Tabla de contenidos para May/June 2025 en FineScale Modeler

During the late 1950s, Aero Vodochody, a Czechoslovakian aviation company, took on the challenge to design a jet-powered aircraft suitable for adoption by Eastern Bloc nations, replace the Soviet Union’s aging piston-powered trainers, and fill the void as Czechoslovakia’s own propeller-driven training airplanes aged out. Aero’s answer was the L-29 Delfin (dolphin, in English). Stable in flight, the Delfin was renowned for its robust design and easy maintenance, and it became the standard trainer for Warsaw Pact air forces during the Cold War. The Delfin’s durability and versatility made it appealing for service beyond that of a training aircraft. It saw operations as a light-attack aircraft in several countries, even after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. The cockpit could accommodate two crew members under a large, plexiglass canopy. It…

I love to share our hobby with the first officers I fly with and most enjoy looking at our “fantastic plastic marvels.” Along the way, I’ve discovered that they are good critics of our craft and I’m always asking them for feedback and ideas for my new projects. On a recent flight, I told my first officer that when I’m really tired on the road, I send my wife a picture of a dragon and a donkey to say, “I’m draggin’ my … uh … tail.” He said, “Dang! That would make a great diorama!” My response? “You’re absolutely right! I’m going to do it.” Finding the dragon was easy. I chose the Pegasus Hobbies 1/32 scale Dragonslayer Vermithrax, an easy build with excellent detail. I found a reluctant donkey…

Although similar looking, poster putty (top) and Silly Putty (bottom) provide two different masking results. For softer edges to your camouflage paint scheme, roll out poster putty. If you are looking for hard edges, Silly Putty is the mask for you. A putty for your thoughts What is the best putty to use to make paint lines. I’ve tried Play-Doh and that didn’t end well. It semi-dries and sticks to the model. Since I couldn’t remove it until the paint was drier, it was really messy. There’s got to be something better. I’ve seen it before but never got the name. Any help you could provide would be greatly appreciated. I enjoy [FineScale Modeler] and learn from it even when it’s on a subject I don’t enjoy building. Please keep…

Consider, what if the Berlin Crisis of 1948-49 had escalated into a full-scale war between the West and its former ally, the Soviet Union, culminating in a nuclear exchange. The conflict left much of Central Europe a radioactive wasteland with only a few habitable areas left. With the belligerents off licking their wounds and rebuilding their core territories, the survivors in these zones have been left to fend for themselves. Petty warlords and bands of people fight to control the scarce resources. In my imagining, these combatants made use of vehicles and armament leftover from World War II and WWIII and whatever else they could find. Imagine Mad Max with 1940s vehicles and you get the idea. Having fun with the concept, I modified the new MiniArt 1/35 scale Opel…

Mike McFadden was up for a challenge when he scratchbuilt his entire 1/72 scale World War II German Kriegsfischkutter (KFK) D from simple ship outline plans and a few detail photos. Looking for a subject that would lend itself to complete customization and detailing to his heart’s desire, Mike was inspired by a model of an early version of a Kriegsfischkutter he saw at the 2018 IPMS/USA National Convention. After research, he found a later, more advanced version and thought it would give him a great starting point for his model. Mike may be a pro at scratchbuilding now, but that’s because, like many modelers, he discovered modeling as a kid. The recently retired Arizona orthodontist rediscovered the hobby toward the end of his residency in 1987 and was reinvigorated…

Can a model car kit introduced as recently as 1994 still be considered a classic kit? More than three decades ago, Revell introduced what would be its last, newly tooled, Pro Stock drag-racing kit. The project was marketed in two forms: Warren Johnson’s GM Performance Parts Olds Pro Stock (No. 7363), and the kit shown here, Larry Morgan’s Olds Cutlass sponsored by Castrol Super Clean. Prior to the mid-1980s, most Pro Stock model-car kits were inaccurate replicas based on showroom, stock, model-car tooling. Monogram, fresh off the overwhelming success of its 1983-84 NASCAR kit series, undertook development of two super-accurate Pro Stock projects based on state-of-the-art 1/1 scale 1984 Camaro and Thunderbird racers. Kits produced from this project were resoundingly successful, and the tooling was periodically updated with new versions…

Plastic Undercover photo gallery Cleveland’s North Coast Automotive Modelers (NCAM) hosted the 2nd annual Plastic Undercover model car show. Modelers showed up to see friends, get inspired, and acquire materials for future projects. More than 400 models filled the display tables with builders traveling from as far as Iowa to attend. Don’t miss any of the models that caught our eye. Visit FineScale.com/show-galleries and enjoy! Let FSM help you build better scale models Visit FineScale.com for all your scale-modeling, how-to needs. No matter if you’re wondering whether to buy that latest kit you’ve heard so much about, how to achieve better results from your airbrush, paint figures, model shattered glass, or get that perfect look for your model’s base, FSM has you covered. It doesn’t matter if you’re new to…

Early in my auto-industry career, I was a zone manager assigned to a rural, agricultural district in Northeastern Michigan. While traveling from dealer to dealer, I noticed a surprising number of early 1960s Ford pickups still in service. Unlike virtually all other post-World War II, full-sized pickups where the cab and box were separate pieces, these Fords combined the pickup cab and box into a single structure. While this configuration was dropped after the 1963 model year, these “unibody” pickups are now highly valued among car collectors. Not long after my discovery, I paid what amounts to $160 in 2025 dollars for a pristine, unbuilt AMT 1/25 scale 1963 F-100 Unibody “3 in 1” customizing kit — among my most expensive kit purchases ever. I envisioned building it with a…

I keep all my built models, even the oldest; they provide a record of my lifelong journey as a modeler. While looking over my collection recently, I was inspired to rebuild one of them, a Revell 1/196 scale USS Constitution that I’d finished as a teen in 1974. It was a little the worse for wear but still in good enough shape for conversion. My idea was to model a long-abandoned wreck washed up on a rocky beach in a storm. Split by the force of the waves, the hull would be surrounded by broken masts, ripped and lost sails, scattered cannons, and other debris. Have no fear! It was not my intention to besmirch the Constitution’s good name, so I made a small alteration as you’ll see. Karel Sutt…