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Editorial

December 2016 Over the end of the year, we are offering a preview of the articles we were proud to have during 2016. Enjoy them and happy new year.




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By Modeler Site

Legal Notice. Terms and Use Conditions of Modeler Site

By Modeler Site

Problems downloading files

By Mario Covalski

Realistic wire wheels for 1/12 scale motorcycles One of the biggest challenges for a modeler who builds motorcycles in 1/12 scale, is to modify a wire wheel and make it look realistic; specially without having to buy an aftermarket kit. Anyway, there are no kits for this kind of modification (except for one of the Acu-stion for the Tamiya XV1600 kit), so it's not possible to get one. So any modeler attempting to do this task must rely in his/her ability in order, to get a good result.

By Mario Covalski

Improving the Dragon Schwimmwagen - 1/6 scale #75013 Being a car fan, everything that has wheels attracts my attention, nevertheless, the Kubelwagen’s amphibious sibling, went unnoticed by me for quite a long time. After building the 1/6 Dragon Kubel, I was pretty excited with the Schwimmwagen, and the quality of the kit and improvements Dragon introduced a couple of years after the Kubel release, really surprised me. This article aims at offering my view about this kit construction, adding some improvements I considered necessary so as to make a worthy scale model.

By Gary Wickham

Advanced techniques: Building the P-51D Mustang "Lt Col John Myers" Petie 3rd Dragon 1/32 scale The infamous Dragon P-51D in 1/32. This model was started before Tamiya announced their kit, and I have to admit that during this build I did consider scrapping it more than once. In the end, I am very glad I did not. Despite the challenges and limitations of this kit, I am very happy (and proud) of the end result.

By Edwing E. Merlo Paredes

Building the Mini Cooper S Countryman, a guide for beginners Hasegawa #24121 - 1/24 scale The aim of this article is to give the reader a detailed and comprehensive guide. Here you’ll have typical indications for the most experienced modelers but very useful for newcomers or for those about to take their first steps into scale model cars. In spite that this kit is simple, it’s very important to follow the instructions to avoid unexpected surprises. In spite that modelers use to skip or change the order in the instruction steps, I’ll build this kit as per instructions.

By Patricio Delfosse

Building the T-34/100 – from a T34/85 & scratch 1/35 scale The T-34 is one of the vehicles with longer operative life. Even, many are on service today in some third world countries, and until a few years ago, in Europe, they were seeing action in the former Yugoslavia. Among all the versions developed, this accomplished by the Egyptian, is the one that seems more attractive to me. In the ‘70s with the surplus of T-34 chassis, surpassed by more modern tanks, they decided to mount the Soviet 100mm BS-3 gun...

By Mario Covalski

Building the M36B1 tank destroyer 1/16 scale R/C The M36B1 was a mix of the M36 Jackson turret with its 90mm cannon, that would be used later in the Pershing, and a M4A3 Sherman chassis. This vehicle was in response to Americans to be able to face in better conditions the big German tanks during WWII. It was not a tank in the strict meaning of the word since it served as tank killer, however, in the pictures of that period, they can be seen as infantry support tanks. This article aims at sharing with you my experience building a 1/16 M36B1 R/C.

By Mario Covalski

Tamiya Caterhams, a step by step guide for novices 1/12 scale The first Catherham from Tamiya coming to my hands at the end of 1994, was the “Cycle Fender Special” (10202), since the “Super Seven BDR was out of stock, and it was impossible for me to get it from the stores I used to buy kits. From that moment on, my affair with which, I think is the best scale car kit ever produced, began. And here my comment: probably, you have seen better detailed kits, or even superb models limited editions.

By Mario Covalski

Building the Kawasaki Z750 Police from Tamiya / Aoshima kits - 1/12 scale In 1976 Kawasaki launched the model Z750, a smaller sister to the Z900, adapted to the requirements of the Japanese market. To my knowledge, the Z900 was an improved copy of the Honda CB750Four and, as it was common to Japanese manufacturers, each new model included several versions in order to cover the requirements of the Japanese police. This model was inspired in a small picture from the '70 decades. the picture was showing a Z750 model, perhaps a 1978 version, for the police, with the color and characteristics of the Japanese Police.

By Claudio Kalicinski

Scratchbuilding the Nieuport 6H, 1/48 scale I decided to scratchbuild this plane after seeing the scale drawings by Mike Fletcher in his web site: The Nieuport Pages. I sent an E-mail to him and he kindly sent me pictures and larger resolution scale drawings. Once I enlarged the plans to 1/48, I noticed how big the plane was....

