale figures to bring it to life - a Gitane-smoking driver perhaps, matched by some black-clad elderly ladies, and possibly even an onion-seller standing on the rear platform!

Summation
Unusual subject from Heller, and here’s hoping the French company will be offering many more re-releases and - even better - new-tool kits in the years to come.

Photographs of the preserved classic 'Number 54' 1932 Renault Autobus TN6A2 courtesy Yves-Laurent Allaert.

London buses at SMN here.

The Heller TN6 Autobus is expected shortly, meantime there are plenty of other interesting Heller kits here.

TAMIYA YAMATO, MUSASHI BATTLESHIPS - IMPERIAL JAPANESE SEAPOWER IN MINIATURE

SMN REPORT
1:350 scale seapower fans can model the most powerful ships of the Imperial Japanese Navy in World War II, the famed Yamato, and her less-well known sister ship, the Musashi.


Yamato
The Yamato (top pic) launched in 1937, was the pride of Japan’s naval forces. The Yamato-class ships were the heaviest battleships ever built, designed to outgun several enemy capital ships in simultaneous combat. However, like other traditional battleships, they really belonged to a time before aircraft carriers and their deadly attack plane squadrons became their main adversaries. In fact, the third Yamato-class ship, Shinano, was actually finished as an aircraft carrier. Yamato herself was sunk by multiple bomb and torpedo strikes from US aircraft on April 7, 1945.

New-tool components
For model makers, the Yamato makes a welcome appearance in the Tamiya 1:350 scale battle fleet, for the model features many new-tool parts, including the main mast and stern section. Walkways on the decks have new self-stick decals to simulate the original wood planking. Also available from Tamiya is a separate glass display case, designed especially to show off bigger model ships.

Details
Talking of size, the 1:350 scale has a major benefit for detail, and sheer wow-factor, for the finished model measures some 752mm (29.6in) long.

Crew available
Tamiya also supplies 1:350 scale crew figures if you like an inhabited vessel, rather than a Marie Celeste. They are small, standing about 5mm (0.2in) tall, but neatly moulded.

Musashi
Musashi was the second Yamato-class battleship, and shared the laurels as pride of the Japanese Navy, though she was sunk during the battle of Leyte Gulf on October 24, 1944. Hit by no less than 17 bombs and 19 torpedoes, the mighty vessel was eventually overwhelmed, rolling over to turn turtle before she went down.

Gun fitments
Like the Tamiya Yamato, the Musashi has a new-tool main mast, other improvements including a better fitting method for the main guns. At 752mm (29.6in) long, the assembled size is the same as Yamato.

Summation
Two beautifully produced kits of historically significant sister ships, well up to Tamiya’s excellent standard.

Tamiya 1:350 scale ship kits here.

Info on 1:350 Tamiya crew figures here.

Musashi (above) pictured in 1942, and (below) heading out to sea.

Musashi and support ship (below) under attack from US carrier strike planes at the Battle of Leyte Gulf, 1944.

1:72 SCALE APOLLO 10 KIT FROM DRAGON

MAT IRVINE REPORTS
Here’s another space-history kit from Hong Kong’s Dragon, utilising the company’s interest in all things astronautical, especially the Moon landing missions of Project Apollo.

To the Moon
The kit represents what is often termed ‘the fourth stage’ of the Saturn V launcher - the crewed Command and Service modules (CSM) with Launch Escape System (LES) on top. Below the CSM is the Lunar Module (LM), encased in the conical Spacecraft Lunar Module Adaptor (SLA).

New components
The kit is based on the existing Dragon 1:72 scale CSM and LM, with a runner for the new parts. Also supplied is a new component for the Command Module’s Boost Protective Cover (BPC). This was the outer shell used at launch, and to which the escape tower was fitted. Parts are supplied in grey and clear, though note the SLA’s lower ring (right) is moulded in black, as is the circular stand, borrowed from Dragon’s Kirin range.

See inside
The upper section of the SLA is neatly moulded in clear styrene, so the Lunar Module can be seen inside, its landing legs neatly folded for launch. The 1:48 scale Revell kit of the same subject has realistic opaque parts, and they are hinged to be folded down for viewing. The 1:70 scale Tamiya kit is a closer match to this kit, but suffers, like the Revell, from being based on the earlier-design Block I SM, not Dragon’s correctly-moulded Block II version.


You don't actually have to include the Command Module - if the model is assembled as per instructions, it is hidden inside the Boost Protective Cover.

