FineScale Modeler

When Tim Kidwell suggested we build Gundam mobile suits in auto racing liveries for the Build a Model Month “24 Hours of Le Modeling,” I was, to put it mildly, hesitant. Not because it was Gundam, which I like. Or, as you might expect, the idea that we would build them on a 24-hour live stream. No, my concern was pulling off the concept. Could I adapt decals from a 1/24 scale Subaru rally car to fit a 1/100 scale MS-18E Kämpfer? Trying to visualize the finished project brought more questions than answers. Honestly, the same doubts and internal debates hamper every one of my projects. Given that this was a 24-hour live build, I had no choice but get stuck in. Three weeks later, the finished Subaru Subazaku WRC,…

Weathering issue reception I’m writing to let you know my thoughts on the January/February 2025 FineScale Modeler: I can only say I’m disappointed. An entire issue devoted to one subject, in this case weathering, is not good. I look forward to each new issue but was very disappointed to not find a single really meaty article about a model I find interesting. Instead, it was a boring how-to issue on weathering. One article on weathering and then a variety of other builds would be much better. Due to the merging with the auto modeling magazine and dropping to only six issues a year make it imperative to provide more variety in each issue. I literally read this issue in five minutes and am hoping the next is better. – James Senecal…

AIRCRAFT 1/48 SCALE Spitfire Mk. IXe No. 8288 $49.95 from Eduard. Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II No. 61127 $88 from Tamiya. Boston III/A-20 B/C Havoc No. 2656 $73.99 from Italeri. XF5F-1 Skyrocket No. 12363 $26 from Academy. AH-1G Cobra and M8A1 US landing mat No. 48298 $59.99 from ICM. I-153 Luftwafe with pilots and ground personnel No. 48094 $41.99 from ICM. Ki-21-Ib Sally with Japanese pilots and ground crew No. 48197 $112.99 from ICM. P-51B/C Mustang with dorsal fin No. 82108 $49.95 from Eduard. Junkers-Larsen JL.6. military service No. 48013 $TBA from MiniArt. 1/72 SCALE F4F-4 Wildcat Operation Torch No. 70065 $24 from Arma Hobby. Turbolet L-410U VP No. 2148 $49.95 from Eduard. Bf 109G-14 No. 70161 $24.95 from Eduard. ARMOR 1/35 SCALE SdKfz 234/3 Schwerer Panerspahwagen Stummel No. 53001…

The only foreign user of both the F9F Panther and Cougar was the Argentine navy, which purchased 28 F9F-2B Panthers and two F9F-8T Cougars in the late 1950s and early ’60s. The two-seat Cougar trainers served until June 1971, and one of them became the first aircraft to break the sound barrier in Argentina. I wanted to build that particular plane as part of my collection of Argentine aircraft and the only game in town for a 1/48 scale two-seat Cougar is Kitty Hawk. The company is out of business now, but the kit can still be found online and in some stores. It has decent detail, but assembly is complicated with a multipart fuselage. A key to success when building certain kits is evaluating the parts and deviating from…

If you visit FineScale.com, you’ll find our photo guidelines. In them, we steer potential contributors away from using smartphones to photograph their models and model projects for publication. Digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) cameras have a wider range of capabilities, readily shoot in RAW, and take better photos in general. However, proficiency becomes a challenge as does the expense. Believe it or not, not everyone owns a DSLR. However, just about everyone owns a smartphone. Modelers use smartphones to snap photos of their models all the time. And for upload to Facebook or Instagram or to share via text or on online forums, these are often good enough. However, for print there are considerations like photo size, color correction, and depth of field. All of these can be handled readily with…

In the January/February 2025 FSM, I detailed and weathered a Bandai 1/48 scale AT-ST. My plan then was to place it in a scene from the third original Star Wars movie, Return of the Jedi, with Rebel soldiers drawing an Imperial Scout Walker away from the bunker housing the shield controls. The soldiers were kitbashed from existing figures, but I had to scratchbuild everything else. FINAL THOUGHTS ADDING THE AT-ST and the figures finished the scene. The big challenge for this diorama was the height differences between the trees, the AT-ST, and the figures. The scene needed a balanced design to exploit these differences and emphasize the giant trees and imposing Imperial walker compared to the figures. I wanted viewers to experience the same sense of scale they did watching…