By Patricio Delfosse

Building the KV-220 from scratch / Trumpeter kit 1/35 scale The aim of this article is to share with the reader the work accomplished some years ago to build a model of a Russian tank KV-220 of the WWII. The modeler psyche is at times, curious, being so many kits available, some day we say “this is the model I want to have!” either because we saw pictures or read something about it in a book, a message in a forum... etc. No matter how, the only way to have it, is to get down to work, and I did so.

By Patricio Delfosse

Detailing and weathering the JSU-122 Dragon #6013 1/35 scale This note aims at showing the corrections made from scratch, as well as pointing out the necessary modifications to include the Eduard's improvement set to the kit. Also, I focused on the painting aspects to get a weathered effect.

By Mario Covalski

Building the M4A1E8 Sherman IDF service RC 1:16 scale My liking for the Sherman started 25 years ago when I built the first version of the Tamiya M4 RC kit. In 2007, I decided to build all the versions, at least the available kits. At that moment I realized that to speak about the Sherman, you have to know a lot about it, and that is almost impossible to build all the versions. On the other hand, I found that I didn’t feel comfortable building in 1/35 scale, so, I left the project aside. Anyway, I went on reading and learning about Shermans, mainly the Israeli versions, just to check the little I know and the great many variants that are nearly impossible to list.

By Denis R.S.Bomfim

Building rusted cars - VW 1966 - 1/24 scale It all started with a joke, I built a rusted Mustang GT 350 to make a gift to a friend who only builds Mustangs. It was at a modelers meeting when he received a homage and the joke consisted of letting him know the arduous remodeling and restoration work he would have with this rusted Mustang. I took advantage of my work and presented it in a contest that took place in Campinas city. Finally, the model was “best of the show” and they called me mad for giving a winning model. My answer was.... I will have to make another rusted model for me.

By Claudio Kalicinski

Building the Lindberg Curtiss JN-4D Jenny 1/48 scale The machine I decided to depict was a Curtiss JN-4D trainer based at Love Field, Texas during 1918. A picture of this plane can be found at the Profile Publications book about the Curtiss JN.

By Mario Covalski

Building 1/12 F1 resin model kits: A step by step guide for novices This article aims at offering an illustrated guide, with pictures, explaining step by step the tasks that should be done, how to and the reasons, it’s basically a visual guide, based on the construction of two MG models: the 2002 Ferrari and the 2003- GA.

By Mario Covalski

How to work with photoetched parts Perfect Parts set #PE641

By Patricio Delfosse

Weathering using pigments...step by step

By Fabian Vera

Airbrushing: Frequently asked questions

By Patricio Delfosse

Painting wheels in five steps

By Klaus Raddatz

Spray booth design and fan selection

By Paul Koo

Building the Pocher KM76 1/8 scale BUGATTI engine only english

By Javier Rubio Capella

Making a tarpaulin for military vehicles

By Rick & Jannine Bennett

Learning to paint figures step by step

By Paul Gibson

T-34 Round-up. All the info and versions

By Mario Covalski

Working with Alclad2 "natural metal finishes"

By Jose Antonio Solbes

How to build realistic wheels in 1/20 F1 scale models

By Mario Covalski

Building your first 1/12 scale motorcycle - Aoshima Kawasaki GPZ900R Ninja

By Evan Jones

Realistic Fork Tubes for 1/12 scale motorcycles

By Mario Covalski

Detailing an old Formula one 1/12 scale

By Peter Go

Building Tips for 1/6 scale Motorcycles. Tamiya Honda CB750 Police

By Mario Covalski

Basic paints for 1/12 scale motorcycles

By Claudio Fernandez

Learning to paint faces using acrylics, step by step

By Jose Antonio Solbes

How to paint with lacquers

By Mario Covalski

Building the IDF M50 radio controled Sherman 1/16 scale Building the M50 in 1/16 scale is a project I have had in mind for many years, and after the M51s (from the article published in May 2012) I felt the need to continue with this one. In this article, I’ll share with the reader my experience in building the M50 RC 1/16 from a Tamiya M4 -105mm with HVSS suspension.

