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Editorial

The best of 2018 Over the end of the year, we are offering a preview of the articles we were proud to have during 2018. Enjoy them and happy new year.




Showcases

By Modeler Site

Problems downloading files

By Modeler Site

Legal Notice. Terms and Use Conditions of Modeler Site

By Mario Covalski

Building the RC Leopard 2A4 1/16 scale A couple of years ago, I discover  www.Ludwigs-Hobby-Seite.de, a web site where Christian Ludwig offers his kits mostly made of  plastic, cut with the CNC technology. So, I found a kit to convert a Heng Long 2A6 to the 2A4, that is to say a previous version.

By Mario Covalski

Converting the Trumpeter T-72 MBT to RC 1/16 scale To improve the Heng Long T-90 I read some books and gathered information/photos from the web. This little research made me know more about these compact Russian tanks T-72/T-90, and so it grew my interest in them. So I bought the 1/16 T-72 Trumpeter kit. This kit was designed not only for static but also for RC. The static version has some extra details and modifications, reminds me the, T-34 from WSN, a brand with which Trumpeter sold the T-34 RC. The philosophy of the T-72 is the same, I still believe that the T-34 gearbox with its motors, would fit in the hull. Perfectly.  

By Mario Covalski

Building and improving the Italeri / Protar Alfa Romeo 179 1980 1/12 scale In May 2001 I wrote a brief preview on the Protar's 1/12 Alfa Romeo 179. This wonderful Formula One was one of the few cars in modern F1 history which chassis and engine were the same brand. Is this model really difficult? This is the key question for this model, and the answer is NO. If it were a Tamiya model, that is to say the same matrix but injected with Tamiya plastic and having the quality control of this huge Japanese company, I would say that this is one of the most delicious models I have ever built. Unfortunately, it has some flaws, mainly due to its poor quality than to the work of the Protar craftsmen.

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 Rick & Jannine Bennett

Learning to paint figures step by step

By Mario Covalski

Working with Alclad2 "natural metal finishes"

By Mario Covalski

Building 1/12 F1 resin model kits: A step by step guide. MG models Ferrari F2002 and F2003- GA 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

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

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 Ricardo Gonzalez

Building and customizing the Tamiya Ducati Panigale S 1/12 scale The Ducatti Panigale is to my liking one of the most spectacular motorcycles of the past decade. Thanks to Tamiya we can have a model of it, both were the reasons why I decided to build it trying to get the most detailed model I could , taking advantage of the fact that as it was a mass production model, it would be possible for me to get a lot of references. Not only I built and superdetailed the model, but also made a slightly and own customized version, a real Panigale, as I would like to have. The aim of this article, is to show with pictures and their comments the work accomplished as a guide and to give ideas of the details that can be added or showing in some cases how to do the different tasks.

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 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 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 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 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 Klaus Raddatz

Spray booth design and fan selection

Techniques | Cars | 1/24 Scale | PDF tutorial | 2023 | May 2023

Building the Tamiya Mercedes-AMG GT3 #24345 1/24 scale


By Patrick Sedney
Once again, Tamiya delights us with the flawless engineering quality of their scale model, the Mercedes-AMG GT3, which was launched in 2017... or was it? In this tutorial, we will explore the pros and cons of this remarkable replica of the Mercedes-Benz vehicle, created in collaboration with their performance brand, AMG, for various FIA GT3 championships. Customizing it for the 2019 GT World Challenge America Crowdstrike team.

COMMENTS

Techniques | Cars | 1/12 Scale | PDF tutorial | 2023 | May 2023

Building the MFH Lancia Beta Montecarlo Turbo Gr.5 1980 #K668 1/12 scale


By Geo Tziafas
Starting a Hiro kit build is essentially starting a game of chess. Each move affects the next and the slightest mistake may cost in fitting or detailing issues. In addition, as in the famous board game, the more moves (test fits) you are ahead the better you can predict the way they will interact with each other and the less likely it is to be checkmated during the final assembly.

COMMENTS

Techniques | Armor | 1/35 Scale | PDF tutorial

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 | Cars | 1/24 Scale | PDF tutorial | 2023 | April 2023

Building and customizing the Tamiya Ford Mustang GT4 #24354 1/24 scale


By Edwing E. Merlo Paredes
Basically this kit has been built straight out of the box, using almost all of the parts included in the kit, and small details such as generic photo-etched screw heads have been added. The objective of this tutorial is to share with the reader the steps that I followed to build this model.

