By Eduardo Andreoli
The DV ( Direct Vision) was always one of my favourite tanks but up to the Dragon release, the only options to build it were the conversion from Formations or the old one from Verlinden. As I don’t like to work with resin, I waited in the hope of getting a plastic injection kit. Fortunately, today is possible to assert that Tasca and Dragon offer nearly all the versions of the Sherman (with guns) that saw service during World War II.
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.
By Eduardo Andreoli
After suffering so much trying to improve the Tamiya half-tracks; in the end Dragon offer us a series of best quality vehicles and good selection of subjects: from the early M2 to one of the last versions of the M3 chassis, the M16 with quad 12,7mm machine guns. Among all the available versions, the ones I liked best were: the M3 famous French 75mm gun and the M3 105mm. So, as soon as Dragon offered these kits, I purchased one and started its construction.
By Juan Romero
This second variation of the T-62 that Trumpeter have released, this time the Model 1972 was great news for all those who like modern tanks. The T-62 was very important in the Soviet arsenal during the Cold War, and also saw service in the Army in many third World countries aligned with the Soviet bloc. The only option we had until this new release was the old and erroneous Tamiya kit, it not only suffered from great defects regarding the shape of the turret but also was a mix of different versions.
By Jose I. Hernandez Diez
Tamiya have been offering high quality motorcycles kits very detailed and good presentation. If you add to this the modern detail sets, the result will be a superb museum piece that will look striking in any showcase, this is the case of the of the Yamaha YZR M-1 (#14104) to which I added several aftermarket. The aim of this article is to share with readers my experience in the construction of this model with these extra sets, so here I will basically refer to their use.
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.
By Fabrice Marechal
When AEG electronics sponsored a Sauber C9 Mercedes Benz, the paint design was one of a printed circuit all over the car. No doubt the design was very attractive for the modeler but it also implied a lot of extra work with the painting and decaling of the model. My aim with this note is to share with you, the reader, my experience in detailing this Tamiya kit as well as the process of applying the decals, which seemed quite difficult.
By Edwing E. Merlo Paredes
First of all, it’s necessary to take a look inside the box to be sure if the content is complete and in perfect conditions. One of the most common and discouraging problems is that once the project has started, we can find out that there are broken, distorted or missing parts.
By Claudio Kalicinski
The kit is Eduard’s Sopwith Triplane (8014). This is one of the earliest of Eduard's 1/48 offerings, dating from 1995, and was the first Eduard kit to not be a limited-run product. It is a mixed media kit and consists of injected molded plastic a large etched fret and a white metal engine and the early horizontal stabilizer, similar to the one used by the Sopwith Pup.
By Dario Risso
This kit is an excellent representation of this vehicle, moulded in Dragon Models Ltd’s traditional light grey coloured plastic including highly detailed parts and several sprues coming from other kits of the same brand, the Panzer I, the Panzerjäger I and the towed sIG 33.
By Eduardo Andreoli
As soon as Dragon released this kit, I rushed to buy it, but when it was in my hands, I had a lot of doubts about how it would look once built. I wanted to build the African version , my mind visualized it yellow with no camo and I believed it would look like a toy and not real. Thinking the problem through, I considered the hairspray technique would be what I was looking for to get the finish that satisfied me…..and my model. Thus, I started with the construction.
By Guy Golsteyn
The Renaissance kit mainly consists of a whole load of resin parts, as usual, with some photo-etched sheets and a few aluminum turned parts to complete the kit. It is intended to be built with an opened left hand side door, which means we are going to an extra effort detailing the interior.
By Martin Klein
After building the Tamiya Honda RC166 I decided that this great bike needed company in my showcase and took out the Gunze (Mr. Hobby) Honda RC110 kit already waiting for a long time in my stash. This kit is sold out at the hobby shops but still available from time to time at a well known internet auction platform.
By Eduardo Andreoli
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.
By Mario Covalski
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 Michael Capell
If I had to choose my favorite aircraft from the WW1 era, it would have to the Albatros D.V. For me it has a certain character and design which makes it stand out from the crowd. Add the four different colour schemes included , with more on the way, makes it a must buy for the discerning modeller.
By Fabrice Marechal
Upon opening the Nissan GR-R box, what attracts attention is that the body is molded in light gray (looks as if primed) with interior and chassis parts molded in black. In my opinion, it would have been more practical to have a white body. Beautifully plated –matte chrome parts are provided for the stylish wheels and other parts. Among other features you may add, the engine, clear plastic parts, decals, masks for the windshields, nylon meshes, metal transfers and the tires. Tamiya made them out of a material that makes them look less real than the ones provided with previous kits..
By Fabrice Marechal
The Lexus LFA is one of the so-called “supercars” conceived as a racing prototype and a production model. One of its main features is the extensive use of carbon fiber, its V10 engine, and the chassis which is separable from the monocoque for maintenance purposes. Tamiya has done something really remarkable in reproducing some of the aerodynamic and mechanical features, such as the adjustable spoiler, which makes this kit the “flagship” of its 1/24 sports car line. Our main goal in this note is to help the novice modeler in the building and finishing of this Tamiya super kit.
