2012 INCOMING - NEW AIRFIX KITS AND ACCESSORIES

SMN update:

The 2012 Airfix catalogue is with us, and the company has a host of tasty new products in the pipeline for the coming year. Here’s a look at some of the good stuff to come.

Big scale helicopters

Airfix is making a name for big helicopters, and here we have two in 1:48 scale. The AgustaWestland Merlin HC3 is a medium-lift tactical machine, and one that’s often seen flying nap-of-the-earth training missions around SMN Towers, announcing its presence with a throaty roar from the triple engines. The Airfix kit will feature a rear loading ramp, plus the assortment of pods, humps, bumps and antennas that sprout from the capacious fuselage of this army combat machine. The model will look good when paired with the Supacat AFVs coming soon from Airfix. 

Lynx helo

The 1:48 scale Westland Lynx comes in three versions, with markings to match. The kit assembles to show that the Lynx is a smaller machine than the Merlin, with a length - even at 1:48 scale - of 318 mm (12.5 in), compared with the Merlin’s 407 mm (16 in). Both kits feature the shovel-shaped rotor tips used on these types, an aerodynamic design feature that combines increased blade lift, while also reducing noise levels.

Ships

The Type 45 is the British Royal Navy’s latest destroyer design - one is being deployed to the Persian Gulf just this week - and this kit is to big 1:350 scale, making it ideal for showing off the slab-sided stealth features. At this scale the kit should build to a length of some 435 mm (17.13 in).   

Automotive

The latest Ford Fiesta is a big sales success in all markets where it is sold, so it’s good to see Airfix bringing us a 1:32 scale rally version. Wide wheels, aerofoils, antennas and assorted body mods make this storming machine much more impressive than the cooking road car, so all the better to build a kit of it. Nice too, that it’s to the same scale as Scalextric cars from the same Hornby group of companies.

AFVs

The Supacat Coyote is a 6x6 tactical support vehicle that’s a big brother to the Supacat Coyote, also coming from Airfix this year. Both vehicles are in production for the British Army, and we’re pleased to see that 1:48 scale has been selected, making either or both models ideal for diorama displays with other modern weapon systems, especially those Airfix helicopters.

World War II

Excellent news in this department, with a 1:72 scale Spitfire F22 leading the pack. This later-model ‘Spit’ had a five-bladed propeller, retractable tailwheel and bubble canopy. A nice addition to the 1:72 collection, as will be the biplane Fairey Swordfish floatplane. This was an SMN ‘please make’ request when the standard wheeled Swordfish was announced last year, so we’ll be up for this one, just as soon as it’s available.

Photo-etch accessories and add-on parts

Airfix is getting into the aftermarket business with items like this bag of photo-etch accessories for the Supacat Jackal/Coyote. Some might say this is a clever way to keep kit costs down by leaving bits out of the box, but we say it’s a good option for specialists, as mass-market buyers - prime taget for Airfix - are unlikely to want such stuff. Either way, an interesting development for Airfix, as is the Photo-Reconnaissance (PR) and Refueller parts set for the Airfix Valiant V-bomber kit. Note to Airfix btw - spelling on the package header should be: “Refueller”, not “Refeuller”. We're looking forward to many more Airfix 'detail-plus' packs in future.

Summation

It’s going to be a busy year for the revitalized Airfix, with plenty to keep modelmakers busy throughout 2012. We’ve only touched on the new-stuff list here - for other items, visit Airfix here.

More Airfix kits here.

MAT IRVINE’S ‘SCALE CAR MODELLING’ - THE BOOK FOR ALL AUTO FANS

SMN book review:

Here’s another solid, dependable, and interest-packed book from SMN’s own Mat Irvine. This one arrived from the PR Dept at the Crowood Press recently, and matches the format of Mat’s other Crowood title Scale Spacecraft Modelling published in 2006. Scale Car Modelling comes in oversize paperback format, is full-colour throughout, and has 176 pages plus covers.

Information aplenty

What’s the book like inside? We can sum up the answer in just three words: “Detailed and Authoritative”. From introductory pages of history, through basic tools and basic builds, to resin rods and much more besides, there’s a treasure-filled mine of information to soak up.

