LEIPZIG VISITORS VOTE FOR THE REVELL MODEL AWARD ‘SCALE 09’

The Modell Hobby Spiel (‘Model-Hobby-Play’) is held every October in Leipzig, Germany. It’s a show that features plastic kits, model rail, creative design, games and toys. And this year Revell-Germany decided to let visitors to the show vote for the winners in its annual ‘Scale’ model competition.

So, with no appointed experts in a judging panel, how have the results stacked up, now the winners have been announced? Well, as you can see from the pictures above, craft excellence shines through to expert and amateur alike, and there can’t really be any disputes as to the general quality of those chosen. The top winner is Peter Hofstetter, for his 1:24 scale Bussing 8000 truck (top picture). No arguments with this from SMN, and we particularly like Peter’s ripped canvas, which gives the model a nice used touch. Mind you, he had a good kit to begin with - many truck aficionados reckon this is one of Revell’s best-ever vehicle kits.

The other pictures give you a taste for the variety of winners, and it’s nice to see that this year Revell has introduced categories for younger model fans. Peter Hofstetter will be presented with the Scale 09 award on December 4, when he’ll also get the chance to meet the press and go behind the scenes at Revell-Germany. Great stuff Peter!

Pictures courtesy Revell-Germany.

Visit the winning entries page here.

Amazon has a wide range of Revell kits here.

SUNSHINE CALLS WITH REVELL SAMBA VEEDUBS

Now that dank winter's here (at least in northern climes anyway) we could all do with a reminder of those lazy, hazy days of summer...

And what better way than to dream about 2010's beach breaks in a VW camper van - so here's Revell's solution for model fans, the 1:24 scale Samba bus.

This pair of assembled beauties was spotted by Mat Irvine at the UK IPMS Scale ModelWorld show recently, so we thought you'd like a quick peep. It's also a trailer for the next SMN Freeebook which should be ready very soon, and these VWs, plus a host of other showstoppers, will be included for your delectation.

1:144 SCALE APOLLO SATURN V COMING FROM BANDAI

Ready-built models get bigger and better, and Japanese company Bandai’s 1:144 scale Apollo Saturn V just has to be the largest space item ever produced. The ‘full-stack’ Saturn is due in March 2010, and should have all space enthusiasts reaching for their credit cards, though it’s fair to say that the cost will likely be in the wallet-shredding $500-550 USD (£300-330 GBP) price band. Still, for something like this specialist mixed-material item, who’s complaining about price - after all the new Airfix 1:24 Mosquito is north of £120 GBP ($200 USD).

So what does Bandai supply with this 768 mm (30.25 in) high Apollo, produced in cooperation with the Apollo Maniacs website? Firstly, all sections separate like the real thing, including the cylindrical interstages. The Lunar Module (LM) can be linked to or separated from the Command/Service Module (CSM). As for display, the stand is mirrored so you can inspect the detailed Rocketdyne F-1 engine cluster at the base. There’s also an optional lunar surface base for LM, US flag and astronaut figures. A third stand allows the separated rocket sections to be displayed horizontally.

This looks like it’ll be a landmark product, and one we’ll be fascinated to see in closeup when it’s released.

Thanks to Apollo Maniacs for the video.

Visit Apollo Maniacs here.

Amazon Japan is taking discount pre-orders here.

Hobby Link Japan also features the rocket here.

CHRISTMAS IS COMING - AND THE POST WON’T COST YOU A THING

Here’s one for UK visitors only: an ends-on-November-30 offer from Corgi. It’s for free post and packing on anything you order. It’s something of a tempter, especially if you’re already thinking about placing an order.

Corgi’s online shop is full of interesting diecast goodies - the 1:50 scale truck range continues to be a success story, as does the 1:36 scale James Bond series. These are attractively packaged in book-style boxes, with the Pierce Brosnan set a nicely crafted vehicle duo. This one packs the Aston-Martin Vanquish and Jaguar XKR which featured in the movie Die Another Day, one of the best of the newer Bond movies in SMN’s opinion. Not that you have to agree of course - we all have our faves!

The set packs a nice addition, a set of four movie posters: Die Another Day, GoldenEye, The World is Not Enough and Tomorrow Never Dies. All boxes are individually numbered.

The pictures show, top to bottom:
1 Corgi 1:50 scale trucks.
2 Pierce Brosnan 1:36 scale Bond set.

Have a look at the Corgi online shop here.

And there’s a host of James Bond items here.

AIRFIX 1:24 SCALE MOSQUITO BREAKS COVER AT IPMS SHOW

Report: Mat Irvine
The UK branch of the IPMS (International Plastic Modellers Society) held its annual National Meeting at the International Conference Centre, Telford the weekend before last. There were two main halls, plus a slightly smaller one used for the competition area. The main halls were packed with trading stalls and club stands, which incorporated SIGs (Special Interest Groups) the ‘Interests’ of which ranged widely - Korean War, seaplanes, NASA, Wallace & Gromit and much more besides.

