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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 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

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 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.

Detailing the Eaglemoss collection Mercedes 300 SL 1/8 scale, photo array

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.


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.


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!


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.



Building the Bandai Gundam MS-06 F ZAKU II 1/100 scale

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.


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.



Building the Tamiya Mitsubishi A6M3 Zero 1/48 scale

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.


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.



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.


Improving the Miniart Mercedes Benz 170V (W136) #35095 1/35 scale

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.


Customizing the Tamiya Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint GTA 1600 #24188 1/24 scale

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.


Improving the Tamiya Jaguar Mk II Saloon 3.8 #24151 1/24 scale

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.


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.


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.


Building the Bronco Hungarian Medium Tank 41.M Turan II 1/35 scale

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...


Building the Revell Opel Blitz S 3T in a diorama with the Revell Porsche Junior tractor 1/24 scale

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!


Painting the Takom Merkava Mk. 2B for novices 1/35 scale

By Allon Kira

Merkava (Chariot) is the name of a large series of Israeli battle tanks that form the basis of the Israeli armor corps. Manufacture of the Merkava tanks began in 1979 while more and more advanced models were developed over the years. The most advanced model is the Mark 4 that went into production starting in 2003. The tutorial I'm sharing is focused in the painting and weathering and based in the 1/35 Takom Merkava Mark 2. So I decided to build the model straight out of the box with no special extras.


Building the Eduard MIG 21MPF for novices 1/72 scale

By David Guardia

Eduard is characterized by making authentic jewels, both in aftermarkets and full kits. The 1/72 scale is being seen often, benefited with the appearance of models like this one. Inside the boxes called "profipack", which include masks and photo etches, we find kits with some exquisite pieces. The objective of this tutorial is to share my experience during the construction and painting of this model, with problems and solutions I found.


Building the Hasegawa Nissan Sunny 1979 in an stunning vignette 1/24 scale

By Andre Pantarotto

The Nissan Sunny is a very nice kit from Hasegawa and a pleasure to build, however being a work truck I felt it needed something more. To place in a vignette was the way I found for highlighting this beautiful model.

Editor note: with the PDF tutorial, DOC files are provided for you to print all the small kit boxes. More will be explained later in the text.


Building the Moebius Models Lee Petty’s 1955 Chrysler 300 stock car: step by step. 1/25 scale

By Andre Pantarotto

I used the Moebius kit that represents the Chrysler 300 car that I modified to match the Petty car, and used a decal set from Power Slide. This is a kitbashing project since some parts of another kit (Moebius Models Tim Flock’s 1956 Chrysler 300 kit) were used to make this 1955 Chrysler a racing car.


Building the Revell 1957 Ford Nascar 1/25 scale

By Andre Pantarotto

I wanted to build the #12 Ralph Moody car. Moody won four races in 1956 for owner Pete DePaolo. He finished eighth in the final points, with 21 Top-10 finishes in 35 races. He raced the first third of 1957, until Ford and others American automobile manufacturers pulled out of racing.


Building the Trumpeter BTM 3 (high speed trench digging vehicle) #09502 1/35 scale

By Pablo Raggi

The BTM is a specialized vehicle of the engineering corps, based on the ATT artillery tractor, which in turn was built over the T-54 hull tank, using the cabin of the ZIS-150 truck. Not only did the BTM derive from this project, but there were at least 4 other designs, all for a specific use, including a version for Antarctic exploration.


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.


Building the Moebius Models Tim Flock 1952 Hudson Stock Car 1/25 scale

By Andre Pantarotto

For those who aren't familiar with NASCAR racing, mostly out of USA, Julius Timothy "Tim" Flock was an American stock car racer. He was a two-time NASCAR series champion. Moebiuos offered some time ago the 1952 Hudson “Tim” used two times during 1952, the year he won the session.


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....


Building the Ford Mustang Shelby GT-500TM 1967 from Planeta Deagostini Publisher 1/8 scale

By Mario Covalski

This is the 1/8 Ford Mustang Shelby GT-500TM 1967 from the Planeta Deagostini Publisher. The model is offered in 100 weekly fascicles, each one includes history and parts to build the model. The model is mostly made of diecast and plastic parts, is heavy as 9 or 10Kg, but lacks of details, mostly in the engine bay area, and some parts are odd represented. So I added lot of them, fuel lines wiring...etc. The body and other diecast parts are already painted, the paint is poor and there is differences between panels as there weren’t painted at the same time.