By Mario Covalski
In April 2013 Modeler Site celebrate their 13th anniversary. Perhaps, this is not a special event for everybody, however, for those who, have been working very hard on this project for thirteen years to offer month after month high quality articles devoted to the construction of scale models… means an important accomplishment.
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By Modeler Site
After more than six years displaying the same layout on our English and Spanish menus, we’ve tried a major change by offering you a new design which we consider more proper for the visitor requirements who nowadays browses around the Internet. This new layout has been developed in a more comprehensive way, showing you more information, and trying to please more of you more of the time, so all your comments and suggestions will be welcome.
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By Mario Covalski
In a world where prices seem so constantly to be rising it is source of considerable satisfaction to think just how much pleasure can be still obtained ridiculously cheaply by the modelmaker. A large proportion of all models that are made can be said to be the by-product of waste, being made almost entirely from unconsidered oddments that would otherwise have been thrown away.
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By Mario Covalski
When I was a child, probably motivated by some TV series; I often dreamed about a time tunnel where you could go back or forward in time. If this tunnel had existed and a person born in 1800, settled in one of our cities, living together in our environment, eating our food…and spending some time with our hobbies, he would have probably got seriously ill.
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By Mario Covalski
In 1978 I discovered the 1/12 Tamiya Ferrari 312T, when I saw the box I stuck to the shop window wondering if it was a kit or a puzzle. Imagine my excitement when I viewed the box content, with sprues full of parts and details that seemed to be coming from a sci-fi novel, and though such an expense was not within my budget at that moment, I decided my purchase without hesitation. The following weeks, during my honeymoon with the kit, I built it using the best techniques I could: Testor spray cans and Humbrol with brush.
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By Mario Covalski
I firmly believe that plastic modeling is an intellectual activity that requires certain artistic gifts, let’s say that at the time you are building a model, you’re an artist, and your work is precisely that…a work of art.
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By Mario Covalski
During the last months, I started pondering, as I always use to, about how long life lasts, what we expect to do along it, how many projects do we intend to face that in general we don’t have much time to spend on. I would like to call your attention on a fact I believe use to happen to all modelers, our collection of boxes.
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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 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.
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.
By Modeler Site
Over the end of the year, we are offering a preview of the articles we were proud to have during 2022. Enjoy them and happy new year.
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 (I put together two) 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 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.
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!
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.
By David Guardia
The gundam universe. Huge in characters, animation series, books, comics, etc. Based on an animated series, in which humans are at war and use robots for fighting, it contributes to modeling 90% of the models sold. With a great variety of scales, this one, 1/100, is possibly the most “manageable”. At just 14cm tall, these models make for quick projects.
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.
By Allon Kira
The model is characterized by a good level of details and an excellent level of accuracy. The build was done without any special issues. I assembled it directly out of the box except for two minor additions: Eduard WWII seat belts for Japanese aircraft and Eduard canopy mask for A6M3 – EUEX318, although the kit included canopy masks, but I was not aware of the matter when ordering the kit.
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.
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.
By Edwing E. Merlo Paredes
I built the Miniart kit in a civil version. It is a model started a few years ago and some of the images that show the assembly process, such as the stage where the interior of the vehicle is detailed, have been damaged and it was impossible to recover them. However, the rest of the process is explained in great detail, and it is my pleasure to share the work done with the readers.
By Edwing E. Merlo Paredes
In the racing car world, Alfa Romeo is one of the most legendary and mythical Italian name, and each of its vehicles is synonymous with beauty, style, and racing. Precisely, the Giulia Sprint GTA, is the version which this tutorial is dedicated to. A road car, with sporty and personalized characteristics. This is the kind of car that can be found in various classic vehicle activities today.
By Edwing E. Merlo Paredes
Although it is an old kit, I always wanted to improve it and finally the opportunity came. It is a high quality kit, with good details, and that lends itself to making some improvements. I share in this tutorial, with the modeler who likes this car, the work done offering many pictures of the process and the necessary explanations.
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.
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.
By Steve Jones
The Bronco plastic kit of the Turan II is another addition to their WWII Hungarian Tank range of 1/35 scale kits. Parts were beautifully detailed with little need for cleaning of flash. There were 216 individual track links in brown plastic, two sheets of photo-etched parts and clear parts...
By Andre Pantarotto
I wanted to build the Opel truck, is a model I like very much, but why not to take the opportunity to add other beautiful kit from Revell I had in my stash, so the Porsche tractor was added to this build. There was plenty of room for details and weathering which brought more fun and turned the model in a diorama. This tutorial is to share the steps I followed to get this ready to place in the showcase, so here we go!
By Allon Kira
Here is my Tiger model, IDF, Nagmachon – early in 1/35.
Additions to the model:
- 1/35 droid by Legend
- different resin stowage parts
- Voyager Nagmachon lenses
- Some scratch build
- Paints and weathering effects by Ammo-Mig, Tamiya and AK.