Scaleworld

By Richard Marmo

 

Here we are, the first of December -again- and everyone's flush with cash (or at least a collection of credit cards that are suffering from overuse), simultaneously dreading the arrival of all those bills in January that cause mail carriers to risk hernias! Since the object of the Christmas season (other than the real reason) is to lavish money and gifts on those you care about, supporting the national economy in the process, here's a few more items that may encourage you to open your wallet. Either that or act as suggestions to your loved ones as to what you'd like them to buy you.


As you all know, there are many levels of modelbuilding. Everything from box stock kit builders (known frequently as box shakers) to scratchbuilders who will use literally any material from leftover parts to resin to sheet styrene and sheet acrylic to do the job. No method is right or wrong and it's probably safe to say that those who limit themselves to box stock kits (with perhaps some aftermarket superdetailing) are in the majority. You also don't have the problem of where to find the requisite raw material for your next project as those who prefer major conversions or scratchbuilding have to.

All too frequently, the only readily available source for sheet styrene are the selections offered by Plastruct and Evergreen at your local hobby shop. Again, nothing wrong with it and I've certainly bought my share of both products. Howsomever, when all you need is plain sheet styrene in varying thicknesses and/or sizes, there's no assurance you can find the appropriate item at the hobby shop. Thicknesses generally stop at .125" and it's fairly hard to find sheets any larger than 6"x 9" or 8" x 10" with two sheets to the package being the norm. Price also becomes a factor if you happen to need seven or eight packages.

But it just so happens that there is a solution for those of us who need substantial amounts or larger pieces of sheet styrene. That solution is a website called MIKE'S CUSTOM PLASTIC. Operated by Michael Oulie, he offers very reasonable prices and free custom sizing from just a few square inches all the way up to 4' x 8'.

So how cheap is cheap? Well, here's a few examples: .080" costs you $0.012 per square inch (that's 1.2 cents per square inch), meaning a 12" x 12" piece will set you back a spectacular $1.73 plus postage.

The thinner the plastic, the cheaper the price. Need .020"? It's priced at $0.0030 per square inch (less than a third of a cent per square inch), which translates to a truly expensive $0.43 cents for a 12" x 12" inch sheet.

For those of you who require .010", the price is practically a giveaway at only $0.0021 per square inch (barely more than one fifth of a cent per square inch). That price means that a 12" x 12" sheet is only going to set you back $0.30 plus shipping. In all cases, Virginia residents need to add 4.5% sales tax.

What's the quality of the styrene? Every bit as good as you would expect. I've used several pieces and have been totally satisfied with it. Matter of fact, I incorporated his styrene into an architectural mass model I was building and couldn't tell the difference between Mike's styrene and the white styrene I bought locally from a plastics distributor in 4' x 8' sheets, other than the fact that Mike's styrene was cheaper.

I could go on, but why don't you check his website for full particulars? Incidentally, he also accepts credit cards and check cards through PayPal.


Two of the latest releases from POLAR LIGHTS couldn't be more opposite as far as subjects are concerned. On one hand you have Homer Simpson's car that's known as The Homer, while on the other you have their new 1/1000th scale USS Enterprise NCC-1701 from Star Trek.

Taking The Homer first, this little puppy is going to very popular with just about anyone who is hooked on The Simpsons TV show. Strangely enough, I'm probably one of the few people in this country who has never seen a complete episode. Not only does it not interest me, I can't understand why it appeals to so many. However, you can't argue with success, so let's take a look at the POLAR LIGHTS kit.

The kit comes in a brightly colored (just what you'd expect for Homer Simpson) 6 1/2" x 6 1/2" x 10" flip top box that is literally crammed to the gills with parts. It also has a clear window in the top that allows you to see the pre-painted figure of Homer. This is a level one snap kit that can be built with absolutely no painting. If you want to do a little detailing, the instructions do suggest colors for the tail lights, driving lamps and the steering wheel cover.

So what's inside the box? Some 50 lime green, brown and chrome parts that are all contained within seven bags. Homer is housed in his own clear vacuformed package. Instructions are very clear and take the form of a four-section fold-out sheet with English on one side and French on the other. No one should have any problem getting The Homer built.

All of the moldings are clean and crisp with little if any flash. If you're careful with the sprue cutters, you shouldn't have any rough areas where you've removed parts from their gates. You will want to be careful when applying the 'decals' because they're not the usual waterslide decals. They're self-adhesive stickers. Be sure that you have them lined up exactly where you want them.

In case you're wondering why I haven't mentioned the scale of The Homer, it's because none is given. Being part of an animated TV show, there are no dimensions to base scale on. If you assume that the approximately 3" tall Homer Simpson figure included in the kit is around 6 feet tall in 'real life', then the kit would be 1/24th scale. Considering the overall size of The Homer, that's probably pretty close.

All in all, it's an appealing kit…even if you don't watch The Simpsons every week…and a fun change of pace from all thos serious models we're constantly obsessed with. The Homer is a perfect companion to the earlier Scooby-Doo Van and Jetsons Spaceship that POLAR LIGHTS also gave us. Heck, I may even break down and build one myself.

