STEAMPUNK-MEETS-DECO SCI-FI FROM HASEGAWA: 1:72 SCALE ‘LAST EXILE’ VANSHIP DOUBLE-KIT

SMN REPORT:
“Command the skies of a dark, futuristic Earth” is the tagline to this interesting steampunk-meets-deco science-fiction kit from Hasegawa. It’s based on the Japanese anime series ‘Last Exile’, a drama that is set on (despite that tagline) a fictional alien planet called Prester.


Last Exile's flying machines are intriguing designs, based on reworked early 20th century technology, coupled with a dose of steampunk and pure fantasy.

Two machines in the box
Hasegawa’s new-tool kit features two vehicles, both two-seaters. The streamlined, 82-component Vanship is the bigger of the two, and looks much like a cross between an old Mercedes-Benz roadster and a 1920s-era corrugated-metal Junkers aircraft. We’d venture that, conceptually, the ridges in the stub wings act as radiators for the anti-grav motors that keep the Vanship airborne.

Air-scooter
The 32-part Vespa kit (above) - named, we’d guess, after the famed Italian scooter - is also neatly done, though lacking the curving bodywork of its Latin namesake. Both craft feature egg-beater antennas at the rear, giveaways for the anti-gravity motors they use for lift instead of traditional aircraft wings.

Crews and stands
Both kits have neatly-printed decals and Hasegawa supplies four crew figures, named in the show as Tatiana, Alister, Fam and Giselle. Transparent plastic display stands are included.

About the show
Last Exile is set on the fictional world of Prester, a planet with two nations at war. The two sides, Anatoray and Disith, are separated by a turbulent region of Prester’s atmosphere called the Grand Stream. Chivalry plays a big part in the plot, and an honourable code is enforced by a superior third party, the Guild - think Jedi Knights from Star Wars, and you’ve got something of the idea.

Aero mixture
Last Exile may be set in a notional future, but the setting involves Prester’s aviators in charge of vehicles that mix unsophisticated retro-tech (sextants anyone?) with advanced anti-gravity thrusters (we don't need wings!).

Inspirations
Real-world historical designs (concept sketches above) were drafted in as inspiration - Japanese dreadnoughts and German airships for machines, with Napoleonic, Red Army and American Civil War for uniforms. The historical referencing has given Last Exile a richly dense visual backdrop.

Cute or serious?
It’s a fun mish-mash of ideas that has been a success, with the drama appearing both in print and on TV. As drawn, the anime characters (DCD sleeve below) are somewhat on the cute side for the SMN Crew's taste buds. Hasegawa's models manage a more serious take, as might a live-action movie that's rumoured to be in the works.

Hasegawa 1:72 scale Vanship double-kit available here.

Here’s a nifty homemade paper version, made to 1:24 scale.

SCALE MODELWORLD 2012 - THE WINNERS

MAT IRVINE REPORTS
The competition at Scale ModelWorld 2012 was split into a number of classes depending on subject, scale, and construction type. This has led to approaching 100 different classes, sometimes leading to some confusion as to which class to enter your creation.


However, when it comes down to it, there are only seven overall categories - aircraft, military, civilian vehicles, ships, dioramas, figures and space/SF/fantasy, plus an overall junior entry.

Best in show
Once the main judging is done, each section head chooses one model of all their classes and puts it forward as a potential ‘Best in Show’. Consequently you end up with just one aircraft, one vehicle, one ship, one diorama… Well, you get the general idea.

To date, the Best in Show has always gone to an aircraft, ship or military model, and no space/SF/fantasy model has taken top spot - until this year.

Steampunk wins
This year’s top model was the ‘Modern Steam Monobike 1896’, an amazing steampunk creation, modelled by Stefano Marchetti. In addition, Stefano took the class Silver with his equally excellent ‘Cosmic Motors Detonator Endurance’, finished in Gulf Oil colours, shown here at the bottom.

Plans behind
Detail is all at this level, and even the back of Steam Monobike showed a neat line in finish, with a set of rolled-up plans featured on two shelves. Above, well-known French modeller-maker and author, Jean Christophe ‘JC’ Carbonel, photographs the model for his French-language website.

The other Best in Show contenders were: 
* Dioramas: ‘Blissful Ignorance’, by Andrew Argent.

