In the Box and Molding Quality

Atlantis Models has re-released the classic Aurora 1:8 scale Blue Knight of Milan figure kit, which originally appeared in 1958. As the current owner of the Aurora trademark, Atlantis included the original box art and period instructions. The kit comprises approximately 35 parts molded in a metallic blue styrene, spread across several sprues, along with the traditional small red feather plume. The molding quality is generally good. Minor flash was present, primarily along the parting lines, but was easily removed during part preparation. Ejector pin marks were either absent or located in areas that would be hidden after assembly.

It doesn’t matter if you are scratch building, converting, or just adding detail to a military vehicle model, you need scale nuts and bolts. Sometimes, you need a lot of them. I have tried just about every technique for making bolt heads with varying success. Salami slicing hex rods resulted in varying thickness and sloping bolt heads. Chiseling off Styrene bolt heads works; but it is difficult to keep them level. I’ve found it nearly impossible to properly position resin nuts and bolts regardless of the type of CA used. So, I was thrilled to get an RP Toolz Hexagonal Punch and Die Set. This tool allows you to punch bolt heads from Styrene strips resulting in perfectly uniform thickness.

Here’s a review coming to you from all around the United States! It turns out that this set toured the US for a year before actually arriving at my doorstep. Seems our Postal Service just couldn’t chock the wheels of that truck…So I was extremely happy and surprised to receive this Wheelliant product.

On initial inspection the detail looks like it will show well in close-up photography. In addition to the diamond pattern on the chocks the lateral lines are very finally crafted and show no signs of residual material in the grooves so they look very crisp.

Turning over the info card you’ll get a surprise, a large set of instructions that’s easy to follow and red as it’s not printed in size 2 font like many are prone to. I thought this was a definite benefit, no matter how simple it seems as so many other manufacturer’s are including no instructions these days.

Fit and Finish

This kit’s fit overall kit is very good to excellent. The surface details are outstanding and compare favorably with what photographs and line drawings show. This model, like so many of the new releases from MiniArt, just look like the real vehicles themselves.

Construction Notes

The kit is moulded in light grey plastic with only two large plastic sprue trees. There are few if any aspects of this build which posed any problems—it goes together in a basic pattern, beginning with the engine, suspension and drive assemblies. Believe me, the 26 pages of kit instructions provide you with a deal of in depth instructions broken down in multiple steps and 71 assembly panels.

Casemate Publishers presents Seaforth's ShipCraft 23, Rodney and Nelson battleships by Les & Robert Brown. This book is an update of the original 2015 ShipCraft of Rodney and Nelson. Les Brown is a well-known and accomplished British warship aficionado and builder of beautiful models, with a long history of championing British warships, typically destroyers and smaller warships. He is also a luminary in the Small Warships Group of the IPMS. Canadian Robert Brown has also authored other craft books, including HMS Warspite and British Aircraft Carriers.

This heavily illustrated paperback is the ultimate single resource for building accurate models of both Rodney and Nelson, some of the oddest but successful battleships of the 20th century. The book has very little open space, crammed full of text, drawings and photos of models.