Picture perfect

The text is supported by hundreds of pictures, mostly taken especially for the book by Mat in his packed-to-the-rafters ‘Marvellous Model Museum’, and there’s nothing that seems to be left without its relevant photograph. 

Interesting read

So all in all then, a book that you’ll never be able to devour in one go, but that’s fine, as it’s hardly a potboiler novel to read from start to finish. Instead, you’ll find yourself dipping into it again and again, browsing for info, noting useful tips, and perhaps most importantly, going through the pages for plain interest.

A book for modelmakers

All in all then, pretty much a must-read for any plastic kit auto modelmaker. Is there anything else to add? Well, yes, and we have this question to ask of both author and publisher: “Where’s the ebook version?” 

Electronic version please

This sort of subject is just made for onscreen expansion to read on a tablet device - whether it’s zoomable pix for more detail, or live links to suppliers and reference sources, an ebook would enhance the subject into a whole new publishing zone. And in some ebook formats, we could even have a video intro from Mat, making the production more personal, involving, and interesting.

Summation

So - a good book and well worth buying. But - we'd love to see the subject brought to life in an ebook version as well, please! 

Scale Car Modelling is available here. Note there’s a ‘Look Inside’ feature that enables you to have a look at quite a few of the pages onscreen.

Other Mat Irvine books here.

SCIENCE-FICTION FEAST FOR 2012 - FUJIMI BRINGS US ‘BLADE RUNNER’ FLYING COP CAR

Mat Irvine reports:

Even after all these years, the model companies can still surprise us, especially when one of them - Fujimi of Japan - recently announced a model kit of a ‘star car’ that appeared in Blade Runner, a famous science-fiction movie first released no less than 30 years ago this June.

Spinner kit release

I’ll talk about Blade Runner shortly, but first of all, what about the model? Well, now the long wait is over, and kits are freely available, opening the box reveals a fully-detailed injection styrene kit of the Spinner, and it’s made to the accepted star car scale of 1:24. However the kit has managed a surprise in not coming from a US company, instead being released by Fujimi, a Japanese company not known for making star cars before.

Component count

Opening the box provides some highly favourable initial reactions. The moulding colour is white, not blue as shown in some pre-production images, which means that you’ll need to spray-paint it all. But that’s no bad thing, as plain white opens the door to easy application of different colour schemes. Fujimi has supplied clear, red and blue transparencies, contributing to a total of just under 100 parts - 70 white, the rest transparent. The kit can be finished in either of the two movie modes, road or flight, the latter being noted purely by the position of the front wheel covers. 

Hazard warning lights

Major mouldings include the floor pan and body shell. The front wheels look pretty accurate, extending as a catamaran-like pair ahead of the main hull. Of particular note are the warning and hazard lights, a small forest of which festoon the roof. These components provide an excellent contribution to the model’s realistic overall appearance. When assembled, the Fujimi Spinner measures 215 mm (8.5 in) long by 90 mm (3.5 in) wide. 

Cartograf decal sheet

Markings made by the specialist Italian decal-maker Cartograf feature various numbers, warnings, and stripes. Fujimi has also added a small photo-etch item with three ‘Spinner’ logos. These look rather like inverted coat hangers and they belong on the doors and rear, though you could also use one as a nameplate on a diorama base, which ought to be easy enough to cobble together for display purposes.

About the movie

When Director Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner hit the cinema screens it gave a distinctive glimpse of a dystopian future, making something of a change from ‘everything will be wonderful’ visions. Mind you, as the movie was based loosely (very loosely, it has it be said) on the 1968 novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by the unique US novelist Philip K. Dick, you probably shouldn’t have expected anything else. 

