By Michael Mass | 08.06.2024 12:03
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 | 07.09.2024 14:15
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 Allon Kira | 05.01.2024 11:10
By Allon Kira | 04.21.2024 11:39
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 Allon Kira | 04.01.2024 11:31
By Mario Covalski | 04.01.2024 10:58
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 | 02.25.2024 11:07
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 Michael Mass | 06.01.2023 13:47
Here is my Hobby Boss, IDF, APC Puma in 1/35 + Legend detailing sets. Quickwheels tracks, Karaya cables, Accurate Armor fiber antenna, Uzi decals, Anti slip from VMS, Verlinden flexible harnesses, Acrylic paints and varnishes from Vallejo and AK Interactive. I Added orange flags. Also, I installed the antennas for the 2nd Platoon Commander, and added the ammo boxes and wiring harness for the projector.
By Allon Kira | 10.29.2020 11:07
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.
By Andre Pantarotto | 03.29.2020 15:44
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.
By Mario Covalski | 02.03.2020 15:53
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.
By Mario Covalski | 10.16.2019 12:42
This is the 1/8 Chevrolet Opala SS 1976 from the Salvat Publisher. It’s basically an Opel Rekord born from the fusion between GM and Opel during the ’70. As far as I know, it was only manufactured under the name Opala in Brazil, in two versions, 4 cylinders and 6 cylinders. It looks like a big car for a 4-cylinder engine but you have to consider that it had 2.5 liters of displacement and 80CV. It was available with two types of engine: 4-cylinder "Iron Duke", and 6-cylinder 250 cubic inches, both derived from the Chevrolet Impala offered in USA. According to its manufacturers, this combination was the one that gave the name to this car, since “Opala” can be presumed as an acronym of the name “Opel Impala”, because the Opala was an Opel, with Impala engine.
By Mario Covalski | 10.09.2019 18:23
This is the 1/8 Ford Falcon 1963 from the Salvat Publisher. The model is provided 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.
By Mario Covalski | 07.15.2019 12:39
By Mark Laird | 05.13.2019 13:54
For years I wanted to build the 1/12 Bandai STP Turbine car. It is very unique piece of Indianapolis history, but the price that they were bringing was just more than I was willing to spend. I was lucky enough to find a complete kit on eBay for 200 US dollars. It was a “Buy it Now”, so I purchased it, and waited for it to arrive.
By Fabrice Marechal | 12.10.2018 12:02
The kit has been completely reworked so that the front and rear cover and the wheels can be removed and re-placed, I have shared a video to show it. Details have been added to the engine, such as spark plug wires and fuel lines etc. The rest of the build was completely done out of the box, less the necessary modifications to make workable the mentioned parts. The bodywork was painted with Ferrari red from Gravity Colors Spain and has been varnished with 2-component lacquer also from Gravity Colors Spain. Here pictures I have taken during the build.
By Fabrice Marechal | 12.10.2018 12:02
The Ferrari Dino 206 is a Le Phoenix kit which is no longer available commercially and very difficult to find even on collector sites. As the Porsche 917, all air vents have been perforated. The bodywork was first painted in red with DS Colors and blue stripes delimited and painted Gulf blue also from DS Colors. The white lines were made using white decals. The body was then varnished with 2-component DS Colors. Here pictures I have taken during the build.
By Fabrice Marechal | 12.10.2018 12:02
The Porsche 917 is a Paddock kit that is no longer commercially available. It's sometimes available on collector sites such as Modelart111. The body has been completely reworked at the level of the vents, all was perforated. The body was painted with Gulf Gravity Colors blue, the orange decals were then applied and retouched with a brush with X-6 Tamiya orange. The body was then clearcoated with 2-component Zero Paint varnish. Here pictures I have taken during the build.
By Alessandro Prini | 07.19.2017 11:45
A photo gallery of other model from the master!
By Mario Covalski | 05.23.2017 10:27
When I bought the Luchs from Classy Hobby and the conversion for RC from 35RCtank I asked about the 38(T) conversion which had been out of stock since some years. They told me that would have a reissue in few weeks so I ordered as well. Here the results, I built both models at the same time. It was funny and easier than the Luchs, less the track links which I had to drill one by one with 05mm first and 1mm then. The 38(T) is like a WWI tank plenty of rivets which makes showy the weathering. I enjoyed the build, and as happened with the Luchs I had to modify the sequence of construction to make removable the upper hull. I recommend the kit and conversion, it's a beautiful small tanks but still 1/16 for those who like the big scale. I didn’t write an article because there are many online and since the point of view of the RC conversion is similar to the Luchs' , so you can have references from there.