COMMENTS

Techniques | Airplanes | 1/32 Scale | PDF tutorial

Improving the Fokker Dr.1 - Roden 1/32 scale


By Claudio Kalicinski
The kit was manufactured by the Ukrainian company, Roden and without doubt is the best Fokker Dr.1 kit in 1/32. Regrettably, it perpetuates some mistakes common to previous models of the Fokker Dr.1 because all of them have been based on Ian Stair's scale drawings published in the Fokker Dr.1 Special by Albatros Publications. These scale drawings, although are correct in dimensions, have some mistakes like the absence of the opening for the oil filling on the starboard side of the front decking and the lower panel where is located an access hatch to the engine and the incorporation of a detachable axle wing, correct for some versions of the Fokker D.VII, but not for the Dr.1 which its axle wing was fixed.....

COMMENTS

Techniques | Formula One | Cars | 1/8 Scale | PDF tutorial | 2023 | January 2023

Detailing the IXOcollections Mercedes-Benz W196R 1/8 scale, photo array


By Mario Covalski
With this photo array I share with the reader my experience with the model adding many missing details, not all, painting parts and applying plastic modeling techniques to improve the appearance of this expensive model. In addition, solving some problems that the kit has and showing tips and tricks to improve or facilitate its assembly.

COMMENTS

Techniques | Cars | 1/24 Scale | PDF tutorial | 2022 | October 2022

Building and detailing the Tamiya Honda NSX 2015 #24344, 1/24 scale


By Edwing E. Merlo Paredes
For this tutorial I built the model straight out of the box, and except for some generic decals with logos, I've used almost all of the parts provided in the box. The custom paint scheme was my idea, seeking a harmony of black areas, combined with a metallic dark gray base, alternated with fluorescent red/orange details, a very explosive mix of finishes that gives the model great dynamism. Below I share with the reader the steps I took to assemble the model of this 2015 Honda NSX, starting with the bodywork.

COMMENTS

Techniques | Formula One | 1/12 Scale | PDF tutorial | 2021 | March 2021

Superdetailing the Revell Ferrari F2002 1/12 scale


By Mark Laird
I wanted to build the Revell 1/12 Ferrari F2002 for a long time, but I waited until I got extra detail parts, to somehow superdetail it. So in addition to the kit, I procured the Brain Fawcett correction kit, Marlboro decals and the Scale Motorsports super detail kit. The Brian Fawcett correction kit has accurate resin brakes, wheels, spindles, valve covers, additional engine parts, a new transmission and suspension parts all in Resin.

COMMENTS

Techniques | Other | Motorcycles | 1/12 Scale | PDF tutorial | May 2020

Building and customizing the Tamiya Kawasaki Ninja H2R #14131 1/12 scale


By Ricardo Gonzalez
I decided to build, superdetail and customize this Tamiya kit, due to this subject beautifulness. A stunning futuristic motorcycle where great part of the engine and other structures are exposed which allow modelers show all those details we spent many hours on without the frustration that later will be hidden under the fairing. Thus, it’s possible to present the built model showing all the work made without having to separate the body to appreciate all the details added during the construction.

COMMENTS

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

Superdetailing the Tamiya Jordan 191 - 1/20 scale


By Joachim Kutt
This build report is about superdetailing the 1/20 Tamiya kit and turning the Jordan 191 into Schumacher’s ride. The kit, a typical Tamiya product of the time, represents the Silverstone race version most closely, so some modifications were necessary besides adding the correct decals from Studio27.

COMMENTS

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

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 | Formula One | Cars | 1/20 Scale | PDF tutorial

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 | Formula One | 1/12 Scale | PDF tutorial

Building and improving the Italeri / Protar Alfa Romeo 179 1980 1/12 scale


By Mario Covalski
In May 2001 I wrote a brief preview on the Protar's 1/12 Alfa Romeo 179. This wonderful Formula One was one of the few cars in modern F1 history which chassis and engine were the same brand. Is this model really difficult? This is the key question for this model, and the answer is NO. If it were a Tamiya model, that is to say the same matrix but injected with Tamiya plastic and having the quality control of this huge Japanese company, I would say that this is one of the most delicious models I have ever built. Unfortunately, it has some flaws, mainly due to its poor quality than to the work of the Protar craftsmen.

