October 09, 2026

Kit Countdown: Clayton's Top Ten Upcoming Releases This Month...

Clayton Ockerby from Workbench Hobbies treats us to his top ten of upcoming releases that caught his eye this past month in his video preview...


Kit Countdown: Clayton's Top Ten Upcoming Releases This Month...

G'day, guys—Clayton from Workbench Hobbies here: This year is absolutely flying and here we are again with some of the announcements that caught my eye in the hope I can show you something you may have missed! 

Renault R35 Diorama (3D Printed / Matchbox Style)
From FC Model Trend
No. 80047
1/76th scale
I seriously wanted to give myself an uppercut for calling this out because I have been disappointed by FC Model trend too many times to remember…but one of their latest lines taps into the nostalgia of the old 76th scale Matchbox dioramas in a box.
As a kid I spent hours building and painting these things and have long wanted to revisit that range as an adult, so having a couple of alternative options, with modern CAD advancements in this space, is exciting to me. These little Matchbox gave us a diorama in a box that could be finished over a rainy weekend, so I am sure this line is going to appeal to a lot of you out there.
Let me know in the comments which one of the old Matchbox kits you built.


Special Edition Kits
From Oak Model
1/35th scale
Speaking of dioramas in a box, check this one out – Oak Model is a relatively new Chinese brand taking an unusual approach to kit releases. Rather than tooling every subject themselves, they are bringing together existing injection moulded kits, including tooling from companies such as Bronco and Panda, and repackaging them as large themed sets. Like this one from the battle of El Alamain – however, they do have a few others in the range.
Oak adds new, 3D printed figures, 3D printed details, metal components and accessories, effectively giving you the foundations of an entire vignette or diorama in one box. This one actually includes two vehicles!
Looking at their website, they seem to be a limited run and pretty reasonably priced, so if. You like the look of these; I wouldn’t sit on it for too long.


WWII Soviet Union Assault Tank T-34/122 Factory No. 8 / Factory No. 183 U-22 Artillery Tank
From Pig Models
No. 35-009
1/35th scale
I was intrigued by this one and although it never made it past the drawing board for Pig Models, a Taiwanese manufacturer brought us the T34/122 this month. T T 34/122 U 22 Artillery Tank, an experimental Soviet proposal from 1942 that attempted to squeeze a massive 122 millimetre U 11 howitzer into a new rotating turret while retaining the standard T 34 turret ring.
It wasn't particularly successful and the project was rejected before it progressed into production. The model itself is interesting too. Rather than tooling an entirely new T 34, Pig Models have combined an existing AFV Club T 34 base with new specialist parts for the U 22 conversion. The box tells us we're getting injection moulded plastic and resin, with that enormous turret supplied as 3D printed parts.
It's a strange evolutionary dead end in Soviet tank development, but that's precisely what makes this such an interesting modelling subject.


Delta Force Assault Team with MH-6J
From ICM
No. 48371
1/48th scale
Here's one that will immediately be familiar to anyone interested in modern special operations. ICM have combined their relatively new 1/48 MH 6J Little Bird (which I have called out previously) with a complete Delta Force assault team.
The box gives us the Little Bird, two pilots and four Delta operators riding externally, along with the weapons and equipment you'd expect from a special operations team. Hong Kong or local aviation fans will notice the helicopter carries markings for the famous 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, better known as the Night Stalkers.
ICM specifically references Operation Gothic Serpent and the Battle of Mogadishu in October 1993, the operation most people will recognise through Black Hawk Down. Little Birds worked alongside the Black Hawks, inserting Delta operators directly into the city using their external benches. This is a complete special operations scene straight from the box; I reckon this could be one of ICM's more interesting releases this year.


T-72B3M
From MENG
1/72nd scale 
I seem to be calling out 72nd scale Meng armour a lot and this month is no exception –
This is their new 1/72 T 72B3M, now fitted with that unmistakable roof-mounted slat armour. The kit itself builds on MENG's recent new tool, 1/72 T 72B3M and adds the distinctive overhead cage. We get link and length tracks, detailed ERA and even alternative gun mantlets allowing the main gun to be displayed level or elevated.
These so-called 'cope cages' began appearing as protection against top attack weapons, but the extraordinary growth of drone warfare in Ukraine has made overhead protection an increasingly important feature of modern armoured vehicles. What began as rather crude field modifications has gradually evolved into more organised and increasingly sophisticated protection systems.
At only 136 millimetres long, there's an awful lot of modern armour packed into a very small model. This one could be a lot of fun!


Land Rover Fire Truck
From AK Interactive
No. AK35037
1/35th scale
Although not tooling, there was something cool about this one, so I wanted to include it –
AK Interactive has announced this little 1/35 Land Rover Fire Engine using the base tooling from its 2023 release and enhancing it to create the firefighting vehicle.
It depicts one of those wonderfully utilitarian Series Land Rovers converted for firefighting duties, complete with the specialist rear body, roof-mounted equipment, lights and ladders. What I particularly like is the scale. We see plenty of Land Rovers in 1/35, but civilian and emergency versions are much less common, and this opens up all sorts of possibilities for airfield, rural or civilian dioramas. Models of firefighting vehicles can be in high demand, so here is another one for all you collectors out there.


