Sci-Fi & Fantasy Modeller, Volume 23

Published on
January 10, 2012
Review Author(s)
ISBN
978-0-9569053-0-7
Other Publication Information
Softcover, 100 pages, perfect bound, color photos
MSRP
$29.95
Product / Stock #
Vol. 23
Cover

This is the second volume of this magazine I have read since they changed to a quarterly format and I do like the amount of detail crammed into it. This issue is made up of 13 articles focusing on kit builds, scratchbuilds, and other fun stuff, so let’s get to it.

The first two builds are Bat-related kits by Polar Lights. These are the 1/25th scale Batboat from the old TV series and the 1/32nd scale Batmobile from the same show. These are basic, no frills builds resulting in two smart-looking vehicles.

Next up is a new kit from Pegasus of Uncle Martin and his Spaceship. For those of you too young to remember, this is based on the My Favorite Martian TV show. This starts with some history regarding the kit development and behind the scenes info from the show. This is followed by a full build of the kit. The 1/18th scale kit builds up nicely and includes a figure of Uncle Martin which has a very good resemblance to actor Ray Walston.

How about something completely different? Not one, but two 3/4 scale drones from Silent Running. Brian Jones built Dewey for a client but did another one for himself as well as a copy of Huey. These are very detailed builds and there are lots of pictures to show the action.

A very interesting interview with John Goodson, who has done work on Star Trek, Star Wars prequels and Galaxy Quest, among others, is one of my favorite articles in the magazine. John talks about his inspiration to get into the field and delves into what it was like to work on these shows and films.

Back to builds and this time it is a dio in a box. Nope, not WoW but it does have little grey men. Did you guess it? The Testor's 1/48th scale Roswell kit includes the UFO (uh, does that fit? It isn't flying and we can see what it is) and base and figures, all cast in resin. The ship was later released in snap plastic by itself. I know because I have helped many a kid do this kit for Make N Takes. OK, back to the build. This includes truing up the base, getting a decent New Mexico paint job, some metallics on the ship, and some figure painting. Looks sharp.

The next kit was a little odd to me. It is an acrylic and resin Space: 1999 Travel Tube from Eagle Transporters. Basically it is a door from the tubes that connect the building on Moonbase Alpha. The stated scale is 1:1 which I believe means it is the size of the miniatures used on the show. It is a pretty detailed little kit for what it ends up being.

Another interview is up next, this time with Steve Walker of Iconic Replicas, which is now Sixteen 12 Collectibles. It focuses on what it takes to produce 1/1 scale collectible replicas of the puppets used in Captain Scarlet. If you ever wanted your own Captain Scarlet, Colonel White, or Destiny Angel, now you can. They have plans for more from this series, as well as from Thunderbirds.

Jeff Tregre is working on the massive 46 inch Northstar DeBoer Enterprise NCC-1701-A kit. This is part 2 and details the build and fitting of the warp engine nacelles. It has some very interesting information that includes lighting, which may help me with the PL 1/350th kit.

Another diorama is next and this one is not from a kit. A neat little scene is created depicting uncovering the alien ship from the BBC series Quartermass and the Pit. Those of us on this side of the pond may recognize it better under the name 5 Million Years to Earth, which was the Hammer Cinema released version in the US. I liked the use of "found" materials to depict the ship.

The cover story covers the next two articles. First up is a scratchbuild of the Sky 1 part of Skydiver from the Gerry Anderson series UFO. This is used to cast up a kit which is the focus of part 2. The kit is available from Cassini Design from Australia. Lots of information on what it takes to replicate a studio scale kit and what it takes to put said kit together.

The final story is another part 2, this time looking at the remains of the studio model of Moonbase Alpha. This details some of the parts used to make the buildings. Again, lots of cool stuff if you decide you want to build sets for film.

All in all, another detailed issue. If you like Sci-Fi and Fantasy models, make sure you pick up a copy or a back issue or three. Thanks to Happy Medium Press for the issue and IPMS/USA for the chance to review it.

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