By Mario Covalski
Have you thought about the reasons why you build scale models?. I’ve been asking this to myself since some time, and this month I wish to share with you my thinking.
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By Mario Covalski
A conversation with a friend and close contributor, made me think about a subject rarely tackled in the notes published in our magazine, the brands of paints (or their manufacturers).
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By Mario Covalski
During the last weeks, I built some 1/12 motorcycles just for fun and to write some articles. It has been quite long now that I have been receiving e-mails asking when we would be publishing more articles on motorcycles. Unfortunately we do not receive enough articles from the people who build them; so, I decided to go to the mountain… given that the mountain would not come to me.
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By Mario Covalski
It's quite possible that those who have been building models for years, know very well what I'm going to talk about. For newcomers, perhaps, it will be something curious and many of them will find out that they have been thinking about this, lately.
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By Mario Covalski
When I think about all I’ve been going through during the last years with regard to modeling, it brings back to my memory 1986, when at a magazines store, I saw for the first time, a popular modeling magazine which had started to be issued in those days.
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By Mario Covalski
Talking with some friends, modelers of course, we were discussing/chatting about the difficulties magazines and all web sites devoted to this activity, have today to get good articles. This is something that affects us obviously, so we started to reflect on this matter, the conclusion we reached was that nowadays, modelers don’t spend much of their time on building scale models.
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By Mario Covalski
This editorial is specially devoted to newcomers to this activity; of course if you are an experienced modeler, perhaps you may agree or not with it, but it's quite clear that I'm not writing this thinking on advanced modelers. It's more than obvious and I will not list the possibilities modern technology offers nowadays to modelers, and if you've arrived to static modeling about 5 years ago, you'll find as usual the etched sets, resin detail parts, dozens of decal sheets for different versions of the same kit, etc.
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By Mario Covalski
Until 1997, I had never worn eyeglasses, my vision was almost perfect and being a teenager, I was very proud of it. After my four-0 birthday, I had to face a common problem people over 40 suffer. It's called "presbyopia". The crystalline lens is less able to focus on close objects.
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By Mario Covalski
Looking through my old editorials, trying to decide which topic to deal with this month, the idea suddenly came to me. In fact, it was there since time ago, but as usual, human beings can’t see the wood though being inside.
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By Mario Covalski
In the editorial of September 2007, I wrote about model detailing, focusing on how many details should be added to our models and my point of view on the topic. This time, I would like to call the attention of the patient readers of my editorials on another relevant issue within our hobby: the model's historical truthfulness or accuracy.
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By Mario Covalski
Every month, Modeler Site has an editorial note as part of its contents. Editorials are the way for us the publishers of MS to express our ideas and opinions about certain modeling subjects. At this point, I must say that literature and writing is not one of my strong points, but I've been reading magazines, books, and almost all kinds of publications dealing with my likes, since I was very young. I'm saying this because, for what I know, editorials, signed or "anonymous", are not compromised with any idea, except when there is a political intention.
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By Mario Covalski
This month I would like to come back to a key subject in today's modeling, at least this is my feeling and it's what happens to me. How much detailing do we add to our models …. And what do we wish to achieve?
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By Mario Covalski
Ever since the man gathered into social groups, a huge number of rules were established to indicate how to do things the right way. According to those rules, an individual is good, honest, healthy, happy…or not.
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By Mario Covalski
In the past editorial, I spoke about modelling as a creative process, explaining then, my way of thinking. Now I want to come back with a new reflection, about what superdetailing represents for me, and about the pressure it means to modelers.
I want to emphasize that I understand that it's not the same superdetail an aircraft model, car, armor...etc, and of course, scale is also an important fact, so I'll concentrate on cars subjects, that is what I best know about.
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By Mario Covalski
I think that human beings are subjective by nature, and speaking in terms of tastes, everything we like, may not be objectively, the best or most proper. I could give hundreds of examples from cigarettes, clothes…and so on.
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By Mario Covalski
A couple of weeks ago, talking to a modeler, he told me that he was suffering from something that English- speaking modelers call AMS (advanced modeler syndrome); a kind of obsession that leads them to count even the rivets of each model to check if the number (and shape, of course) match to the real thing.
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By Mario Covalski
Around the end of January, I was talking about modeling with a friend of mine, owner of a small business of resin kits. It was a pleasant chat about models, projects, etc, steering to the little time we have to spend on building models, when suddenly he asked me a question and both of us were stunned…”¿When did you last purchase a kit, arrive home and start building it?”
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By Mario Covalski
For the last 20 years, I’ve read countless articles, editorials…etc about the scales, Which is the best one?, which is the best for us?; etc; most of the notes I read were technical ones, explaining how and the reason of each scale, pros and cons; etc.