By Mario Covalski

Building an accurate M51 Isherman from the Tamiya RC kit 1/16 scale There were many versions of the Sherman, however, the last modification the Israelis made on them, is to my liking, the most showy and the one that converted a WWII tank into one of the 60 and 70 decades. I’ll not extend in describing the history of the M51, there’s a lot of information in books and internet, just enough to say that, as well as the M50, there were so many variants, that it’s recommended to build one tank in particular if you look for historical accuracy. As is my custom….I didn’t do so and just made generic versions that could have really existed. The aim of this article is to share with the reader the 250 hours of work to convert the erroneous Tamiya 1/16 RC kit into two acceptable M51. This is not an article for you to copy exactly what I did, but it may give you ideas of how to or get the basic things you need to build two versions of the M51.

By Pablo Raggi

Scratchbuilding the IDF Leyland Contractor - 1/35 scale I always liked the transport vehicles especially the IDF transport trucks. When I got the Leyland blueprint and knowing it was difficult that a manufacturer of plastic kits made a release, I thought it was time to build it from scratch. Though it’s not easy to copy a scratchbuilt work, this article aims at sharing with readers the work accomplished, encouraging them to face the process of building a scale model "from scratch".

By Mario Covalski

How to build a model There are a lot of plastic models manufacturers, whose instruction manuals are clear and well structured. However, there are others quite complicated in their sequential steps, making the building a real nightmare for the beginner. This happens even with the more experienced companies. From our personal point of view, the least explicit manuals are those by some American companies (AMT, ERTL, Revell and Lindbergh) because, in most cases, they don't even include a color guide. Some of the most prestigious companies have well illustrated manuals with an excellent information, although they have a certain difficulty in the building process, making the sequence difficult to follow.  

By Mario Covalski

Improving the Dragon Kubelwagen 1/6 scale # 75003 Action figure collecting is one of the most popular hobbies in the world. Figures made out of different plastic materials based on TV sci-fi series, sci-fi movies (for instance GI Joe action figures) and facts from real life such as the representation of different war scenarios. Soldier figures are commonly made in 1/6 scale, they’re represented with military uniforms made from genuine fabric and the weapons that real soldiers use to have, vehicles included.

By Eduardo Andreoli

Scratchbuilding military vehicles - Ford C11 ADF - 1/35 scale The art of starting a model or project from scratch, is almost literally, the art of building from the bottom up. This is really exciting. Often a desired model is unavailable in some scale or entirely non-existent. Sometimes the hobbyist may be dissatisfied with the accuracy or detail of kits that are available. Other times a hobbyist will opt to scratchbuild simply for the challenge, which gives us the opportunity to give free rein to our imagination to solve problems of construction and once finished to complete our collection with a singular piece. My intention through this article is to share with you several tips of the scratchbuilding world and the way I solve the difficulties I have to face, in this case building the Ford C11 ADF.

Techniques | Cars | 1/8 Scale | PDF tutorial | 2017 | July 2017

Building the Pocher Lamborghini Huracan, step by step, painting guide and tips. 1/8 scale


By Mario Covalski
These are the new times of Pocher, hand in hand with Hornby, the brand that offer models which represent high technology subjects as Lamborghini cars and Ducati motorcycles. Manufactured by Ixo, the Chinese company, they are the fashion of the time, huge 1/8 scale cars with metal body and chassis, already painted (luckily!). They compete with Amalgam and other brands with less expectations but to fit any budget and if you have some experience as model builder, the result will be acceptable and even excellent. The aim of this tutorial is to share the step by step in the Lamborghini Huracán construction, the last Pocher issue explaining the work achieved so that it may be useful for less experienced modelers and collectors.

COMMENTS

Techniques | Armor | 1/35 Scale | PDF tutorial | 2017 | June 2017

Building a Polish A30 Challenger from the SKP kit 1/35 scale


By Federico Collada
SKP is a polish manufacturer that begun some years ago making mainly resin figures and updates for AFVs. It was not until a few years ago that they started to produce their own full kits. Having the experience and the means they wisely thought that they could include all those nice resin and photoetched sets they know how to do so well in the boxes so we do not need to go any further to complete the model with a delicate finish.

COMMENTS

Techniques | Cars | 1/8 Scale | PDF tutorial | 2017 | June 2017

Pocher Lamborghini Aventador build pictures 1/8 scale


By Mario Covalski
The aim of this article is to share with the reader the pictures I’ve been taking during the build. It’s NOT a step by step since I worked following a DVD provided by Paul Koo, a friend of mine, which was of good help. However, I think that there were missing things as a better paint description and several problems I’ve found which were not explained in the DVD.

