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__SFFM vol 37 cover_sff_cover 23/02/2015 11:30 Page 1

volume 37

S c i . f i & f a n t a sy m o d e l l e r

SCRATCHBUILT
1:1 JAWAS!

STUDIO
SCALE
TIE FIGHTER
14.95
ISBN: 978-0-9930320-1-1

37

9 780993 032011

K A N E

E X C L U S I V E

inner pages pp2 and 99_scififantasyModeller 06/11/2015 15:12 Page 2

Print editions can be obtained from:

www.scififantasymodeller.co.uk
info@scififantasymodeller.co.uk

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00 titles_HFTM_vol37_pp3-7_scifi 27/02/2015 10:21 Page 3

volume 37

00 titles_HFTM_vol37_pp3-7_scifi 27/02/2015 10:21 Page 4

Hot from the Mouldbreaking news


Beauty and the BeastDino diorama
Studio scale Chili DogTIE Bomber
Retro PowerloaderThe Lobster
Creating cratersbuilding a lunar surface
Life-size Jawa jamboree
Studio scale TIE Fighter
Jonny QuestThe Dragonfly
Etched in brassthe Paragrafix story
Return to DistopiaDeckards Sedan Part 2
1:72nd Viper Mk VII and Cylon Raider
Polar Lights Kane build
Studio 2 Mobilethe SHADOwy bits

Editor-in-Chief/co-Publisher:
Specials Editor:
Art Editor/co-Publisher:
Regular modelling team:
This volumes contributors:

6
8
18
24
29
38
45
52
56
64
72
79
92

Michael G. Reccia.
Andy Pearson.
David Openshaw.
Iain Costall, Jim Costello, Barry Ford, Andy Pearson, Gary R. Welsh.
Paul Bodensiek, Jean-Marc Deschamps, Jason C. Gares,
Barry Maddin, Steve Neisen, E. James Small

web: www.scififantasymodeller.co.uk
editorial email: info@scififantasymodeller.co.uk
Published by Happy Medium Press copyright 2015
ISBN-13: 978-0-9930320-1-1
Printed in the United Kingdom by Pioneer Print Solutions.
All rights reserved. This book may not be reproduced in whole or in part
without written permission from the Publishers, except by a reviewer who
may quote brief passages in a review; nor may any part of this book be
reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any
means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or other, without
written permission from the Publisher.
The views expressed by our contributors are not necessarily shared by Happy
Medium Press. Every care is taken to ensure that the contents of Sci.fi &
fantasy modeller are accurate, but the Publishers cannot accept responsibility
for errors. Responsibility for correct copyrighting of photographs, artwork
and illustrations lies with the contributor. All copyrights are acknowledged.
Reasonable care is taken when accepting advertising. However, the Publishers
cannot accept any responsibility for any resulting unsatisfactory transactions
or any inaccuracies contained within the ads themselves.

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The publishers and author (contributors) take no responsibility for any harm
or injury to the reader as a result of using the techniques described in this
publication. Safety and common safe should always be foremost when using
these techniques and materials. Read all instructions and warnings on tools,
paint, glues, and all chemicals. Hobby knives are very sharp and serious injury
can result from improper use. Your work area should be well ventilated at all
times. Children should be supervised at all times by an adult familiar with
hobby safety. Please note that all hints, tips and procedures in this
publication are given in good faith and based on actual experience. However,
neither the publisher nor authors (contributors) can be responsible if
something goes wrong during construction.

00 titles_HFTM_vol37_pp3-7_scifi 27/02/2015 10:22 Page 5

volume 37 EDITORIAL
We might still have the best part of a year to wait before

seventh installment in the franchise hits our screens.

The Force Awakens premieres, but Star Wars has kept

...And when it does, and judging by those awesome

SF modellers wide awake and focussed on their hobby

trailers, it doesnt take a rocket scientist to speculate that

since 1977, when the first kits based on A New Hope hit

theres going to be a whole galaxy of bright,

the shelves. Theres therefore

shiny new mainstream and garage kits

no reason why we cant begin

ships, speeders, fighters, droids, creatures,

a tribute build up to the new

heroes and villains for us to build in the

movie by covering some rather

months that follow.

special classic Star Wars build


ups in our pages right here,

Hmmm.

right now, now is there?

Yess!
...In detail, covering those subjects,

OK then... strap yourselves


in. The Volume youre holding

guess who will be?


Cant wait.

features a TIE Fighter and TIE


Bomber lovingly recreated in
studio scale glory, courtesy of a

Until next time, keep your light


scalpels sharp and sheathed.

duo of fascinating articles celebrating the hardware of


the original trilogy. In upcoming Volumes 38, 39 and 40
we have further generous helpings of SW eye-candy

And Ill see you in ninety.


Michael G. Reccia

planned too, helping to stimulate those modelling senses

Editor-In-Chief

and soothe you through the remaining months until the

(Inset: coming later this yearbe there!)

Follow us on Facebook [ http://www.facebook.com/pages/Scifi-fantasy-modeller/110020029085161 ]


and Twitter [ http://twitter.com/#!/SffModeller ].

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00 titles_HFTM_vol37_pp3-7_scifi 27/02/2015 10:22 Page 6

HOT FROM THE MOULD


ROUNDING UP WHATS NEW AND HAPPENING IN SF AND FANTASY MODELLING
Fantastic Plastic

Round 2

Now available from Fantastic Plastic is a 1/72 Flash


Gordon rocketship (A). The resin kit offers 26 pieces,
plus a clear vacuform insert for the cockpit windows.
Mastered by Ed Holt and cast by BLAP! Models, its
based on the purported filming miniature that was up
for auction on ebay in 2013. The kit depicts the
rocketship as it appeared in the final Flash Gordon
serial: 1940s Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe (the
ship did not feature its nose cannon until that
production). The completed model is nine inches long,
priced at $85.00 plus shipping, and can be ordered
from:
www.fantastic-plastic.com/
FlashGordonRocketFPPage.htm.

Round 2s Jamie Hood reports on upgrades to the


original Star Trek Enterprise Cutaway kit (C) (soon to
be released as AMT891):
Original base has been removed and we have added
our standard, larger dome base with metal tube support.
The pylons have been reinforced with honeycomb
webbing inside the parts so when all of these webs are
glued within the pylon there is less chance of sagging or
twisting. This is similar to how we did the 1:350
Enterprise pylons (we actually used a Cutaway kit as a
prototype for that when we were developing it).
The windows have been removed and will be added to
the decal sheet so they can be placed more accurately.
The decal sheet has been extended to include windows
and others have been added to cover the interior bulkheads.

Also hotly anticipated from FP is the Prometheus,


which is now in casting and will debut at Wonderfest in
Louisville, Kentucky at the end of May, with the kit first
being made available to reservation holders prior to it
going on general release.

A test shot has been received


from Round 2, with a full build
article scheduled for Volume 38.
POL934 TOS Romulan Birdof-Prey (B) A test shot has

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00 titles_HFTM_vol37_pp3-7_scifi 27/02/2015 10:22 Page 7

arrived at these offices and a build article will feature in


Volume 38.
POL932 BTTF3 Final Act Time Machine (D) Heres
a preview of the packaging, with the kit currently under
licensor review.
Round 2 are also re-releasing the 1989 Keaton
Batmobile images and full build article soon.

well as a scale copy of the serial number plaque that


was located in the engine compartment. MSRP is $28.95.

Paragrafix

Moebius

New from ParaGrafix is an exclusive item available to


all their customers directly: The Bates Mansion
photoetch set (G). The set adds Psycho details to the
HO scale mansion kit from Polar Lights and includes
replacements for all railings. As an added bonus, a
Bates Motel sign is included that has through holes that
match the originals neon letters so that they can be lit.
MSRP $19.95.

New from Moebius is an IP Battlestar Galactica


upgrade set for use with their New BSG Galactica kit
(H). The new set includes rail gun turrets, enhanced
decals and photo-etched museum windows for the
starboard flight bay.
The first figure kit in Moebius 66 Batman series has
been released (see Vol 34 for test shot build). Bats
himself is cast in light blue plastic and, pleasingly, his
chest bat symbol and engraved belt buckle bat are
provided in both decal and sticker form.
The Jonny Quest Dragonfly kit featured as a test shot
build this issue is now also available.

Wildhouse Models
Out by the time you read this should be the Hostile
Realms Medical Console kit (F) reported on last issue.
www.wildhousemodels.com/medical-bay-console/.

Also shipping now is a photoetch set to complement


the re-release of the Piranha Super Spy Car kit also
known as the car from the classic TV series The Man
from U.N.C.L.E. (E). In addition to all of the cars spy
enhancements and controls, the PE set includes working
door hinges modelled on those featured on the actual car
that help make this kit look totally
real.
Bonuses include the U.N.C.L.E.
emblem to display with the car as

Amazing Figure Modeler


The latest copy of Amazing Figure Modeler (I), now in
its twentieth publishing year and packed with figure
builds, reviews and techniques, is now available from
the usual outlets and also from: amazingmodeler.com

G
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A LOST WORLD
Barry Ford proves once again that he has a head for figures

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Above:
Parts from box.
Joins are filled
note texture
stamp.
Stegosaurus built.

IVE

TALKED AT SOME LENGTH IN PREVIOUS ARTICLES

AND MY BOOK ABOUT INSPIRATION FOR MODELLING


PROJECTS so Im not going to repeat myself here, as
you are all probably fed up with my ramblings by
now. All I will say is that for some reason, very
recently I was struck by the thought of bringing
together a couple of kits from my hoard to create a
scene that could have come straight from one of the
Lost Worlds of Conan-Doyle or Rice-Burroughs...
the kits in question being one of the excellent 1/12th
scale girl subjects from Solarwind Productions
Caelan and a vinyl Stegosaurus kit from the long
defunct, and sadly missed, Horizon Models.

I had picked up the Stegosaurus from eBay a


couple of years ago for about a tenner with no idea
as to what as I was going to do with it. The girl I
have had slightly longer and knew exactly what I
was going to do with her but never got round to it.
This leads me, for a moment or two, to a digression
on to the subject of modellers hoards. I think most
of us will confess to having a top of the wardrobe
stash, except for some of us it extends into the loft,
cellar, garage, etc, and if we ever had one of those
television presenters from UK TVs Channel 4
coming round to our house they would probably

have us diagnosed with some kind of mental


disorder quicker than you can say, My Precious.
Frankly, I say Stuff em. Okay, we may have more
kits then we can ever get round to building, but on
the other hand, if you do have a sudden moment of
inspiration and dont have the particular model you
want to use in your stock it is you who are the one
whos stuffed, because kits dont sit on shelves
forever and are often discontinued. The other thing
I suggest about kit collecting is that none of us has
a truly unmade kit in their hoard... who amongst
us has not brought home a kit from the shop, or
opened a parcel from the internet, sat down and
excitedly opened the box, carefully going through
the parts and reading the instructions before
mentally building the model perhaps in a number
of different ways? If you get as much pleasure as I
from fondling the parts and letting your
imagination flow free with all the possibilities the
newly opened treasure provides the kit has already
paid for itself even if you never get around to
building it in the physical world.
Now back to your irregularly scheduled
programme: The concept I had in mind for this
diorama was a primeval princess visiting her pet

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dinosaur in its stables, so in order to get a better


idea of how large the base was going to be I first
needed to build the Stegosaurus. I started off by
washing the vinyl parts in hot, soapy water and
scrubbing them with Cif cream cleaner and an old
toothbrush before rinsing them and letting the
parts air dry for twenty-four hours or so (this
cleaning procedure was also repeated for the resin
figure).
Vinyl kit parts have excess vinyl that needs to be
trimmed away before proceeding any further. This
is done by heating the parts by your preferred
method and trimming with a sharp knife while the
part is still warm and soft. Vinyl kits can collapse
over time, usually due to heat, and so need to be
filled before assembling. My material of choice is
cotton wool because it easily compresses to get
into small areas and gives the model a nice,
weighty feel. The feet are filled with epoxy putty to
help with the models balance and to give a
positive fixing should the model need securing to
the base. The parts are assembled using superglue
and I find it helps to warm the mating parts before
applying the glue so that you can better marry up
the two sections. Unfortunately the joints werent

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in hidden places but across the middle of limbs. To


hide each join I applied two-part epoxy putty and
blended this in as best I could. This still meant a
loss of texture around the joints so I created a
texture stamp using a product called Siligum. This
is a two-part silicone-like compound that, when
mixed together, sets to provide a flexible mould
suitable for casting from. In this instance I pressed
the uncured Siligum against the Stegosaurus body
to pick up the scale effect. Once cured, I pressed
the Siligum texture stamp against the still soft
putty to try and get a seamless join.

