Fans of the movie Home Alone have been waiting years for a model of the van used by the two hapless robbers, the Wet Bandits. Portrayed by Joe Pesci (Harry) and Daniel Stern (Marv), the robbers use the repair van as cover for their cat burglarizing at 8-year-old Kevin’s (Macaulay Culkin) home after he inadvertently gets left behind as his family leaves for overseas. Released in 1990 (has it really been that long ago?) the movie is a timeless classic and has become an icon of modern popular culture.

MPC have made additions to their Dodge Ram Van and decked it out with all the paraphernalia seen in the movie. The kit was originally released in 1978 as the Magic Van, several releases of the Bad Company Van from 1982 and 2015, and most recently in 2021 as the Turtle Wax Van.

Guideline Publications is the UK's leading publisher of modelling and hobby-related magazines. With a world-class portfolio of titles and an international Social Media presence, Guideline Publications has a dedicated readership that is constantly expanding into new areas. This English-language book, Warpaint 8, Boeing B-47 Stratojet, is authored by Kev Darling with artwork by Sam Pearson. The latest Guideline’s A digital edition will soon be available. News on Guideline’s publications can be found on Facebook.

Kev Darling is an aviation historian, writer, and publisher based in South Wales. He served in the Royal Air Force as an aircraft engineer for nearly 30 years, from June 1973 to March 2003. He has written at least 30 books since 1987, working in the RAF Illustrated series, Crowood Aviation series, Crowood Combat Legend series, Specialty Press' WarbirdTech series, as well as Guideline's Warpaint series.

The non-profit UK based group known as the Great War Aviation Society publishes their journal, Cross & Cockade International, four times a year. Issues are available in English as printed [Softbound, A4 (8.27” x 11.69”), 80 pages plus centerfold] as well as digital copies (or both). A new magazine, Contact!, is now available in both print and digital download. The Society also provides a free newsletter (sign up on their website) and occasionally publish WWI themed books like the Sopwith Dolphin monograph I reviewed earlier for IPMS USA. This Journal is the sister of the US Journal, Over The Front. The Great War Aviation Society also hosts a lecture series available through Zoom. If interested, you will need to register early as the call is limited in attendance. The Great War Aviation Society also is on Facebook and on X [Twitter].

From the Introduction -

Tuesday, 6:02AM (GMT+9), 29 August 2017

Residents on Hokkaido, Japan’s northernmost island, wake to an emergency alert on their phones. The morning dark is washed from their faces as blue-tinged screens alight. Sleepy-eyed, in bedrooms or on early commutes, they stare disbelievingly at the message as around them alarm sirens begin their unearthly wail:

Missile launch. Missile launch. A missile has been launched from North Korea. Evacuate to a building or underground.

Though the country had over the previous decades slowly grown accustomed to the menace periodically emerging from its walled-off resting ground on the upper Korean peninsula, 2017 had been a year unlike any other.

ResKit is a Ukrainian manufacturer of high-quality aftermarket accessories for scale plastic model kits, specializing in finely detailed resin and 3D‑printed parts. Despite operating in a country affected by war, ResKit continues to design, produce, and deliver aftermarket parts from Ukraine, demonstrating resilience and dedication to both the hobby and its customers. ResKit.

ResKit has provided several resin detail sets for the ICM Tarhe and Sky Crane helicopters, including this landing gear set. The kit contains two main landing gear with weighted tires and the nose gear and tire. The parts are 3-D printed resin with brass pieces for the actual struts. Using brass for the axles and struts will greatly increase the strength of the landing gear assembly. Height of the landing gear can be adjusted depending on the load or whether the aircraft is airborne. I plan to hang ICM‘s fire tank on the helicopter so the additional strength will be helpful.