Model Rec

Academy has been quietly raising the bar for 1/35 scale armor kits over the last few years. I have built over a dozen of their kits, and the improvements in mold quality and parts fit are noticeable compared to what they were putting out even five years ago. Whether you are looking for a WWII … Read more

Building military vehicle models is one of the most satisfying hobbies I have picked up over the years, and wheeled armored vehicles like the Patria AMV hold a special fascination for scale modelers. The Patria AMV, short for Armoured Modular Vehicle, is an 8×8 multi-role military vehicle produced by the Finnish defense company Patria. It … Read more

I have spent the last several years building Tamiya military figure kits, and I keep coming back to them for one simple reason: the quality is consistently outstanding. Whether I am working on a quick weekend build or a detailed diorama scene, Tamiya figures deliver sharp details, clean parts fit, and sculpts that look right … Read more

If you have ever browsed the 1/35 scale armor aisle at a hobby shop, you have probably seen the Dragon Models Smart Kit series sitting on the shelf. Dragon Smart Kits are designed to be easier to build, without sacrificing the level of detail. They reduce the parts count compared to Dragon’s older Premium Edition … Read more

Building a Stryker MGS model kit is one of the most satisfying projects a military modeler can take on. I have spent the last three years assembling various Stryker family kits, from the AFV Club engineering variants to the newer Rye Field Model releases, and the M1128 Mobile Gun System remains my favorite subject. The … Read more

Building model ships at 1/700 scale has been one of my favorite hobbies for over a decade. There is something deeply satisfying about recreating an entire naval fleet on a single shelf. The Tamiya Waterline Series makes this possible with kits that balance detail, buildability, and that unmistakable Tamiya quality that keeps me coming back … Read more

If you are a scale modeler with even a passing interest in modern military vehicles, chances are the LAV-25 has caught your eye at some point. This eight-wheeled amphibious reconnaissance vehicle, based on the Swiss MOWAG Piranha I platform, has served as the backbone of US Marine Corps light armor operations since the 1980s. Armed … Read more

If you have spent any time in the scale modeling world, you already know the name Dragon Models. They have been producing some of the most detailed military model kits on the market since the late 1980s, covering everything from WWII armor to modern military vehicles. Their Cyber Hobby division handles the exclusive and limited … Read more

If you have ever stood in front of a display case of 1/700 scale warships, you know the feeling. These tiny vessels pack an incredible amount of detail into a footprint that fits on a bookshelf. Trumpeter has become one of the go-to names in this scale, offering everything from WWII battleships to modern nuclear … Read more

If you are into military scale modeling, you already know that surface-to-air missile systems make some of the most impressive display pieces on any shelf. The Buk missile system — known to NATO as the SA-11 Gadfly — is one of those Soviet-era platforms that modelers keep coming back to. Its combination of tracked chassis, … Read more