COMMENTS

Techniques | Armor | 1/16 Scale | PDF tutorial | 2017 | May 2017

Building the Classy Hobby Panzerkampfwagen II Ausf L Luchs Sd.Kfz12 #MC16001 R/C 1/16 scale


By Mario Covalski
When guys from 35 RC tank offered the conversion kit, I got excited and decided to buy the Classy Hobby kit and the conversion. This tutorial aims at sharing with the reader my experience in the construction of this radio controlled model, and even will be useful for those who build it as a static model, since the reviews say much about the kit but little about the problems I found.

COMMENTS

Techniques | Airplanes | 1/48 Scale | PDF tutorial | 2017 | March 2017

Building the Spanish F-4C "renaissance" from the Academy kit 1/48 scale


By Jose Angel García Martin
One of my favourite aircraft has always been the F4 Phantom. Since long ago, I wished I could make a 1/48 F4C of the Ejército del Aire (Spanish air force) but the kits available to carry out my project were too poor. It was then when this fabulous Academy kit that was the best fighter aircraft manufactured up to the moment appeared. I could not leave the opportunity of making my favourite aiplane of my beloved Ejército del Aire.

COMMENTS

Techniques | Cars | 1/24 Scale | PDF tutorial | 2017 | February 2017

Building the Revell Porsche 918 Spyder #7026 1/24 scale


By Fabrice Marechal
When I assembled the Mirage IIIC, I used several products from Ammo Mig. Though I was very satisfied with the result, I decided to use AK Interactive products for the 918 to have a different experience. Certainly Revell have improved the wheels quality and their design but improvements don’t always mean accuracy and I have my doubts about size accuracy of wheels, so I replaced them with the Plamoz ones. I invite you to follow this Porsche model build where I only made two changes in the body to get the result you see here.

COMMENTS

Techniques | Formula One | Cars | 1/20 Scale | PDF tutorial | 2016 | November 2016

Superdetailing the Aoshima / Beemax McLaren MP4/2 1/20 scale


By Antonio Busciglio
In this article, I want to share how I detailed the 1/20 McLaren MP4/2 as ran (and won) the 1984 F1 championship. The car I wanted to reproduce is the Lauda’s, only driver to have won the championship after a retirement and a subsequent coming back to the races (notably, Lauda is also the only driver that won a world championship after receiving the last rites, after its terrible accident in 1976).

COMMENTS

Techniques | Cars | 1/25 Scale | PDF tutorial | 2017 | May 2017

Customizing the Moebius Ford Ranger Pickup Truck 1971 1/25 Scale


By Barlas Pehlivan
The Moebius Ford Range pickup is a beautiful kit, but I wanted something more, so I decided to build a customized model. I wanted a small truck with a very weathered paint and even looking ruined by rust, and a twin wheels axle. Achieving a weathered paint would not be a problem but the rear axle of the Moebius kit is of single wheel, so I would have to search for good references and the material to represent the twin wheels axle. The aim of this brief article is to share the work accomplished.

COMMENTS

Techniques | Formula One | Cars | 1/12 Scale | PDF tutorial | 2017 | April 2017

Building the 1976 Ferrari 312T2 from a Tamiya kit 1/12 scale (Revised with new pictures)


By Mario Covalski
I wanted to add to my F1 1/12 scale collection the 1976 T2. Several years ago I built a Protar T2, but as the result didn't satisfy me, I sold it. Sometime ago I bought another Protar T2 with the intention of modifying and/or detailing more the parts if necessary. After studying the kit very carefully, I understood that this was not possible, at least for me. Then.... what can I do?. Some months ago I had the opportunity of buying several Tamiyas 312T, for different projects I had planned and as I had still one left, I decided to use the T as base and some parts of T2 that I could not make, adding other necessary details. I anticipate you the end, to arrive to what I wanted, the Protar and Tamiya's parts used needed several changes. In the following note I explain you, which were the involved modifications and how I made them.  

COMMENTS

Techniques | Armor | 1/35 Scale | PDF tutorial | 2017 | April 2017

Building the German T-34 Pz.Kpf.Wg. 747(r)-1 from the Tamiya kit 1/35 scale


By Mario Gabas Ruiz
During the whole WWII, the German Army captured and reused hundreds of T-34 Soviet tanks, in many cases the vehicles were used as they were captured with just only addition: the balkenkreuz on the sides. At times, the vehicles were sent to the workshops where the typical accessories of the German tanks such as Notek lights, German radios, lateral boxes for equipment and so, were added. The aim of this note is to share the work especially about painting, over a conversion of the old Tamiya kit.