From Syd Mead sketch to Gene Winfield reality

As with many movie projects, Blade Runner went through various versions under several producers, and what ended up on screen bore scant resemblance to the original novel. However the main character, Rick Deckard, survives. He’s an ex-cop drafted back on the job, and naturally enough, has a police car to get around in. But the movie is set in 2019 (1992 in the novel!) and the assumption is that cars can fly as well as roll. Enter ace car customizer Gene Winfield, who took futurist-designer Syd Mead’s drawn concepts, and turned them into real vehicles called Spinners. Some of Winfield’s Spinners could be driven, courtesy of Volkswagen flat-four engines, though flight was possible only through special effects (SFX) cinema magic.

Spinners by the dozen

Winfield made around 25 futuristic vehicles for the movie, including four full-size Spinners - two that could be driven, one that could be flown on wires, and a cutaway version for interior shots. Many of the SFX vehicles were destroyed by Warner Bros, but it seems that three Spinners survive - the two driveable machines and the one in flight-mode.

A long wait for the Spinner kit

Spinners may have been just a mode of transport, but soon after the movie was released, they took on a life of their own, and one question was: “When’s the kit due?” Toys and diecasts (above, below) came and went, plus some detailed ready-assembled models and several special-materials kits, including one made out of vinyl, which is fine for figures, but not the most practical material for a solid object such as a car, futuristic or otherwise. But we kit builders who wanted to get down and dirty and actually put something together had to wait... and wait. 

Why did we wait so long?

There’s still the odd reasoning of waiting so long for a kit to be made - maybe it has something to do with Ridley Scott’s sequel, now being planned for likely release in 2013. Of course whether this particular Spinner design will be in it is another matter, as there are other flying vehicles sharing the generic Spinner title. But Syd Mead’s designer visions are not so far off a future reality, and given the movie was set in 2119, we are not that far off that date either!

Thanks to Hobby Link Japan for the sample kit. Visit HLJ here.

Spinners also available here and here.

Original sketchbook showing production concepts for the movie, a must-visit page-flip site for your delectation, here.

Thinking of the dank and dirty, retro-future flavour of the movie, maybe a kitbash-session to futurize a present-day car would pay dividends in creating something suitable for display next to the Fujimi Spinner. So we present a bunch of other Fujimi 1:24 scale car kits here. 

Previous Scale Model News article, showing pre-production information here.

Spinner cgi images courtesy the talented visualizer Sendoa Bergasa. View more of his work here. 

MEGA MOON ROCKET FROM FANTASTIC PLASTIC

David Jefferis reports:

Great news for ‘what-if’ space fans from Fantastic Plastic, with this month’s release of a reworked and upsized 1:72 scale version of Revell’s 1950s-era XSL-01 Moon Rocket. The original kit, designed by US aerospace engineer Ellwyn E. Angle, was a 1:96 scale production, making the FP edition half as big again.

About the kit

The XSL-01 is presented in ‘stack’ formation, with winged Moonship rocket-glider sitting atop the finned multiple booster, though the parts count is surprisingly low, at just 50 components. No matter: the kit - patterned by Scott Lowther, cast by BLAP! Models, with scaled-up decals by JBOT - looks like a fine display piece, especially as it has a specially produced stand (above). Actually, this latter is the biggest departure from the Revell kit, as it is simpler than the original (below).

Rare item

According to Fantastic Plastic, the 1950s-era kit (above and below) is a ‘Holy Grail’ collector's item that commands top-dollar prices when one comes up for sale on an auction site such as ebay. So this kit is a chance to get your own, and with the bonus of being made in a far more widely used scale than that of the original.

About the original kit

The XSL-01 (Experimental Space Laboratory Number 1) was designed in the mid-1950s by Ellwyn E. Angle. Formerly associated with the Bell X-1 and X-5 aircraft, Angle was working for SLC (Systems Laboratory Corp) in California, when he was put in contact with Revell, based in nearby Venice Beach. Revell needed original concepts for its fast-expanding line of space-related models, then a hot subject area for the company.

Boost to orbit

The launch portion of Angle's XSL-01 concept consisted of four liquid-fuel boosters, to propel the winged and crewed Moonship to orbital altitude. Then the Moonship’s nuclear engine would fire up for the Earth-Moon flight. Angle envisaged a vertical landing on the lunar surface, followed by exploration, then blast-off back to Earth, with a glide landing - like the now-retired Space Shuttle fleet - after atmospheric entry. Revell released a separate kit of the Moonship (above) in 1957, though this has never been re-released by the company.