Price of this "car for the common man"? A mere $11.99.


The other member of this POLAR LIGHTS pair…also carrying an $11.99 price tag…is the long awaited snap kit of the Star Trek USS Enterprise. Besides being rated a level 2 kit, it's also a 3-in-1 kit, meaning that you can build three different versions of NCC-1701. However, depending on how you look at it, you can actually produce seven different starships. If that sounds a little confusing, let me explain.

Through the use of alternate parts, you can duplicate an Enterprise from the production TV series, as she appeared in the first pilot titled "The Cage", or configured as in the second pilot that was titled "Where No Man Has Gone Before". By changing decals, a mirror universe version …as seen in the episode "Mirror, Mirror"… can be created. And just in case you don't want another Enterprise, additional decals allow you to replicate three other Constellation class starships. USS Constellation -NCC 1017, USS Exeter - NCC 1672 and USS Defiant - NCC 1764.

Simply put, that's quite a lot of choices, particularly for a snap kit in the relatively small scale of 1/1000th …which makes the finished starship only 11" long. That scale also explains the 6 1/2" x 4" x 9 1/2" clamshell box that it comes in.

Still, inside the box are three bags of parts (two in gray styrene and the other for clear parts), along with another bag of decals. Parts number exceed 50.

Quality of the moldings is everything you would expect from POLAR LIGHTS and the kit is really very nicely done and well engineered. If there's a negative to the kit, though I'm not sure you can call it that due to the limitations of the 1/1000th scale, it's that there are no panel lines. Frankly, panel lines in that scale would be totally invisible unless they were a yard wide. Purists who insist on replicating the Aztec pattern on the saucer will have to do it from scratch, though I wonder about the wisdom of trying it. After all, when you have a saucer that's only five inches across, the chances of creating an Aztec pattern that is appropriately subtle is going to fall somewhere between slim and none…and slim just left town.

Personally, I'd take advantage of the opportunity to create a large number of Constellation class starships in the correct markings and all to a constant scale that can be displayed on a single shelf in a relatively small space. I suspect that's what POLAR LIGHTS had in mind because, while two sheets of decals are actually self-adhesive stickers, they also included a very nice waterslide decal sheet for benefit of the more experienced modeler.

All in all, this 1/1000th Enterprise is a very nice beginning to what we can only hope will be a continuing series of Star Trek ships in a constant scale. And there's reason to hope. POLAR LIGHTS has already announced another 1/1000th scale kit that should be available in January…a Klingon D-7 Battle Cruiser. Incidentally, if you're still whining that you wish they'd made them in a bigger scale, a 1/350th scale NX-01 Enterprise (the one that Scott Bakula commands as Captain Jonathan Archer) has been announced for availability this month. At somewhere around 24 inches in length, it will definitely be big enough.

Those of you whose interests lie in the truly exotic, sometimes flat out weird, aircraft of the Third Reich, have a real treat in store for you. Midland Press, distributed in North America by SPECIALTY PRESS has released a new book titled Luftwaffe Secret Projects: Ground Attack & Special Purpose Aircraft by Dieter Herwig and Heinz Rode. With 272 pages, along with 110 color and 150 b&w illustrations in a hardbound volume, this book will fascinate anyone interested in the more -uh- unique design concepts of Hitler's Germany. While a lot of the designs were literally decades ahead of their time and technologically impractical to produce, many would have seen combat against the Allies if the war had lasted another year or two. It's not beyond the realm of possibility that Germany might have been able to force a negotiated peace and save their homeland from destruction. No one knows what might have been, but the designs in this book provide plenty of fodder for speculation.

There isn't enough room in this column (Or time either. It's that dreaded deadline again!) to describe the book in depth. However, you will find a large number of flying wing, delta wing and swept wing designs. Jet and piston engines combined on a single aircraft, an Arado Ar-234 with a search radar mounted in a dome above the fuselage, more Mistel concepts than you ever knew existed, small single-seat jets designed to ram enemy aircraft while the pilot ejected and on and on and on. Anyone whose interests lie with WW-II Luftwaffe aircraft would consider this book a perfect gift to find under the tree come Christmas morning. And the price? Just $54.95. And before you yelp at the word 'just', the amount of information contained on exotic concepts contained in a single book makes that description entirely accurate.

Available from your better bookstores and hobby shops, you can also order it directly from the Specialty Press website. Prefer snail mail? Their address is 39966 Grand Avenue, North Branch, MN 55056. Be aware that orders directly from Specialty Press require a $4.95 shipping and handling fee.

That, folks, is it for this month and this year…with one small exception. Don't forget that my CD-ROM, "Lockheed P-38 Lightning Gallery" is also available for immediate shipment and gift giving. It was the subject of some shameless self-promotion in the October issue of Scaleworld. Somewhere in the next issue of Internet Modeler should be an objective review of the disc by our fearless leader and publisher.

So for now, Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Happy Hanukkah, Feliz Navidad and I'll see y'all next year.

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