COMMENTS

Airplanes | 1/48 Scale | PDF tutorial

Super detailing the EA-6B Prowler from Monogram 1/48 scale


By Jose I. Hernandez Diez
I have always been completely captivated by this fantastic aircraft, and in late 2006, when I decided to assemble it, the only model available was the 1/48 Monogram's kit ( still the Kinetic and Italeri didn't have been issued). It's an old kit that shares parts with the A-6 Intruder, Monogram modified some parts and other were discarded. The raised panel lines the lack of details makes this kit as obsolete comparing with nowadays the industry offers. I had to deal with endless amount of errors I will talk about later in the article.

COMMENTS (2)

Techniques | Cars | 1/12 Scale | PDF tutorial

Ultimate guide for the Trumpeter Ford GT-40. Step by step build - 1/12 scale


By Fabrice Marechal
Probably this has been for many years one of the most desirable kits in 1/12 scale. This article aims at leading the reader into the building process, solving several problems of the kit due to the lack of details or wrong represented and plastic injection problems lacking of the necessary quality of a kit in this scale.

COMMENTS

Techniques | Cars | 1/12 Scale | PDF tutorial

Featuring and detailing the Trumpeter Ford GT-40 Mk II 1/12 scale


By Roger Knight
The model is based on the 1966 LeMans winning car (almost - more about that later), which finally, after some years of trying, ended Ferraris 6 year dominance of the classic race. The GT40 first appeared at LeMans in 1964 with 4.2 V8, basically the same engine that took Jim Clark to victory in the following years Indianapolis 500 but at LeMans it proved fragile.

COMMENTS

Techniques | Armor | 1/35 Scale | PDF tutorial

Painting the Academy M1A2 Tusk II 1/35 scale


By ByeongeoSoo Kim
There are lots of reviews of this Academy new kit and many of them include construction details, so I’ll focus myself on the paint and the weathering as aim for this tutorial, using images as visual guide.

COMMENTS

Techniques | Armor | 1/35 Scale | PDF tutorial | 2021 | November 2021

Building the IDF M1 Super Sherman from the Tamiya kit #35322 1/35 scale


By Allon Kira
The kit released on 2011, as expected from a Tamiya's, has a very good parts fit and is easy to build, very accurate and requires almost no putty. Some aftermarket details slightly upgrade the overall look, but are not really necessary. It can certainly be built directly out of the box at the highest level. The only thing that seemed problematic to me were the vinyl tracks. I considered replacing them with metal ones, but after painting I decided that their level of detail was enough.

COMMENTS

Techniques | Armor | 1/35 Scale | PDF tutorial | 2021 | August 2021

Building the IDF M-113 Medivac from the Tamiya kit #35040 1/35 scale


By Allon Kira
In the 1970s, the IDF equipped itself with a large amount of M-113 APCs, and since then they served in all of Israel's wars and operations, including the Yom Kippur War, Operation Peace for the Galilee, the First Intifada, the Second Intifada, the Second Lebanon War, Operation Cast Lead and Operation Protective Edge. This article goals to share with the reader the steps I followed to build a IDF M-113 Medivac from the Tamiya M-113 kit.

COMMENTS

Techniques | Cars | 1/24 Scale | PDF tutorial | 2023 | January 2023

Hasegawa Lamborghini Jota SVR (1975) #21214, 1/24 scale


By Edwing E. Merlo Paredes
I built the model straight out of the box, using all the parts included in the kit, and I have added some details in the engine that, although it is not exposed, but it was fun and the work has been reflected in the photos. I added some wires, and generic photo-etched screw heads. These photo-etched parts were also used to detail some other parts of the model. For the paint, a Lamborghini orange tone called Arancio Miura (Gravity Colors Ref. GC-1194) was chosen, and thus, make a different proposal to the red finish proposed by Hasegawa.