* Aircraft: FE.2B, by Jose Martinez-Fernandez.

* Civilian Vehicles: Bugatti Type 59, by Noel Smith.

* Figures: Private Gordon Highlander 1914-15, by Mike Skelding.

* Military: Mototriciclo Benelli M36, by Patrice Roman.

* Ships: HMS Manchester, by Geoffrey Taylor.

* Junior: ‘Champagne’, by Jan Skampa.

And here's Stefano Marchetti's blue-clad Gulf lady - and very nice she is, too.

STEAMPUNKS UNITE - COPPER AND STEEL MINI FROM CARLEX

SMN REPORT:

Like sci-fi? Like steampunk? Like cars? Like a kit bash? Then here’s an idea for you. It’s a full-size customized show car, the Mini Countryman Steampunk edition from Carlex Design of Poland.

Wide range of ideas

Carlex Design has an international reputation for well-judged mods to existing vehicles. From special leather interiors to wooden steering wheels, BMWs to Lamborghinis - if you have the money, a unique custom car can be yours. Or indeed, you can have a team of cars - Carlex has made a range of football-styled cars to celebrate Poland’s soccer squad in the Euro 2012 competition.

Intricate detailing

In fact, most Carlex projects are fairly middle-of-the-market stuff, so the Mini Countryman Steampunk marks a step up in the creative department. Carlex designers have really gone to town on this one, with the hand-tooled leather and copper interior suiting the fantastical genre very well indeed. They’ve maybe got a bit enthusiastic with the cutaway seats that reveal mysterious parts lurking between your legs, though - all we can say here is: “Yikes, let’s hope there aren’t a bunch of sawtooth gears or probing things that rise up from the depths without warning!” Still, no complaints really, as the whole thing looks ace.

Smart externals

As for the outside, the copper and steel finish looks terrific, and actually sets off the Mini Countryman’s hefty lines extremely well. The blacked out front and rear lights help, too.

Base kit for the conversion

As for making a model of the Carlex Mini Countryman Steampunk, the place to start is the Hasegawa 1:24 scale kit. We ran a story on this neatly produced kit of a very interesting subject in February here, so it’s worth having a look there, via the link below.

SMN story on the Hasegawa 1:24 scale Mini Countryman here.

1:24 scale Mini Countryman kit is available at a good price here.

Visit the Carlex Design Steampunk Mini here.

  

CONTEST - DESIGN A STEAMPUNK FIGURE CONTEST, WINNER GETS IT MADE AS A MODEL KIT

SMN report:

The Industria Mechanika sci-fi model outfit is going from strength to strength, and now there’s a contest on to spice things up. If you’re a steampunk fan (and we are) then IM’s invitation to send in figure designs in the genre is a tempting one.

Steampunk range

Industria Mechanika has some interesting 1:35 scale steampunk-style model kits already, including the fish-shaped Submersible, insectoid Hornethopter, and the upcoming Steam Car and Squid-Shaped Submersible. As for the contest, in IM’s words: “Wouldn’t it be cool if we got the community involved?” And that’s how the idea came about. Again, from IM: “You can now have the chance to become immortalized in your best Steampunk attire as a scale model kit!”

Dress for Success

Many people in the Steampunk community create fantastic outfits which they wear to conventions and shows, so emailing pix of your outfit means you could be chosen to “become” a figure model kit. Accessories count too, so rayguns, backpacks, electro-swords and the like could all be part of a winning outfit.

Full details of the competition are given at Industria Mechanika’s website, link below. Cutoff date is June 1, 2012.

Immortalized in kit form

Oops, nearly forgot the prizes - the Grand Prize is the winner’s likeness in costume, made into a 1:35 scale figure kit. You get two of these, including the option of having one pre-painted by an expert (yes please). You also get a squid-shaped Submersible model kit. Runners-up may make it into IM’s kitworld of fame too.

History of Science

The pix we show here were taken at a curated steampunk exhibition at the Oxford Museum of the History of Science. And what a show it was: the first of its kind, and in a perfect backdrop of early scientific instrumentation. In fact, it was difficult at times to distinguish between the genuine old stuff and the fantasy exhibits. A great show, and one we hope to see return sometime soon.

Summation

Interesting contest for sci-fi and fantasy fans from Industria Mechanika. Get cracking if you want to win!