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By Mario Covalski
The collector got nearer the shop window, took a quick glance and gazed at something, the thing is, that after so many years of “hunting” the prey, he got used to finding among many items, the one that would awake his interest that day.
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By Mario Covalski
Is there anything more wonderful than a shrink- wrapped kit in box?. I sincerely believe that anybody who has built scale models some time in his/her life, will agree with me, that no, there is nothing more exciting and captivating. The thing is that the box content, has quite a special power on us, the power of dreams, probably, everything we wished to accomplish in modeling (and why not, in life)…and it remains there hidden, but with the hope that our libido will not be unsatisfied.
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By Mario Covalski
Have you been building scale models for a long time?, Did you use to work on the same subjects?, Were you bored on one occasion? Were there times when you’ve not built models even when you had the feeling to do so? If you have a positive answer to most of these questions, this Editorial is to you.
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By Mario Covalski
In spite of the fact that many years passed since I built my first scale model, I still wonder which is the meaning of building them, even more, what modeling as a whole, means.
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By Mario Covalski
I’ve been surfing the Web since about 12 years ago, and during the last 10 ones, I could see several sites devoted to plastic modeling turning up. At first, they were either simple text pages, or forums that no longer exist, and of course, by that time, all those online shops were already set up outside the Internet, and just out of curiosity or by making a lucky guess, they were set up as e-commerce shops.
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By Mario Covalski
This month’s editorial is going to be focused on two subjects: our sixth anniversary and a short analysis of a phenomenon that has been increasing on and on, during the past years….the diecast models.
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By Mario Covalski
Sometimes, I wonder if it’s really necessary to write a monthly editorial, I’m not discussing if this is usual or if matches within a magazine’s circle, even a virtual one. The editorial expresses the ideology of the one who leads the media, thus my editorials should express our ideology as a magazine about modeling, and, if you read our previous editorials, you’ll find out our thoughts with respect to plastic modeling and other activities around it.
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By Mario Covalski
The world of scale models, is, in certain aspects confusing and there are different points of view. Here, as the saying goes, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. This month, I want to refer to professional modelers, hoping that my opinion, may throw some light on the topic, especially for the newcomers… or at least, to start a serious discussion.
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By Mario Covalski
When you purchase a DVD player, you become the final consumer of that product, that’s your role. When speaking about modeling, things are quite different, the final consumer, plays at times, a different role, he himself develops the product (and this is the way some manufacturers started), the modeler is who builds the model and writes the techniques notes for others more inexperienced, etc. That’s to say the consumer is part of the whole machinery that sets modeling in motion and quite in an active way. I personally can’t imagine the activity in a different way.
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By Mario Covalski
Everybody knows that modeling has turned into a specialized activity, and we’ve already tackled this topic in previous editorials. If you, my friend use to build aircrafts….don’t draw closer to the group of those devoted to armored vehicles…this is well known, it’s not a question that you’ll not be welcomed; in point of fact, in the clubs all disciplines coexist, but every group speak their own language using different codes, words, a great many own ways of communication.
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By Mario Covalski
Building a model means an arduous task, either for beginners or advanced modelers. Some will pour out hours and hours of work on detailing, painting…etc, for others, the matter will be just to find out and be able to use the respective techniques successfully.
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By Mario Covalski
Several years ago, someone connected with the plastic modeling industry made me a comment, saying that internet was a twilight zone…and although, in those days, I partly agreed with him, actually, I was not fully convinced about that reality as today, after having been Modeler Site’s editor for five years.
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By Mario Covalski
Who dares to state this is not the best mankind technological time ever known?. In my opinion, the scientific advances and the leading-edge technology along the last 35 years, are by far, more important than those ones reached during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. And the increase of this tendency has turned much more evident during these years of the 21st century.
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By Mario Covalski
Perhaps, one of the most exciting moments of every modeling project, is the purchasing time. Searching for the kit the modeler is eager to get, sometimes discontinued, he turns into an actual hunter, developing a special and good instinct to find that item he’s looking for and at low price. Some modelers, either owing to lack of time or any other reason, don’t go beyond this stage which turns into a hobby in itself.
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By Mario Covalski
Perhaps, some assiduous Modeler Site readers have been very surprised at reading our current cover article, and I think It’s a good opportunity to deal with a topic which had never been tackled in our editorials, the specialization in our hobby.
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By Mario Covalski
Perhaps many readers know, and probably many others may not have heard that a couple of months ago we’ve started a Yahoo group to make a link of communications among you and Modeler Site’s editors. Owing to the problems posed by the spam, there’s no safe and/or legal mailing, they’re all under suspicion and luckily, Yahoo offers an effective media which is recognized as legal by most of the ISP around the world.
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By Mario Covalski
This month’s cover note is about a Protar kit, the uncommon, difficult, and expensive (if you can get one) 1/12 scale McLaren MP4/ 2, and the note is by our good friend and collaborator Dan Parrat.