Quad antenna
Construction details for the CSM and LM follow previous Dragon kits, though there are assorted ‘oddities’ with these Apollo kits, the one here being the SM’s high-gain quad antenna, the dish structure at the end of the main SM body. Its flight configurations were probably glossed over when the kit was being planned, as the antenna can be built only in cruise mode, sticking out at 90 degrees - which means it won’t fit in the SLA. There’s an easy solution though - just cut off the support bar end, then cement it to hang parallel to the engine bell, dishes pointing inward.

Assembled kit
The Dragon Apollo 10 kit has some 120 parts, and the finished model stands around 355mm (14in) high. It then sits on the circular base, taken from one of Dragon’s subsidiary trading brands, Kirin.

What’s in a number?
There is one other oddity, and that’s in the name. Exactly why does Dragon list the kit specifically as Apollo 10? While it isn’t suitable for Apollo 7 or 8, as those missions didn’t carry an LM, it suits any Apollo flight from Apollo 9 onwards.

Summation
A useful addition to the ranks of Apollo kits, especially as it's in model aircraft standard 1:72 scale.

Review kit courtesy The Hobby Company.

For more, see my article in the hardcopy Airfix Model World magazine, issue 23.  

Dragon Apollo 10 kit and much more available here.

“WHO YA GONNA CALL?” AMT 1:25 SCALE GHOSTBUSTERS CADILLAC ECTO-1A

MAT IRVINE
Take one 1959 Miller-Meteor bodied Cadillac Ambulance, add an overloaded roof-rack, flashing lights and signs, and what ya gonna call it? The famed Ectomobile from the movie Ghostbusters II, that’s what. And now it's back again.

This four-wheeled star of the 1989 movie Ghostbusters II (preceded by Ghostbusters in 1984) was an obvious subject for one of the major ‘star car’ kit producers, AMT, and the company duly produced one in 1990.

Rivals join forces
The lack of an original Ecto-1 kit was rectified in 2002 when Polar Lights made a snap-together model of it above). At that time AMT and Polar Lights were rivals, AMT still under the Ertl banner, while Polar Lights was a part of Playing Mantis. Since then, things have changed and both names have come together as Round-2 brands.

Which Ecto is which?
So the question is, despite the name on the new box, are we looking at a kit of Ecto-1 or 1a, as decals for both versions are included. Well, the answer's simple: it's an Ecto-1a vehicle, equipped with two sets of decals, including ones for Ecto-1.

There are some instruction details that indicate building the Ecto-1 version, but this cannot really be done accurately, as the roof rack especially is completely different from one car to the other.

Accuracy
To the uninitiated, all seems to be in the box - 82 detailed components to 1:25 scale, which assemble nicely to make a vehicle some 250mm (10in) long. So that’s OK, then. But to make an accurate Ecto-1 you have to consider that while the basic centre-section is more or less the same, that’s about it.

Ecto-1a (with dish antenna) and Ecto-1 compared.

Details
All the bolt-on details - light bars, antennas, tanks, and the all-important ectoplasmic detectors - are different. A conversion is possible if you omit the large tank at the rear, the signs each side, convert the main emergency lamps to blue at the ends and silver in the centre, omit the dish and the third, upper, light bar, you are halfway there.

Polar Lights version
But you’d have to scratch-build the ladder and piping on the passenger side, along with the electron gun, weather radar dome, and other smaller details. Even the wheel-embellishers ( aka hub caps) are different. It’s easier if you can find an old Polar Lights version, as the parts will transfer over reasonably easily to the AMT kit.

Good to be back
But whichever version you build, it’s good to see the kit back - and don’t forget that the basic Cadillac structure is a great starting point for making other customs - heavens, maybe even a stock ambulance!

Ghostbusters return?
Latest on the long-mooted third Ghostbusters movie is that an all-new cast will start shooting in Summer 2013. If Ghostbusters III finally gets the green light, it’ll be interesting to see if the Ectomobile appears as Ecto-1, 1A, 1B - or even, to match the movie title - Ecto-3.

Thanks to Round-2 for the review kit

Original AMT box for Ecto-1A (below).

Either kit would be a prime candidate for supplied figures of Dr Peter Venkman and his colleagues, but unfortunately it’s no-go in that department. Instead (below) try this Kenner Mr Stay Puft figure!

The real thing? Not quite - this is a lookalike (below) I photographed at an auto show near Phoenix, Arizona, in October, 2011. It’s also an earlier model than the Ectomobiles, being a 1956 car, not a 1959.

***SMN note: The two Ghostbusters movies were great fun, and we're looking forward to the next one, provided it's not just a retread! This private 'Spooky' custom is truly excellent - who cares if it's three model years out?!