Museum of the History of Science here.

Industria Mechanika here - scroll down to find the contest.

NOW TAKING ORDERS - STEAMPUNK FIGURES FROM INDUSTRIA MECHANIKA

SMN report:

Industria Mechanika has just opened the order book on a trio of precisely sculpted scale figures, ‘Deckhands’ for the Ralph McQue Remora anti-gravity floating cargo ship. The excellent Remora was released earlier this year, and it’s good to see the steampunk-inspired fantasy vessel will have a scurvy crew before long.

Original inspirations

A top priority for Michael Fichtenmayer’s Industria Mechanika (IM) models is to: “Produce and promote really cool original model designs” and the deckhands show that aim holds up well. And now the ship’s captain provided with the Remora kit will have some company! Pre-orders for the 1:35 scale deckhands have started, with shipping expected in May. The crew will be joined by a set to 1:24 scale, but that’s for later.

Sasha the Welding Girl

Anyone who has seen the movie Flashdance (enjoy the trailer below if you like girls and rock music) will be able to appreciate the notion of a lady welder, so another Industria Mechanika item could be interesting, and that’s Sasha the Welding Girl. Produced from the sketches of talented artist Jose Alves da Silva, the 1:35 scale figure features 12 components. 

Tools included

Included are the Sasha figure, plus her welding tools and wheeled cart for the gas cylinders. A photo-etch fret, coloured wiring, and metal rod are included. Sasha’s a great looker and she’s coming later this month, with 1:32 scale as an available option. She’ll be joined soon by another da Silva figure, and that’s Barrio Guy, a butch and burly he-man figure, available in 1:35 and 1:24 scales.

Summation

It looks like Industria Mechanika’s plan to work with talented designers is a hot date - there’s a river of desirable products flowing this way in 2012.

Visit Industria Mechanika here.

IMPROBABLE MODELS FROM FANTASY-MASTER GREG DeSANTIS

SMN report:

Today’s images are a trip back in time to the years 2005 and 2006, when US concept artist and modelmaker Greg DeSantis made a series of compelling fantasy and science-fiction models. However, these were not wood, plastic, or metal creations - instead, they were 3D models created in a computer - for Greg was, and is, a gifted digital modelmaker.

Museum of the Improbable

To publicize his virtual creations, Greg also created another masterpiece, the Museum of the Improbable, its slogan: “Because reality can be overrated”. Which is surely the sort of byline that can be taken up by anyone who’s keen on the twin genres of fantasy and sci-fi.

Models on sale

Greg DeSantis made the models for sale as limited edition downloads, and by all accounts that side of things was the success it deserved to be - within a year, sales were complete, but the site itself stays on - and you can go there using the link below.

Virtual or reality?

Well, if they are virtual, you might ask: “Why are they on Scale Model News?” Well, we reckon that just as scale models of movie creations - such as Star Trek or Batman - are essentially based on nothing but dreams, then these are no different. And we’d love to see some ‘real’ display models created using Greg’s originals as inspiration.

Flyer and walker

The 3D models of Greg DeSantis include hard-tech spacecraft and military walkers that would not look out of place in a scene from any of the Star Wars sagas. We like the mini-diorama bases that Greg has included, giving them an air of miniature reality.

Deadly alien vs space trooper

The alien creature striding around a section of spacecraft hull is hardly something you’d like to meet on a wet Friday night, though the armoured figure burning his way through another section of hull looks like rescue is at hand.

Man, myth and magic

The Minotaur-like beast comes straight from the pages of Ancient Greek myth stories, while an Eastern Samurai-style warrior gets ready to hack his way through the tough carapace of a giant beetle. Ugh!

The giant beetle can stay a fantasy we reckon.

Steampunk adventures

A Victorian-era adventuress manages to show plenty of comely flesh, while exploring the Island of the Dead. The steampunk-style Nautilus submarine is a homage to the Disney original, made for the movie 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Greg also depicted the giant squid that the crew of the Nautilus battled, both in Jules Verne’s original book, and in the silver screen recreation.     

Summation

Fantastical stuff, and a delight to the eye. Use any of these as inspiration for your next fantasy kitbash and you won’t go far wrong.

Visit the Museum of the Improbable here.

Lots of sci-fi and fantasy models to make here.