By Mario Covalski
If you reach for the first time to my articles related to the Tamiya Caterham in 1/12 scale, perhaps you’ll surprise yourself with the model I show you this time, but let me tell you that I’ve been building these kits since the first release in 1994. I’ve built 14 models to date, some of them were sold to collectors, others are in my showcase and a couple waiting to be recycled. The article is based on showing the reader how a model can be recycled for its use, converting it in a different project from the original.
By Pablo Raggi
This rarity among the armored world was for me a kind of an unreachable aim, I like to face this conversion projects with scratch, but this turret is a terrible point and it would take much more time consuming, thus I finally purchased the Accurate Armour's conversion kit. The aim of this article is to lead the reader through this building experience and share my view on how this vehicle should be painted.
By Fabrice Marechal
With this version of Cayman, the German constructor was really inspired., especially regarding the front bumper which adds a more aggressive look and gives the car an aerodynamic silhouette. Looking the car’s profile, there are not changes, the side skirts were cut and are similar to the ones in the 911 GT3. The double aileron gives the car even a more aggressive look besides of improving the superior driving stability and road adherence at high speed. TechArt offer wheels in different sizes from 17 to 20 inches. Regarding the engine there are only a few improvements in the air inlet and electronics which allows to reach 310 HP.
By Francisco Rivas Pose
It’s not crazy to say that for a lot of F1 fans, the 80's had the best cars, the best drivers and the best races in F1 history, an unforgettable epoch, and it’s extremely gratifying to see that Fujimi is offering model cars from that period. The Ferrari of this article was neither a champion nor one of the best cars manufactured by Maranello, but its beauty is worthy of a good work of modeling. The aim of this article is to share with the reader my experience in the construction of this Fujimi kit with the addition of some of my own improvements.
By Francisco Rivas Pose
In general this Fujimi kit is better than the Ferrari 248, well molded, detailed and fit of parts is pretty good It includes a PE set for all the seatbelts, decals are good and except for the wheels ones. they work well with Microsol. The only part that doesn’t have good fit is the motor cowling but it can be solved.
By Patricio Delfosse
The Austin Tilly was a typical British wartime improvisation: the conversion of a standard saloon car into a Light Utility Pick-Up Truck. Austin were not the only manufacturer of Light Utility vehicles for the British Army: Hillman, Morris and Standard all produced militarized pick-ups from versions of their own cars. Soldiers called them affectionately by the nickname “Tilly.” The Tilly served throughout the war in many theatres of operation, and even soldiered on afterwards well into the 50s, though sadly few have survived.
By Patricio Delfosse
The T-80 was the last light tank used by the Soviet Union army during World War II. Though it nearly was not assigned to combat units (only 120 samples were manufactured), it is an interesting link in the series of light armored vehicles, this is why I was always interested in building one. The T-80 was based on T-70 chassis , so when Miniart announced the T-70, it was obvious that the T-80 would come soon.
By Patricio Delfosse
The arrival of the Type 5 into the market was a real event for those who love Japanese tanks. No doubt this vehicle, the only prototype built, was worth to be represented in plastic due to its good shape, big size and visually powerful.
By Modeler Site
By Modeler Site
By Michael Capell
Wingnut modellers could be considered as the hobby equivalent to Junkies, always looking for the next fix to sedate their plastic passion, and this particular kit delivers by the box full!. It's worth spending some time looking over the instructions, especially as there are options depending on which colour scheme you go for. This is one of the reasons I enjoy modelling aircraft from this period, colour, none of your dreary modern Grey stuff here!
By Christian Jung
The Protar Ferrari B2 kit is based in the 1971 car. So, if you want to get an acceptable 1972 version for your Ferrari collection, you will be forced to scratchbuild some new parts. Besides looking the Protar box you’ll realize that there are some parts really out of scale, especially the tires and the rims which look like truckwheels. Fortunately the body seems to be well shaped.
By Modeler Site
By Modeler Site
By Modeler Site
By Modeler Site
By Modeler Site
By Modeler Site
By Modeler Site
By Modeler Site
By Modeler Site
By Eduardo Andreoli
Vietnam war is one of my favorite scenarios, this is why in my boxes stock there was a LVTP 5 from AFV Club. It’s a model of considerable size for the scale and with flat shapes, it looks more like a shoebox than a military vehicle. In order to make it look attractive, I decided to make a laborious job of interior detailing.
By Modeler Site
By Jaime Pastor Pueyo
Even though the Spitfire was the British pride during the Wordl War II, it was used by the allies in all war fronts, from Russia to the Reich or North African desert. These Spits were mainly differenced by the bigger air-filter adoption, in order to keep the wonderful performance of the Merlin engine in the desert climate. As well as changing its dress for a more favourable one to fight over the sand.
By Michael Capell
You may recall the SE5 I built several issues ago, really to get a feel for the larger scale Wingnut kits as I normally deal with 1/48 in the past . This was followed shortly after with the Sopwith Pup, just to make sure ( any excuse will do). So now I had the confidence to tackle what I consider their 'flag ship' of the present range namely the LVG C.VI.
By Mario Covalski
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 Fausto Muto