STEAMPUNK COMES TO MODEL RAIL WITH A NEW BASSETT-LOWKE RANGE

THE BASSETT-LOWKE BRAND DATES BACK to the late 1890s. So it's appropriate that the Hornby-owned company is now trailblazing a path back to that era with a dedicated range of steampunk-inspired locomotives, rolling stock, and accessories.

FROM PHANTOM MUSTANG TO DELTA DAGGER AND MORE: THE REVELL MODELS STORY

REVELL HAS REMAINED A TOP NAME in the model kit world for decades, and continues to turn out excellent kits.

SCALE MODELLERS AND SELF-ISOLATION

THE WORLD CURRENTLY FACES the deadly coronavirus on the rampage. But – and so we can perhaps escape some of the gloom and doom – modellers can perhaps use some of the anti-virus measures to our advantage. And that includes the all-important isolation from others.

MEDIA MODELLING SHOW, ESPECIALLY FOR STEAMPUNK FANS

WE'D LOVE TO SAY THE SHOW GOES ON but Media Modelling 3 is another casualty of the war against the coronavirus pandemic.

A VIDEO HISTORY OF HAWK MODELS

THANKS TO MAX KOHNKE on YouTube we can show you this excellent video history of the Hawk Model Company.

1:24 SCALE DEUTZ D30 FARM TRACTOR MODEL KIT FROM REVELL

THIS IS THE second tractor kit in Revell’s new 1:24 scale series, this time featuring one of the most popular small tractors of the early 1960s, the D30 from the German manufacturer Deutz.

LIKE NOTHING ON EARTH: PLAN 9 FLYING SAUCER LANDS ON THIS WORLD

FOR THOSE WHO don’t know their science-fiction, this kit from Polar Lights represents one of the ‘flying hubcap’ UFOs that featured in a 1959 B-movie called Plan 9 from Outer Space.

BERLIN WALL-BUSTER REVELL TRABANT ESCAPES TO THE WEST

LAST YEAR MARKED the 30th anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall, when Germany united from its Cold War-era ‘East’ and ‘West’ halves. So in 2019 Revell Germany celebrated the event by reissuing a Trabant kit with a large diorama base. This depicts a ‘Trabi’ breaking through the wall, into the West.

DIECAST COLLECTIONS AND THE DINKY TOYS STORY

DIECAST SCALE MODELS are traditionally a collector's market, rather than one for builders. But there are plenty of times when ready-built models make perfectly good sense.

BUILDING A BANDAI DEATH STAR II MODEL KIT

BANDAI HAS WHAT IS probably the best selection of Star Wars kits today, even if there are plenty of competitors out there.

1:25 SCALE JEEP vs GIANT GODZILLA IN 'INVASION OF ASTRO-MONSTER'

IF YOU LOOK HARD enough, you can usually find an interesting anniversary. And in 2019, Round 2 used the 65th Anniversary of Godzilla, perhaps the most famous of all movie monsters, to add a creature-feature to its list.

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2020: AND A LOOK AT YESTERYEAR'S SCI-FI FUTURES

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL and we hope 2020 brings you as many models and kits as you might wish for. And if you enter model competitions, well, we hope you win a few prizes!

FESTIVE GREETINGS TO YOU ALL

BEST WISHES TO ALL OUR READERS and have a truly excellent scale time over the festive break. And of course, we also wish you a prosperous and productive 2020.

FANTASY FIGURES INTERNATIONAL: NEW MAGAZINE TO HELP YOU MAKE BETTER MINIATURES

IT'S ALWAYS GOOD TO SEE A NEW MODEL MAGAZINE, so we are pleased to see the latest from Guideline Publications, the fascinating Fantasy Figures International which is in stores now.

SCALE MODEL PORSCHE STARFIGHTER: ONE-OFF DESIGN CELEBRATES THE LATEST STAR WARS MOVIE

Porsche and Lucasfilm have created a 60-inch long concept spacecraft, the Tri-Wing S-91x Pegasus Starfighter, in time for the launch of the new movie Star Wars Episode VIII: The Rise of Skywalker. The Tri-Wing will be unveiled at the film’s world premiere on 16 December 2019, in Los Angeles, California.

SIR ROD STEWART'S RAIL MODEL BOOST

IT WASN'T A TOP SECRET but the fact that old-style rocker, Rod Stewart, was also a model railway enthusiast was probably not that well known, to many of his music fans, at least. But in the scale model world, Rod (‘Sir’ Rod since he was knighted in 2016) is yet another famous face who is a keen rail modeller.

'WAR OF THE WORLDS' SCI-FI INVASION FEATURES IN MODEL RAIL LAYOUT

THIS LAYOUT COMBINES traditional model rail construction with a dash of science fiction. The Edwardian sci-fi story War of the Worlds by HG Wells makes for an interesting, and very different, diorama setting.

NEAT BUILD-AND-IMPROVE 1:48 SCALE KAMOV KA-50 HELICOPTER

IS THIS NICELY-BUILT model more than the sum of its parts? Look and learn to see how careful work can result in something that really looks the biz.

1:48 SCALE FUEL TANKER FROM ATLANTIS MODELS: A NEW TAKE ON THE REVELL ORIGINAL

THIS EXCELLENT LITTLE RETRO MODEL will make a useful accessory for dioramas based on US 0-gauge railroads, and aircraft kits to 1:48 scale.

AIRFIX PRESENTS THE 1:72 SCALE AVRO VULCAN B.2

ENJOY THIS VIDEO giving details of the upcoming 1:72 scale Airfix Avro Vulcan B.2. This is looks to be a very exciting kit for anyone with an interest in military aviation of the Cold War era.