Above:
Figure.
Clay base.
Stegosaurus
primed.

Opposite:
Stegosaurus
painting:
base colours
applied...
...highlights...
...further
Before proceeding any further with constructing highlights...
the dinosaur I posed the two figures together to get ... secondary
a feel for the final diorama size. A wooden cutting colours.

board I had turned out to be of just the right size


to fit the two figures and a small section of wall Figure painting:
without being too cramped or, conversely, too ...base flesh...
spartan and unfinished.
...dark flesh...
...lighter tones

I subdivided the base board between internal applied.


and external space and over the internal section
rolled out some DAS air drying clay which I
textured by laying a piece of crumpled kitchen foil
over the clay and gently applied pressure using a

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Opposite:
Base built and
painted.
More flesh tones:
...dark base colur...
...then lighter.
Masking flesh
areas.
Base colour of
turquoise applied
to clothing.
Pre-staining the
Stegosaurus.

kitchen roller (please wash thoroughly before


entering the Great British Bake Off, or whatever
its called). Using a scalpel and straight edge I
subdivided the clay into individual slabs, using
sculpting tools to make sure that there were no
sharp edges as these would have most likely been
broken or worn off as part of the stone
preparation process. This was allowed to dry for a
few days, during which time the clay shrank and
came loose from the board. I carefully reapplied
the individual slabs, gluing them in place on the
board with PVA glue: the shrinkage creating
natural joints between the slabs.

I cut a piece of rigid insulation board to size,


Above:
Completed figure. with an off-centre window opening, and applied
some Vallejo Sand Texture Paste to all faces, using
an artists palette knife for the vertical faces to give
the appearance of trowelled render and using a
sponge on the edges to simulate broken masonry.
Insulation foam will melt if primer paint is directly
applied to it because of the solvent in the paint, so
to be on the safe side I brush-applied a coat of
artists gesso all over the wall to seal it. The wall
was then glued in place.

I decided to have a cobbled street on the outside


and formed the cobbles using two-part epoxy
putty. The joints between stones were filled with
more putty and the joints between internal slabs
with a texture paste that had enough of a degree of
viscosity to flow between the slabs but not flow
out again. Once fully dried this was given a coat of
grey primer.
The female figure was intended to stand with
right hand resting on a section of tree and so I had
to carefully remove the hand from the resin tree
section using miniature power tools to first remove
the hand and then shape the palm, which should
rest against the Stegosaurus. The hand and left
arm joined to the torso at items of apparel, which
meant simple butt jointing, and so I left these off
for ease of painting. After tidying up the minimal
residual seam line on the figure (no filling
required) it was given a coat of white primer.

Time to start painting


I chose to paint the Stegosaurus in a two colour
scheme consisting of a medium light brown and a
medium dark grey, both from the Vallejo range of
paints, whose names I have forgotten as a

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consequence of middle age, I applied the brown


paint first and then created a highlight colour by
adding Vallejo Off-White (this name I did
remember) and airbrushed it on the raised areas,
lightening it again for the underside. The grey areas
were freehand airbrushed on and, again, raised
areas highlighted. I added a large proportion of
Off-White to the light brown to create a very pale
magnolia colour that was airbrushed to the
underside of the dinosaur. Once the paint was
thoroughly dry I applied an acrylic Woodstain
English Oak with a brush in sections, and which
was wiped off with a soft tissue. I used the
Woodstain as an alternative to a more traditional
wash for its intensity of colour, although the excess
does have to be wiped off quickly because it will
stain the finish of your model, so it is best to work
in small sections at a time. The stained model needs
to be left for at least twenty-four hours to dry and
I then gave it a coat of matt varnish, as the
Woodstain dries with a gloss finish. I returned with
the original colours and drybrushed the model to
lighten the colours and add further highlights.
Painting of the Stegosaurus was completed by
painting the mouth with a mix of flesh and

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burgundy, and the eyes were painted brown. A few Above:


shadows were beefed up via the use of pastel Stain applied to
pigment powders.
Stegasaurus.
The female figure was given a base coat of GW
Tallarn Flesh as the subsequent colours I would
use are artists paints and have a slight
translucency to them. I created my standard flesh
mix of roughly equal parts Liquitex Burnt Sienna,
Raw Sienna and Titanium White and then mixed
darker shades by adding Burnt Umber and Burnt
Sienna, and lighter shades by adding Unbleached
Titanium White. I then airbrushed the flesh tones
onto the figure working dark to light, recessed
areas to raised areas.
I was feeling lazy and, rather than mask the flesh
areas, I opted to brush paint the clothing, as there
is not an awful lot of cloth to paint. I decided on a
three colour striped scheme and first brushed on
Vallejo Turquoise. I used washes of shadow and
highlight colours blended together on the model to
create depths of colour. I then applied strips of
masking tape for stripes of Vallejo French BlueGrey, repeating the shading and highlighting,
before applying more masking tape to form the

Wall and base


painted.
Opposite:
Barrels prior to
painting.
Completed base.
Straw applied.

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third stripe created from adding a small amount of


the Turquoise to white. It was when I pulled the
masking tape off and sections of paint came with
it that I said, Oh dear; what a shame thats a bit
of a bother, or words to that effect. I was going to
try and carry out repairs but realised than I ran the
risk of more paint coming off: I had obviously
failed to remove all of the mould release agent
when first cleaning the figure. Whilst it was an
unfortunate step backwards (not unlike the time I
had completed the flesh colours on a model and,
deciding to give it a spray coat of varnish to
protect the work to date, I accidentally picked up
a can of white primer only realising far too late)
I resolved to give the figure a thorough clean with
Isopropyl alcohol and repeat my normal cleaning
process. The figure was then primed and the flesh
tones repeated. This time I took a chance and
masked off the flesh areas using Tamiya Masking
Tape and Blu-tack. I airbrushed all the areas of
clothing with the Turquoise again and then created
a highlight colour by adding a little Light Sand. I
wanted the material for her skirt to have a
different appearance to the top and thong which, I
felt, should be a plain colour with the skirt being a
woven material of some description. I did this by
freehand airbrushing a noodle type pattern with

the grey, Sand and Turquoise colours until I was


satisfied with the appearance. I removed the
masking and breathed a deep sigh of relief as no
further paint was removed. A coat of matt varnish
was quickly applied to avoid any damage to the
completed finish before I continued further.
To some extent the remainder of the figure
painting was as I have described many times
before, but I will touch on a few points that may
be of interest or worth repeating:
The whites of the eyes are an off-white, oyster
grey colour.
The dark brown hair was given a darker wash
and, when dry, a dry brush highlight was added by
brushing along the raised edges of hair not across
them.
Pin washes were used to outline changes in
material.
Pastel pigment powders were used to further
shade the flesh and clothing.
For the steel type colours I used standard GW
metallic shades but for the more decorative metals
I used a new range of paints from Vallejo called
Liquid Gold. These are metallic pigments in an
alcohol base. They covered the model nicely when
applied by brush and gave a more realistic

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01-DinosaurGirl_pp8-17_scififantasyModeller 05/03/2015 12:48 Page 16

appearance than many yellow metal acrylic paints.


One word of caution: because they use metallic
pigments you should avoid water to thin or even
clean your brush as this can potentially lead to rust
forming on your model.
The base was painted by dabs of Raw Sienna,
Paynes Grey, Parchment, Raw Umber and
Neutral Grey being placed on the internal slabs
and then an old brush being used to blend the
colours together using a stippling action. This
was repeated for the external cobbles but
using a different proportion of colours to give a
more slate blue colour and the wall, but
using
Parchment,
Raw
Umber,
Unbleached Titanium White and Olive
Green. A combination of acrylic
Woodstains
(applied
as
to
the
Stegosaurus) and washes were used to
finish off the floor finishes, with some
pigment powders for good measure.
Bars were created for the window
opening using polystyrene rod painted black
with some subtle drybrushing
with Raw Sienna, and
were simply pushed
into position.
The stable floor
needed some straw
and so I used the
product of the same

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name from Woodland Scenics glued into position


with their scenic cement (heavily diluted PVA). This
needed a couple of days to
dry, which gave me
time to work
on
the
finishing
touches.

01-DinosaurGirl_pp8-17_scififantasyModeller 05/03/2015 12:48 Page 17

As the diorama was being built to 1/12th scale


I was in a position to include accessories
intended for use with a dolls house and so I set
off to my local Hobbycraft for a few appropriate
bits and bobs, and was very disappointed to find
the once impressive and extensive dolls house
section (along with the modelling section) much
decimated and with nothing of use. Fortunately,
tinternet is a boys best friend (after his mother,
of course) and so I purchased from more than
one online retailer (as none had everything I
wanted in stock) some barrels; dustpan; broom;
buckets; bowl and carrots. Whilst these were to
a reasonable standard, they werent really to an
acceptable finish for the diorama so out came
the paints, stains, washes and pigments to make
them more realistic. One of the painted buckets
was filled with Woodland Scenics Liquid Effects,
in three pours in order that each was fully cured
before increasing the depth of water. The other
bucket was filled with Mig Productions Mud
paste... what it is intended to be I will leave to
your imagination.
It was now composition time: the Stegosaurus
position had already been pre-determined by

creating slight depressions in the DAS clay base


before it dried and so everything else was
placed relative to this. The figure was intended
to have her hand resting on the dinosaur so it
had to be mid-flank but not too far to the back
or turned toward the dinosaur that her face be
obscured. The buckets, barrels, broom and
shovel were placed to fill an empty space
against the wall, but hopefully still leave
enough space so that the diorama didnt look
overcrowded.
So there we have it, another project finished
just in time for the old brain itch starting for
the next project... although it is the UK Garage
Kit show in Crewe this weekend as I write, so
who knows what pleasant diversions I may
come across there that might re-evaluate my
thinking. ...And speaking of pleasant diversions
may I take this opportunity to thank the
beautiful Beth for her inspiration whilst
painting the female figure in the diorama
(thought I had better add the word female in
the last sentence to avoid any ambiguity or
confusion, and to avoid my being hit with a
large, heavy, blunt object).

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TIEmes Two: 1

A DOUBLE CHILI, PLEASE!


Jean-Marc Deschamps prepares for a studio scale bombing run.
Released by JPG Productions, with a master
created by Weil Li Pan, this studio scale TIE
Bomber kit is an accurate representation of the
original, nicknamed the Double Chili Dog by
ILM staff. This ship has a special place in the
hearts of all SFX and modelling afficionados,
as the studio miniature was built almost
entirely from commercial kits such as the
1/144 Saturn V rocket and, more particularly,
from the MPC Darth Vaders Fighter kits
wings, which explains why the Bomber is a
relatively small FX model among its larger
brothers. The design had already been
imagined for A New Hope but was left out of
that production probably because George

Lucas didnt want it to become confused with


the similar contours of Vaders ship.

The kit
To tell you the truth, I have never seen a resin
model like this one before. At first I thought it
was an injection kit as the resin is so perfect,
with crisp details and exceptional casting. It was
a pleasure to work with, the build being almost
straightforward throughout, the one exception
being the two front fuselages that didnt align
themselves with their tube sections. I found it
difficult to create a perfect alignment here as air
bubbles under the resin skin began to appear
during the sanding process.

1: The parts. No need to source the wings from another kit, as they are provided. 2: The casting is clean and the details
crisp. 3: Just one line was re-scribed. 4a: There is a error on the right wing, so the upper raised line has been duplicated at
the bottom 4b: and the original erased. 5-8: The most difficult job on the kit was to try to align the fronts with their
respective fuselages. Bond, Bondo and cellulosic putties were extensively used.