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By Mario Covalski
I was thinking a few days ago, about the strange situations posed by modeling in our days. When I was very young, it was difficult to find a great variety of models; in those days, I used to build airplanes in 1/48 scale from Monogram, and 1/72 scale from Airfix. If I wanted something real luxurious I had to choose Nichimo, although they were more expensive and difficult to find.
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By Mario Covalski
After a two months break without sitting down at my workbench as I was exceedingly busy writing a couple of articles, I turned my hand to my models, as I’ve been doing just without interruptions for the last 44 years.
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By Mario Covalski
Four years ago, late in summer during a hot southern March, the idea to bring to light and manage a virtual modeling magazine was born. Although the intention wasn’t innovating, it implied the creation of a web site in a magazine format, as a mean of communication among hobbyists, and the updates were actually new issues.
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By Mario Covalski
Since several weeks ago, an idea has been striking my mind over and over: What did I do in behalf of modeling?. Well, I could adduce that Modeler Site is in fact, a contribution, with the articles we usually publish…and so forth. However, as it happens to any modeller, manufacturer or retailer, I’ve received much from this activity, and here, I’m considering all the time devoted to this hobby.
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By Mario Covalski
I feel it is much more difficult to write an editorial than an article on a model. There are so many ideas I would like to share with you but there is such a little space… Since readers of an editorial expect a great idea to be developed in a nutshell, the writer should feel passionate and convinced about it in order to be crystal clear and effective.
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By Mario Covalski
Dear Friends, this is the last editorial for 2002... Another year has quickly gone by while learning and sharing our know-how on our hobby. This month I would like to focus on a topic of my personal concern, both as an editor and as a member of the modelers' world: the "Masters".
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By Mario Covalski
To loving memory of my father Luis, who taught me the value of the honesty and the honor word. Thanks to help me, before... and even now.
If you are now reading this article, you have already seen our cover and know that Modeler Site is celebrating its second anniversary.
As the creator of Modeler Site, I have so many feelings I would like to share with you that this article would not be enough …. And besides, who wants to endure a long speech? Therefore, I will not extend the suffering of those people who decided to read this editorial.
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By Kwong Tam
By Geo Tziafas
Those who had the luck or misfortune of building Tamiya's F40 know that this kit is one of the worst from the Japanese brand. It has fitting issues, a rear hood that virtually won't close no matter what you do, shape inaccuracies, missing details, and a large number of molding marks, making it a challenging project. A few years ago, I built the street version of the F40 and put a lot of effort into fixing issues and detailing it as much as possible. A set of photos from that build is available at the end of this tutorial. I hope this tutorial and the attached information will be useful to those who, like me, love this car perhaps Tamiya's most iconic one.
By Geo Tziafas
One of the latest releases (November 2020) from Model Factory Hiro was the McLaren F1 GTR kit, representing the car that won the 1995 24 Hours of Le Mans. This tutorial aims to share my experience building this beautiful but challenging model, especially for less experienced modelers. Unexpected issues arose, which I won’t hide in the text, but I’ll share the solutions I found for them. I hope this will be very helpful.
By Modeler Site
Over the end of the year, we are offering a preview of the best tutorials we were proud to have during 2024. Enjoy them and happy new year.
By Geo Tziafas
The Alfa Romeo 155 V6 Ti from the DTM series is one of my favorite model cars, so I couldn't resist and, just a few days after receiving it, I immediately placed it on my workbench. Actually, I was looking for a way to relieve the pressure from various events in my daily life. The kit seems more refined and of better quality compared to the McLaren F1 GTR kit, for example, which I had built some time earlier. A clear indication of this is that I have seen several completed by modelers, while the McLaren remains a 'rara avis.' Apart from the version I built myself, there may be others, but to date, I haven’t seen them.
By Lars Wahlström
Over the years, a number of model kits have been made of the 300 SL in various scales. Pocher announced in 2016 that they would release a die-cast kit of the 1:8 scale gullwing model, but the project was cancelled due to a financial crisis within Pocher. I suspected it was PCT who made it, because a couple of years later they released a 1:8 scale coupe model kit that was sold as subscription kits through Eaglemoss. I wanted to build the model as soon as I heard about it, but it was hard to come by and I wasn't interested in a long term subscription. Eaglemoss went bankrupt in 2022, but PCT owned the tools and decided to rerelease the kit in 2023, but this time as a "full kit" through its sister company IXO, so I ordered. I had seen on various forums and model sites that the kit was not completely accurate in every detail, but that's part of the fun of improving, detailing and making your own model unique.