Summation

This Fantastic Plastic kit has been delayed, but should be available this month. It’s a fascinating kit for space enthusiasts, that now comes in a standard scale. You lose the interior detail that was a feature of the original Moonship which is a shame, but externally the FP kit can be made to look highly convincing.

Visit Fantastic Plastic here.

Read about Ellwyn E. Angle at Mat Irvine’s smallspace site here.

Other space kits here.

DeAGOSTINI RELEASES BIG 1:16 SCALE MITSUBISHI ZERO FIGHTER IN - COUNT THEM - 25 EPISODES

SMN report:

The Italian partwork publisher DeAgostini is creating something of a reputation for large-scale kits, with several ships and a racing car produced so far in its ModelSpace range. Now aviation fans are target customers, with this massive 1:16 scale Mitsubishi A6M2b Model 21 Zero fighter, a widely produced version of the famed Japanese aircraft that was such a fearsome combat adversary for Allied forces early in World War II.

Alternative versions

The DeAgostini Zero can be built as a carrier- or land-based version, and has a choice of construction formats. The interior can be made fully- or partly-visible, the flying surfaces can be painted or unpainted, left on or off - the options are up to you, the builder. We’d probably go for a half-and-half build, the port side exposed, starboard side covered and painted.

Big display mega-model

Whichever final form your Zero takes, it’ll be a shelf-filler, with a wingspan of 750 mm (29.5 in) and fuselage length of 560 mm (22 in) - all the better to admire the detail! And detail there is, with a crisply cast aluminium airframe, and riveted panel lines. The landing gear is fully retractable, with working damped oleos and rubber tyres. 

Working parts

The Nakajima Sakae two-row radial engine is a work of art all by itself. It doesn’t actually fire up with a cough and a splutter, but there are many other working features, such as moving control surfaces, folding wing tips, and - a nice touch - the rotating propeller has variable-pitch blades. The DeAgostini Zero also has lighting, courtesy a selection of mini-bulbs and a battery contained within the belly fuel tank - nice!

Back-burner build

The Zero is available from ModelSpace in 25 monthly instalments, though DeAgostini points out that inexperienced modelmakers shouldn’t be put off, as there will be detailed step-by-step instructions and clear photography, plus an online forum for builders. You also get the necessary tools, assembly fittings, and a display base.

Summation

Looks like a terrific kit, though how many of us could keep up the committment for more than two years is hard to guess... do you really want to see in New Year 2014 before your Zero is complete? Thought not! Perhaps DeAgostini will see the light and release it as a high-priced, but complete one-off kit.

Visit the Mitsubishi Zero at DeAgostini here.

Smaller Zero kits here

HORNBY GETS GROWN-UP - 2012 AD CAMPAIGNS TARGET ADULTS

SMN market report:

Hornby Hobbies are expanding the company image away from pocket-money-price ‘small boys’ toys’ to moneyed-and-mature ‘big boys’ toys.’ Well, that’s our take on the plan. In advertising marketeer-speak, Hornby has launched: “a long-term brand campaign as part of a big push to introduce adult consumers to its products.” Having said that, Hornby traditional strengths remain, with updates to the rail range that include the 4-4-0 locomotive above, and the ready-weathered 4-6-0 Black 5 shown after the jump.

Movie ads

Cinema and TV ads have already started to show people playing with Hornby train sets through the decades, while featuring the teaser line: “A passion for every generation and the next”. Which sounds a bit “ugh” to SMN, but we get what the ads are trying to do, and heartily approve - anything that takes at least an element of the scale model world up and out of the kidstuff swamp is OK by us. Unsurprisingly, brand logos for Airfix, Corgi, Hornby, Humbrol, and Scalextric, appear at the end of each advert. 