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4a

4b

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10

11

12 13
14 15

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16

17

18

I had to use Bondo (any other automotive


putty would have sufficed), CA bond and
brownish cellulosic mastic to create the correct
rounded shapes for both the canopy and bombbay fuselages. All parts were, of course, cleaned
up with needles and sandpaper and degreased in
a soap solution before being assembled. I needed
to re-scribe a single line on the bomb-bay
fuselage and replace details on the right wing as
9-12: The LEDs are the master featured an incorrect part here. For
protected by this I used strip and small pieces of plastic,
resistors and shaped to copy the original details.
powered by a 6volt transformer.
The wires are not
all decorative...
some carry the
current!
13: Colour trials to
find the right
blue-grey.
14: The LEDs are
protected from the
paint with latex.

Lighting and base


I wanted from the start to replicate as far as
possible the studio model which featured lights
at its rear. I used the LEDs provided with the kit
and bought electrical materials to light them
with the help of resistors. The wires run
through the internal support tube and pass
from one fuselage to the other, terminating in
the base via the main metal support rod. A male
jack plug fits inside the female receptor under
the Chilis body, allowing me to light the LEDs
via a 6-volt power transformer.

The base itself is a wooden board with a channel


underneath it to house the wires. It has been
painted black, sanded, painted, then sanded and
painted again for a near perfect finish, and is
covered with a 4mm laser cut and engraved
plexiglas sheet made by my friend Sylvain. The
finish is so flawless it looks as though it has been
machine-manufactured for the mass market!

Paint
Pfffffffft No, this sound is not caused by chili
emanating from a place you might think of
but is rather the sound of
exasperation due to

15: Painting the


solar panels with
black and
protecting the
wings with
masking tape.
16-18: The base is
a wooden board
with the wires
running
underneath and
having a male jack
plug at the end of
the support tube.
It will be painted
black and covered
with a Perspex
engraved plate.

21 |

02-TIE_pp18-23_scififantasyModeller 23/02/2015 15:45 Page 22

the Bombers grey-blue paint being almost


impossible to get right for sure as light hitting it
makes it sometimes look blue and sometimes
greyish. Luckily, the original model can be seen
at the French exhibition of Star Wars Identities
and I was able to identify the right colour
(almost). Comparing the Chili with the other
TIE fighters, the Interceptor is more blue than
grey, the Vader X-1 more grey than blue, and the
Imperial TIE is more... more... Hmmmm. I hope
this helps (!).
Armed with this knowledge, I used a mixture of
the following Gunze Hobby Color paints, applied
on a flat surface:

| 22

Light Blue H323


Medium Sea Grey H335
Intermediate Blue H56
Flat Base H40

The last colour was used to obtain a satin finish.


Grey FS 3608 was used for the canopy structure
and the various tiny parts around the front of the
bomb-bay fuselage. The corrugated solar panels
were painted in Tamiya Black Satin. This isnt
perhaps quite as glossy as it should be but it gives
a better finish than the flat black that appears to
have been used on the original. Also bear in mind
that the studio models are old now and that paint
fades with time. Also, for the most part the models

02-TIE_pp18-23_scififantasyModeller 23/02/2015 15:45 Page 23

have been repaired and re-painted, as is obviously


the case with the Bomber from the exhibition.

The beauty pass


A decal sheet is provided for the numerous
encircling lines that go all around the ship, but I
preferred to use the good old method of tracing
these on with a Posca paint pen, which was faded
with a fog of the original blue-grey paint, and a
paper pen, especially on the the wings (outer and
inner). The marks are not perfect and this is
how they appear on the model when
viewed
closely.
Something
nobody has never noticed
before:

the very ends of the two fuselages, where the


conical section of the Saturn V rocket is, have a
glossy finish... thats what photographs of the
original model taken by your humble servant
reveal. I simulated this effect by spraying a light
coat of silver paint, being prudent to not over-do
the process and ruin the blue paint.
The model stands above the black painted base,
which is covered with laser cut perspex and
engraved with the title of the movie,
details of where the ship comes from
and, of course, the name of the model
itself.

Conclusion
What more can I say? Just that the
Double Chili Dog is a superb kit
that more than satisfied my appetite
for an excellent replica of the subject.
Special thanks to my friends Olivier
Cabourdin and Sylvain Viatte.

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03-AndysCreation_pp24-28_scififantasyModeller 02/03/2015 14:35 Page 24

Construction
Crustacean

Andy Pearson creates a parallel universe kit-bash/scratchbuild hybrid


QUITE

A NUMBER OF CONSTRUCTION MACHINES ARE

GIVEN NICKNAMES BY THOSE WHO WORK WITH THEM


OR ARE ENTHUSIASTS OF SAME. By way of example, I
doubt that bulldozer was a name given to the
eponymous machine by its designers.

In this case, I offer the Lobster. This is a


machine from an alternative 19th century used
for general heavy handling and, in modelling
terms, is a halfway house between a kit bash
and a scratchbuild. The kit that was bashed was
the Pegasus Models Apollo 27 spacecraft built
for an earlier review. This had already donated
one or two components to past projects but the
fuselage suggested itself as the main part for this
model.
Truth to tell I think this might have already been
used for something or other (it had been given a
coat of white primer since its original paint job)
but I cant remember what.
For this exercise my first step was to separate the
two fuselage halves and give the interior a coat of

| 24

titanium gold. Whilst that was drying I hit the


spares box and harvested a number of greeblies,
brass rods and other bits and pieces. These were
then primed and airbrushed with dark copper
before being arranged around the interior.
I initially toyed with the idea of providing the
machine with a clear windscreen but that seemed
somewhat out of keeping with the period feel I was
after. As an alternative I chose to provide a series
a brass rod bars across the viewport as protection
for the driver along with a panel of aluminium
mesh across a smaller side aperture.
Im not a great enthusiast for crew figures in
static machines or craft but, as this one would be
placed in a working environment, I thought a
driver would be appropriate. Some time ago my
good friend and colleague Ward Shrake sent me
some 1:35 scale aviator figures, designed by
Christopher Desse and Michael Fichtenmayer and
sold through Industria Mechanikas website
(industriamechanika.com).

03-AndysCreation_pp24-28_scififantasyModeller 02/03/2015 14:35 Page 25

1 2
4 5

3
6

7 8
10 11

9
12

1: A selection of original components. The round tube option was dropped. 2: Wire bars to main window. 3: Titanium gold to
interior. 4: Brass rod detailing. 5: A selection of primed greeblies for interior detailing. 6: Driver figure. 7: Interior detail.
8: Further interior detailing. 9: Driver located. 10: Base fixing for arms. 11: Arm sections. 12: Test fitting of arms.

One of these seemed the perfect figure to


represent the Lobsters operator in a relaxed
moment, so he was painted in a mid-blue and
positioned inside the machine before I glued the
two halves of the main body together. I then added
an ornamental border round the base of the
machine, this from a range of self-adhesive

decorative strips sold for use in making greetings


cards. This would disappear to some extent under
the machines primer coat but subtlety was what I
was after.
The spares box was once again approached for
the legs, these being originally from a Star Wars

25 |

03-AndysCreation_pp24-28_scififantasyModeller 02/03/2015 14:35 Page 26

13 14
16 17

15
18

19 20
22 23

21
24

13-14: Manipulators. 15: Further test fitting. 16: Test fit of rubber pipe work. 17: Arm sections drilled for tubing. 18: Self
adhesive border detail. 19: Access ladders. 20: Ladder access at rear. Note self-adhesive border detail. 21: Adding hoist detail.
22: Hydraulic/steam lines added to arms. 23: Pigment powder panelling detail. 24: Finished model on workbench.

Easy Fit kit and they only needed some lengths of


plastic tube and box section and a little work to fit
them to the sides and rear. My original plan had
been to add some lengths of plastic tubing used for
plumbing purposes for the arms but, having cut
these, I had a change of heart.

| 26

Instead I cut twelve lengths of rectangular box


section Evergreen plastic, these being joined
together in groups of four with pieces of plastic
rod which fitted tightly without the need of any
adhesive so the arms had quite a bit of movement
in them. The manipulator claws were made from
round and half-round rod. When all these sections

03-AndysCreation_pp24-28_scififantasyModeller 02/03/2015 14:35 Page 27

of the machine were complete and the widows in


the main body masked, the Lobster was given a
coat of red oxide primer which, apart from being
a suitable colour for a machine given that name,
has a really nice industrial feel to it. Once the
primer was thoroughly dry I added some random
Letraset Greek characters and provided the
suggestion of panels by placing rectangular pieces
of masking tape in judicious locations and dusting
round these with pigment powders in various
shades of brown. With the tape masks removed, I
then rubbed the areas gently with a paper tissue to
soften the demarcation line between pigment
powder and paint.
The assembly of the arms and main legs was
going to be, essentially, a push-fit exercise. It was
at this stage that I discovered a length of rubber
chord which just asked to be added to the arms as
simulated hydraulic or steam lines. As I had just
the one length of this and no idea of where to find
any more, some careful measuring was required to
ensure that I had eighteen equal lengths. I then
drilled holes in the arm sections to accommodate
these lines which would be superglued in place. In
an ideal world I would have used slightly longer

lengths of the rubber as, once in situ, they


restricted the movement of the arms and my ability
to position them.
Surveying the almost completed model I felt that
some further detailing might help its appearance.
To this end I added two small hoists to the lower
body and securing chains to the arms. Ive seen
many models enhanced by the addition of random
cogs and other features but I like to add things that
at least appear to have a function. To that end my
thought was that the chains on the arms might
take the strain when these were in a parked
position. I discovered a number of ornamental
circular features intended, I think, for use in
jewellery manufacturer. These would serve as both
terminal points for the securing chains as well as
looking interesting. I confess that I have perhaps
over-used these on steampunk models in the past
but they do look the part. I needed to drill the
holes in the centre of each of these using a
Minicraft tool and that was an interesting exercise
as every other one pinged across the room.
The penultimate stage was weathering, which
erred on the filthy side of lived-in. This was done

27 |

03-AndysCreation_pp24-28_scififantasyModeller 02/03/2015 14:35 Page 28

entirely with MIG pigment powders and


I assumed that the job was completed.
That was before I emailed the Editor-inChief and asked if he would like a piece
(the very one you are reading) on the
model. His affirmative reply asked if
the machine would appear in a suitably
industrial setting, which is Mike-speak
for Put it in a suitable industrial
setting.
By happy coincidence I had recently
consigned a not very impressive
Thunderbirds diorama to the spares
box and, as a result, had a decent
supply of girders, beams and so on in
stock. This miscellany, along with
some copper tubing, was prepared
and weathered and formed the basis
of the setting. In terms of colour I
thought that the same red oxide I
had used on the machine might work
well on some of the background bits
and pieces, if only to tie the thing together.
The result is presented here
delectation/scorn/disappointment.

| 28

for

your

04-CastingMoon_pp29-37_scififantasyModeller 27/02/2015 09:43 Page 29

a b

c d

B C

A FEW YEARS AGO I WAS CONTACTED BY A


FELLOW PROFESSIONAL KIT BUILDER WHO
WAS DESIGNING AN ALIEN DIORAMA BASE

that could be used for several science


fiction builds he was making, and
specifically for the Polar Lights Lost in
Space Jupiter 2 spaceship (Photos a-d.).
This was his first time designing
something like this in size and detail
and he wasnt very well informed at the time
concerning the correct materials to sculpt in and
how long it actually took to make prototypes,
presenting him with several challenges in the
design process. This article, chronicling how I cast
that base for him, can be used as a beginners
guide for those of you thinking of getting into
casting and mould making and who may have
questions that have prevented you from getting
started. Ive removed a lot of guess work from
how to do things and tried to make the
instructions as easy and painless as possible...
...Before we start on this journey, however, I
want to give you a few useful definitions and quick
instructions on the various moulds that can be
made, which can differ depending on the
complexity of the subject youre casting.

One-Piece Block Mould


This is basically a box. Laminate coated particle
board, foam core board or any similar substance

D E
can be used to make a sturdy box-type enclosure
to place your model in while it is being cast. A
good seal around all the edges of the box is key to
making this type of mould successful. You could
use hot glue to seal the edges of the box together.
Another good tip is to seal the edge of the model
to the base in order to keep it from moving during
moulding. You can also choose to screw or glue
the model to the base if that is an option to keep it
in place. Make sure to construct your box with
enough room to allow " to 1" surrounding
your model, including the top. This space is for the
mould rubber. If your model is porous, consider
cutting a vent hole in the base of the mould so as
not to harm it (Fig. A.).

