HALLOWEEN HORROR'S EVE GREETINGS TO ALL MODEL FANS

Yes, it’s that time of year again, with ghosties, ghoulies and things that go *bump* in the night. And for model makers...

AIRFIX 1:72 SCALE DAMBUSTERS DIORAMA DISPLAY

Barnes Wallis, inventor of the bouncing bomb used in the World War II raid against a series of enemy dams, died 30 years...

MINICRAFT CATALOGS FREE ONLINE

Minicraft is a respected name in plastic models, and their catalogs - general and this year's - are available for download...

SPACESHIPTWO ROCKETS IN FROM FANTASTIC PLASTIC

To the world's spacewatchers, progress on Virgin Galactic’s sub-orbital space program has been little short of phenomenal,...

AMAZING NANO-SIZE TRAIN BEGS THE QUESTION - WHAT IS A MODEL?

At barely 6.35 x 3.18 mm (1/8 x 1/4 in) in size, New Jersey model train builder David Smith’s tiny train must be in the...

JAMES MAY TOY STORIES BOOK PUBLISHED SHORTLY

The success of the BBC TV series Top Gear is a worldwide phenomenon, but the three presenters, Jeremy Clarkson, Richard...

EXCELLENT BARE-METAL FOIL HOW-TO BLOG

Techniques reportSMN’s always been in awe of those model makers who create hyper-real miniatures using the metal foil technique....

54mm LITTLE CONTEMPTIBLES FROM NEW ZEALAND

David Jefferis reportsFor anyone interested in 1:32 scale aircraft and 54mm figures, New Zealand’s Wingnut Wings provides...

FEELING BLUE? THEN NOSFERATU IS THE VAMPIRE FOR YOU!

Mat Irvine reportsI was watching The Simpsons recently, and it reminded me that there was a kit I’d acquired some time ago,...

AIRFIX 1:24 SCALE MOSQUITO BUZZES CLOSER

Probably the most eagerly awaited 2009 kit is the 1:24 scale de Havilland Mosquito from Airfix. We’ve had tantalizing ‘it’s...

iHOBBY EXPO OPENS THIS WEEK

Here’s a must-visit zone if you’re in reach of Rosemont, Illinois - the iHobby Expo opens later this week, running from...

RADIO-CONTROL BIGGIES FROM TAMIYA - RUSSIAN KV-2 TANK AND ITALIAN 500 RACER

Tamiya’s choice to model the KV-2 tank (‘KV’ was short for Kliment Voroshilov, a defence commissar of the time) is quite...

SOME EARLY STEALTH KITS WERE JUST PLAIN WRONG - SO GIVE THEM A TOTALLY NEW LOOK

Reading Mat Irvine’s recent piece on the F-117 Nighthawk had us hunting through the SMN Vault of Ancient Kits for an early...

AIRFIX MODEL CLUB OFFERS A MEMBERS-ONLY SEAFIRE KIT

We’re not great joiners of things here at SMN, but another look at the Airfix Club has made us think twice.Annual membership...

HERE'S ANOTHER CHANCE TO VIEW THE SMN FREEEBOOK

Some of you had the odd issue viewing the 'freeebook' of the SMN dummy we produced a while ago.Sooo... here's another try,...

STEALTHY STARS AND STRIPES - ITALERI’S COLOURFUL F-117A

By Mat IrvineIt’s 26 years today since the Lockheed F-117A Nighthawk went into service with US forces, though it was another...

CHUCK YEAGER BREAKS THE SOUND BARRIER - AND HERE’S A FREE PAPER X-1 TO MARK THE OCCASION

On this day in 1947, US test pilot Charles ‘Chuck’ Yeager flew the bullet-shaped Bell X-1 rocketplane faster than sound...

MEGA SALE OF DESIRABLES AT HOBBYLINK JAPAN

HobbyLink Japan (HLJ) is a well-established online supplier that has a particularly wide range of Japanese products on offer,...

GM’S PARADE OF PROGRESS - THE WAY THE FUTURE WAS

A headline draw at motorshow time (Frankfurt’s over, Tokyo opens on October 24) is the range of gee-whiz concept vehicles...

A DATE FOR YOUR DIARY - IPMS MODEL SHOW IN NOVEMBER

The International Plastic Modellers’ Society (IPMS) has expanded across the world since its beginnings in the UK, in 1963....