Internet links

Here I will try to gather links to different sources useful to the plastic modeller. I have no relations to these pages so see them as pointers where to find stuff and nothing else.

Kit information

• Scalemates
  • Fantastic page with information on virtually every plastic model ever sold.

Colours

• Vallejo Model Air - Historical Color References Guide for Aircraft and AFV Series
  • If you're using Vallejo's Model Air colours this is a great reference.
• Paint4model's model paint converter
  • Invaluable tool when you want to convert a colour code in the instructions to a corresponding code of the colour manufacturer you have.
• Vallejo conversion sheet
  • If you’re using Vallejo’s colours this sheet (PDF) is a good way of finding out which colour to use.
• Creative Models Ltd's Paint Conversion Charts
  • Another alternative to find the right colour. (Use the roll down menu at the bottom left).
• Urban’s Colour Reference Charts, Sweden
  • A reference chart for those that build planes from the Swedish Air Force. Historical colours on all the planes with Federal Standard numbers and many paint manufacturers numbers too.

Sites suggested by visitors to this page

• All About Model Cars
  • Want to build model cars? This might be a good place to start.
• Matchbox and Models: Starting a Toy Car Collection
  • A page with links for those who wants to collect toy cars. (Suggested by Ethan)

Manufacturers

• Academy
  – A Korean manufacturer with a good range of kits in different scales.
• Airfix
  – Maybe the most famous manufacturer of them all. A British manufacturer that has been going since the late forties.
• Eduard
  – A Czech company that specializes in detailing. They have a wide range of detailing sets for other manufacturers kits but also a good range of their own kits (in some cases reissued from other manufacturers with added detailing.
• Hasegawa
  – A Japanese manufacturer also with a good range of kits. A marginally better site than Tamiya but still leaves a bit to wish for.
• Hobbyboss
  – A Chinese manufacturer with kits in different scales.
• ICM
  – An Ukrainan manufacturer. It’s hard to get a picture of their entire product range from their homepage but they are worth having a look at.
• Italeri
  – An Italian manufacturer that has a wide range of kits in different scales.
• Pilot Replicas
  – A small Swedish manufacturer with mainly pilot figures and detailing but also (at the moment) two aircraft kits and some maintenance trucks in 1/48.
• Revell
  – A classic manufacturer with a wide range of kits in different scales.
• Special Hobby
  – A Czech manufacturer with a good range of kits.
• Tamiya
  – Japanese manufacturer with a wide range of kits in various scales. The home page is quite quirky and hard to navigate but if you’re patient and look for the details you’ll find that their range is bigger than it looks like at first.
• Trumpeter
  – A Chinese manufacturer. The same as Hobbyboss(?) but a slightly different range of kits.

Where to buy

• Ebay
  – Surprisingly large range of kits available here. Look under “Toys & Games > Model Kits”. Area searchable by scale, manufacturer etc. This link is to the UK page works as well under .com or at specific country pages.
• Hannants
  – A large on-line store with a lot of stuff in stock. You can find almost anything for modelling here.

My favorite local dealer, they have an on-line store (not really available in English yet) with a good stock and reasonable prices, great if you live close to Uppsala, Sweden, as you can pick up your stuff locally.

• Rebell Hobby
  – A Swedish on-line store (available in English) with a good range of goods for the modeller and fairly good amount in stock. (Have a physical shop in Solna, Sweden, if you want to pick up locally).

On-line publications

• Airfix Model World
  Offers digital subscriptions at Pocketmags.com, Apples App Store (as an app) and Android (as an app) again digitalized paper magazine.
• Art Of Modelling
  A Belgian publication available in English digital subscription but only in an app on iPad but I could not find their app in App Store. By their web-site it looks as if they’ve gone beyond a republished paper print though.
• Fine Scale Modeler
  Originally a printed magazine but offer a digital subscription (of the printed publication) and do subscribers there are reviews and “how to” articles available on their hompage.
• Hyper Scale
  A site with an ambition to be an on-line modellers magazine but design wise has a long way to go, but still contains a big library of pictures and short facts on different models. And it’s free.
• Internet Modeler (Recommend)
  It’s free and it contains a lot of reviews, “how to”, columns and even industry news. The only drawback is that it’s basically structured as blog posts and not a costly designed magazine that you would expect from a paid subscription product.
• Model Airplane International
  Offers digital subscriptions at Pocketmags.com, Apples App Store (as an app) and Android (as an app) again digitalized paper magazine.
• Modeller Site
  Sounds like an internet product but really only a site where you can buy PDF versions of (again) a printed articles. No subscription.
• Scale Aircraft Modelling
  Digital subscription through magzter.com, once again a digitalized version of the printed copy available in apps and on the web.
• Scale Model Addict Magazine
  When this was written their magazine web-page had been hacked and was down for repairs so I don’t know much how they are. But they also have a YouTube-feed, an on-line forum and a Facebook page.
• Scale Modelling Now Magazine (Recommend)
  For $15 a year you get access to reviews, “how to” tips, reference photo library and subscriber supplied pictures. For the money it’s a good site. Still have a bit to go to a magazine level but content wise its good.
• Tamiya Model Magazine International
  Have short blog posts availible but subscriptions only at Pocketmags.com, Apples App Store (as an app) and Android (as an app) which are digitalized paper magazines.