Split or Multi-Piece Mould


Like the one-piece mould, the split mould is an
enclosed mould. The same precautions need to be
taken with sealing on all sides and base to ensure
a good mould. As a reminder, make sure you vent

Casting the Moon


Jason C. Gares,
Video Workbench Owner and Host
29 |

04-CastingMoon_pp29-37_scififantasyModeller 27/02/2015 09:43 Page 30

your model if it is porous prior to pouring in the


mould rubber. The main difference with this
mould is the end result. For a split mould, you
want to cut your mould in half (for example) after
the mould is made. Doing this will allow you to
create a three-dimensional mould, good for
models that need details on all four sides of the
mould versus ones that have a base, sitting flat.
Putting your model into a piece of PVC pipe or a
can allows you to be able to cut through the mould
and the enclosure easily. Remember to make clean
cuts when splitting the mould and try to make a
notch that allows you to know exactly how the
mould fits back together for future castings
(Fig. B.).

Complex Multi-Piece Mould


Sometimes a more detailed model with many parts
can be cut out of a block type mould. This is an
advanced method and may take practice to master.
This type of mould would likely be achieved with
a soft, easy to cut rubber, due to the detail on the
model you are casting. Venting this mould is very
important. You can vent prior to moulding with
rods or after the mould is cured by drilling into the
cured mould. Cutting the mould after it is dry is
the hardest aspect of this type of mould, so be
careful you dont ruin your model. Cutting the
mould into multiple pieces allows you to safely
remove it around more detailed pieces. Take time
with this process and you will be successful
(Fig. C.).
F G

| 30

Two-Piece Poured Block Mould


Starting this mould includes using clay as a bed for
your model. Imbed your model in clay up to the
desired half point. Fill the moulding rubber into
the box on top of the clay. After curing, the model
and cured rubber can be inverted and the top half
moulded using the same process. The cured rubber
replaces the clay in this second step of this process.
After the mould is complete, vent your mould
before casting (Figs. D, E & F.).

Poured Blanket Moulds


In order to complete a blanket mould, the shell for
the mould needs to be built first. Place your model
on a flat surface (such as a board made of wood)
and secure it to this base. Make a shell to encase
the model. The shell can be made from resin,
plaster or fibreglass. Thickness of the shell will
vary depending on the size of model and the type
of moulding liquid you choose. It is recommended
that the shell be no less than " " thick.
Making it in at least two parts is an important
step. After the shell is cured and ready, coat the
inner surface with a petroleum jelly or similar
substance. This allows for easier removal of the
shell later. Secure one piece of the shell to the base.
Begin packing clay between the shell and the
model. It is important to get the clay packed well
around the model as this will become your mould
for final casting. Do not allow any air pockets or
empty spaces while encasing the model with clay.
However, please DO allow some empty pockets
around the seam of the shell. Doing this
will ensure you have some areas to
release the shell from the clay (and later
the rubber mould) by using a
screwdriver or similar tool to pry it
away from the clay easily. Continue to
work around your model with clay
until the model is completely encased,
then secure the remaining shell parts to

H I

K L

M N

04-CastingMoon_pp29-37_scififantasyModeller 27/02/2015 09:43 Page 31

1 2

3 4

6 7

the base. Make sure you have a pour


hole at the top of the shell for your
rubber moulding liquid during the next
step. Allow the clay to cure completely
before moving on (Figs. G & H.).
After the clay is cured it is time to
remove it from the shell and around
your model. Be careful with this step!
Once you have removed the clay you
are left with a hollow shell around your model to
be filled with your moulding liquid. Dont forget
to vent your shell and coat the inside with
petroleum jelly or a similar release agent. Make
sure the model and shell are secured to the base
with no seams around them so you dont have
liquid running out. Lastly, be sure to put at least
two straps around the outside of the mould. This
will prevent it from accidentally opening during
this process. Pour your desired moulding liquid
into the shell to completely encase your model. Let
cure completely before releasing (Figs. I & J.).

Brushed on Blanket Moulds


This type of mould is a good idea for heavily
detailed models to avoid having air bubbles in
your casts. Start with your model placed on any
flat work surface. Using a flexible rubber
moulding liquid, cover the entire model with a thin
(1/8"") layer of rubber. Take care to get into all
the hard to reach, detailed places on the model.
Once the thin mould is cured, begin to make a clay
shim on the top and along the sides of the model.
This will be your dividing line between the mould
halves. The shim can have keys carved into it to
allow a proper alignment for casting. Make sure it
is close to being uniformly thick and surrounds the
outline of your model and that you have a few
keys carved into it to make it easier to remove the
subject later on (Fig. K.).
Coat the rubber-coated model with petroleum

8 9
jelly and begin to prepare the mould on one side of
the model. This can be made of plaster, resin or
other such material and should be about "- "
thick, or thicker depending on the size and mass of
the object you are casting. Allow the mould to cure
completely. Repeat the steps for the other side of
the model. Again, allow the second side to cure
completely before continuing (Fig. L.).
Once its cured, you can begin to carefully
remove the mould halves. If done with care, the
mould should easily come apart at the shim you
created, as the petroleum jelly created a barrier
between both halves. After you get the mould off,
your model is left coated with the thin layer of
rubber. Carefully cut the rubber in half at a desired
point and slowly peel it off, as you would a sock
from your foot, for example. Your mould should
be flexible and uniform in thickness to create
future copies. In order to create a copy, simply
place the mould back into the plaster cast, vent
and fill with your preferred casting liquid. As with
the poured moulds, strapping the plaster cast
together is a good idea as it will keep both halves
together securely.

Flexible Mother Mould


A good alternative to a hard shell. Soft, low-cost
Polyurethanes can be poured over petroleum jelly
or similar release agents, then the coated blanket
mould can be enclosed in a plastic tub or any
simple hard shell, to avoid additional labour

31 |

04-CastingMoon_pp29-37_scififantasyModeller 27/02/2015 09:43 Page 32

making a shell with two or more pieces. A strong


but flexible mother mould can be pulled away
from simple undercuts. You may end up using
more rubber, but it can save a lot of money, time
and work (Fig. M.).

Working Around Undercuts


If youve decided to do a brush-on mould, find all
the undercuts and fill them in with mould rubber,
clay or a filler of your choice. Please remember, if
the filler material has to be compressed, a hollow
rubber balloon can be formed by bridging the
hollow gap with plastic wrap, pressed into the last
coat of rubber, with more rubber brushed over it.
If you need more support in that area, the gap can
be filled with small pieces of foam or doll stuffing
with rubber brushed over it (Fig. N.).

NOW ON TO THE MOON BASE PROJECT


Ideas and Testing
When I first received the original sculpt, I looked
it over carefully to see how I could go about
casting it. The answer was quite simple cast it as
one piece. Then I looked at it more closely and
thought it would be very labour intensive to do it
that way. My thinking was that the mountain
region was much taller than the crater, and the
crater itself was concave, so getting the cast piece
out of the mould would most likely end up
damaging both mould and cast piece. Sometimes,
however, you dont know until you try, so I did a
test casting, trying to cast it as one piece, and
10 11

| 32

found I was right in my way of thinking. Basically


what happened was that the mountain region got
locked into the one-piece mould Id made, almost
creating a vacuum where that section of the base
didnt want to come out. Getting the crater section
free from the mould was effortless, but any section
from behind the crater didnt want to come out, so
I was left with a base and rubber silicone that was
useless. It was an expensive and time consuming
lesson, and one I learned from. So, how would I
solve this issue? I would have to change my way of
thinking

Cutting, Sealing and Liquid Latex


I have to back up a little bit and express the fact
that before the test casting was done, I was given
permission to seal the original sculpt, as it was
made from floral foam. For those who dont know,
this is a soft foam used in the bottom of vases as a
base to place flowers into so that an arrangement
can be made. Its easy to get hold of, easy to use,
very inexpensive and, in my opinion, the WRONG
material to use when making a sculpture to be cast
into several pieces. If you want to go the
inexpensive route, in my opinion it would be good
to buy some chicken wire, form it into a close
representation of what you want, skin it with
Papier Mch, then add your choice of sculpting
medium over that for detail. This way youre not
spending a lot of money, youre still getting what
you want and it will be lighter than sculpting it out
of one solid piece. Then, if you want to cast copies,
you wont go through all the problems
I did with this piece. Remember if you
do decide to use floral foam, seal it. Its
a product that has lots of air pockets,
creating a lot of air during the casting
process, making the final product full
of bubbles.
As the first test casting didnt go very
well, I had to take a different approach

12 13

14

15 16

17 18

04-CastingMoon_pp29-37_scififantasyModeller 27/02/2015 09:43 Page 33

19 20

21 22

23

24 25

with the whole process. I decided it was


a good idea to cut the original sculpture
in two (with the owners permission, of
course), separating the front crater
section from the mountain area. By
doing this I could create two moulds,
casting two parts that could be joined
later, making casting easier. With a
black marker I drew a line between the
back of the crater and the mountains. Using a
hand saw I cut down the line, separating the two
sections. I took some white paint and sealed the
floral foam behind the crater and in front of the
mountain area (Photos 1-6.). Even though the
sculpture was already sealed with white paint, I
could see several areas that werent covered very
well, likely contributing to the reason why the first
casting didnt turn out well. I airbrushed over the
white paint with several light coats of black acrylic
and followed that up with several light coats of
acrylic sealer. Once the sealer was dry, it was time
to brush on the liquid latex.
Instead of trying to make a one-piece mould as I
did the first time, I opted to brush on Mold Builder

STEPHEN HOWARTH
Original
Props,
Robots,
Kits,
Collectibles
for sale
https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/Timemachinesetc

26 27
liquid latex by Castin Craft (Photo 7.). To protect
my workbench, for both pieces I laid down some
aluminium foil as this would be easy to remove. I
started brushing it on the crater section and
worked my way outward towards the edge of the
base. On the mountain region, I naturally started
at the top and brushed towards the bottom. I also
made sure to create a one-inch flange on both
pieces that would come in handy later. You can use
any brush of your choice to paint on the latex as it
is water soluble and can be easily washed out. I
decided to take the easy route and use disposable
foam brushes (Photos 8-18.). Even though I had
really strong moulds, they were way too flimsy to
cast anything in, as there was nothing to hold the
weight or the volume of material that would be
poured into them (Photos 19-20.). In order to hold
the weight and volume of material used to make
the copy and keep the shape of the latex mould, I
would have to make Mother moulds that would
cradle the outside of both latex moulds.
In order to create Mother moulds to securely
hold both latex moulds in place during the casting
process, I had to make a box around them. The
first step was to make sure the latex moulds were
securely set on the original master sculpture so
they didnt move around. I brushed on a little bit
of rubber latex in a few key areas and placed the
moulds back on. While I let the latex set up, I took
measurements of the sculpture and added a
quarter to a half inch around the total height and

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04-CastingMoon_pp29-37_scififantasyModeller 03/03/2015 11:24 Page 34

length of each part. I then cut foam core pieces to


those measurements and glued them together
using hot glue, creating a box to pour the Mother
material into. To prevent movement, keeping the
mountain piece in place during this process, I stuck
three needles through the foam core and into the
tops of each mountain peak. Using Ultra Cal 30 as
the material for the Mother mould, I mixed 38
parts water to 100 parts material. I first used a
mixing wand attached to a hand drill to speed up
mixing time, and then stirred by hand using a
painters stick. The reason I end up using a
painters stick is so I can work out all the air
bubbles that were created while using the mixing
wand (Photos 21-25.).
I slowly poured, six inches above the box, in a
very thin stream, the Ultra Cal 30 into one corner
of the mould box. The reason I pour in this
fashion is because I want to be sure to get rid of
any bubbles that may be left in the material.
Pouring the material this way ensures it will be
bubble free, producing a stronger mould. As the
Ultra Cal 30 was setting up, I decided it was a
good time to make keys in the mould. The reason
these are made is so that two (or more) parts of a
mould line up the same way each and every time
its used. When you get proper mould alignment,
you will have a part with little to no seam, and
thats the goal. With this Mother mould I used the
bottom of a shot glass to make my keys. I then
waited for the Ultra Cal 30 to set up for 25-35
minutes. With that one side set up, I could work
28 29

30

32 33

| 34

on the other. I took some petroleum jelly and


spread it all around the half of the mould Id just
made, making sure to get around the sculpture and
into the keys. I did this because when I pour more
Ultra Cal 30 into the rest of the box, I want to
make sure I will be able to pry both halves apart.
I dont put a lot of petroleum jelly on, just enough
to create a barrier. I repeated the mixing and
pouring process of the first half for the second half
and let set for an additional 25-35 minutes. The
whole process was repeated for the crater section,
but instead of a two-part Mother mould, it was a
single piece (Photos 26-33.).