COMMENTS

Techniques | Formula One | Cars | 1/20 Scale | PDF tutorial | 2016 | February 2016

Superdetailing the Tamiya McLaren MP4/4 with the Top Studio detail set 1/20 scale


By Antonio Busciglio
The Tamiya kit represents very well this icon of the 1988 season in its general shape but not regarding the mechanical parts and the cockpit area. As this is one of the F1s I like best, I decided to build it adding the superb Top Studio detail set (TS in the text) that includes resin and PE parts what makes novices to modelling feel fear. Besides, I’ve added several modifications and extra details which were necessary adding an extra effort. This article is to share my work with the hope that those who are less experienced than me, can build this model with some extra help.

COMMENTS

Techniques | Armor | 1/16 Scale | PDF tutorial | 2017 | March 2017

Detailing the Heng Long M1A2 Abrams for RC 1/16 scale


By Mario Covalski
Two years ago the Challenger 2 appeared first and then the Abrams in the A2 version Though they always liked me, especially the Abrams, I let them go to keep myself focused in other projects. Some months ago a local importer started offering them and I had the opportunity to see them with my own in live. The HL tanks don’t say a lot when you take it out the box. In general they’re painted with wrong colors, with black plastic exposed wheels look like toys more appropriated for little kids than for older children. But with my trained eye, after having read so many magazines and seen models, told me that both of them had a lot of potential to meet my expectations.

COMMENTS

Techniques | Armor | 1/35 Scale | PDF tutorial | 2017 | January 2017

Building the Spanish FV 101 Scorpion, from the AFV Club kit 1/35 scale


By Ramon Segarra Guerrero
The kit gives the option of building the model in the British, Belgium or Spanish versions and remembering my time in the Spain Marine Corps, I chose this version. The decals supplied with the kit for the Spanish version are not enough, so I had to get the decals of the Marine Corps from FC Modeltips. The Spanish Scorpions: http://www.modelersite.com/en/737/the-spanish-scorpions

COMMENTS

Techniques | Armor | 1/35 Scale | PDF tutorial | 2017 | January 2017

Building the Hero Model Kits Schwimmwagen 1/35 scale


By Mario Gabas Ruiz
To reproduce this mythic vehicle, I used one of the first kits of this new brand Hero Model kits. It’s a very simple kit easy to build where the rear vent grilles stand out cause are very well machined. No doubt is a nice kit to enjoy with the painting stage which I’ll share with you in this article.

COMMENTS

Techniques | Armor | 1/35 Scale | PDF tutorial | 2016 | October 2016

Building the Zvezda BMP-2 #3554 1/35 scale


By Ramon Segarra Guerrero
The BMP-2 is a Soviet/Russian infantry fighting vehicle, its design belongs to the 70s and was introduced at the beginning of the 80s. BMP stands for Boyevaya Mashina Pekhoty (Infantry fighting vehicle). It was developed to replace the BMP-1. The Zvezda model kit #3554 needs a lot of work to improve its details, since it’s poor and with several parts of the vehicle that don’t come represented.

COMMENTS

Techniques | 1/20 Scale | PDF tutorial | October 2016

Building the Fujimi Ferrari F2007 1/20 scale


By Antonio Busciglio
The car I wanted to build is the Kimi Raikkonen’s Ferrari 2007 in the splendid livery that was used in the second part of the season, where the Ferrari fluo red used in the previous races (and years) was replaced by a stunning, very characteristic (sort of) candy metallic red.

COMMENTS

Techniques | Armor | 1/35 Scale | PDF tutorial | 2016 | September 2016

An abandoned truck. Painting the Mirror Models Diamond T969 Wrecker 1/35 scale


By Federico Collada
I received a sample of the Mirror Models kit as soon as it was available, and I was anxious to put my hands on it, I already have made a couple of kits of this company and I was quite happy with them. But this time was a bit different as I already had in mind an idea of what to do with the kit, I had seen many pictures of long time abandoned trucks like this one heavily rusted in the middle of nowhere and I liked much that scenery. So when the model got home I put aside other projects I had running and I started with it immediately.

COMMENTS

Techniques | Airplanes | 1/32 Scale | PDF tutorial | 2016 | September 2016

Building the Italeri Mirage IIIC #I2505 1/32 scale


By Fabrice Marechal
When I was asked to build the Italeri Mirage, I was really excited. I had dreamed since long ago with building and representing the weathering using new technologies on an aircraft. As some friends know, I’m colorblind and never could realize about the colors of an aircraft weathering. I used to build a lot of 1/72 Matchbox kits (some military vehicles) as a child , sometimes painting them. Anyway, nothing to do with the new techniques and besides, since the age of twelve, I’ve not touched a military kit.