Rising sales
Hornby has previously run its ads during children’s TV shows, so adult ads are a big departure, and campaigns will run throughout 2012. Hornby is doing pretty well at the moment, especially considering the financial upheavals in the Eurozone, and it’s good to see confidence in the future. Hornby saw first-half 2011 UK sales rise by some 4 percent, while Euro-sales ballooned by around 50 percent, though from a much lower base. With this as a track record in difficult economic times, it’s great to see Hornby pushing to be on a rising wave as we (hopefully) come out of recession through 2012 and beyond.

 
Powerful punch for Hornby

Nat Southworth, marketing director at Hornby Hobbies, says showcasing the brands aims to: “emphasise the power” and adds that Hornby is more than one brand these days: “It is a family of brands and each one invokes a passion in the consumer.” SMN says: “Go for it, Nat!”

New Bus for London expected soon
Hornby has also signed a deal to produce models in various scales of the swoopily-designed New Bus for London. There'll be key-ring collectibles as well as 1:76 scale miniatures, sales being aimed at a wide range of buyers, from serious collectors to casual tourists.

More on the New Bus for London bus here.

View Airfix kits here.

View Hornby stuff here.

View Corgi here.

Humbrol here.

Scalextric here

And here's one of the 'generation' ads :

WHAT TO BUILD IN 2012? INCOMING KITS FROM ITALERI

SMN report:

Argh! What should I build in 2012? What new models are coming up? These are questions we might all be asking, so here’s a quartet of kits from Italeri that should be available right now - so all the better to get on building. Whether you go for a boat, a plane, or a tank, is up to you, but whichever it is, we wish you modelmaking success all the way through the year to come.

Motor Torpedo Boat

First and foremost is this big-scale entrant in the market which Italeri has made its own - 1:35 scale naval vessels. And here’s another Italeri MTB (Motor Torpedo Boat), this time the high-speed Royal Navy Vosper MTB of World War II fame, used for coastal patrols and anti-submarine support. The Italeri model measures 636 mm (25 in) long and is loaded to the gunwhales with crisp detail, including neat metal-etch components.

Ghost ship or active duty?

As supplied, the Vosper MTB is something of a ghost ship - for a full crew complement you will need to source the 1:35 scale figure set, available separately. Ordinarily, we’d moan about this, but as many naval modelmakers prefer their ships to be uncrewed for display, in this case we won’t make a point of it.

Tank killer

From the same era and to the same 1:35 scale, but representing ground combat, Italeri bring us the Jagdpanzer IV tank-killer AFV, one of the most widely used weapons of its kind in that war. The kit is not brand-new, but is fully upgraded with cleaned-up moulds, a finely-turned metal gun barrel, and various metal-etch components. An excellent decal sheet is supplied, though you will have to be careful to make them affix properly to the distinctively ridged - and very neatly sculpted by Italeri’s tooling elves - Zimmerit anti-magnetic mine coating. When assembled the Jagdpanzer IV measures 245 mm (9.7 in) long.

German fighter

The German Focke-Wulf Fw 190 D-9 Dora was an attempt to provide the Kurt Tank-designed fighter with better high-altitude performance to combat high-flying Allied bomber streams. The Italeri kit breaks no real records, but is a neat enough production and comes with markings for four different aircraft, and one nicely sculpted figure. As depicted, the spiral-painted propeller spinner is not an easy option though, and may be a case for supplying a pre-painted version in future, for those of us who are less than adept with intricate details like this. Maybe an upgrade-kit could include this in time for New Year 2013. When assembled, the Fw 190 measures 145 mm (5.7 in) long.

Aerobatic Italian

The Aeritalia G222 (C-27A in US Air Force service) is a tactical airlifter that is somewhat smaller than the well-known Lockheed Martin Hercules. Having seen one in action at an air show last year, we can confirm a unique party-trick - it is the only cargo plane of its type that can loop-the-loop. It’s amazing to watch and, combined with excellent short-field performance, must have been a winning card in earning those US service stripes. As for the model, well we love cargolifters, and this G222/C27A would look terrific in a lineup next to Revell’s recently-introduced Airbus Military A400M to the same scale. When assembled the aircraft measures 315 mm (12.4 in) long.

Italeri Vosper MTB here.

More Italeri stuff here.

Pictures courtesy Italeri.