Test Casting
With the Mother moulds created, it was time to
start test casting. The client wanted to know what
the difference would be between a solid base and a
hollow base with expandable foam inside it to give
it strength. After some discussion, the customer
and I decided to make the test castings out of
Durhams Water Putty instead of wasting resin or
any other type of expensive material.
For those of you who have never heard of
Durhams Water Putty, its a gypsum-based filler
in powder form and becomes almost rock hard
when mixed with water. It never shrinks and has
great bonding strength. Mix with cold water for a
longer setting time and warm water for a faster
setting time.
Its always a good idea to coat the inside of any
mould with some sort of mould release.
The type you use depends on what type
of material your mould is made of and
the material you will be pouring into
that mould. If you dont put any release
inside a mould, theres a greater risk of
not being able to get the part out, and,
if you do get it out, a high probability
of critically damaging the mould and/or
31

34 35

04-CastingMoon_pp29-37_scififantasyModeller 27/02/2015 09:43 Page 35

36 37

38 39

40

41 42

the part. I decided to use good old


fashioned Talcum Powder as my mould
release for this project. I can use a
generous amount without affecting the
detail in the casting, plus its very
helpful in keeping the rubber latex
moulds in good condition. I placed the
rubber latex moulds into the Mother
moulds before adding any material. I
taped and strapped down the flanges of the latex
moulds to the Mother moulds to make sure that
when I poured in the material, the moulds
wouldnt move around or collapse inward,
distorting the mould and ruining the part.
I mixed three parts Durhams powder to one
part water and poured into both mould sections,
filling them completely and letting set-up for 24
hours. The next day I found both parts were ready
to be taken out, as they were rock hard. I took a
wooden dowel and began lightly tapping on the
outside of the Mother moulds to help release the
rubber latex from inside. The tapping would also
help release the hard Durhams Water Putty from
the original rubber moulds (Photos 34-37.). Since
this is a solid base its very heavy and both pieces
combined weighed in at 26 lbs. This to me isnt
very economical for shipping or running lights
through. A lot of drilling would have to be done
for lighting that would turn out to be a huge mess
for the modeller. Getting back to the weight, 26
lbs. would be expensive to ship, as it would have
to be packed with bubble wrap and other things to
protect it. Depending on how it would be sent, the
weight would go up, making it around 35 lbs. at
the very least. Adding to the weight would be the
size of the box. A regular box wouldnt be used,
but an extra thick, heavy duty one, adding more
weight and now more size to what I already had.
This would be a case of shipping costs meeting or
exceeding the cost of making the product, and

43 44
thats not very economical. The next step was
therefore making the two sections hollow.
After mixing up more Durhams Water Putty
powder with warm water to accelerate set-up time,
I pushed it in to the moulds using a putty knife
(Photos 38-39.). I conducted a few test castings to
check out the durability and overall thickness of
how the two halves were going to turn out. Full
castings werent necessary, just sections, as to not
waste time and material (Photos 40-43.). I figured
out how to go about things with the test castings,
deciding what I did and didnt like, and proceeded
with full castings. I repeated the process of pushing
the water putty into both moulds and, after letting
set-up for 24 hours, I got highly detailed parts that
are both thin and durable (Photos 44-47.). I took
the parts out of both moulds, placed them end to
end and added more water putty to permanently
join them together where the seam line is. The
castings were now complete. Three test castings
were produced to check if there were any changes
between each one if there need to be any changes
made between multiple castings, nows the time to
find out. You dont want to put a lot of time and
effort into multiple castings only to find they are
less than perfect. Its always better to test things
out early. (Photos 48-55.). Expandable foam you
can buy at any hardware store was sprayed to the
underside of the castings to add strength and
durability. Any excess was cut so the bases could
sit flat on any smooth surface.

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45 46
To finish this project
off, it was time to add
paint, as the customer
needed to get a full
visual of what the final
product would look
like. Grey primer was 49
applied along with some
quick airbrushing, resulting in a finished moon
crater base suitable for any science fiction model
kit (Photos 56-60.).
Unfortunately my customer decided that the end
cost to produce the base would be too expensive
with having the crater as the main focus. It looked
nice but wasnt practical for his needs. A big part
of the cost was the casting process and that part of
production with time and materials had to be cut
down in order for him and his company to justify
producing it. I suggested he could have it vacuum
formed, but that by doing that some of the detail
could be lost. He went back to the drawing board
and decided to get rid of the crater altogether,
making the front of the base flat with some slight
rock formation detailing. The final product was
made with hollow resin and only sold as a package

47 48

50 51

52 53
deal with build-up work he would do for clients.
After selling about a dozen bases he decided to
retire it.
In the end, this was an educational experience
for both me and my client. Both of us became
educated with how things worked on both ends of
the design process. In a way, we educated each
other, which gave us more than we ever expected
and that in itself made this project
54 worthwhile. Never be afraid to ask
questions or experiment, as you wont
know what youll end up with if you
dont.
Thank you for reading, the support
and MODEL ON!

55

56

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57 58
59 60

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05-Jawa_pp38-44_scififantasyModeller 23/02/2015 16:10 Page 38

CANT

ABIDE

THOSE

JAWAS!

DISGUSTING

CREATURES!

...Ive always thought that C-3POs dismissive


assessment of these skittish little characters was a
bit harsh, and it would seem that the popularity
they have achieved in the Star Wars universe bears
me out. I think theyre a brilliant creation and my
sister does too! She loves them, really LOVES
them, and for that reason alone I thought Id have
a go at recreating them.
When you consider the relatively short amount
of screen time they have in Star Wars ANH, the
Jawas have clearly struck a chord with a vast
number of fans. The idea of these creatures barely
making a living through scavenging and wheeling
and dealing on the desert planet Tatooine makes
them both endearing and also relatable to us.
Conversely their diminutive size, featureless faces,
strange glowing eyes and impenetrable language
add an air of mystery; who hasnt wondered what
a Jawa really looks like?

As with all of the films in the first trilogy the


mundane, used quality of the sets, props and
costumes is what convinces us the most. In the case
of the Jawas, this is central to their identity, as in
a very short time you really believe in their culture,
the practicality of the clothing they wear and the
equipment they use. It is this authenticity as
created by the designers and craftspeople who
worked on the original films that will always be an
inspiration to those interested in design for film
and television.

Beginning the project


It was clear from the start of the project that one
Jawa was not enough as they were clearly highly
social creatures, and their interactions in the film
were a fundamental part of their charm. As a
result, I decided to produce a pair based on their
initial appearance in the film where they disable
poor R2-D2 with an Ion Blaster.
At approximately one metre tall, the Jawas were
easy to scale to the height of a five-year-old child,

Jim Costello scratchbuilds an armed and dangerous pair of 1:1 scale Jawas.
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05-Jawa_pp38-44_scififantasyModeller 23/02/2015 16:10 Page 39

and a search on eBay soon provided second-hand


examples of shop mannequins that would form the
basis of the build.
From here, internet images and screen captures
from the film were used to establish the scale of
the props relative to the size of the characters,
although later research would reveal the extent to
which real weapons, devices and other accessories
were used in the production of the original

costumes, making authentic reproduction easier


than anticipated.
The overall Jawa costume consists of a robe,
hood and surcoat made from fabric or hide with
additional belts, pouches and bandoliers. Each
character also has a collection of weapons and
accessories depending on his role in the
operation.

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05-Jawa_pp38-44_scififantasyModeller 23/02/2015 16:11 Page 40

Being well aware of the deceptive simplicity


of these costumes from my experience in a
previous project where I recreated Yoda (see
SFFM Volume 27), I knew I would have to
experiment extensively before a good result was
achieved. It is at this point that I must
acknowledge the tremendous contribution made
by my friend and colleague Jayne Gill. Jayne, an
exceptionally skilled fashion technician,
patiently interpreted my clumsy attempts at
producing patterns for the robe and surcoat and
was able to explain the fundamental principles
that would allow the material to drape correctly
over the mannequin.
The characteristic wrap-around snorkel
structure of the hood was also a particular
challenge and went through at least four versions
until I was satisfied. Again, Jaynes kindness,
patience and skill resulted in a convincing
reproduction that as part of the completed
costumes created exactly the right effect to
maximise the impact of the Jawas glowing eyes.
Finding a suitable fabric for the robes and hoods
would be central to the success of the project, and

| 40

vast amounts of conflicting data existed on the


type of material that should be used. A visit to a
fantastic fabric/craft supplier called Fabworks,
located in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire provided a
large remnant of a synthetic, heavy-weave fabric in
a deep copper colour which, once made-up into
the garments, was dyed to make an effective match
to the original costumes (Image 1). Additionally, a
piece of mottled tan vinyl was also found to make
the remaining leather surcoat I wanted for one of
the characters (Image 2).
Finding a dye capable of colouring this heavy
synthetic fabric was challenging but a product
called Jacquard Acid Dye (Chestnut) did an
excellent job. The items were simply soaked for an
hour in 30 grams of the powdered dye which was
dissolved in 9 litres of hot water. At the end of this
process, the garments were put through a washing
machine to remove any excess dye, which had the
added benefit of creating a more realistic fraying
to the hems and cuffs of the robes. Once properly
dry, brown and beige auto sprays were used to
weather the costumes to create an authentic
desert-dwellers look (Image 3).

05-Jawa_pp38-44_scififantasyModeller 23/02/2015 16:12 Page 41

Although the mannequins I had purchased were


correct in terms of height, their structure would
clearly have to be modified in order to make them
function and take on the appearance of realistic
Jawas. In the film, dwarves were the principle
performers used (although children played
secondary characters), and the proportions of their
bodies are clearly distinguishable in the scene where
C-3PO and R2-D2 are sold to the Lars family.
The first task was to remove the hands of each
mannequin and replace them with adult-sized
versions. As luck would have it, I was asked to
deliver a demonstration of alginate mould-making
to a group of adult students around this time, and
was able to enlist a volunteer who allowed me to
use her perfectly sized hands as the subject of the
exercise. I instructed her to pose her fingers in an
open gripping fashion and from these moulds
produced solid resin casts (Image 4). By detaching
the thumbs of each casting, inserting a brass wire
core and reattaching them, I was able to create
enough articulation for the hands to grip.
The second task was to articulate each arm,
which was achieved by separating forearm and

upper-arm and inserting simple elbow joints


produced from scraps of hardwood pivoted with
M8 bolts and wing nuts. These elbows were
fastened to plywood plugs shaped to fit inside the
hollow arms of the mannequins and were then
attached with screws to lock them in place. Two
pairs of small black gloves were purchased from a
fancy-dress shop and 120mm wide strips of black
fake-fur were sewn into cuffs to create the mangy
looking hands and hairy arms that offer the only
clue to the true appearance of the Jawas. These
were then weathered with the same beige auto
spray used on the costumes (Image 5). Finally, two
pairs of childs boots were used as the basis of the
bindings used by the Jawas to protect their feet.
Strips of hessian were attached to the boots using
spray adhesive (lethal stuff!), and again weathered
as described above (Image 6).
The final task on the mannequins was to enlarge
their heads and create the amber, glowing eyes that
are the principle characteristic of the Jawas. Here
I was fortunate in having a mould for a helmet
from a previous project. The top of this mould was
the perfect shape to create a broad face-mask that
would not only increase the size of the head of