COMMENTS

Techniques | Airplanes | 1/48 Scale | PDF tutorial

Building the spanish F/A 18A for novices, using the Hobby Boss kit 1/48 scale


By Jose Angel García Martin
The aircraft I’m representing here belonged to the Cyclons of the US Navy and I considered to build it due to its attractive camouflage even the radar cone what makes it very interesting for the modeler. Its yellow and sand colors weathering and “washes” were the final push that made me take the decision of choosing this version. My idea was to represent the aircraft in its first stages of the Ejercito del Aire. The aim of this tutorial is to share with the reader the work, with simple techniques and materials available to all, it can be easily reproduced by a less experienced modeller.

COMMENTS

Techniques | Cars | 1/24 Scale | Online Articles | PDF tutorial | 2022 | June 2022

Kitbashing the Tamiya Ferrari F40 photo array 1/24 scale


By Geo Tziafas
We use to publish large tutorials plenty of pictures and large texts, but when I saw these pictures I realized that this probably wouldn't need anything more, sometimes happens. Looking the pictures I understood all the process… besides not always contributors want to spend extra time writing, when already inverted thousand of hours building taking pictures…etc. I hope you enjoy the pictures as I did, thanks Geo!

COMMENTS

Techniques | Cars | 1/24 Scale | PDF tutorial | 2022 | May 2022

Customizing the Revell Citröen 2CV 1/24 scale


By David Guardia
The paint scheme I have chosen is based on a World War II plane belonging to the Armée de l'air. The Dewoitine with its beautiful blue color, and the French national flag on the tail. Model building, aviation and classic cars, all in one! The goal of this tutorial is to share the work of making a weathered vehicle in an obvious way, but without getting to what is used nowaday, models that represent destroyed subjects ready for scrap. In addition, the decoration, as if it were a fighter plane, needed abuse effects, but without going to the extreme.

COMMENTS

Techniques | Cars | 1/24 Scale | PDF tutorial | 2021 | September 2021

Improving the Tamiya Morris Mini Cooper S #24130 1/24 scale


By Edwing E. Merlo Paredes
I built this model under commission for a customer of mine, who asked for a customized sports version, such as the elimination of both bumpers, the hood with forward opening, which allows to show the engine, in addition to other details that will be shown later in the text. As it was a special Mini I decided to write a tutorial including many photos taken during the build and thus share with the reader my experience with this model.

COMMENTS

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

Building the Tyrrell 1977 six wheeler - Tamiya & Chevron transkit 1/12 scale (Updated with new pictures)


By Mario Covalski
Chevron presented us some time ago a conversion kit, that allows us to transform the Tamiya's 1/12 Tyrrell P34 1/12 scale in its 1977 homonym. In this note I will describe which were the problems I found in building this complicated and compound kit, and the way I solved them.

COMMENTS

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

Kitbashing the Tamiya Ferrari 641 1/12 scale


By Mark Laird
I got this model back in the 90s for less than 100 US dollars. Although I do not have the “Perfect Parts” detail set for this model, I purchased the Thunder Valley Essentials detail set, which is two photo etched frets, a resin airbox, aluminum funnels, a pack of different pieces of aluminum, clear tubing and shrink tubing....

COMMENTS

Techniques | Armor | 1/16 Scale | PDF tutorial

Building the IDF Tiran 5 (Israeli-modified version of the Russian T-55 tank) from Hooben kit for R/C 1/16 scale


By Mario Covalski
The aim of this tutorial is to share with the reader the modifications made on the 1/16 T-55 from the firm Hooben, to convert it into a Tiran 5 of the IDF (Israeli defence forces), a small modelling project that I wanted to do since several years ago. Besides to help the reader, especially to those who has never built a Hooben T55, to solve the problems I had to deal with, alert them to several problems that appears after some use, like it happened to me with the one built in 2011 (the old kit version). As I said before, I built a regular T-55 of the Russian army and the IDF Tiran 5, but in the basic assembly steps, I’ll concentrate in the general points. So here you will see pictures of different models, about the same topic.

