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TOS Cylon Raider Battlestar Galactica 1:32 Moebius Models Battlestar Galactica first aired in September 1978 and at the time was one of the most spectacular television programmes produced. It was created by Glen A Larson, based on an idea he had in the 60s for a show called Ark, however it was not until the success of Star Wars in 1977 that interest in the show developed. BSG is about the fight between two races, the Humans and the Cylons, the Cylons are robots built by the humans that have rebelled and formed a race in their own right. The humans have split in to 12 colonies having left earth centuries before. After the Cylons attack and destroy the 12 colonies a rag-tag band of Humans survive and in various ships come together to try and find the mythical home planet of Earth. The Cylons follow the Human fleet in Basestar ships with the Raider ship used as the primary fighter craft. The Raider is crewed by three Centurions, two up front at the controls to pilot the craft and the third in a raised chair behind to co-ordinate and command. It is armed with two forward facing laser cannons and can also carry bombs in bays under the wing. Oval in shape the Raider has two sub light engines and is both space and atmosphere capable. Its large size means it is often out outmatched by the Colonial Vipers of the Human fleet which are more manoeuvrable and piloted by the mor skilful Colonial Warriors like Apollo and Starbuck. The original series still has a large fan base and this was added to when the series was re-imagined in 2004 with a 4 season TV run. The Kit Moebius have produced a monster of a kit, 44cm x 33cm, that is not apparent when you first get the box, which is the usual 2 part slide over type and 34cm x 26cm x 14cm in size. This boxing is also a commemorative one celebrating 35 years since the original series aired and comes with a limited edition print. The parts count is fairly low for such large kit, just over 50 including the stand. The moulded detail of the parts however is excellent and the plastic is a light grey in colour. The main body parts, 10 in total are not on sprues but bagged separately. There are 6 sprues for the rest of the parts, 4 in the grey plastic and 2 clear providing engine and stand parts. Construction starts with the two engines which are built up of 4 parts, 3 plastic for the surround and fins and a clear part with two rings moulded in. These are installed into the lower body section along with parts for the intakes before the top section of the main body is fitted. The next 4 stages see engine fairings, housings and cockpit parts added as well as detail parts for these areas. The wings are up next consisting of an upper and lower section and detail parts. These are then fixed to the main body and the wing trench cannons added. The final stage is to add the 2 part stand. There is no cockpit detail as this is behind a blacked out louvered type canopy and Moebius provide a grey plastic part for this. The last 2 pages of the instructions contain the painting guide, the pictures are black and white and the only colours called out are Pale Grey, Cool Grey and Black, no reference numbers are given for any manufacturer and it would pay to do a little bit of research using your favourite Internet search engine. The only decals provided are for the green pentagon markings on the upper surface of each wing. There are 2 large black stripes on each wing and Moebius provide a template for these within the instructions and with the detail parts on each wing this appears to be the best solution as decals would be difficult to get to sit down over all the compound surfaces. Having previously built one of these it is an impressive model when built, the only construction issue is the large joint in each wing trench where the 2 main body sections meet but an ample supply of filler and sanding sticks will soon rectify it. The 2 part stand is another issue, it is of the old Airfix style with a tab and slot connection to the model. Due to the size of the finished model it has insufficient contact area to keep the model steady and it reacts like a bobblehead when touched! Conclusion Overall this is a good kit and goes together well with few issues to produce a large scale replica of the Raider used in the original series. It cries out to be lit and there are several aftermarket lighting kits available as well as a cockpit kit which provides the 3 Centurions that crew it and a PE replacement cockpit louver. If you are a fan of the original Battlestar Galactica series then this is a must have kit. Review sample courtesy of UK distributors for

Batmobile Batman v Superman 1:25 Moebius Models There have been a number of Batman reboots since the original Adam West series of the 1960s. The latest reboot pitches Batman against Superman in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and like all the reboots the caped crusader has a Batmobile! This version has a style of its own but with a slight nod to previous versions, particularly the Tumbler car from the Dark Knight films. The Batmobile is a self-propelled armoured vehicle fitted with an array of weaponry and one or two non-standard extras! BvS Batmobile was designed by Patrick Tatopoulos and Dennis McCarthy and is 20ft long and 12ft wide at the back. Unlike other versions of the Batmobile this one raises and lowers to perform various actions in the film. As with Ben Afflecks Bat suit there are nods to the original cartoon Batmobile and in the film Bruce Wayne builds the Batmobile himself and this too is portrayed in the shape and style of the vehicle. The film studio have given a credible back story to the new Batmobile, it has been built single handed in seclusion by the Batman and has earned its reputation as the main predator around the streets of Gotham City. Powered by an unmatched hybrid of prototype military and civilian performance technologies and having military grade armaments, stealth capability and active protection systems. Some of the basic facts (or should that be fiction) about this new Batmobile include: Twin 0.50 caliber retractable machine gun turret Fully armored Stealth capability Anti-ballistics system 3.2te in weight Estimated top speed of 205mph There are suggestions from the studio that as this incarnation of the Batman develops over a number of films so will the Batmobile develop as Bruce Wayne adapts it with new technologies and gadgets to assist in the fight against crime in Gotham City. The Kit On to the model kit, Moebius present this version of the Batmobile in their usual 2 part box, which is a decent size for a 1:25 car kit. On opening the box it is apparent that there is a lot plastic with this kit, the box is rammed! A picture was taken straight away as I wasnt sure I would be able to get it all back in the box and get the lid on![\size] The kits parts are a grey plastic and arranged on 8 sprues plus a clear sprue and 4 large vinyl tyres. There are no decals with the kit and the instructions are a large format 12 page booklet with the build explained in both pictures and words over 8 stages. The instructions also have a 2 page spread of colour photos of the completed car giving both main and detail paint colours. Construction starts with the engine block which comes in 3 parts and sits in the chassis, this is followed by assembly of the rear axle and gearbox. Detail on these parts is scant but as most of it will be hidden once the body work is fitted this is not a major issue. Next up is the front suspension and uprights. Engine bulkheads and side panels are fitted to the chassis next before the front suspension is added. The wheels and tyres are tackled in stage 3, allegedly the tyres for the film car came from a piece of Iranian farm machinery! Stage 4 adds the wheels and fenders to all four corners of the chassis, as well as headlights and exhausts. The interior of the car is the subject of stage 5 and is open to a bit of extra detailing if you have the reference pictures available as it is quite sparse, being made up of only 6 parts. Stage 6 builds up the canopy, the twin machine gun turret and the front wing, the last two of which are fixed to the upper body panel. Stage 7 deals with the two wings that sit over the rear deck of the Batmobile and their intricate spider like supports. Stage 8 brings all the major sub-assemblies together before adding the canopy as the final part. The canopy is a single piece but in the film it opens in two halves and Moebius have possibly missed a trick here by not giving the builder the option to build it open. That said it would be a fairly easy conversion to make if you wanted too. Conclusion Another great kit from Moebius of the latest Batmobile, detail on the mouldings is crisp and panel lines nice. This will build to be a large model and those tyres!! The only down side for this reviewer is the lack of being able to have the doors open but that should not be a difficult task. Review sample courtesy of UK distributors for