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05-Jawa_pp38-44_scififantasyModeller 23/02/2015 16:12 Page 42

each mannequin, but also allow the installation of


lights for the eyes. Using fibreglass, two facemasks were produced and trimmed. Pairs of
20mm diameter clear acrylic tubes, each 40mm
long, were mounted into holes drilled into the
masks and fixed into position with two-pack filler.
The positioning of the eyes in the masks was
critical to the overall effect as the performers in the
original costumes wore the lights beneath their
eyes at the level of their cheeks, adding to the
notion that these were alien creatures and not just
small people in hoods and robes.
The mask assemblies were then primed and
painted in matt black. When dry, each tubular eye
socket was capped with an elliptical dome of
fluorescent orange acrylic. Pairs of MES 6 Volt
bulbs were wired together with a simple switch
and battery pack and sealed into the tubes from
inside each mask to provide the glowing eye effect
required (Image 7). The masks were then fitted
over the heads of the mannequins and fastened
into position with screws. Black Lycra hoods with
matching eye holes cut in the reverse were then put
on each head to make the faces completely
featureless.

| 42

In another example of creating an


authentic feel to the production
design of the original trilogy, real
weapons were used as the basis of
the hardware seen on screen, with
Han Solos blaster and the rifles
used by the Imperial Stormtroopers
being prime examples. Although the
Jawas are seen to possess a variety
of Ion weapons, the most prominent
is the one used to attack R2-D2, and
is based on a truncated version of
the Lee-Enfield .303 rifle. This was
produced in two stages: first the wooden stock,
followed by the breach, bolt, barrel/muzzle, trigger
and magazine.
Finding scale drawings of the .303 proved
simple as a vast amount of information existed on
the internet. A template for the stock was quickly
produced in softwood which, after an hour of
shaping using a disc and spindle sander, was
sculpted into a realistic facsimile (Image 8).
Cavities to accept the breach, trigger and magazine
were chiselled out and the stock was then sanded
and stained with watered-down acrylic paint

05-Jawa_pp38-44_scififantasyModeller 23/02/2015 16:12 Page 43

followed by several coats of satin


acrylic varnish. Abrasive papers were
then used to achieve a suitably worn
out appearance (Image 9).
The breach, bolt, barrel and trigger
assembly was produced from 3mm
acrylic sheet, 20mm diameter tube and
15mm diameter rod, with the large
muzzle of the blaster a combination of
MDF and 65mm diameter ABS tubing,
the addition of a 20mm diameter
wooden
bead
providing
the knob at
the end of the bolt.
The magazine was
produced from a block
of 18mm MDF that
was profiled, sanded
and sealed (Image 10).
All these components
then received a coat
of
grey
primer
followed by matt
black (Image 11) and
were fitted into the
stock. The blaster
was
completed
by dry brushing
silver acrylic paint
onto the metal
components to
create the appearance of extensive
use, and a hole was
drilled into the base
of the stock
to receive the
connecting cable

from the power-pack (Image 12). Leather-effect


vinyl was used to produce a custom
holster/bandolier with the seams pierced and tied
together with lengths of leather thong. Brown shoe
polish was applied to the surface and the holster
was then weathered with abrasive paper (Image
13).
The strange bronze power-pack attached to this
blaster was produced from a block of 25mm thick
softwood, measuring 170mm x 100mm. Once
profiled and sanded, the circular designs were
carved into the surface (Image 14) and red primer
was stippled onto the entire surface to create
texture as well as prepare for a top coat of gold
auto paint (Image 15). A connector made from
10mm diameter ABS tubing and acrylic sheet was
added, and the completed assembly distressed
with brown acrylic paint which was worked into
the surface detail. A thin brown leather belt was
later fastened to the power-pack with two brass
wire rings to create a carrying strap (Image 16).
The second blaster was not, to my knowledge,
derived from a real weapon design and I found its

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05-Jawa_pp38-44_scififantasyModeller 23/02/2015 16:12 Page 44

rather comical, cobbled together appearance


wholly in keeping with the make do and mend
mentality of the Jawas. As well as using the same
materials employed to construct the first blaster:
MDF, softwood, ABS and acrylic tubing, etc, a
certain amount of inventiveness was required in
order to find components to complete this prop.
This extended to the use of a hanger taken from
the top of a broom handle, a conical flower holder
used for graves which I hasten to add was
purchased from
eBay and not
stolen and the
textured lid from
a
piece
of
Tupperware (Image
17).
A few model
parts were also used
to provide controls
and other surface
details, and the
completed gun was
again stippled with
red primer (Image
18) prior to a coat of
matt black (Image
19). Gold and bronze
acrylic paints were
then applied to create
the effects of rust,
heat and general wear
and tear (Image 20).
The final piece of
equipment that had to
be scratchbuilt was the
droid caller device used
to subdue R2-D2 when
he is rejected by Owen
Lars at the droid sale,
and later by Luke
Skywalker to find C-3PO following R2s escape.
Again, the original prop was a real device called a
Kobold Flash Unit which was effectively a handle
in which a flash bulb was mounted backed with an
old fashioned circular reflector. This prop was
simply produced from lengths of 32mm and
40mm diameter ABS tube and detailed with a
rectangle of acrylic sheet and strips of 1.5mm
corrugated plastic sheet, to represent the knurled
edges. Cut down pen lids were used to represent
the buttons and other controls, and the whole
assembly was primed and sprayed silver. A strip of

| 44

black tape was used to complete the surface


detailing and, to finish, the piece was capped with
a 25mm clear elliptical dome (Image 21).
All that remained in terms of the accessories
needed to complete the two Jawas was the
purchase of the pouches and bandoliers that
feature so prominently in the costumes. Research
identified that a British 1903 Pattern Leather
Cavalry Bandolier and a
German Army K98 Rifle
Triple Ammo Pouch were the
most prominent accessories
used in the original costumes,
and an eBay search revealed
some affordable replicas
along with some undefined
individual pouches which I
added to the holster
described above. Upon
arrival, these were adapted
to the Jawas and, following
the customary distressing
of the new leather, they
effectively completed the
project (Image 22).
Id like to conclude by
thanking my sister Sarah
for inspiring me to take on
this subject, as well as my
friend and neighbour
Eamonn McCarron for
his invaluable assistance
in producing the location
shots of the completed
Jawas. Not only did he
suggest the location
( I l k l e y M o o r, U K ) ,
but kindly provided
transport and acted as a
much needed bearer
and PR man, keeping at bay
the curious hikers we attracted. It was Eamonns
success in convincing onlookers that something far
more important was going on that allowed me to
complete the photographs undisturbed. Whether
anyone now thinks that parts of Star Wars Episode
VII are being filmed in West Yorkshire remains to
be seen!
I hope you have found this article informative
and that you may be encouraged to have a go at
making your own Jawas.

06-TIETwo_pp45-51_scififantasyModeller 26/02/2015 10:15 Page 45

TIEmes Two: 2
Next in our back-to-back TIE-fest:

Nice-N Model Designs Studio Scale


Imperial TIE Fighter resin kit
Steve Neisen

EVER DREAM OF SNEAKING INTO THE LUCASFILM


ARCHIVES and snatching your favourite filming
miniature? Nope me either! LOL. Well, weve
good news for you if you have and it may save
you from serious jail time! I decided that,
through my company, Nice-N Model Designs, Id
work to create some of the most accurate Star
Wars studio scale models available. I knew that
in order to do this Id need to assemble a highly
talented team of studio scale model makers to
research and produce the kits, my hope being to
create replicas that would look like they came
right out of the movies.

Id like to focus on our Imperial TIE Fighter


studio model build in this article. The workhorse
of the Empire, the TIE was originally sketched by
George Lucas, and Colin Cantwell built the
prototype which highlighted the hexagonal wings
and centre ball configuration. ILM superstar Joe
Johnston then refined the design and ILM model
maker legend Lorne Peterson and others built the
iconic miniature. Did you know the roar of the
TIE Fighter sound effect was created by Ben Burt?
He stated that he used a mix of an elephant and
a car driving on wet pavement. Thus the New
Hope TIE Fighter was born, with details between

45 |

06-TIETwo_pp45-51_scififantasyModeller 23/02/2015 16:04 Page 46

Top row: plan view of cockpit well. Cockpit interior components.


Above: cockpit front bulkhead. Ball centre front detail pieces. Virtual Koolshade.
Below: wing construction using the Virtual Koolshade.
Below right and opposite top: wing star central detailing.

| 46

06-TIETwo_pp45-51_scififantasyModeller 23/02/2015 16:05 Page 47

Above centre: close-up of detailing to one of the wing spars.


Above: the two halves of the central ball.
Above left: central armature rests in the bottom half of the ball with the cockpit well
and front bulkhead in situ.
Inset left: cockpit ceiling detail plate prior to fitting in top half of ball.

movies changed very


little. The wing trim
design changed a bit for
Empire but overall the
ship remained much the
same throughout the
Trilogy.
Of course, readers
will know that studio
scale refers to the

actual size at which the model makers made the


miniature(s) for film. The TIE Fighter is 1/24
scale, with the model makers using a 1/24 scale
pilot figure in the cockpit, and the Fighter
measuring 38cm x 43cm x 36cm.
In 1995 we began researching the TIE Fighter
studio model. A gentleman by the name of Doug
Maio inspired me to research and find the correct
kit parts ILM used to build the original filming
miniature. Doug, already an established

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06-TIETwo_pp45-51_scififantasyModeller 23/02/2015 16:05 Page 48

kitbasher and kit part finder, encouraged me to


find the parts. Like a Sith Lord to his Apprentice:
You must find the parts... This meant I had to
study all available reference and try to recognize a
shape of a part and start buying off the shelf model
kits until that part was located. After several
months or so of hunting kit parts IDs were made
and parts found. Doug provided clues and actual
part information for the TIE Fighter throughout
this process. Hundreds of hours and thousands of

| 48

dollars later the TIE Fighter kit part information


list began to come together. Realising I couldnt do
it alone, I added master kit collector and part
finder Dan Loes to team NMD and he found parts
I had only dreamed of finding. Once the majority
of the parts were located it was possible to start
laying out the correct size for the pattern. On final
count there are fifty-one vintage off the shelf kits
used on the TIE Fighter miniature, including the
Tamiya 1/35 M10 and 1/12 Matra, and Revell

06-TIETwo_pp45-51_scififantasyModeller 23/02/2015 16:05 Page 49

1/32 F4J, all of these kits released before 1976,


and with over half of them currently out of
production. This means its super expensive and
hard to find all the parts needed for a TIE Fighter
replica, and why we are so pleased to be able to
replicate all those pieces in resin.
Next, model maker John Curilla and myself
began construction of the studio scale TIE pattern.
John perfectly matched the cockpit ball whilst I
concentrated on the wing detail clusters. Three
editions of the kit have been developed over the

assisted Nice-N Model Designs in developing our


highly accurate TIE Fighter kit.

Centre Ball and Wing Supports


After taking measurements of the actual studio
TIE Fighter John Curilla created the upper and
lower hulls to match the ILM pattern. The top
hatch, front cockpit grill, cockpit and rear engine
assembly all had kit bashed details that needed to
be located prior to assembly. If you scratchbuild
the hatch or whatever part before you get the

Opposite top: rear bulkhead added to


cockpit area. Armature sheathed with
wing support casing.
Opposite centre: Top hatch detail.
Rear plate, top hatch and underside
plate.
Opposite bottom: Front and rear views
of test fit (ball section).
Above left: Additional detailing to ball
section.
Above right: test fitting top hatch.
Left: near completed ball and wing
arm sections.

past ten years but today the definitive version has


been completed.
In 2012, after hed seen the work wed done on
the TIE Fighter, I was contacted by Bryan Ono of
EFX Collectibles and brought on board their EFX
team to develop and assist in the release of the
official licensed EXF TIE Fighter collectible. Now
sold out, this was the most accurate production
ready to display Star Wars studio model to date.
Having this access to better TIE reference also

actual detail kit part, you run the risk that it may
not fit or the kit part may swim if your
scratchbuilt part is too large. This attention to
detail continued with the wing supports. John is
one of the best scratchbuilders around his skills
are at master level and things he can do with
styrene strip and sheet are actually remarkable.
...Hes a human 3D printing machine!
As far as kit part identification goes one of the
details found on the TIE ball was discovered to be

49 |

06-TIETwo_pp45-51_scififantasyModeller 23/02/2015 16:05 Page 50

Top left: the TIE features decals that have only recently been spotlighted on the internet.
Top right: completed front view showing guns (LEDs) in place.
Above: completed rear view.
Above right and opposite top: outer and inner wing detailing.

a 1976 5mm LED holder. This was mounted on a


piece of tubing and an LED had been fitted, these
two components comprising the main gun for the
TIE Fighter. The lights flashed during filming giving
rotoscopers a guide when scoping in laser bursts.