By Omoto Kouzi | 05.18.2017 12:35
This is an outstanding work from our friend Omoto Kouzi. We hope you enjoy the pictures and encourage you to build a Tamiya Williams. We have a tutorials about the kit, not so detailed but good guide enough for newcomers.
By Omoto Kouzi | 05.15.2017 11:56
This is an outstanding work from our friend Omoto Kouzi. We hope you enjoy the pictures and encourage you to build a Tamiya McLaren 4/6. We have a tutorials about the kit, not so detailed but good guide enough for newcomers.
By Ricardo Gonzalez | 03.20.2017 11:06
By Mario Covalski | 04.01.2016 11:03
Some year ago I built the large Italeri kit, an amazing piece. It's so big to be static and I converted to RC. I made some modifications to be able to remove a portion of the deck to maintenance and charge the battery. I painted grey as it was before to be fleet to the Pacific.
By Mario Covalski | 01.04.2016 14:50
I took advantage of the end of the year to make the final touches to the KT Porsche turret. It was all a challenge for me the weathering and made it RC.
By Ricardo Gonzalez | 12.22.2015 13:47
By Thomas Halvarsson | 03.01.2015 14:12
By Mario Covalski | 01.01.2015 19:24
This is a Heng Long M41 radio controled which I improved... a lot!
By Fabrice Marechal | 11.04.2014 20:07
By Mario Covalski | 05.07.2014 12:00
By Erik Fontein | 10.20.2013 11:00
This typical Danish truck is used by FALCK in Denmark for transport of a range of vehicles. For not drivable cars, campervans, trucks, forklifts, 4x4, agricultural vehicles etc. But of origin is it intended for the transport of broken and stranded agricultural vehicles. Many farmers in Denmark are connected to the FALCK organization. So if there's an agriculture vehicle with technical problems or stuck, than FALCK will help. During a holiday in Denmark I have been given the opportunity to take photos of a similar vehicle and trailer. Also I could take the measures of both.
By Mario Covalski | 10.11.2013 21:07
By Mario Covalski | 10.02.2013 11:21
I have been building the 1/12 Caterham from Tamiya since 1994, right now I don’t remember how many of them I have built but think I did 14 of them. Some were sold other remains in my showcase. In fact I built more as I use to disassemble the old ones and with new techniques and / or inspiration I make new ones, always letting my imagination fly freely.
By Denis R.S.Bomfim | 06.24.2013 10:16
This kit is the AMT 34 Ford very modified. When I opened the kit box inmediuately I realized I wanted to make a different car, and using references of real cars, I got this result. The roof was lowered, the door windows were changed, for the nose I used the one from the 37 Ford Delivery. The front grille was scratchbuilt, I placed the exhausts on the side, the fuel fill cap on the fender, all the interior was remade. Many other details can be seen in the pictures. I hope you like it ...!
By Martin Ulreich | 05.23.2013 10:19
This winter I tried to do a row of 3 RC211V bikes, one of them detailed with the corresponding top studio kit and some more stuff. There was some learning curve associated to all that detail, at least for me, but also a lots of fun. A big issue was the handling of Alclad treated parts, it is very easy to damage the metallic look of the paint. In the meantime Alclad offers a water based sealer that shows promising results and should help here.
By Henschelporsche | 05.16.2013 12:58
This is a highly detailed 1/6 Jagdtiger, based o n the Matorro R/C toy. Michael did a great job with all the added details plus the extensive and deep weathering. Have in account this baby is 60cm long!
By Alessandro Prini | 04.03.2013 12:50
By Giulio Marrucci | 04.02.2013 10:24
The old ESCI kit reissued by Italeri. Good size and detail. The moulding quality is not so bad considering the age. You need a lot of sandpaper to correctly shape almost the entire model. Decals: good quality, poor choice. Painted with model master. Wash with Vallejo. Dry brushed with Tamiya Weathering Master and Mr. Hobby powder. Suggestion: pre assemble as much as you can according to the colours and paint/weather the remaining separately. The leather and wooden parts have been painted using Vallejo acrylic. The fabric has been reproduced with tissue paper hardened with diluted white glue.
By Alvaro Bortoletto | 04.01.2013 11:09
This is one of those challenges that we keep us motived for make a model kit better. This a veteran T-40 Light Tank from STC Start from Russia probably from the long ago eighties............
By Erik Fontein | 03.26.2013 19:59
For this model I have used the reissue of the Italeri MAN 26.321 Formul6 kit. For references taken from the internet I removed the sleeper from the cab. On the roof rack, which was intended for the spoiler, I have a headlight and beacons placed. From the bumper I have removed the under spoiler and behind the cab is a vertical exhaust and air filter installed.
By Daniele Limelli | 03.11.2013 10:51
By Mario Covalski | 02.01.2013 12:02
By David Chou | 01.27.2013 08:59
These ones are both of the Stryker ICV I built. My latest work is the M1126 Stryker.
