Tabla de contenidos para September/October 2025 en FineScale Modeler

No doubt about it, the Takom 1/35 scale AH-64E Apache Guardian (No. 2602) is a massive, detailed kit of the latest U.S.-made attack helicopter. The box comes chock full of sprues bursting with plastic parts, photo-etched metal (PE), and even 3D-printed details. But the decals only provide two American marking options. Unfortunate, really, because other countries have the AH-64E in their arsenals, with Australia due to accept delivery on 29 Guardians in 2025. Even though no decals were yet available for the future Australian machines when I undertook this project, I was inspired by images posted on the Boeing website of an artist’s interpretation of what the choppers would look like in Aussie uniform. But first, I had to put it together. My approach was to build the Guardian in…

MATT REYNOLDS VALLEJO, CALIFORNIA This Japanese Kaido Racer started as an Aoshima 1/24 scale Nissan Gloria. Matt scratchbuilt the front lip, side skirts, rear wing, and that radical exhaust. He airbrushed a Tropical Glitz Silver base, masked, laid down HoK Wild Cherry Kandy, and then topped everything with PPG Clear. MARK GEIGER LEMOORE, CALIFORNIA Mark showed his love for the band Molly Hatchet with his MPC 1/20 scale 1970 Ford Econoline Custom van with STS decals. He painted it with Testors Mystical Red and Metallic Gold and topped it with car polish buffed to a deep shine. No guts, no glory, Mark! ARMANDO LEON-DURAN RANCHO CORDOVA, CALIFORNIA Moving dirt! Armando’s AMT 1/25 scale Caterpillar D8H bulldozer looks like it’s been working hard. He replaced the front of the molded radiator…

Disappointed by the plastic propeller in the the Hasegawa 1/8 scale Fokker Dr.I triplane, I built a wooden propeller to improve it. This got me thinking I should model authentic-looking propellers for my 1/32 scale World War I aircraft, too.…

The Grumman F4F-F Wildcat was the mainstay fighter of U.S. Naval aviation for the first two years of World War II. While it could not match the Japanese Zero in speed or agility, it was durable and easy to fly. Even after the combat debut of the Hellcat and Corsair, the Wildcat remained in production and combat service on escort carriers. Several kit manufacturers have produced the Wildcat, including this new Academy 1/48 scale USN F4F-4 Wildcat “Battle of Midway” variant. Cockpit construction starts the build with sidewalls and an instrument panel decal. The seat belts come as photo-etched (PE) metal parts, with shoulder and lap belts. The cockpit floor includes cutouts for the lower windows. Construction then moves to the landing gear and wheel bay. The landing gear assembly…

By the end of the 1960s, convertibles were quickly falling out of favor in the automobile market, with most manufacturers discontinuing the body style by the end of the 1970 model year. As it turns out, convertible model car annual kits had nearly always been much slower sellers than the hardtop variants, so as the 1/1 scale convertibles disappeared, so did convertible model kits. For example, when the AMT, MPC, Revell, and JoHan 1/25 scale 1970 model year annual kits debuted, only a few convertible kits remained — among them the Revell Mustang, MPC Impala Chevy, and MPC Cougar. To broaden whatever market appeal remained, Revell designed its Mustang kit to build either a convertible or Grande hardtop, while MPC resorted to merchandising its Impala convertible as “The Bat Machine”…

On Dec. 7, 1941, as the Japanese navy attacked U.S. Navy and Army forces at Pearl Harbor, 12 Boeing B-17s were on their way from California and arrived just as the attack began. Unarmed and unprepared for combat, most were able to land safely at various nearby airfields with minimal damage and casualties. However, two B-17Cs were severely damaged and deemed irreparable. I wanted to build one of these, nicknamed “Skipper,” in the markings and paint scheme it carried during the attack. For this mostly out-of-the-box project, I used the recently released Wolfpack 1/72 scale B-17C kit (No. WP17212), which is a reissue of the 1989 Academy offering with beautiful new box art, canopy masks, and decals. FINAL THOUGHTS PILOT LT. ROBERT RICHARDS and his crew of nine in their…

One reason building scale model cars and trucks is so popular is because there are so many ways to build them. Model a meticulously researched factory-correct showroom replica or superdetail a racing icon. Or go your own way and make something you’ve never seen in your life, but a vision of what you’d like to see in a real car or truck. Perhaps you just want a fun kitbashing project inspired by many sources, but with your own spin. That’s where I was. I had a set of new Ford 1936 Ford “wide five” wheels from Replicas and Miniatures Co. of Maryland. Popular after World War II in roadster racing circles, they’re seeing a comeback among vintage beach and hill-climb racing events. And the Ford Model A “banger” engine in…