T-72B3M Mod. 2022
From MENG's
1/35th scale
No, you aren’t seeing double but along with the 72nd scale announcement, Meng is bringing us another up-armoured T72, but this time in God's true scale of 1/35th. Sticking with modern armour, MENG have also announced this impressive 1/35 T 72B3M Mod.2022. The B3M is one of the latest developments of the incredibly long-lived T 72 family, but this 2022 configuration reflects lessons learned from modern combat, with considerably increased protection around both the hull and turret.
The model can be built in either a standard or more heavily protected configuration, with explosive reactive armour, additional slat armour and that distinctive roof-mounted anti-drone cage. There's plenty of detail underneath all that armour as well, including workable double pin tracks, working torsion bar suspension, photo-etched chain screens and hatches that can be displayed open. These cages bring another element to armour modelling and offer the perfect pallet to try out some weathering techniques.


Bell UH-1C Gunship
From ICM
No. 48293
1/48th scale
The market has been screaming out for a newly tooled huey in 1/48th scale and this month ICM is coming to the party! The UH-1C was developed specifically to improve the Huey's performance as a gunship. Earlier UH 1Bs had been loaded up with rockets, machine guns and ammunition, but all that extra weight came at a cost. The C model introduced the improved Bell 540 rotor system, wider rotor blades and a number of other changes to produce a much more capable weapons platform.
What makes this release particularly interesting, though, is the kit itself. We've had 1/48 C model Hueys before, most notably the old Monogram and Revell kit, but that tooling dates all the way back to the 1970s and has its share of accuracy issues.
So a genuinely new tool, modern 1/48 UH 1C from ICM potentially fills a pretty substantial gap.
For Vietnam modellers in particular, I reckon this one's going to attract plenty of attention. It's one of my favourite subjects and This one is going to be big for ICM.


Volkswagen Type 2 (T1) (Red/White) (Clic Loc)
From Tamiya
No. 28101
1/24th scale
Now this might look like just another Volkswagen Kombi, but I think this is actually a pretty significant release from Tamiya. This is the classic Volkswagen kombi, in 1/24 scale, and it launches Tamiya’s completely new Clic Loc series, designed to make scale modelling considerably more accessible.
There’s no glue required and no painting required. The body is moulded in separate colours to give you that classic two-tone finish straight from the box, while plated parts, clear components and stickers take care of much of the remaining detail. But this isn’t simply a toy. It’s completely new tooling, with around 75 parts, a full three row interior, underside detail, rubber tyres and even steerable front wheels. 
Tamiya are clearly trying to attract first-time modellers, younger builders and perhaps people returning to the hobby who don't necessarily want to invest in paints, glue and a bench full of equipment. And I reckon they've chosen the perfect subject to start with. The Volkswagen T1 has almost universal appeal, and if Clic Loc proves successful, it'll be very interesting to see where Tamiya takes this range next.


M577A1 Command Post Carrier
From Takom
No. 2216 
1/35th scale
Takom announced their new family of 35th scale M113-based vehicles this month but the M577A1 Command Post Carrier was the one I am most excited about! The M577 had a very different job from the standard M113. This was essentially an armoured, tracked battlefield office, providing commanders, radio operators and artillery personnel with a protected mobile workspace.
That distinctive raised rear compartment provided enough room for personnel to actually stand and work inside, surrounded by radios, maps and communications equipment. When stationary, a tent extension could even be erected behind the vehicle, creating a much larger field headquarters. I have fond memories of the 1975 Tamiya release and feel connected to this subject as the Australian Army.
The Australia began acquiring the M577A1 in 1965, sent them to Vietnam, and continued operating and eventually upgrading the type for decades afterwards. Remarkably, one Australian M577 that served in Vietnam later deployed to East Timor in 1999, more than thirty years after entering service. Takom's new kit includes a detailed interior, along with positionable hatches and rear ramp, photo etch and link and length tracks. Takom announced the M113 at the same time and have packaged the two kits in a big box configuration where you either get figures or accessories with it.
I say it a lot but what an amazing time to be in this great hobby of ours!

So, what did you think? What did you like? What did I miss? Let me know in the video comments down below.

Check out Clayton's video that accompanies this story on his YouTube page—Workbench Hobbies.
Scaleact26 is just around the corner held over the weekend of the 7th and 8th of November down in the Nations Capital,  and I am pleased to announce I will be running a hands on workshop that you can get involved in. I'll be running through the basics of some of the most effecting weathering techniques available. There is a link down below for details how to join in. Its limited to 15 spots, so be sure to be quick.
And there is another guy doing workshops by the name of Calvin Tan. Some of you might have heard of him…
Its an epic weekend where the spill into the evenings is as big a part of the show as the show itself…so hopefully I get to see you there. Check out the link to the show here...

See more of Clayton's amazing works on his YouTube channel, his modelling portal "Workbench Hobbies" or his Facebook page