Armature
Several incarnations of the backbone support of
the TIE went through several changes over the
years. The current and final armature is a five-part
milled aluminium piece that is exact in design to its
movie counterpart. The armature was designed by
Alan Hanson and machined by Robert Bosnjak.

Wing Stars
The wing stars, like all other parts, went through
several incarnations during the ten-year
development of the studio model kit. As new
reference surfaced changes had to be made. NiceN Model Designs enlisted the help of 3D artist
Mike Reis in drawing the basic wing star shape in

| 50

CAD. Using exact measurements taken from the


filming miniature, Mike drew a wing star shape
that was to be the final version. John began adding
the wing star details, which are super-clustered on
the wing hub, giving it a very mechanical look.
The wing is exact in overall size, shape and kit part
detail and we are very happy with its accuracy.
Even the Sith Lord himself (Doug Maio) would be
proud.
To finish out the wing, the modeller needs to
hunt down material called Koolshade. This way of
building wing stars is called the Hero version. Its
as seen in the movie and how ILM made the
original filming miniatures. Koolshade is a louvred
brass screen material used as a sun shade on
windows. In the mid 90s we thought we had
located the correct material only to find that the
current product is 17 louvres per inch. The vintage
material is 21 louvres per inch. Apparently a
hurricane in the Caribbean destroyed the machine
that made the 21-per-inch stuff. A few collectors

06-TIETwo_pp45-51_scififantasyModeller 23/02/2015 16:05 Page 51

have secured small stores of the vintage accurate


Koolshade so it still can be purchased. Once you
have the material you will need to cut the panels
out of it per reference. The kit includes templates
to make cutting easier.
...Cant find vintage Koolshade? No problem.
We developed a Virtual Koolshade 3D printed
screen, which can be moulded and cast and used as
a substitute for the real material. Once painted it is
very convincing as the real thing. The customer
chooses the option of Hero (no screen provided) or
Virtual Koolshade which can be provided with the
kit. Once the screen is cut out, a small piece of
black photo film is cut to shape and sandwiched
between the two wing stars. The wing is then
trimmed with " ABS I-beam to lock the wing
halves together, exactly the way ILM did in
1976.

Painting and Decals


Only recently did reference photos show up which
reveal that there were many decals on the TIE
Fighter. These were taken from off the shelf kits
and cut up and used in many locations on the
miniature. For example, there is a Goodyear cut
decal on the top hatch as well as ammo box
stenciling. The ILM TIE Fighters were painted
Pactra Sea Blue, which is now out of production.
During the EFX TIEs development paint samples
were taken directly off of former ILM great
Richard Edlunds personal TIE. A custom mix of
blues and greys make up the base colour. Some
TIE fans swear by straight from the can Rustoleum Slate Blue. The TIE Fighter is lightly
weathered and well maintained by the Empire.
The TIE doesnt seem to survive many battles
either, so I guess battle damage equals destroyed. I
guess thats why the Empire has so many of them.
Professional model builder and painter Jason
Eaton provided pictures of his build and paint of
the Nice-N Model Designs TIE Fighter kit. Jason
displayed our TIE kit at Wonderfest 2013 and
ILM great Lorne Peterson gave it raving
reviews! It doesnt get much better than that.
The Nice-N Model Design Studio Scale TIE
Fighter kit is moulded in Smooth On 300
RTV and cast in high quality Smooth-On
310 resin. This is a slower set resin which
allows the larger parts to be pressure cast in
one of Nice-N Model Designs custom
pressure chambers, which provide bubble
free castings. All castings are inspected prior
to shipment.
If youd like to know more about the
Nice-N model Designs TIE Fighter or other
studio scale kits please contact via:
www.nicenmodeldesigns.com
or on Facebook:
www.facebook.com/nicenmodeldesigns

51 |

07-JonnyQuestDragonfly_pp52-55_scififantasyModeller 23/02/2015 16:01 Page 52

QUEST FOR ADVENTURE


Andy Pearson builds the Dragonfly from
Hanna-Barberas ambitious animated 60s classic

Manufacturer: Moebius Materials: Injection moulded off-white polystyrene


Scale: Unknown (but guessed at).
MY

SECOND

MOEBIUS

PRE-RELEASE REVIEW TEST-

SHOT OF THE YEAR ARRIVED, TUCKED IN ITS PLASTIC


BAG,

as I was completing their Colonial Viper


Mk II (egg version) for Volume 36 of this title.
That probably means that somebody up there
likes me.
The fact that this was an even more
straightforward build than the aforementioned
spacecraft also means that somebody has, at last,
realised my skill level as a modeller.
Truth to tell, there were only thirteen parts to
this kit, including the stand, and it was obvious
from the start that this wasnt going to be the most
demanding build of my career. That shouldnt

detract from the pleasure Jonny Quest fans will


have from owning the model. Looking at several
internet forums there seems to be a great deal of
enthusiasm for this new arrival.
Continuing the motif of honesty I must admit to
having no knowledge of Mr. Quests adventures,
other than a vague awareness that they featured in
an animated TV series*. I was told, when the kit
was delivered, that the aircraft featured a large Q
logo on the tailplane and, as there were no decals
at this stage, that I would need to create that
myself.
Searching the internet for some background on
the model I found a profusion of images, including
the box art for the forthcoming kit, and very few

Opposite: The bits from the bag. Fuselage clamped after glueing. Main components assembled prior to primer coat.
Pencil enhancement of panel lines. Clear engine detail painted in clear red and inserted. Masking cockpit transparency.
Painted cockpit. Cockpit interior with figure for test fitting. The pin is to enable insertion during this process.

| 52

07-JonnyQuestDragonfly_pp52-55_scififantasyModeller 23/02/2015 16:01 Page 53

53 |

07-JonnyQuestDragonfly_pp52-55_scififantasyModeller 23/02/2015 16:01 Page 54

Above: inserting the completed interior. The pin now holds a blob of putty that will be removed when the glue within the
fuselage has set. Close-up view of cockpit with crew. Opposite: finished model shots.

of those featured the lettering described, whilst the


ones that did seemed to be of a different craft, or
at least a variation of this one with engine nacelles
similar to those housing the Olympus engines on
the Concorde supersonic airliner.
That left me with an essentially white aircraft
constructed from a kit with no fit or other
problems and, therefore, not a great deal to talk
about at least in theory.
Having primed the basic assembly I began to
wonder if there was anything I might do to add to
the overall interest of the model, although the design
is, in its virgin state, a thing of some elegance.
It then occurred to me that some enhancement
of panel lines and control surfaces might be a way
to go. Now Im sure readers who build aircraft
have a far better understanding of how these
should be handled but my thinking was that, as
the subject is essentially a drawing (or series of

drawings) I could give it a less than realistic


treatment than would normally be the case.
Rather than run a pin wash into the panel lines it
seemed to me that, as I wasnt going for subtlety, it
might be easier to draw these in, which I did using
a Pentel P205 0.5mm mechanical pencil. The only
even vaguely labour intensive part of this was the
need to sharpen the point of the graphite tip every
other panel to keep within the moulded lines.
With the enhanced (or desecrated, depending on
your point of view) panel lines completed I then
airbrushed the entire model with thinned flat
white acrylic which knocked back the pencil
enhancement somewhat.
And that could have been that but for the fact
that I had a) some time on my hands and b) one of
my ideas. The last part to be fitted, other than the
very long and delicate nose probe (Moebius
provide two of these, doubtless to allow for
mishaps) was the cockpit
transparency. This was masked
off the model and, whilst it was
drying, I thought that it might
be interesting to add some crew
and passenger figures.
Someone once said that one of
the things chaps enjoy about
hobbies such as ours is fiddling
about (I suspect the speaker may
have been female) and the
fiddlier the better. Im guilty as
charged.
Long, long ago I built a
version of the ill-fated Fireflash

| 54

07-JonnyQuestDragonfly_pp52-55_scififantasyModeller 26/02/2015 10:27 Page 55

from the Thunderbirds pilot episode and added


some figures to a diorama created around that
model. A short search of the spares box located the
balance of these which, it transpired, were Preiser
1:400 scale models and I suppose that gives a clue
as to the intended scale of this kit as they looked
about right within the cockpit. Having said that,
the Dragonflys main hatchway is considerably
bigger than a figure of that scale would need but I
assume this means of ingress would also need to
accommodate various items of equipment and that
might account for its size.
As the fuselage was already closed, including
some figures would require a little open model
surgery. I cut a small rhomboid shape from plastic
card and mounted this on a length of plastic rod
which was cut in length to support the rhombus
just a few millimetres below the opening on the
fuselage. The surface of the rhombus was coloured
using a black spirit marker and then three of the
1:400 figures were superglued onto this, the entire
assembly then being glued into the fuselage using
PVA glue. This choice of adhesive gave me a little
time to position the tiny platform and its figures.

remember Jonny Quest from the sixties (I was


around nine when it premiered on UK TV). The
animated series, produced in 1964-65 by HannaBarbera, was an attempt to move away from the
traditional cartoon territory of their phenomenally
successful Flintstones series and less-so Jetsons
show into the comic-book, action-adventure genre
with characters drawn to human proportions. It
concerned the adventures of Doctor Benton
Quest, son Jonny, adopted son Hadji, (pilot?)
Roger Race Bannon and Jonnys cute bulldog
pup Bandit. The series was created and designed
by legendary comic-book artist Doug Wildey.
Ed.

The fact that these are standing figures (and that


two appeared to be ladies with shopping bags) was
of no real concern as they are only visible from the
shoulders up and the casual viewer would
probably be unaware of their presence anyway.
As I suggested earlier, anyone who grew up with
the Jonny Quest series will probably love this kit
as theres something very special about childhood
memories made, if not flesh, then plastic.
Now, if someone would only do the same with
Dan Dares Anastasia.
*TO ELUCIDATE A LITTLE, DEAR READERS, I vaguely

55 |

08-Paragrafix_pp56-63_scififantasyModeller 23/02/2015 14:58 Page 56

INSIDE
PARAGRAFIX

Paul Bodensiek opens the doors of his innovative,


kit- and hobby-enhancing photoetch-set company
Editors note: Ive long found Paul
Bodensieks photoetch brass kit enhancement
sets intricate and exciting, and have wanted to
feature an article with him for some time now,
our packed schedules never quite allowing us
to tie down time and pages and to lock in an
interview for a specific issue. Finally, as is
evident below, we were able to co-ordinate
our efforts, taking a close look at Pauls
unique contribution to our hobby, and
chatting with him about the past, present and
future of Paragrafix. His recollections and
observations make for fascinating reading...

SF&F: Paul, how did ParaGrafix come about?


What can you tell us about your modelling
background and how that led you to the idea for
the company?
Paul Bodensiek: Ive been modelling since I was
probably seven or eight. My older brothers used to
be heavily into modelling in their teen years,
building mostly WWII armour and vehicles, so I

got infected with the bug. My earliest builds were,


of course, pretty simple, including the Snoopy
Sopwith Camel with the motor for the prop and
ones like that. I kept going with the hobby even
though my brothers drifted away from it until
my mid twenties when I also drifted away from it.
In my late thirties, though, I found I really
missed it and started doing some more building.
Being a pack rat I still had all of my tools and
unbuilt kits, so getting going again was simply a
matter of restocking the glue and putty supplies.
Sometime around 2000 I chanced across Scott
Captain Cardboard Alexander and his brilliant
kits of 2001: A Space Odyssey subjects. Being my
favourite movie I bought a first edition kit of the
One Man Space Pod figuring Id have it done in a
month or so little did I know that my attempts
to update the interior a little would result in a
two year research project, a forum for others to
chime in with their research, and a set of plans for
a complete replacement of the interior.
Since I owned a graphics/web design and
engineering consulting company (also called

* That description makes ParaGrafix sound more impressive than it is since I started the company in 1994 I have
been the sole employee and Ive used one or two rooms in my home as the base of operations.

| 56

Above: When
Worlds Collide Ark
built by Iain
Costall.
Opposite top: Ark
girders / bulkheads
painted by Iain
Costall.
Opposite centre:
Moebius Flying
Sub interior (work
in progress) and
detail of painted
panelboth from
Iain Costall.