COMMENTS

Techniques | Armor | 1/35 Scale | PDF tutorial | 2016 | August 2016

Painting the Dragon Panzer III Ausf. J 1/35 scale


By Federico Collada
Nowadays it can be a bit reiterative to write an article about the Panzer III history as there is one in every model magazine from time to time, and the web is saturated with them in every language for everyone who desires to read them. So I will concentrate in telling how I built and painted the model.

COMMENTS

Techniques | Formula One | 1/20 Scale | PDF tutorial | 2016 | August 2016

Building the Hasegawa Ferrari 312T 1/20 scale


By Guy Golsteyn
Since it has become a bit quiet at Tamiya headquarters regarding the launch of new 1:20 F1 models, it is nice to see that manufacturers like Fujimi and Hasegawa have picked up the gauntlet releasing new F1 models on a regular base. The Hasegawa kit we will be using here is very well detailed, which means it is possible to build a fine, beautiful looking model building it 'straight from the box’.

COMMENTS

Techniques | Armor | 1/35 Scale | PDF tutorial | 2016 | July 2016

Building the Dragon Pz.Kpfw. I Ausf. A #6356 1/35 scale


By Alfonso Selva
The Dragon kit (Pz.I Ausf.A Modified Version w/Interior ref. 6356) offers very good detail and complete interiors, with no assembly difficulty. The fit parts are excellent and instructions are clear. The kit supplies a PE fret which I complemented with the Eduard PE#35722 and the Aber 35L-90 of 2 barrels for German machine guns to have more detailing options.

COMMENTS

Techniques | Cars | 1/24 Scale | PDF tutorial | 2016 | July 2016

Building the Ebbro Citroën DS 19 1/24 scale


By Fabrice Marechal
For this article Ebbro provided me a test-shoot that’s to say a test of an injection mold, and there were no references about the year this DS model represented belonged to, so I started to look around the net for pictures that could help me. Looking at the body carefully and comparing with several photos, it was obvious that I had to make sure about certain points.

COMMENTS


Techniques | Cars | Armor | 1/24 Scale | PDF tutorial | 2016 | June 2016

Building the Asuka Models Bantam BRC 40 1/24 scale


By Federico Collada
Not long ago, when Asuka was still Tasca, they started to add some beautiful 1/24 scale models to their catalogue. The Panzer II and the BMW were as outstanding as they 1/35 Shermans, a referent worldwide. When a few months ago I saw the forthcoming Bantam BRC 40 in this scale I was a bit surprised for the model chosen to continue the 1/24 catalogue, a little known Jeep that lost the race against the Willys.

COMMENTS

Techniques | Armor | 1/35 Scale | PDF tutorial | 2016 | May 2016

Building the Takom WWI Heavy tank MARK IV Male #35008 1/35 scale


By Kristof Pulinckx
I’ve always been a fan of WWI armour and was just waiting for a decent kit to arrive on the market. The Mark IV was high on my wish list and with recent releases from Tamiya and Takom we have plenty of choice in high quality kits. But which one to choose? After reading several reviews on the internet I opted for the Takom ‘Male’ kit as its detail is slightly better than the Tamiya one. Although the latter would be easier to built.

COMMENTS

Techniques | Formula One | 1/20 Scale | PDF tutorial | 2016 | May 2016

Superdetailing the Tamiya / Top Studio Ferrari F1-2000 1/20 scale. Bonus: F1-2001 OOB


By Antonio Busciglio
In this article I describe the work to superdetail the Tamiya Ferrari F1-2000, the car that brought back the driver championship in Maranello with Michael Schumacher, after 21 years from the last championship. The Tamiya kit is good, but the aim is to add as much details as possible, by using the Top Studio; super detail set, and antenna set, and other aftermarket details (photo-etched bolts, rivets and so on).

COMMENTS

Techniques | Airplanes | 1/48 Scale | PDF tutorial | 2016 | April 2016

Building the Bristol Beaufighter Mk.Ic from the Tamiya Mk.Vic kit 1/48 scale


By Jaime Pastor Pueyo
Only Tamiya offer several versions of the Bristol Beaufighter in 1/48 scale. Nevertheless, the only way to do the Mk.Ic is to transform and correct some minor errors starting from the Mk.IV that is the most similar. The kit itself is pretty good, there’s no significant differences with others of the same brand and scale, but the scarcely detailed cockpit and well wheels called my attention since are very visible and should be improved as much as possible.

