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 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 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 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
By Lars Wahlström
In 1977, as a Christmas gift from my brother, I got a model kit of a 1965 Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray in 1/8 scale. The kit was made by Monogram, but the same kit was later also released by Revell. There were editions with the body in both red and blue plastic. I noticed quite immediately that the detail level was low, lower than many models in 1/25 scale. Not even the doors were operable and the chrome-plating quality was really poor. Comparing with the French Heller's super detailed 1/8 model kit of the Citroen B15, which I built earlier, the Corvette was toyish and a real disappointment for an experienced modeller. But I decided to take it on anyway.