Not another 109,” is a frequent lament on the internet. If you like the Bf 109, it’s a good thing there’s another 109 kit from Eduard, because its series of Bf 109s is superlative. The latest Eduard 1/72 scale Bf 109G-6/AS and Bf 109G-14/AS “Gustav Pt.3” Dual Combo plastic model kit allows you to build one G-6 and one G-14 — two models, one box! Eduard’s instructions offer plenty of information detailing the G-6 and G-14 versions equipped with the DB605AS engine. Clear, annotated illustrations point out specific features, and given the number of options in this kit, it helps to study the instructions and mark the parts needed for your chosen version. No matter which of the construction options and 10 decal schemes you choose, you will end up…

The Gaahleri Premium Series Mobius 0.2mm dual-action airbrush comes at a time when more and more hobbyists are picking up airbrushes to paint miniature figures, Gunpla, and other small, detailed models or components. Known for solidly designed airbrushes that won’t cost you an arm and a leg to purchase, Gaahleri steps up with its Premium Series Mobius models, offering you a choice between airbrushes with a .2mm and .3mm nozzle ($77.99). Inside the beautiful packaging, you’ll find the airbrush, paint cup and lid, replacement O-rings, and a tube of needle lubricant. The airbrush weighs all of 4 ounces (112 grams), with an ergonomically shaped trigger that took me a little getting used to, because I found my finger tended to slip off it. However, with use, as with all things,…

While I was building the HobbyBoss 1/48 scale B-24J Liberator (No. 81774) for review for FineScale Modeler, I was both disappointed and annoyed the nose and tail turrets were split in halves straight through the middle of the clear areas. Not knowing how to make the seam disappear from the center, I looked for other options. Finding no aftermarket replacements and after watching a few YouTube videos, I decided to attempt vacuum-forming replacements. It looked simple enough. “How hard could it be? What could possibly go wrong?” On the surface, vacuum forming appears rather straight forward. Take a sheet of plastic, put it in a frame, and heat it. When the plastic approaches its melting point, it begins to sag and becomes malleable, pull it down over a positive form…

Luftverkehrsgesellschaft (literally Aero Traffic Society), shortened to LVG, developed the C.VI late during World War I as a German, high-altitude, observation aircraft. Powered by an over-compressed, 228 horsepower Benz Bz.IV engine, the airplane could reach altitudes Allied aircraft couldn’t, and the crew were equipped with luxuries like parachutes and heated flight suits. Germany built more than 1,000 C.VIs, a testament to its reliability and usefulness. With such a heritage behind it, of course I wanted to build one for my collection. Wingnut Wings’ (WNW) second release was a 1/32 scale kit of the LVG C.VI. However, it lacked the refinements of later WNW kits. For example, the 24 valve springs on the engine were molded solid with the rocker arms. In later kits, they look like springs. If you’re like me,…

The Tamiya 1/24 scale Toyota GR Supra Custom plastic model kit is a reissued kit with some new parts that can be built to U.S., European, or Japanese spec. That means either left-or right-hand drive along with other related parts, including a choice of stock or custom wheels. The model, however, cannot be built as a standard factory stock Supra due to the custom body panels. This is a curbside kit with a full interior and chassis detail underneath, but no engine. There are some faint mold lines on the sides of the body, but overall, Tamiya’s tooling is impeccable. Only four parts make up the main body. Prep was very easy, but I did chase the panel lines a little deeper. The chassis has a good amount of detail…

The ICM 1/35 scale SdKfz 3b with Flak 38 plastic model kit is a new addition to the company’s Maultier halftrack family, first introduced in 2012. This variant pairs the original chassis and running gear with the V3000S cab and Flak 38 to create the Truppenluftschutzwagen — a mobile antiaircraft platform. The kit’s 20-page instruction book covers 89 steps. The chassis ladder frame requires careful alignment, as vague location points can cause problems later on. Make sure the frame is level and square, or you will encounter significant trouble adding the remaining components. The kit comes with a nicely detailed motor, but it’s hidden after the cab is installed. The delicate suspension exercised my patience and required attention while building. However, the link-and-length tracks fit well. The cab has a…