COMMENTS

Techniques | Formula One | 1/12 Scale | PDF tutorial | 2016 | April 2016

Building the Tamiya Ferrari 312B 1/12 scale


By Fabrice Marechal
This article aims at sharing my model construction which was built out of the box adding a personal touch, removing the chrome from plastic parts that look so unreal, and some details that advanced modelers will be able to reproduce.

COMMENTS

Techniques | Armor | 1/35 Scale | PDF tutorial | 2016 | March 2016

Building the Takom French St. Chamond 1/35 scale


By Laurent Rolleri
The time that some companies started to gratify us with kits that represent vehicles of the Great War finally arrived; this is the case of Takon that began to offer the Saint Chamond in 1/35 scale.

COMMENTS

Techniques | Armor | 1/35 Scale | PDF tutorial | 2016 | February 2016

Building the ICM Henschel 33D1 1/35 scale


By Federico Collada
From some time to now ICM is producing very interesting models from the Wehrmacht that were not available in plastic before; the Stoewer Kfz. 1 and 2, the Ford 3000s, the Mercedes G7 and the Henschel 33D1, a very typical truck from the WWII period.

COMMENTS

Techniques | Armor | 1/16 Scale | PDF tutorial | 2016 | January 2016

Tamiya 1/16 JGSDF Type 10: tips and tricks to make its construction easier


By Mario Covalski
I needed over a year to get one to build and when I had it in my hands, there were several articles and WIP in forums about its construction. But something I noted was that almost all of them are focused on the mechanisms, features, critics…etc. Almost none of them try to give novices a simple guide as help to solve some problems that the construction offers, since building a RC tank is more than applying grease to the gears. So. the aim of this article is to share several advices and tricks to solve construction and painting problems, basically cosmetics, but lead to the final aspect of the model and allow to be proud of it in the end.  

COMMENTS

Techniques | Cars | 1/24 Scale | PDF tutorial | 2016 | January 2016

Building the Tamiya Mercedes 300SL #24338 1/24 scale


By Fabrice Marechal
Looking at the photos of a real 300SL body, we find out Tamiya have made an excellent work. However, it’s possible to go even further and give the body of this Mercedes an additional touch of realism. Regarding the chassis Tamiya also made a hard work with the tubular frame, very realistic indeed! besides of being quite simple to assemble. The engine and cockpit are not far behind. To paint this marvel, I chose silver that is unavoidable for this beauty. So, the aim of this article is to share with the reader the building, painting and weathering process of some parts, in such a way that they can be reproduced by a modeller with a minimum of experience.

COMMENTS

Techniques | Armor | 1/35 Scale | PDF tutorial | December | 2015 | December 2015

Building the Italeri Sd.kfz.232 6 Rad #6433 1/35 scale


By Michel Perez Blasco
There are only two options if you want to build a reproduction of this peculiar vehicle, the HaPM kit (Sd.Kfz.231) or this one from Italeri. Not much to think, Italeri win. Anyway, once the references were consulted, I found out that it also has errors, mainly due to the fact that the kit doesn’t represent any of the three types of six-wheel vehicles manufactured by Mercedes, Magirus and Busing Nag.

COMMENTS

Techniques | Armor | 1/35 Scale | PDF tutorial | 2015 | November 2015

Building the MiniArt AEC Mk.I Armoured Car #35152 1/35 scale


By Federico Collada
The Miniart´s model is accurate, complex and beautiful. A year ago Miniart surprised everybody placing in the stores the three versions of this vehicle in 1/35 scale, it was very good news as it was the first time that a plastic kit of the AECs was available. The first one was the Mk.I model which showed the “state of the art” engineering of the Ukraine firm that provided a kit so full of details and subtle parts that the model became a modellers trending topic at the forums for many days.

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Techniques | Cars | 1/24 Scale | PDF tutorial | 2015 | November 2015

Tamiya LaFerrari extreme detailed 1/24 scale


By Felice Ferriello
Tamiya offer an excellent model for Ferrari lovers, that can’t be missing in a collection. In my opinion, it’s a very complex kit so not recommended for novices or those who want to spend some time distracted and relaxed with a simple model. Its complexity obliges you to study very carefully the instructions preparing a building plan, altering the instruction steps to get a good result. This article aims at sharing with the reader the work achieved during several months to superdetail this beautiful model, providing lots of images.

