HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL SCALE MODELLERS

Here we go again, seeing out the last of the old year 2012, and looking forward to the New Year 2013 to come.

Of course, some countries are already there, including Australia, which has celebrated with the traditional Sydney Harbour firework display. Estimates reckon that no less than 1.5 million people turned up for the show. Excellent stuff!

And here's a reminder too, that the SMN 'collation site' Scale Model News Xtra is worth a look, not least as a reminder of just how many articles there are to read!

We've added a link in the top bar of SMN to make visiting SMNX easier in future.

Once again, a Happy New Year and Best Wishes to you all.

'THUNDERBIRDS' GERRY ANDERSON DIES

Gerry Anderson, creator of a host of children's TV series, including classics such as Stingray, Thunderbirds, and Space 1999, has just died, at 83 years old.

More on the Anderson legacy at our sister site Starcruzer.

CARS, CARS, AND MORE CARS...

Here's a selection of scale cars, fresh from the craft bench of Mat Irvine. Enjoy!

CHRISTMAS GREETINGS TO ALL SCALE MODELLERS

Best wishes to you all from the SMN Crew, and here's to some great scale modelling in 2013. We'll be showing some tasty stuff this week before model news starts again after the festive break.

2013 INCOMING FROM AIRFIX - KITS, KITS, AND MORE KITS

Airfix is going to be busy in 2013, with a spectacular release list that's guaranteed to keep model builders occupied throughout the year. Here's a taster of the more interesting stuff coming our way, highlights from the upcoming Airfix release list.

1:24 scale
The North American P-51K Mustang makes an interesting choice. The original was differentiated from the famed 'D' mainly by the propeller, which was made by Aeroproducts, instead of Hamilton Standard. Some canopies also differed slightly, though this was more likely due to production variations, rather than a planned redesign.

1:32 scale
Two Airfix rally cars are now presented together, and very good they look too. State of the art racing machines feature in the form of a Ford Fiesta WRC and a Mini Countryman WRC. The single-car kits are very good indeed (and are especially well presented) so the Twin-Pack makes a good way to buy the two at once. Paints, brushes and cement are included.

1:48 scale
This is a big Airfix growth area, and I've nicknamed these kits 'the droolmakers' as they are so desirable.

The Merlin HC3 looks a good kit of this hefty three-engined machine that regularly growls across the sky near SMN Towers. The competition to supply US Presidential machines has just been reopened, so if this helo wins again, maybe it'll feature as a variation from Airfix a year or two down the line.

The Operation Herrick Forward Assault Group looks to be an essential for anyone who models to this scale, especially as, apart from the four-wheel AFV, you also get eight neatly sculpted British Forces figures. Oh, and this is supplied as a presentation pack, so the box includes half a dozen pots of acrylic paint, two paintbrushes and a tube of cement.

The Gloster Javelin should make a fine model of this Cold War interceptor, with the long refuelling boom, access ladder and air brakes providing icing on the cake. A must-have for anyone who grew up in this era, or who might have been an Air Cadet who came into close contact with them, like me... but that's another story!

Yet more modern soldiery with the Quad Bikes and Crew set. When assembled, these workhorse quads will be on the small side, but that's fine - they'll add excellent background interest for any combat diorama to this scale.

1:72 scale
Here's another background group, in the form of a World War II Bomber Resupply Set. A range of hardware is included in this interesting offering, including a wheeled high-level work gantry, wheel chocks, folding ladder, even an RAF-issue bicycle.

Last but definitely not least in this group is the Gloster Gladiator Mk II, complete with ski landing gear. Used especially by Finnish pilots against Soviet attackers, skis make an interesting variation on the Gladiator theme, though there are plenty to choose from, as this biplane was used in various forms by some 19 air arms. Note in the cgi pic above: the 'X' shapes joining the interplane struts are part of the moulding tree, and not some unusually hefty design addition by the draughtsmen at Gloster!

