[Robert McNay]

AlexG wrote:

Besides Space: 1999, AMT also produced the line of Star Trek starship related kits in the 70s. Besides the Enterprise (classic tv version), there was the Klingon battlecruiser, Romanian warbird (from the episode “Balance of Terror”), a Phaser, Communicator and Tricorder kit, a statue of Spock fending off a reptile creature, Galileo Shuttlecraft, and one that was semi-ST related, a glow in the dark UFO starcruiser w/ mini shuttle.

Also there was Aurora that put out the Pan-Am shuttle from 2001, and another called Ragnarok Orbital Interceptor which had a detachable fighter.

Round 2 Models has picked up the AMT/Ertl helm and continued on. Almost all of the original Star Trek kits have had the molds redone and rereleased, and the ST line has been greatly expanded upon. Even that glow-in-the-dark ship (The Mysterious UFO) had been rereleased and next year the original non-glowing version, the Leif Ericsson, is coming.

At the iHobby show last month, they showed the Ericsson, Romulan Warbird plus an improved Pan Am Orion Shuttle kit from 2001. That follows on the release this past year of the 2001 Moonbus.

They even hinted around the edges that, after seeing how well the Moonbus did and if the Shuttle does equally well, they may do an Odyssey, something Aurora never got around to.

[Robert McNay]

Ashlee wrote:

I loved building models kits in the 80’s.
And your right having a vehiclean Industrial look , always makes it believeible.
I did not know they made kits of GA shows, I just found out mattel made figures!

Oh yeah, one company or another made almost everything from the Anderson shows. I’ve been lucky enough to find most all of them. I’ve got the complete set of vehicles from Thunderbirds (1-5 and the Mole), the Stingray, the Fireball XL-5, Supercar and the Eagle, Hawk and Moonbase Alpha kits.

And now that I have house, I can actually build and display them. :laugh:

[Robert McNay]

AlexG wrote:

In the late 70s the model company AMT also produced some kits of the spacecraft from the program, including the Eagle (with a detactable cargo section) and the Hawk (albeit for some reason was made at a slightly smaller scale then the Eagle). They still show up on eBay from time to time.

Got those, plus a couple of the reissues they did. The Hawk was smaller than the Eagle because it was a 2 man ship, the rest was engine and weaponry. I actually did up 4 Eagles, 1 container transport, 1 rescue w/red stripes, 1 regular transport and 1 with the booster pack on it’s spine.

Actually, I got it wrong, the AMT kits were 1/72. The big ones I talked about were 1/24 or 25, making them about 3 feet. The aluminum engine bells were the size of tea cups.

Speaking of realistic, most if not all of the terrestial craft in the series were inspired by the film “2001: A Space Odyssey” that came out (then) only a few yrs earlier. You can see this especially in comparing the design for the Eagles with the Lunar Rocket Bus used in the feature film. Even down to outright copying the outer hull shape of the cargo/passager section.

I read an interview on one of the British media sites celebrating the 50th anniversary of Gerry Anderson productions. They talked to the guy who designed a lot of the craft in G.A. productions. He said he took his cues from the Apollo spacecraft, the LEM in particular. He said the more “bug-like” you make a spacecraft design, the more believable it is.

[Robert McNay]

KeithXZ wrote:

Here is another story a different twist on Catwoman versus Batman:
http://dustybottums.deviantart.com/#/d2kjv2i
Selina & Bruce
By Mike the 3D Guy

Mostly he has pictures, some really very good.

That’s not Selina Kyle. Much as I like the occasional story about known subjects being enhanced, I don’t like when they total discard the character’s “character”.

First, the real Selina never would’ve killed the security guard. For all her mercenary bent, she does have compassion towards “innocents”. She tries to minimize her collateral damage in the course of a theft.

Second, she’s got the hots for Batman and, much as he tries to deny it, he does for her. She would’ve never humiliated him like that. She would put her newfound strength to use in a much more pleasing manner.

[Robert McNay]

AlexG wrote:

FlakBait wrote:

Here’s a pretty good Space:1999 site http://www.space1999.net/~catacombs/

Space:1999 was actually created from some of the ideas that were supposed to be in season 2 of UFO, mostly the expanded moon base.

I recall reading an early 80s Starlog mag article by Gerry Anderson about the Hawk attack craft used in an episode of Space: 1999 and how that was a direct link to the UFO series. The Eagles were the general workhorse of the base, but were never intended as outright warships like the Hawks, which were suppose to replace the lunar-based SHADO interceptors from UFO.

The ship designs from SPACE:1999 were awesome. Probably the most “realistic” concepts I have ever seen on TV sci-fi. I remember a few years back, someone was doing limited edition model kits of both the Eagle and Hawk in 1/72 scale, IRC, which made them, like 3 feet long. Pricey as all hell, but absolutely gorgeous with full interiors, turned aluminum engine bells, full landing feet suspension setups with real oil filled shocks.

God I wish I could’ve afforded to get them. 🙁

[Robert McNay]

Ashlee wrote:

tracer wrote:

From the lightless depths, a lurker rises to the surface bearing a cryptic message.

‘Quadra-blu webcomic? Hell, yeah!’

The water ripples with movement, then all is still once more.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3URzmQVy2CA

In lieu of dynamite, that’ll do. :laugh:

Will get ‘im to surface yet…..

[Robert McNay]

Jeez, y’all are talkin’ about some of my favorite childhood/teen memories, Gerry Anderson shows. I was into them all, Supercar, Fireball XL-5, Stingray, Thunderbirds and SPACE:1999. When A&E released them all on DVD, I made sure I had money saved up to get them.

I never really got into UFO, Terrahawks or Cpt. Scarlet though.

Bit of useless trivia: Fireball XL-5 was the only G.A. production to make onto U.S. network TV. It was broadcast on Saturday mornings on NBC.

Also, the second season SPACE:1999 was excellent. The redesigned sets looked more logical for a moonbase. Plus, Maya was hot. 🙂

[Robert McNay]

Part of me wonders what he looks like now. Is she still a runner, noncompetitive, and retained any of that fantastic muscularity. Maybe she’s a coach for high school or college track team.

Then the other parts say “Nah, she changed her name to Susan Boyle”. :dry:

[Robert McNay]

tracer wrote:

From the lightless depths, a lurker rises to the surface bearing a cryptic message.

‘Quadra-blu webcomic? Hell, yeah!’

The water ripples with movement, then all is still once more.

Yo, Flakbait, ya got any dynamite on ya? 👿

[Robert McNay]

The possible death of the comic, as we know it, was probably inevitable. It more than likely tipped over the line when they went about $1.50 an issue. They just aren’t worth it.

You $3 or $4 dollars for, what?, 25 or 30 pages, a quarter of which is advertisements. On the other hand, you can get the graphic novel, about 150 to 200 pages, no ads, for roughly $20.

Individual issue comics stopped being worth about the same time I quit working occasionally at a comic shop. They were still around a $1.

[Author]

Posts