One of the show's prime interests for aircraft fans was the sneak peak of what has to be the most anticipated model kit ever - the Airfix 1:24 scale de Havilland Mosquito. Airfix Product Manager Trevor Snowdon talked kits with customers, while in front of him stood the ‘wooden wonder’ (well, plastic in this iteration) itself, a Mosquito in part-assembled test-shot form. And very nice it looked, with pale-grey parts laid out around. The box was there too, and really showed off the excellent design trend exhibited by Airfix these days - brightly attractive for general buyers, yet clean-looking and serious for experienced ones. Just right.

The Airfix 1:24 scale Mosquito will be available shortly. Meantime, other Mosquito kits are available here.

The pictures show, top to bottom:
1 Box-art for the initial version of the Airfix 1:24 scale Mosquito.
2 Test-shot of the Mosquito on display.
3 Trevor Snowden, Airfix Product Manager and one of the driving forces behind Airfix since the Humbrol days, discusss models with a customer.

SMN note:
Mat Irvine took many pictures at the IPMS show, and we’re planning to release these in Freeebook form for you shortly. There are many tasty items, so keep checking for the Freeebook release.

CLASSIC SCI-FI COLLECTIBLE DIECASTS FROM A TOY FAIR

SMN chanced upon a handsome diecast two-vehicle boxed set last weekend, a cleanish example of a 1992 Corgi release featuring the lead hero from an old UK comic called the Eagle. Launched in 1950, Eagle was a mega-success, with weekly sales regularly exceeding a million-plus. Its quality production (half in full-colour) made the Eagle unique at the time of launch, as did its lead character: a ‘pilot of the future’ called Dan Dare, whose adventures battling evil aliens such as the ‘melon headed’ Mekon inspired an entire generation of young readers to look up to the stars. Sad to say, successive UK governments proceeded to trash much of the UK’s aerospace industry in the years that followed, but that’s another story...

The 1:43 scale Corgi set features Bedford CA and Volkswagen panel vans, emblazoned with pictures of Dan Dare and the dread Mekon. The diecasts themselves are of fairly average quality, but the bright decals and well-produced box packaging turn them into a charming collectible set for lovers of the genre. The images are taken from the year-long adventure Prisoners of Space that began in May 1954. It’s actually one of the less successful stories, with art that came nowhere near the levels set by Dan Dare’s creator, Frank Hampson, but no matter: Corgi made a fine job of decorating its diecast vehicles. The box works for its living too, with frames from a mini-adventure called Operation Triceratops running around the sides. This story was an eight-pager that ran in the 1954 Eagle Annual.

Is the set an investment? Probably not, as it’s worth only about £10-20 GBP ($17-35 USD) despite the limited 7500 production run. On the bright side, this price range keeps the set firmly buyable for Dan Dare and Eagle collectors.

Incidentally, in 1990 Hawk Books published a full-size reproduction volume featuring both stories. There are newer versions available from Virgin which are are cheaper, but reduced in size. Take your pick!

The pictures show, top to bottom:
1 The boxed set, complete with numbered certificate.
2 Bedford CA van.
3 VW van.
4 Hawk Books hardback jacket.
5 Page from the Prisoners of Space strip.

Have a look at the Corgi sets we found on eBay here. If they've been sold by now, a fresh search may bring up some replacements, and also try looking for the Hawk Books hardback if you fancy one.

Copies of the reduced-size Virgin Prisoners of Space can be found here.

CAN WE EVER HAVE TOO MUCH DETAIL?

More detail please! It’s the cry of many a model fan, and it’s fair to say that over the years the manufacturers have done us proud, regularly achieving levels of quality that were unheard of in times past. And Dragon’s 1:700 scale USS Hancock aircraft carrier is a case in point - it’s packed with useful innovations that allow the keen builder to produce a model with that ‘little bit extra’.

For a start, the 387 mm (15.2 in) long USS Hancock can be built as a waterline or full-hull vessel, making it equally usable as a diorama or display piece. Many fine details have been captured in photo-etched metal form for that extra touch of quality. A transparent flight deck option allows you to see into the hangar deck below. A full-hull or waterline tugboat is included as an attractive come-on to anyone wanting to add nautical interest. There’s also a flight deck crew included, though at just 2.6 mm (.10 in) tall, these are tweezer-only humans! The list goes on, with aircraft that are moulded in transparent plastic, so that even at this scale, you can opt for see-through canopies.

So the answer to the question “can we ever have too much detail?” is probably not, provided it’s well done and doesn’t overwhelm the practical aspects of model building. This particular kit is a fine effort from Dragon and is becoming available through model stores and online suppliers, including eBay here.


The pictures show, top to bottom:
1 Attractive box art.
2 Transparent deck options.
3 Tug boat option.