More information from Airfix.

KITTY HAWK LOCKHEED F-94C STARFIRE TO 1:48 SCALE

SMN REPORT
Kitty Hawk is a newish model company, with a limited range of kits on sale. The company motto states, ‘the finest military miniatures’, so our question is, do Kitty Hawk kits match up to that promise?

We looked at the first kit that Kitty Hawk produced, a 1:48 scale Lockheed F-94C Starfire to see what it was like.

Rocket defender
First of all, the choice of subject is interestingly unusual, and as lovers of early jets, we found the Starfire to be a draw, its design featuring a Pinocchio-style nose radome and a gun-less weapon system consisting of multiple Mighty Mouse folding-fin rockets, fired from pop-out launch tubes (above).

Fire all!
These rockets were widely used on NATO interceptors of the time, though it was just as well they weren’t needed in an East-West shooting war, for they were hardly leading-edge where accuracy was concerned. Firing a two-dozen volley of not-so-Mighty Mice was somewhat akin to pulling the trigger of an old-fashioned blunderbuss loaded with nails - they spread out after launch and in a few seconds could cover an area the size of a football field.

New vs old kits
Back to Kitty Hawk, and the kit: what’s it like? Opening the box reveals a wealth of parts, all neatly packed and cleanly moulded, and the 1:48 scale means the two-seater is a decent size, too. Plus of course, previous F-94C kits have not been exactly excellent - the early Revell kit was fit-the-box scale, the 1:48 scale Lindberg kit had an inaccurately blunt radome, while the Collect-Air kit was much better, but being resin, was best suited for fairly advanced modellers. So this Kitty Hawk model sits for the time being in a field of one.

Model Club comments
As for putting the kit together, we probably cannot put it more succinctly than the UK’s West Middlesex Scale Model Club, which says: “...a very good build with lots of fine detail” and: “The decals used are the supplied ones, which are excellent.” Praise indeed, though it’s worth pointing out that the decals are very thin, so you need to take extra care when applying them.

Summation
So, to answer the original question, is this kit the finest? Well it's certainly the best F-94C out there, though there's no real competition. Judged against its peers, the Kitty Hawk F-94C still stacks up well, assembling into a very good 1:48 scale model of a Cold War interceptor jet. We’re now looking forward to getting to building Kitty Hawk’s Lockheed Martin F-35B to the same scale.

Picture of the built-up Kitty Hawk F-94C, courtesy the West Middlesex Scale Model Club. Do visit, as there are plenty of beautifully-built models on display there.

Visit Kitty Hawk's website here, though there's not too much to see. The company seems concerned with developing kits, rather than letting the world know about them.

REVELL THROWS IN A KIT OF LEONARDO’S BALLISTA WAR WEAPON

FIRST LOOK FROM MAT IRVINE
Here’s one more of Revell Germany’s intriguing kit series featuring the inventions of Leonardo da Vinci. This one is the ballista, a potent and deadly version of the catapult.


As in other kits in the series, you get a selection of pre-cut wood parts, and an assortment of other contemporary materials, in this case rope (well, ‘string’) and a threaded metal rod, used to get your ballista primed and ready to fling its rock load at the enemy.

Backup materials
There are 41 parts to the kit, and Revell also includes a similar set of associated materials, as featured in other da Vinci kits - there are detailed instructions and a booklet explaining Leonardo’s thinking behind the project. In the picture (above) small parts are contained in the bag at the front, along with a bottle of PVA wood glue. The main components (below) are neatly presented. You also get a frameable parchment-style print with Leonardo’s image and his original design.

Improve and develop
As with many of Leonardo’s devices, he did not invent them completely from scratch, instead taking existing devices and improving on them. The trebuchet (a bucket on the end of a pivoting arm) was already used in da Vinci’s era, but had range limitations. Leonardo’s ropes and wood under tension greatly improved on this. You can see the complex construction shown in the picture set (below) printed on the kit box side.