COMMENTS

Techniques | Cars | 1/24 Scale | PDF tutorial

Customizing and improving the Tamiya Morris Mini Cooper Mk.1 1966 "Gulf" #24048 1/24 scale


By Edwing E. Merlo Paredes
In this tutorial I’ve made a road vehicle version with own elements of a rally car, and decorated with the Gulf emblems and colors. The kit used to build this model is the Tamiya 1/24 that ran in Monte Carlo rally 1967 (#24048). It’s cheap and is being manufacturing from time to time and can be easily purchased in many online shops

COMMENTS

Techniques | Airplanes | 1/48 Scale | PDF tutorial

Building the Meng P-51D Mustang #LS-006 1/48 scale


By Gary Wickham
There has been quite a buzz around this release for one simple reason. Its a "Snap Tite" kit. Ok, so MENG refer to it as "Cement-Free Assembly" but whatever you call it, you are meant to assemble it without the need for glue. Normally this type of engineering is reserved for the basic, beginner style kits to make it easier for novices to construct their first model without making a mess with all that pesky glue. We have come to expect such kits to be very basic, often lacking detail with low part counts, to suite beginners.

COMMENTS

Techniques | Armor | 1/16 Scale | PDF tutorial

Building the RC Leopard 2A4 1/16 scale


By Mario Covalski
A couple of years ago, I discover  www.Ludwigs-Hobby-Seite.de, a web site where Christian Ludwig offers his kits mostly made of  plastic, cut with the CNC technology. So, I found a kit to convert a Heng Long 2A6 to the 2A4, that is to say a previous version.

COMMENTS

Techniques | Cars | 1/24 Scale | PDF tutorial

Superdetailing the Hasegawa Lancia 037 1/24 scale


By Antonio Busciglio
The model I wanted to build was the version that ran on the Tour de Corse in 1984 season, driven by Attilio Bettega (who lost its life in the same car during the 1985 season) with Cresto as a co driver. The Martini livery makes this car absolutely stunning, but also quite demanding for the modeler. Moreover, the only plastic kit available on the market is the not so recent Hasegawa kit. In my opinion It’s quite well designed, easy to assemble parts, good general fitting, good materials quality. However...

COMMENTS

Techniques | Cars | 1/12 Scale | PDF tutorial

Building the Lancia Stratos HF Rally #4 Pirelli 1978 San Remo - Doyusha 1/12 scale


By Christian Franke
Doyusha offered both in the 90s and later only the Monte Carlo’s, making finally the San Remo Rally with the Pirelli team livery. I’ve been trying to get this kit but it’s discontinued although still it’s possible to find it from some online stores/shops and on ebay. I bought one that had been partially built, which involves double work, missing parts, etc.  This article aims at sharing with pictures the experience to rescue and old odd kit, improving it to the best of my skills.  

COMMENTS (1)

Techniques | Armor | 1/16 Scale | PDF tutorial

Converting the Trumpeter T-72 MBT to RC 1/16 scale


By Mario Covalski
To improve the Heng Long T-90 I read some books and gathered information/photos from the web. This little research made me know more about these compact Russian tanks T-72/T-90, and so it grew my interest in them. So I bought the 1/16 T-72 Trumpeter kit. This kit was designed not only for static but also for RC. The static version has some extra details and modifications, reminds me the, T-34 from WSN, a brand with which Trumpeter sold the T-34 RC. The philosophy of the T-72 is the same, I still believe that the T-34 gearbox with its motors, would fit in the hull. Perfectly.  

COMMENTS

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

Superdetailing the Tamiya Honda RA272 1/20 scale


By Antonio Busciglio
The model nicely reproduces the shape of the car, but most of the details are missing, or oversimplified due to production and technology issues. On this basis, I decided to build this model adding as much detail as possible for my skills. As an additional difficulty, there are nearly no detail sets for this kit, so it would be necessary to add them from scratch. In particular, I used a large number of resin rivets and bolts, some turned bolts, leftover photoetched from my spare box and a lot of scratch-building. In this tutorial I’ll describe all the building process in detail. I hope you’ll enjoy building this model as I did.

COMMENTS

Techniques | Armor | 1/35 Scale | PDF tutorial

Building the Dragon Panzerkampfwagen Panther II #6027 1/35 scale


By Michael Mandau
There is always this one kind of projects that you ever wanted to build and pops up in your mind once in a while. This was it for me: In my mind I saw a gantry style signal tower in a fighting scene and under which a panther is positioned. This kept me fascinated for a long time, until I finally decided to build it. I always had an inclination for railway scenes; probably back from the days when I played with the model railroad at my grandfather’s house. So, tracks need to be on the diorama, that’s for sure and as well as something track bound.