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Techniques | Cars | 1/24 Scale | PDF tutorial | 2015 | October 2015

Building the Aston Martin DBS Ultimate Edition from the Tamiya kit #24316 1/24 scale


By Fabrice Marechal
This project is the result of a request a Dutch collector made me. They sent me the Tamiya kit, an Aber PE dashboard , new wheels, several accessories not necessarily useful and a booklet that shows the differences between a DBS and a DBS Ultimate Edition one.

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Techniques | Cars | 1/12 Scale | PDF tutorial | 2015 | September 2015

Building the Tamiya Datsun 240Z safari for beginners 1/12 scale


By Mario Covalski
This article aims at leading the reader through the assembly process of a Tamiya Datsun 240Z in 1/12 scale. On next pages, I’ll explain the different techniques I used for the construction of the models, and though some of them are obsolete, they’re still very useful for beginners. Although this article is focused to novices, I think that even will be useful for advanced modelers to take ideas and several recommendations, if they have not built this kit yet.

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Techniques | Armor | 1/35 Scale | PDF tutorial | 2015 | August 2015

Building the Academy M7 Priest 1/35 scale


By Federico Collada
It is very easy to find information about the M7 HMC, there many books, websites and articles everywhere for you to consult anytime so I will not extend on this part of the article, instead I will tell you about the model and the work I done with it. Up to some years ago the only M7 you could find in this scale was the old Italeri kit, even if it was not a bad kit, if suffered from the lack of the fine details that are the standard nowadays so if you wanted your M7 to reach the level you had to work a lot on it.  

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Techniques | Motorcycles | 1/12 Scale | PDF tutorial | 2015 | August 2015

Superdetailing the Tamiya Honda NSR500 1984 – 1/12 scale


By Antonio Busciglio
This article is about the assembly and detailing of the Tamiya Honda NSR500 from 1984, using the awesome Hobby Design detail set and other aftermarket stuff, such as rivets, bolts heads and so on. The model is a recent release from Tamiya, and the detail of the kit is astonishing. Given the very peculiar characteristic of this motorcycle, as the fuel tank placed below the engine, and the exhausts infront of the driver’s chest, I decided to show the cowling not placed on the chassis.

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Techniques | Cars | 1/25 Scale | PDF tutorial | 2015 | July 2015

Building the Revell ’66 Chevy SS 396 Impala - Obtaining a professional and clean looking model car - 1/25 scale


By Marcos Cruz
What I am about to share with you guys does not have anything to do with how much the wiring, plumbing or even photo-etch detail aid or assist in creating a truly unique replica of a real car but rather the basics and fundamentals of obtaining a professional and clean looking model car. For the purpose of this article, I decided to choose the Revell 1966 Chevy SS 396 Hardtop.

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Techniques | Armor | 1/35 Scale | PDF tutorial | 2015 | July 2015

Building the Mirror Models GM Otter Mk. I - 1/35 scale


By Federico Collada
The recent Canadian firm Mirror Models have started their catalogue with the many vehicles based on the C15 truck in 1/35 scale, with a very high quality plastic, resin and photoetched parts models that includes the Otter Mk.I

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Techniques | Formula One | Cars | 1/12 Scale | PDF tutorial | 2004 | August 2004

Detailing the Renault Re20 turbo: a guide for novices Tamiya 1/12 scale (revised with new pictures)


By Mario Covalski
During the 80’s decade Tamiya offered what was going to be their last kit in their superb collection of 1/12 F1 models, the car was the Renault Turbo RE20. After that, the modelers had to suffer a drought of 10 years, until we had the chance to see a new model in this very well known collection, the Ferrari 641/2, which was issued in 1991. This is my second attempt with this kit, the first was many years ago, and I only remember that it was “a little bit complicated”. So, I want to begin this note with three concepts which are: 1) this is a very complex kit (I will say why later), 2) objectives, and 3) planning.

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Techniques | Armor | 1/35 Scale | PDF tutorial | 2015 | June 2015

Improving the Zvezda T-90 1/35 scale


By Federico Collada
In a short period of time, three companies have launched a kit of this tank into the market, the first one was Zvezda, next we could find the Meng’s version and lastly the Trumpeters’. Different articles have compared ones to the others regarding price, quality, complexity and fidelity, having each kit, defenders and detractors.

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