The Model Stash

Hi, Everyone! On May 4th, the Smithsonian announced ( https://airandspace.si.edu/newsroom/press-releases/national-air-and-space-museum-welcomes-star-wars-x-wing-starfighter ) that it has the full-size mockup of Poe Dameron's Resistance T-70 X-wing starfighter.  It is currently in its orange and light grey livery as seen in Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker . The full-sized vehicle, with a wingspan of 37 feet, is on long-term loan from Lucasfilm.  It will undergo conservation in the Restoration Hangar at the National Air and Space Museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center.  The work is currently visible to the public.  The Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center is located in Chantilly, Virginia, near Washington Dulles International Airport.  It is open daily (except on Christmas Day, December 25) from 10 AM until 5:30 PM.  Admission is free, but there is a $15.00 fee for parking. Once the conservation process is completed, the X-wing starfighter will be displaye...

Hi, Everyone! Although not all that familiar to scale modelers, X-Plus - a Japanese maker of collectable figures and statues from franchises such as Godzilla , Dragon Ball , Ultraman , and more - will be dipping their toes in the styrene model kit market soon.  Their first offering will be comic fan favorite Vampirella! 1:8 scale - about 23 cm (9.06 inches) tall All new tooled kit, but sculpted in a pose that purposely honors the artwork found on the box of the 1971 Aurora Vampirella model kit 38 parts Includes graveyard display base 3999 yen (currently about $37.00 U.S.D.) Late-summer to fall 2021 scheduled release Check out the official images below including two of the original Aurora kit box artwork! Stay tuned... :)

 Hi, Everyone! Here's something different from Bandai...a dinosaur model kit! Imaginary Skeleton Tyrannosaurus: 1:32 scale - about 35 cm (13.78 inches) in length Design of the skeleton model incorporates the latest theories and scientific knowledge Sculpted in a unique jumping pose Skeletal bones that created the special instep that supported the weight of a 10-ton T-rex are reproduced The wishbone (located at the base of the shoulder), which supports the T-rex's short arms, features reproductions of stress fracture traces caused by strong impacts Hole marks where nerves passed through the lips are also reproduced with precision Detailed teeth profile inside the upper and lower jaw is accurately reproduced A finely detailed display base reproduces the plants of the Cretaceous period Commentary booklet by dinosaur expert Kyoichi Tomita is included July 2021 scheduled release 3960 yen (currently about $37.00 U.S.D.) Check out the official images below! Stay tuned... :)

Hi, Everyone! Bandai has been laying a bit low with their Star Wars model kits after Rise of Skywalker , but they are coming back with four new releases in 2021! Mandalorian (Beskar armor) and Mandalorian (Beskar armor - silver coated version): 1:12 scale Lower-priced 3300 yen (currently about $31.00 U.S.D.) version has no special coating on armor parts so builder can custom paint Higher-priced 5280 yen (currently about $49.00 U.S.D.) version has silver coating on armor parts Removable jet pack Two types of blasters - blaster and Amban sniper rifle Beskar spear Darksaber Cloak Various interchangeable hand parts - gun hand, rifle hand, weapon hand, facial expression hand Display base included Razor Crest and Razor Crest (silver coated version): Part of Bandai's Star Wars "Vehicle Model" lineup so it is small Lower-priced 1298 yen (currently about $13.00 U.S.D.) version has no special coating on plastic parts so builder can custom paint Higher-priced 2420 yen (currently a...

Hi, Everyone! I created some 3D printable Star Trek: TOS emblems that would work great for attaching to model kit display bases. Below are the proof prints that were made with my Artillery Sidewinder X1. TOS Starfleet Emblem (printed at 0.1 layer height)... TOS Klingon Empire Emblem (printed at 0.2 layer height)... TOS Romulan Star Empire Emblem (printed at 0.1 layer height)... They still need to be processed a bit and then primed and painted, but otherwise I think they came out looking pretty good. :)

Hi, Everyone! Here is another blog article that I put together in order to preserve modeling information originally posted on other sources. Back in the 2000s, Star Trek fan and archivist Phil Broad posted various black and white photos of the Enterprise refit filming miniature.  Since detailed photographs of the Enterprise refit filming miniature during the time of Star Trek: The Motion Picture 's production are generally scarce, Phil's pictures are unique in that they were taken by him after the completion of TMP but before the production of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan .  This makes the photos quite valuable as reference images to anyone who is researching the miniature as it appeared in TMP . Phil put up his pictures on his now-defunct website hosted by now-gone service provider Cloudster.com.  The pictures themselves have not been considered rare for quite some time and can be found elsewhere, but through the magic of the Internet Archive Wayback Machine his web...