By Michael Mass
The 1/32 Spitfire Mk. IXe No. 26 project from the 101st IAF squadron has finally been completed. The Pitot tube was added after the photos were taken. The base kit is the excellent Tamiya #60319, which includes magnets for removable upper and side engine fairings. The conversion to the Mk. IXe version involved replacing the main guns and the upper and lower service covers for the outboard 20mm guns.
By Michael Mass
The "Nagmachon" is one of the most unique armored vehicle variants. This vehicle is based on the chassis of a Sho't Kal Alef tank from which the turret has been removed. The vehicle was adapted for security missions in the regions of Lebanon and Gaza.
By Mario Covalski
With this photo array (one picture says more than thousand words sometimes) I share with the reader my experience with the model adding many missing details, not all, painting parts and applying plastic modelling techniques to improve the appearance of this expensive model. Also solving some problems that the kit has and showing tips and tricks to improve or facilitate its assembly.
By Mark Laird
I have seen many people building the 1/12 scale Meng MP4/4. Since this car held the record for the most wins in F1 until the end of the 2023 season, when the Red Bull RB19 claimed that title, it's a car I've always been interested in building. After admiring the work of others on their models, I decided to take the plunge and purchase one myself. With over 50 years of experience building models, I couldn’t resist the urge to customize it rather than assembling it straight out of the box.
By Mario Covalski
I tried to detail it as much as possible using only what was in the box. I remade the seat cushions, detailed the engine, applied weathering... etc. This wonderfully detailed, 1:8 scale replica is of a Willys MB Jeep that played a vital role in shaping the destiny of World War II. On June 6 , 1944, this Jeep® – along with thousands of men and vehicles from the 1st Infantry Division – landed on Omaha Beach in Normandy on D-Day. It then took part in continuous offensives across France, eventually reaching the German border before participating in the Battle of the Bulge. It helped set up the bridgehead at Remagen, and also saw action in the Rhine and Ruhr. More than just a battlefield 4x4, this 1st Infantry Division Willys MB Jeep® has been involved in some of the US Army’s most significant campaigns in the European theater of World War II.
By Allon Kira
By Allon Kira
By Allon Kira
The U.S. Army, after berating the South Vietnamese for flouting battle doctrine, came out with their own ACAV version. This more or less standardized ACAV kit included shields and a circular turret for the .50-caliber M2 machine gun in the track commander (TC) position, two M60 machine guns with shields for the left and right rear positions, and "belly armor"—steel armor bolted from the front bottom extending 1/2 to 2/3 of the way towards the bottom rear of the M113. The two rear machine gunners could fire their weapons while standing inside the rectangular open cargo hatch. This transformed the M113 into a fighting vehicle, but the vehicle still suffered from its lightly armored configuration, having never been designed for such a role.
By Felice Ferriello
This tutorial is based on showcasing and explaining the main modifications to convert the Hasegawa Miura P400 SV kit into the Miura P400 Roadster, as well as the added details. I won't delve into the assembly of basic components since the purpose is to share with the reader the more complex tasks. The rest is well-known as the Hasegawa kit has been around for several years. This model is dedicated to my wife Lyska, who supported me with patience and love throughout the process.
By Lars Wahlström
I had already started my own research and looked for reference images and information. I also joined a Facebook group and got a lot of tips. The kit was released in the UK before in the EU, so many had already started their builds and discovered inaccuracies. The objective of this tutorial is to share with the reader the work done, not only to assemble the kit, but also to get the most out of it, adding details and missing parts, painting where necessary, etc., always guided by the references. to which I had access. Hoping it is useful to others.
By Allon Kira
This is an excellent kit from AVF. I built it almost out of the box, and concentrated on the painting. Being a tank that operated in the desert, the weathering is based on natural wear and tear from use and pigments to represent the sand.
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 T-54 first. then in a Tiran 4 of the IDF (Israeli defence forces) early. The model represents a Tiran 4 as it looked in the period between 1972 and 1974. Besides to help the reader, especially to those who has never built a Hooben T-55, 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).
By Geo Tziafas
A true masterpiece, an automotive treasure that, when it was first unveiled six decades ago in 1960 at the Geneva Motor Show, prompted Enzo Ferrari to declare it the most beautiful car in the world, takes the spotlight in the following article. With over 70,000 units of the E-Type produced, it graced the Coventry factory floor in three distinct phases: Series 1 (1961-1968), Series 2 (1969-1971), and Series 3 (1971-1974).
By Gary Wickham
Eduard has recently released a new tooled Hawker Tempest Mk.V family in 1:48 scale. I have the Mk.V Series 1 ProfiPACK (82121) kit as well as the Big SIN (64856) set which includes a full Brassin Cockpit, Exhausts, Wheels and Landing Flaps. I also have some of the Barracuda Studios correction sets including the spinner and radiator intake. I'll highlight all these goodies (and compare them to the kits parts) as I progress through the build