The July publication of Model Art Modeling Magazine celebrates the eight hundredth issue of this periodical, and commemorates this landmark with a special focus on the Formula one cars of Ayrton Senna from 1984 to 1994. The magazine also includes new kit reviews, modeling tips, and new kit and item releases. As is typical for Model Art, the magazine measures 182mm by 258mm (about 71/8 by 101/8 inches), and is printed on thick, glossy paper. The production quality is high with these magazines, and just over half of it is printed in color with black and white pages interspersed throughout of the issue. Just in case this is the first review of a Model Art magazine that you are reading, understand that the entire magazine is printed in Japanese with only an occasional English subtitle for those of us who are monolingual.
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Introduction: The primary organization of the IPMS/USA Review website is by IPMS/USA National Contest Class. Within each Class there are sub-menus by kits, decals, books, etc. The Miscellaneous Class is for items that are not class specific or that cross two or more classes.
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In the last several years, Kagero Publishing of Lublin, Poland has rapidly expanded, providing a host of publications for modelers. Its newest series is War Camera Photobooks. As the series suggests, it uses photographs from World War Two to illustrate, in this case, German Heavy Cruisers. With the recent release by Trumpeter of the Prinz Eugen and Admiral Hipper in 1/350 and 1/700 scales, this book is a timely release.
Sometimes fate just sets you up for something great without you realizing it. I keep an F-14 Tomcat (of VF-84) on my desk at work, and not long ago I noticed that I, or someone, had bumped the case it was in, thereby separating the Alpha probe from its place on the nose cone. Before I could remember to take in some glue to make my repair, an offer came out to the IPMS-USA Review Corps to evaluate this very item from a new Polish manufacturer called Master (typically referred to as Master-Models on other internet sites). I immediately requested this particular item, and was pleasantly surprised when I was given the ability to perform this review.
The lead article of this issue, and the cover feature, focuses on a spectacular diorama by Frank Bazin, which he calls Hill 112. It’s a historical vignette of a moment in time. It depicts the British thrust of July 10, 1944 in their vain attempt to break the German hold on Caen, a month after the Allies landed in France. Bazin’s diorama captures the intensity of the immediate aftermath of the British bombardment and is what all modelers should strive for in a diorama. His article focuses on three components of the diorama - the enhancements and weathering of the Tamiya Tiger I, the exquisite scratch built figures which populate the scene, and the foliage that dominates the hill top.
Every now and then a product comes along that represents a giant leap forward for the modeler. This is one of those products. Aires has released the Wheelliant Weighted Wheels set for Tamiya’s F-14A Tomcat in 1/32 scale
The product is packaged in a clear plastic bag that allows one to view all of the parts prior to purchase. The package contains parts for all four tires, both the main gear tires and nose wheel tires. Also included are the rims, or wheels, for all four tires. A length of copper wire is also included. This wire can be bent and added to the main struts to simulate pneumatic lines.