FineScale Modeler

FineScale Modeler teaches you to build models of aircraft, armor, ships and more. Clear articles show you how to assemble, paint, and finish the latest model kits. Every issue includes unbiased reviews of kits that were built and tested for accuracy, product announcements, tips from the experts, and a gallery of readers’ models.

D-Day was our defining moment

Off the sprue: What’s your favorite WWII movie, why? • The breadth of movies covering WWII is indicative of how world-changing the event was, making it hard to select just one film. So we mostly pick a few.

SCALE TALK • Your voice in FSM

NEW PRODUCTS

fit for a king • Limited colors create a vibrant monkey leader

Painting a U-boat with a colorful past • How to weather Revell’s 1/72 scale submarine U-505

Making wavesfor an LCVP • Carving, painting, sculpting, and polyfill spray put a landing craft in water

Modeling a D-DAY STRIPED BIPE1 • Updating an Airfix Swordfish to a Mk.II submarine hunter

PANZER in pieces • Smithereens are all that remain in this factual diorama

Does your SHERMAN float? • Scratchbuild a canvas screen to make an M4A4 amphibious

D-Day aftermath • Creating a rubble-infused diorama for a German halftrack

Rebuilding an M4A4 Crab • Tear apart and kitbash a 1/35 scale Sherman mine flail

D-Day Photo Contest • We asked you to send us photos of your best models concerning Operation Overlord, and boy did you deliver! We got armor, aircraft, ships, figures, and dioramas of subjects used between June 6 and August 25, 1944. Hundreds of votes were cast online for favorites and here are the winners. What a great way to honor this historic event and its soldiers.

Tamiya’s super early Spitfire • FSM experts build and evaluate new kits

Kitty Hawk Yak-130

Takom M1070 and M1000 transporter with D9R bulldozer

Flyhawk Bismarck

Takom Fries Kran 16t Strabokran

Trumpeter Fairey Albacore

Dora Wings Bellanca CH/J-300

Eduard ProfiPack MiG-21MF

Trumpeter Tupolev Tu-128M “Fiddler”

Academy Panther Ausf G

Fully operational Nautilus • If you have to travel 20,000 leagues under, why not do it in style?