GAMEFORCES

tu revista de Miniaturas

En clave fantástica

QUE ES EL MODELISMO? Por modelismo se entiende, en sentido general, la actividad artesanal consistente en la creación de prototipos, usando diversos manuales, que tendrán la función de actuar como «modelo» para una producción industrial. Típicamente dichos modelos se han usado para obtener un molde. La figura del artesano modelista está desapareciendo, reemplazada por las máquinas a las que puede proporcionarse un modelo numérico procedente de un sistema CAD. El modelismo, en una acepción más común, es también una afición consistente en construir y eventualmente dirigir (modelismo dinámico) reproducciones en miniatura de máquinas, personas o edificios. Originalmente procede de la costumbre de ciertos artesanos de siglos pasados, sobre todo de mobiliario, de construir ejemplos a escala reducida de sus productos, para poder así mostrarlos a sus clientes sin tener que construirlos realmente antes de recibir el encargo. El modelismo como afición puede dividirse en: Dinámico: Modelos a escala que se mueven y dirigen a control remoto como aviones y vehículos. Aquí los aficionados buscan maniobrar de la forma más hábil el modelo y lograr desarrollar el máximo control del aparato. Estático: Modelos a escala con gran detalle cuyo fin es el de apreciarlos sin movimiento. Para los aficionados o profesionales del modelismo estático cada modelo representa una "pieza de museo" creando así sus propias colecciones privadas que pueden tener diversas temáticas: Belicismo histórico, ingeniería civil, ciencia ficción, etc. Aquí los aficionados buscan representar a escala la forma más realista posible del modelo original. Por esto último es incorrecto considerar como juguetes a los modelos a escala estáticos.

Model KITS. Models are usually assembled from commercial kits (but see below). Typically, a model kit consists of a set of parts, instructions for their assembly, and a small sheet of markings in decal form. Parts are produced by injection of liquid styrene plastic under very high pressure into complex steel molds. These molds are generally composed of two halves that sandwich the parts; however, 'slide molds' may consist of many steel components to allow greater levels of detail to be incorporated into a single sprue. Once the plastic cools, it is removed from the mold. In the 1960s and 1970s, typical vehicle kits might contain 50 to 200 individual parts. Today it is common for a single vehicle kit to contain from 300 to 1200 parts. Each part must be carefully cut from the 'sprue' (the plastic channels that allow the plastic to flow into the mold and which hold the parts in place), cleaned of any flaws or mold marks, and then assembled. Instructions consist of paper booklets or sheets supplied with each kit. Usually, instructions show drawings of the parts. A recent trend has been the use of photographs rather than drawings, but these types of instructions have not proven popular and may be declining in use. For a kit with hundreds of parts, good instructions are vital. Flaws in instructions are not uncommon. Markings for the model usually are provided as decals. Several companies produce armor model kits, the most famous of which are Airfix, Dragon Models Limited, Tamiya, Trumpeter, Academy, Hobby Fan, Hasegawa,  Aoshima, Italeri, Revell-Germany/Monogram and AFV Club. The focus of many manufacturers of late has been to increase the accuracy of their kits and provide alternative types of material such as photo etch details and turned metal barrels.

Type Models: Completed models can be categorized generally into three classes: kits built 'out of the box', customized kits, and scratchbuilt models. "Out of the box" models: Models built 'out of the box' are built according to kit instructions, using no materials except those provided in the kit itself. In the past, there was some tendency to view 'out of the box' builds as simpler or of a lower standard of detail than modified kits (see below). However, recent trends in which kits contain over 1,000 individual pieces including parts from plastic, etched brass, and aluminum have given new meaning to the 'out of the box' build. Today, a stock kit can be very highly detailed. Customized models: Customized kits are typically built by more experienced modelers who take a kit and add components, either scratchbuilt or commercial conversion or aftermarket accessories. Such models may be more highly detailed than a straight build 'out of the box' though the trend to more detailed kits is decreasing the difference. The term 'kitbashing' denotes models built using parts from more than one kit to make a single, more accurate or different model. Many armor modelers engage in the use of aftermarket sets and built from scratch (scratchbuilt) parts to make their models more accurate or simply unique. In extreme, master-level cases, a model with hundreds of kit components may be detailed with several hundred additional commercial and home-fabricated parts to reach a very high level of realism. Scratchbuilt models: Scratchbuilt models are those for which no kit exists; highly skilled modelers create their vehicle from sheet plastic and components they fabricate themselves. Some scratchbuilt models may contain a few commercial components, but typically it is a small proportion of all the model's parts. Scratchbuilt models may also be made from brass and aluminum, cast in pewter (a low temp metal) and cast with 2-part resins in molds made of RTV rubber material. A scratchbuilding modeler should possess talents in the following areas: soldering, gluing, drilling, taping, grinding, sanding, cutting & shaping in metals and plastics, creating RTV molds (1,2 & 3 part types), painting & weathering, research of prototype material, casting in low temp metals, creating sketches and diagrams of what is being made, measuring in inches and millimeters, use of calipers and other specialized tools. Aftermarket: "Aftermarket" is a term that denotes any kit or detail set that is sold to replace existing kit parts in order to reproduce a more accurate model or simply a different version not otherwise available. The media used by aftermarket companies range from turned aluminum and brass, photo-etched steel or brass sheets, pre-bent brass wire, cast metals, and resin. Notable aftermarket companies include Formations, The Tank Workshop, Tank, Azimut, Eduard, Verlinden, Friulmodel, Legend, and Modelkasten. Aftermarket markings are also available. Firms such as Archer Dry Transfers or Decalomaniacs produce stand-alone sheets of wet or dry transfer markings to allow the modeler to complete a different or more accurate variant. Enthusiasts may pursue military vehicle modeling in its own right or as an adjunct to other military modeling. There is also some crossover with wargaming, diorama building, and re-enacting.

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