Ammo supplied
And just to confirm - you need to be able to fling a rock - and such a ‘rock’ is provided by Revell!

Thanks to Revell-Germany for the review kit.

1:24 SCALE TOYOTA 86 SPORTS CAR KIT FROM TAMIYA

FIRST LOOK FROM MAT IRVINE
Here’s one for 1:24 scale enthusiasts from Tamiya, a sports car kit of the Toyota 86.


The real thing is a collaboration between Toyota and Subaru, who set out to develop a common sports car, designed with echoes of the 1980s in mind. The vehicle has the classic performance combination of front-engine/rear-drive, and uses a horizontally-opposed ‘boxer’ engine, a type used by Subaru which allows a low bonnet line.

The name is...?
The Toyota is also called the GT86 or Scion FR-S, depending on where it is sold, but apart from badges and some trim details they are the same vehicle. The Subaru equivalent is less confusingly called the BRZ in all markets.

The Tamiya box side shows two other paint schemes, Lightning Red (above) and Sterling Silver metallic (below).

Engine detail
The Tamiya Toyota 86 kit features an engine, and although it is built on a solid chassis, the main engine block and details are visible through the opening bonnet. The interior has two separate bucket seats, and right-hand drive controls.

Coloured components
The kit is moulded in white and black, with clear and chrome-plated parts - 31 white, 41 black, 17 clear, 18 plated and four black vinyl tyres. Metallized decals depict badges and mirror glass. You also get masks for the window glass to allow fuss-free painting of the black surrounds, and there is even a short length of metal rod that acts as the bonnet strut. The assembled model measures around 170 mm (6.75 in) long.

The box-art illustrates the primary factory colour offered for the Toyota 86, a bright metallic orange, though notes for six other stock colours are also given in the instructions.

Summation
A neat kit that looks as if it will make a useful addition to a modern sports car collection.

*** Mat Irvine note: This is the first of my ‘First Look’ series, in which I plan to do quick takes on - especially - new kits. As they take time to build, after the taster many will go on to have a longer build-review at a later date. So hopefully, there’ll be more appearing on this particular kit in future.

*** Mr J note: I had the pleasure of a drive in the GT86 recently, and if I was in the market for a small sports model, it would definitely be high on the shortlist. The cockpit was nicely designed, with instruments and controls positioned ‘just so’. On the move, the little car felt so dainty, and the ride was very controlled over the dips and bends of undulating Cotswold roads and lanes. I wasn’t so keen on rear visibility though, particularly the three-quarter vision that’s so essential for making snappy parallel parking manoeuvres. Not that this is so unusual with current car design - many makers now supply rear-view cameras to make up for ergonomic deficiencies.


Thanks to The Hobby Company for the review kit

AT LAST - AIRFIX TYPE 45 DESTROYER ON RELEASE

SMN REPORT
The long-awaited Royal Navy Type 45 destroyer is here at last. It's a big kit too, made to 1:350 scale and measuring some 436 mm (17.2 in) long when assembled.



The kit has 203 components and decals for all six Type 45 ships: HMS Daring, Dauntless, Diamond, Dragon, Defender and Duncan.

Assembly time
Airfix reckons it takes five ‘flying hours’ (‘swimming hours?’) to build the kit, though skilled modelmakers will doubtless take much longer, in order to paint the various parts before final assembly.

Weathering importance
One thing - as this is a semi-stealth design, the sides are flush and carry less detail than traditional ships of this kind. It could be a case of adding some extra weathering to bring those surfaces to life. Still, that’s a suitable challenge to fill these long winter nights.

The real thing
Royal Navy Type 45 destroyers have distinctive straight edges and sheer superstructure, free from much of the usual clutter. This is so that the ships have a relatively low radar cross-section, to defeat - or at least reduce - detection by enemy radar. According to official figures, the result is a destroyer that appears to electronic eyes no bigger than a fishing boat.