The AFV kits were built almost out of the box, but I added some storage accessories made of resin from Blast Model/Legend.
By Alessandro Prini | 01.24.2013 20:44
1/24 scale Multi-media Kit of the Ferrari 512BB Le Mans '79. Model Factory Hiro's full kits include resin-cast bodies, rubber tires, aluminum wheels, white metal suspension, photo-etched detail parts and decals. Full engine detail makes for a more complicated kit. Markings are included for N.A.R.T.'s number 64 (Henn/Delaunay/Grandet).
By Alessandro Prini | 01.16.2013 12:21
Our magazine aimed since the beginning to have good content in the articles we proposed, explaining step by step the "how to" of each subject. However there was few cases where only the pictures were enough to understand how terrific a model was, and I sincerely believe this is one of them. I like very much the rally Subarus, mainly the coupes 98 and 99, and Alessandro did a good modelling work with both Tamiya 24199 kits, the Subaru Impreza WRC 1998.
By Roger Knight | 08.01.2010 12:30
The object of this build was to make the model as the Fiat raced in 1907 rather than as it appears now in the Italian museum. It is on this museum exhibit that the Pocher kit is based and it is very different.
Apart from the car being painted entirely red, including the radiator surround and front wheels there are many other differences between the exhibit and the original car.
Other changes to the kit included replacing the 'plastic wood with real wood, floor boards and steering wheel rim and re-modelling the dash board to accurately represent the original.. it was red and not wooden as in the kit. Many plastic parts have been re made in brass and metal and the radiator grill was also remade replacing the plastic item supplied.
The seats where re-covered in leather and all of the straps and buckles have been scratch built. The side 'doors', for want of a better word are canvas on the original and the fabric supplied with the kit is far to thick to ever look convincing. I replaced these with silk as it hangs and folds in a much more realistic 'scale' manner. The engine, being very simplistic in the kit was enhanced using many scratch built parts
The tires on the original were white natural India rubber, as indeed all tires where at the turn of the last century. Carbon black was yet to be added to the rubber in 1907 so the tires supplied with the kit are incorrect (being black) but are correct for the museum vehicle. Model Motorcars ( www.modelmotorcars.com) produce many high quality after market parts for Pocher kits and their extensive range includes a replacement set of white tires for the Fiat so these were used to replace the supplied tires.
This model now represents accurately the 130 hp car in which Nazzaro won the 1907 French Grand Prix
By Mario Covalski | 04.01.2010 12:15
By Mario Covalski | 02.01.2010 10:50
By Mario Covalski | 02.01.2010 10:48
By Mario Covalski | 11.01.2003 11:54
Sometimes, something particular comes about to those lucky modelers who have been doing scale modeling for many years… to compare between two models built by the same author, but ...20 years back. (My dear friends, believe me, I wish I could be 20 years younger, and not writing this editorial :-).
By Ricardo Dacoba | 05.01.2001 20:56
By Mario Covalski | 03.01.2000 14:46
By John Horst
By Mario Covalski
By Thomas Halvarsson
By Davide Negretti
By Davide Negretti
By William Toledo Ferreira
By Thomas Halvarsson
By Thomas Koethe
By Marco Smeriglio
By Mario Covalski
By Juan Madrazo Revilla
By Greg Hayes
By Tsaibau
By Sasa Jelic from Croatia
By Sasa Jelic from Croatia
By Francisco Manuel Martín Cobos
By Roman Kepinski
By Paul Koo
By Mario Covalski
By Marcelo Scaminaci Russo
By Nicolas Perez Fiorentini
Although the Tamiya kit is brilliant there are some interesting adds or modifications you could do. In my case I used, for details, a PE set from PART. This kit contains two PE sheets, one to detail the truck itself and the other one is a tools set to give the model more realism.
By Maurizio Bonello
By Marco Peretti
By Marco Peretti
By Mario Covalski
By Mario Covalski
By Alessandro Prini
By Alessandro Prini
By Alessandro Prini
By Gergo Marosi
By Mark Jones
By Giulio Marrucci
By Domenico Laudiero
By Thomas Halvarsson
By Domenico Laudiero
By Tony Allen
By Roman Kepinski
By Mario Covalski
By Juriga Toma
By Dan Parrat
By Thomas Halvarsson
By Giulio Marrucci
By Alessandro Prini
By Giulio Marrucci
By Nicolas Perez Fiorentini
By Edwing E. Merlo Paredes
By Thomas Halvarsson
By Giulio Marrucci
By Giulio Marrucci
By Gary Smith
By Mario Covalski
By Giulio Marrucci
By Giulio Marrucci
By John Horst
By Alvaro Bortoletto