COMMENTS


Techniques | Armor | 1/35 Scale | PDF tutorial

Building a modified Dragon E-100 #6011 1/35 scale


By Michael Mandau
Because of the unbelievable size and the never completed prototype-phase, this vehicle was always on my wish list to build. But I just didn’t wanted to build a regular E-100 that have been seen plenty of times before I like dirty paper-panzer with unusual features. So I decided to create a 1947 E-100 Aus. C fantasy tank in a “what-if” scenario. Therefore I was able to get the early Dragon 1/35 #6011 quite a while ago. Due to the fact that this kit celebrated its 20th birthday this year, my expectations into detail and quality were not too high. Nevertheless, Dragon made a got job two decades ago, but some parts had to be exchanged and complemented.

COMMENTS

Techniques | Cars | 1/12 Scale | PDF tutorial

Building the Italeri Fiat 500F 1/12 scale


By Fabrice Marechal
Certainly, Italeri offer us a kit that, once finished, is really a beautiful and shocking model due to its size, we are not accustomed to seeing a Fiat 500 in 1/12 scale. There is very little to be changed or improved to make the most of it. Unfortunately, some construction steps are not easy to understand and instructions are not always clear. In this respect, Italeri did nothing to facilitate the modelers’ work, and assembling the headlights, window frames, bodywork, etc., are a bit complicated. I built the model almost out of the box, enhancing the painting and assembling was correct and error free as far as possible, and I think it will be an excellent guide for those who want to face this project, having in advance the difficulties you’ll have to face and a good painting guide.

COMMENTS

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

Ultimate guide for the Tamiya Ferrari 641 1/12 scale (revised with new pictures)


By Mario Covalski
This article will be useful to anybody who wants to pursue this project, I decided to write it in the form of an instruction manual, following the steps set forth in the Tamiya's instruction manual, but also indicating all modifications to be made in order to insert the "Perfect Parts" metal parts, along with suggestions and advice on my experience with this model on every stage of the construction. All general recommendations on the use of CA and handling of metal and photoetched parts can be found in the previous articles.  

COMMENTS

Techniques | Airplanes | 1/32 Scale | PDF tutorial

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.

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Techniques | Armor | 1/16 Scale | PDF tutorial | 2021 | January 2021

Building the Takom Panzer I (Pz.Kpfw.I) Ausf.A #1008 for R/C 1/16 scale


By Mario Covalski
The Panzer I was a small tank built before the start of WWII .This tutorial aims at sharing with the reader my experience in the construction of this model converting it to radio control, 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.

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Techniques | Motorcycles | 1/12 Scale | PDF tutorial

Building and customizing the Tamiya Ducati Panigale S 1/12 scale


By Ricardo Gonzalez
The Ducatti Panigale is to my liking one of the most spectacular motorcycles of the past decade. Thanks to Tamiya we can have a model of it, both were the reasons why I decided to build it trying to get the most detailed model I could , taking advantage of the fact that as it was a mass production model, it would be possible for me to get a lot of references. Not only I built and superdetailed the model, but also made a slightly and own customized version, a real Panigale, as I would like to have. The aim of this article, is to show with pictures and their comments the work accomplished as a guide and to give ideas of the details that can be added or showing in some cases how to do the different tasks.

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Techniques | Airplanes | 1/32 Scale | PDF tutorial

Building the Trumpeter Su-27 Flanker step by step guide 1/32 scale


By Masa Narita
Building step by step….day by day. As soon as I looked inside this beautiful kit, I could not hold my horse. I had to stop other projects (1/35 Hetzer, 1/32 F-15J). I decided to build this kit straight from the box because I really wanted to see the completion as soon as possible. Also this time, I will update these pages while building the kit. So let's build this wonderful giant kit!!

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Techniques | Armor | 1/16 Scale | PDF tutorial

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.

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Techniques | Armor | 1/35 Scale | PDF tutorial

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.

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

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 | Formula One | 1/20 Scale | PDF tutorial

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).

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Techniques | Airplanes | 1/48 Scale | PDF tutorial

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.

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Techniques | Cars | 1/24 Scale | PDF tutorial

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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