Scale Modelling news, reviews, features and more...
GOLAN BATTLER
Fans of Soviet tanks will no doubt be delighted that MiniArt has included the classic T-34 among recent releases – this iteration depicts T-34/85s used by the Syrian Army during the 1960s/1970s and is one of the less-complex offerings.
SHOOT AND SCOOT
Modern Russian armour subjects are increasingly popular with modellers, so its encouraging to see types such as the 2S35 Koalitsiya (coalition) self-propelled howitzer in 1/72 scale – courtesy of this new tooling from Zvezda.
Lean Green Racing Machine
Few aircraft were as beautiful as de Havilland's DH.88 racer. Here, Andy Davies replicates individual airframe G-ACSR - the so-called 'Green-un' - via SBS Model's 1/72 kit.
ALL-NEW ‘HABU’
It's almost 40 years since the release of Italeri's 1/48 Lockheed SR-71A Blackbird kit, and we haven't had a modern replacement until now...courtesy of Revell.
WEIGHTY SCOUT
Considering the complexity and vast parts counts in some of its large-scale armour kits, Dragon’s small-scale offerings can appear refreshingly simple, as with its 1/72 Schwerer Panzerspähwagen 8-Rad (heavy armoured reconnaissance vehicle, 8-wheeled).
BELLOWING COW
Zvezda’s rocket firing Sd.Kfz.251 variant – nicknamed Heulende Kuh (bellowing cow) by German troops after the sound it made when the missiles were fired – is a recent tooling, distinct from its other Hanomags in this scale.
FIGHTING CRICKET
Having acquired several moulds from now-defunct firm Toxso, Revell has issued the former’s newly tooled (but never-released) 1/72 Sturmpanzer 38(t) Grille (cricket) Ausf.M.
MOBILE COMMAND CENTRE
Combining the recent 1/35 Sd.Kfz. 247 Ausf.B (35110) with its 2019-tooled German Command Vehicle Crew (35644) has allowed ICM to depict the type operating in its intended purpose as a portable operations centre.
WILD HORSE AGAINST THE COMMUNISTS
Italeri's 1/72 F-51D Mustang is back after an 11-year break, and with a generous new six-scheme decal sheet. CHRIS CLIFFORD reviews the contents.
GUN-TOTING SPOOK
Esci’s 1/72 Phantoms were among its better offerings, so it’s great to see the F-4E/F re-released in Italeri boxing.
DESERT TEMPEST
The first iteration of Special Hobby’s 1/72 Dassault Super Mystère/Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) Sa’ar (tempest) has been re-released due to its popularity.
FIGHTER AND FIGURES
Filling a gap between its standalone 1/48 Messerschmitt Bf 109 (48103) and the comprehensive Luftwaffe Airfield set (DS4801), ICM has combined the fighter with its Luftwaffe Ground Personnel in a neat value-for-money package.
PUŁAWSKI’S FIGHTER
It’s a build of discovery for Dean Large as he encounters an unusual subject in IBG’s large-scale PZL P.11c.
A DEVILISH RE-ISSUE
Airfix's 1/72 Hawker Demon, originally from 1968, is back for its fifth re-release. CHRIS CLIFFORD reviews the kit and discusses the available aftermarket improvements and decals.
TWICE THE PUNCH
IBG Models has released an excellent 1/35 rendition of Poland's 7TP tank with twin turrets... and a full interior. Chris Clifford takes a look.
MAGNIFICENT MITCHELL PACKAGE
As CHRIS CLIFFORD discovers, Eduard's Limited Edition reboxing of Hasegawa's 1/72 B-25J Mitchell offers fantastic value and variety.
SPEEDY ‘WHAT-IF’
Airfix’s Concorde returns as a Vintage Classic, featuring the original 1966 scheme intended for the British Overseas Airways Corporation (which had become British Airways by the time the type entered service), although it never flew in those colours.
THOROUGHBRED FACE-OFF
Revell’s reissued ‘Combat Set’ will inevitably draw comparisons with Airfix’s A50183 Dogfight Double, as both provide 1/72 Messerschmitt Me 262 and North American P-51 Mustang kits, though note the latter is a P-51B in this package.
MINI-BLOCH
Having delighted modellers with its gorgeous 1/48 MB.152, Dora Wings has scaled down the mouldings for an equally impressive 1/72 offering.
TINY ’TOOM
Japanese firm Platz moved quickly to follow the Japan Air Self-Defense Force’s (JASDF) retirement of its RF-4 airframes and disbanding of the 501st Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron during March 2020, issuing several celebratory iterations of its 1/144 Phantom.
IMPROVING DE HAVILLAND’S LEGEND
CMK has released a selection of resin upgrades designed to improve ICM's 1/32 de Havilland Tiger Moth.
UPCYCLED CLASSIC
Israeli military ingenuity comes to the fore with Paul Cawte's classy build of Tiger Model's 1/35 Nagmachon armoured personnel carrier.
BOOTY COLLECTION
This is the second volume of Abteilung 502’s treatise on materiel captured from Iraqi forces during January and February 1991 (commonly known as the First Gulf War).
AMERICANS OVER AFRICA
Pen & Sword’s Images of War publications will be familiar to many modellers thanks to the range of reference imagery they contain, but this volume covering USAAF operations over North Africa is arguably one of the most varied.
GLOBAL GUNSHIPS
If you have a 1/48 Zvezda Hind helicopter gunship in your stash, why not consider these aftermarket schemes from Xtradecal?
TABLE-TOP ARMOUR
Want a Centurion tank kit that's 'just right'? The answer could lie in Rubicon Models' 1/56 Centurion, which provides the opportunity to build Mk.3 or Mk.5 variants.
ARTISAN SPRAYING
Iwata's latest airbrush, the Eclipse 'Takumi', proves a revelation for CHRIS CLIFFORD in his trial spraying session. Find out how it performed here.
POWERPLANT SHADES
Lifecolor's latest Perfect Metal paint set, Engines, will be highly useful for car modellers. CHRIS CLIFFORD road tests each shade by airbrushing.
LONG-LIVED BATTLECRUISERS
While many pre-World War One dreadnoughts were upgraded significantly in the inter-war period, few were changed as much as the four Japanese Kongō-class battlecruisers (Kongō, Hiei, Kirishima and Haruna), which were reconstructed extensively.