ON THE SHELF
Keep up to date with the latest and most comprehensive round up of new model, accessory, decal and book releases from Airfix Model World. Whether you are looking for aircraft, military, figures, auto or maritime kits or that specific set of decals you will find it here. Plus you can use our search feature to look for specific suppliers, scales or types of model.
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DESERT GUNNERY
Always a firm to get the most from its moulds, ICM has combined its 1/35 Model T Light Car Patrol (35663) with its same-scale Vickers machine gun (35712) to form a heavily armed version of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps vehicle.
MINIATURE ARMOUR
Modellers thinking 1/72 was small for armour may be surprised at Brengun’s exquisite 1/144 scale resin and photo-etched (PE) brass Mark IV Female tank.
AMPHIBIOUS ATTACK
While Soviet/Russian armour is popular with modellers and manufacturers, types operated by the Naval Infantry appear less so, and Revell’s re-boxing of the Toxso 1/72 kit is just the fourth offering in this scale.
DEATH'S HEAD ARMOUR
Dragon’s range of 1/35 Panzer III kits seemingly cover all sub-types, with this iteration depicting an Ausf.M.
ATOMIC AIRLINER
In the Thunderbirds pilot episode, Trapped in the Sky, International Rescue’s first-ever mission involved saving the Fireflash airliner by landing the huge machine on four elevator cars.
REUSABLE ORBITER
Revell has marked the 40th anniversary of the Space Shuttle’s first manned flight with reissues of its kit depictions of the type, including this 1/144 offering with external fuel tank and solid rocket boosters, crawler-transporter base and Spacelab unit.
UNDERWATER RESCUE
Often ferried on missions in Thunderbird 2’s cargo pod, Thunderbird 4 was one of the team’s smallest rescue vehicles, yet a fan favourite with its bright yellow livery.
SPACE PLANE ANNIVERSARY
Its not that often a kit is arguably older than its subject, but that’s the case with Revell’s big shuttle orbiter, which was first released two years prior to Columbia’s 1981 flight.
COLOSSAL CLASH
Released to commemorate 80 years since the Battle of the Denmark Strait in May 1941, Revell’s limited-edition two-kit package is a slightly strange proposition due to the use of two different scales to depict HMS Hood and Bismarck.
GADFLIES AND GRIZZLIES
Modern naval weapons systems are small compared to the parent ship, making them tiny on common modelling scales, so Takom’s 1/35 weapons range is a clever idea.
A NEW CLASS OF SHIP
Zvezda’s excellent HMS Dreadnought returns in Revell packaging and is unchanged from the initial release, with six styrene runners and a two-piece ‘seabed-type’ stand.
FLAMING FEATHERS
While ‘1970’ indicates that Revell’s 1/24 kit depicts the second-generation Pontiac Firebird, it isn’t specified that this is the Trans Am version with performance/styling tweaks – confirmed by labelling on the decal sheet.
BUILD-AND-PLAY FUN
The variety of subjects available as beginners’ kits is incredible, even compared to just a few years ago, with Airfix’s Bugatti Chiron a prime example.
FARE TO THE FRONT
ICM regularly pairs its automotive kits with figure sets, but this example is slightly unusual, combining the firm’s 1/35 Renault Type AG taxi with a driver and three French infantrymen.
CLASSIC BUS
Having started with the VW T1 Samba and subsequently released cargo and Kombi versions, Revell has come full circle with the original T1 Microbus, recognisable via its 11-window configuration.
KATYUSHA CREW
While intended to accompany the firm’s own Katyusha multiple rocket launchers, this four-man crew is depicted in the process of loading the next batch of ready-to-fire missiles (although none are included).
COMMUNIST CARICATURE
The fourth and final entry in ToRo’s Two Types caricature series depicts a Soviet Army officer in Vienna (as per the original cartoon), walking along with his hands in his pockets.
ARENA SWORDSMAN
Following its 1/16 Roman Centurion (see here), ICM has produced a new-tool Gladiator in traditional attire for the empire’s Murmillo class – though the sword appears to be a kinked Sica, rather than a Gladius.
DEFENDING FROM THE SKIES
Released to coincide with the 70th anniversary of the Korean War, this three-figure set depicting two Chinese People’s Volunteer Army soldiers operating a 12.7mm DShK heavy machine gun as an antiaircraft weapon, with a third pointing towards the approaching threat.
HANGING ON TO A HETZER
Although specified for use with a same-scale Sd.Kfz. 138/2 Hetzer tank-destroyer, CMK’s 1/35 later-war Wehrmacht infantryman should be suitable for posing on numerous German armoured vehicles.
TEUTONIC HEAVY MORTAR TEAM
Zvezda’s Art of Tactic sets continue to impress, with this 1/72 Granatwerfer 42 mortar and associated team being another package ideal for producing an instant diorama.
PRUSSIAN KNIGHTS OF THE AIR
German publisher Luftfahrtverlag START has produced a stunning new book on a lesser-known World War One German fighter unit, along with accompanying decals.
HUNTING BY NIGHT
The first in a two-part series, this Classic Colours volume describes the changes in camouflage worn by Luftwaffe night-fighters between 1939 and 1945, while also providing valuable insight into how these aircraft were designed, organised and operated.
WONKY WING
Known for unconventional designs, German manufacturer Blohm & Voss arguably surpassed itself with the Bv 141, producing an asymmetric design in response to a reconnaissance requirement (eventually filled by the Fw 189).
RUSSIAN CLOSE-AIR SUPPORT
The Duke Hawkins series of photo studies is now in its 17th edition, which is devoted to Sukhoi’s Su-25 Frogfoot ground attack aircraft. Packed with high-quality colour photos throughout, it showcases the type magnificently, with examples included from the Soviet Union/Russia, Ukraine, North Macedonia, Bulgaria, Belarus and Georgia.
MARITIME 'HOW-TO'
Written by experienced modelmaker Mike McCabe (perhaps better known as the owner of Starling Models), this is a one-stop shop for anyone interested in building maritime subjects.
A RISING POWER
Yefim Gordon and Dmitriy Komissarov have turned their attention away from their usual Soviet/Russian subjects to focus instead on China’s burgeoning air power as it has transformed from relying on types bought from Moscow with indigenous designs.
STRINGBAGS VS BATTLESHIPS
Renowned naval historian David Hobbs examines the roles and contribution of the Royal Navy’s Fleet Air Arm to actions in the Mediterranean during World War Two.
MEDITERRANEAN LEVIATHANS
Comparatively little has been written on Italian warships compared to those of other nations, but this Kagero volume on the Vittorio Veneto-class battleships seeks to address that shortfall.
PINE-PRODUCED PURSUER
While it has been the subject of numerous kits over the years, few MiG-3 offerings have been tooled recently and thus feature minor inaccuracies or generic detailing.