08-Paragrafix_pp56-63_scififantasyModeller 23/02/2015 14:59 Page 57

ParaGrafix*) I had access to the design software


and a printer to create new control panels to go
with the interior plans. These I made available to
people on the forum who wanted to create their
own updated interior.
Even though Id bought GK kits and accessories
I never looked at those backlight films as anything
more than a hobby that Id do for fun. It wasnt
until about four or five years later that a chance
meeting at a local model show, where a guy saw
my panels and said, Hey, with those kind of
graphics you could design photoetched parts
resulted in my designing some photoetched and
other parts for his GK company. The result of this
collaboration can be seen in Volume 11 of this title
along with my first products to sell under the
ParaGrafix Modeling Systems name: an interior
for the 1/128 scale Flying Sub from Moebius
Models (launched at Wonderfest 2008 in

Louisville) and a set for their large Seaview.


I then designed some parts to go with Moebius
offerings for their Lost in Space kits and, after a
few months, I thought, Gee, this is going fairly
well. I bet in 5 or 6 years I could turn this into a
full-time business.
Around the same time, the economy was
heading downhill, especially the construction
industry, which was where most of my clients were
from. I needed something to pay the mortgage and
switching over to doing the scale modelling
accessories seemed to be perfect.
But, unfortunately there was one more snag
I received a cease and desist letter for the Irwin
Allen related kits. That was nearly everything I
sold at that point so my shift in focus was shot out
the window until, after four months of phone calls
and emails, I flew to Los Angeles and was able to
obtain a license for the entire body of Irwin Allens

57 |

08-Paragrafix_pp56-63_scififantasyModeller 23/02/2015 14:59 Page 58

Above: Moebius Moonbus (work in progress) by Iain Costall.


Below: Before and after shots of Moonbus thrusters.

TV work. While I couldnt do full kits because that


is Moebius line, I could produce aftermarket
accessories for their kits.
Back in business, I got working on designing
new items, updating my existing ones, and
creating new packaging. And because of the
investment Id had to make to get the license I
decided I wouldnt be shy about marketing my
products or spending a little extra on packaging.

SF&F: OK you decide to set up a company.


...Why brass-etch detailing sets rather than the
more traditional route of garage kits? Why science
fiction and fantasy?
Paul: First off, to answer the why science fiction

| 58

and fantasy? question thats where my interest


lay. Id been reading and watching SF as long as I
can remember (including being taken to see 2001
during its first run when I was 6 years old). Its an
area I have a passion for, so it makes the work
seem far less like work.
Why brass? Well, the basic answer is that its
what Id already been doing so it seemed natural
to stay doing it. The bigger answer, though, is that
there were already plenty of people out there doing
GK resin kits, or aftermarket decals, or bases, or
accessories in resin and white metal. Other than
the occasional piece of photoetch included with
one of those, there was very little photoetch being
marketed to the sf community like there was for
armour and aircraft.

08-Paragrafix_pp56-63_scififantasyModeller 23/02/2015 14:59 Page 59

This allowed me to fill a niche that was not


being served. In fact, my USA distributor, Stevens
International, originally didnt want to carry my
products because their sales people said science
fiction builders dont use brass.

SF&F: How did you then go about making


modellers aware of your products? How did
ParaGrafix expand?
Below left: 350th.
TOS Enterprise
Shuttle Bay by
Steve Jurgens.
Below right:
350th. TOS
Enterprise
crewmen by
Steve Jurgens.
Bottom left:
Pilgrim Observer
by Iain Costall.
Bottom right: Leif
Ericson hangar by
Steve Jurgens.

Paul: As noted earlier, Sci-fi & Fantasy Modeller


gave me my first exposure in print form. I was also
quite active on many online forums and used them
to let people know what was coming out and other
news about the company. I keep the ParaGrafix
Facebook page up to date and have recently added
a Twitter account.
Steve CultTVman Iverson, whom Id known
online for several years at that point, was
fantastically supportive in helping me launch the
business. He has championed me and my products
on his site and has always been full of great advice.
I can honestly say that without his encouragement
there wouldnt be a ParaGrafix today.
Nearly from day one I added an online store
that was able to make it easy to maintain and
update. That combination helps ensure that people

havent gotten frustrated with me for not being


able to ship a paid order right away and that they
always know whats ready to go.
Print and online advertising have helped quite a
bit in ensuring that builders know my products are
out there.

SF&F: Can you take us through the creation of a


typical set from research to scaling to deciding
which extra details to offer to manufacture to
instructions?
Paul: Youre right on the mark that research is job
one. When a new kit is announced I begin to pull
together reference materials that Ill need. This is
kind of open-ended at first, as I dont know
anything about the kit yet its strengths,
weaknesses, actual size, etc. So Ill grab everything
I can find books, web images, Ill make screen
captures from DVDs and Blu-rays, pretty much
anything I can think of. This research goes on until
the day a set goes into production and theres
almost always some new detail or measurement
that can be made.
Once those materials are collected and I have a kit
in hand, its time to have fun oops, I mean start the
serious work. (Actually, it is when the fun begins.)

59 |

08-Paragrafix_pp56-63_scififantasyModeller 23/02/2015 14:59 Page 60

First off I tape together the kit to get an overall


impression of it, then I just stare at it, comparing
it to my references looking for differences, places
where the detail is soft or just cant be replicated in
plastic, items that will be difficult (if not
impossible) to mask to prevent light leaks, etc. I try
not to restrict myself to whats practical at this
point and just do a lot of blue sky concepts. Later
I may find that a details too small to etch or
handle, or a replacement plate needs to be shaped
into a complicated compound curve, or other
objection that means its not right for photoetch.
Until that time, though, everythings on the table.
With the list in hand, I begin measuring out
where the etch will go. This can be done in any one
of a myriad number of ways and generally includes
a combination of techniques. These include
traditional carbon-paper rubbings, measuring with
micrometers, creating negative castings so I can
access all areas of a part to be measured, etc.
I transfer these measurements to my graphics

the acid, temperature, humidity, etc.) you cant say


it will burn sideways exactly X% of the thickness
each and every time, so Ive had sets that etch
perfectly for several runs and then detail is eaten
away because I cut things too close so I have to
rework the tooling and run it again. That parts
frustrating, but it just comes with the territory.
Perfecting the size of the parts requires a lot of
trial and error I use a computer cutting machine
to cut prototypes out of card stock for preliminary
testing, then out of 0.010" styrene sheets to get the
final sizing.
Production is done by an outside firm that is
able to supply me with finished goods for less than
I could do the production for in-house. Since Im a
one-man shop this saves me money and makes it
possible to keep up a steady stream of product
without having to worry about where I can
dispose of spent acid and the other hazardous
chemicals.
The instructions are a particular favourite for

software and I begin plotting in the details from


my reference materials. My education in drafting
and engineering really comes in handy at this
point.
This is where theres more than a bit of art to go
along with the science. There are only three
heights to a photoetched part (not etched, etched
half-way through, and etched all the way through)
so complex curves and thick details cant be
replicated precisely instead I will often employ a
kind of trompe loeil effect to imply more detail
than is actually included.
As the etch burns down through the metal it also
burns sideways. This side-burn needs to be taken
into account in a design, but because the
photoetching process depends on so many factors
that vary from run to run (exact concentration of

me. Instructions were one of the first services I


offered when I started ParaGrafix and
writing/illustrating the instructions to assemble a
computer-chip manufacturing machine was my
first freelance job. Because while Im designing
parts I think about how I, as a builder, would
assemble them, the instructions become purely
about the parts and the kit. I dont have to start
from square one and think everything out. Now
its just a matter of photographing the kit, adding
the illustrations of the etched parts, and writing
the descriptions.
One thing I try to do with each set is add at least
one over-the-top item thats just on the far side of
the crazy line. Some examples are the 1/350 scale
wheelchair for the When Worlds Collide Space
Ark kit, the 1/1400 scale hangar for the Galaxy

| 60

Left: TOS Cylon


Raider cockpit
louvres.
Right: Viper 2
cockpit built by
Lou Dalmaso.

08-Paragrafix_pp56-63_scififantasyModeller 23/02/2015 14:59 Page 61

Quest Protector, and the HO scale shopping cart I


did for a train accessory manufacturer. It doesnt
always work out that something like that gets
included, but they help make the design process
more fun.

SF&F: You work closely with many of the main


manufacturers with their blessing. How does that
work... do they recognise the limitations of IP
plastic moulding and welcome a refining detail
set? At what point do you become involved with
providing detailing for a new IP release ...do the
manufacturers contact you?
Left: 3-inch
triangular
straight edge.

Right: pack of
hold and place
pencils.

Paul: I have been lucky enough to or words to


that affect are used throughout my answers here,
and thats very true about my relationships with
the kit manufacturers. Frank Winspur and Dave
Metzner of Moebius Models, Larry Thompson
and Scott Willis of Pegasus Hobbies, and Jamie
Hood of Round 2 Models have all been very

supportive of my efforts with test shots and/or


information about upcoming releases. For most
kits I have to initiate (and maintain) the contact
with the manufacturers because their attention is
on making the kit, not dealing with me and getting
me information. (Ive also done design work for
Moebius and Polar Lights own photoetch sets.)
Generally I try to get preliminary information
(projected release date, size, scale, etc.) as soon as
I learn of a kit and that usually happens when I
read about a kit on a forum or Facebook post just
like everyone else. As the release date gets closer I
briefly nudge to see how things are going, but
always keep it short and sweet as I know that Im
the least of their worries at this point. When
possible, theyll send me a final test shot about two
or three months before the kit hits the shelves and

this gives me time to design the set and get it into


production.
Frank Winspur really helped ensure ParaGrafix
initial success. With essentially no knowledge of
me, he took a chance and supplied me with a copy
of the Seaview. He continues this with current kits
and I cant even begin to say what a tremendous
help this has been. Im very grateful for it.
As for their motivation, I cant really speak to it.
I think most of it is that they realize that there are
things that styrene just cant reproduce so theyre
happy Im willing to add that little bit extra. Thats
a great thing because it could so easily become an
ego thing with a manufacturer being offended that
I would want to change their kit.

SF&F: Your sets are very thoroughly detailed and


researched. How do you arrive at that level of
accuracy do you spend a great deal of your time
tracking down obscure photo-reference?

Paul: Generally more time is spent researching a


subject than actually designing a set. Happily as I
do more and more research Im able to go back
over previously collected materials instead of
having to track down new information. But it
always happens that I need a slightly different
angle or somewhat better lighting to figure out just
what, exactly, the shape of the fourth widget from
the left is, then its off to do more searching.
Ive been lucky enough to become acquainted
with some of the most knowledgeable people
about a lot of science fiction subjects. That started
day one with an online friend saying, you should
contact David Merriman about the Seaview
submarine, who then graciously shared a wealth
of invaluable reference material. In more recent
years Ive corresponded extensively with Doug

61 |

08-Paragrafix_pp56-63_scififantasyModeller 23/02/2015 14:59 Page 62

Drexler on many Star Trek projects, Ron Gross


about Lost in Space, Gary Kerr on, well, just about
everything the list goes on. People have been
unbelievably generous in sharing their knowledge
and expertise. I believe that a large part of their
willingness to share is that I spent so many years
doing just this sort of research for personal
pleasure before starting the modelling portion of
ParaGrafix.

SF&F: What advice would you give to the modeller


who is perhaps a bit reticent to take that next step
of adding brass-etch details to their models and a
further skill set to their abilities?
Paul: Dont panic. Thats it in a nutshell.
In the vast majority of cases the average
modeller already has all the skills necessary to
work with photoetched parts cutting parts from
the carrier (a fret instead of the sprue but its just
a difference in name), filing off the leftover tabs,
and gluing in place. Really, thats it.
Of course I didnt believe that when I got started
and it took me a while to convince myself that
looking at the thin metal incorrectly would not
destroy an investment.
There are only three things that arent already in
the average modellers repertoire and even theyre
not difficult to master bending, annealing, and
soldering, and thats the order that they should be
tried. Bending is really straightforward even
without a specialty tool and is the most useful skill
to add because its prevalent in so many sets.
Annealing is also quite straightforward, but
because it isnt required all that often can be left
out of the skill set until needed, then its pretty
quick to master using some odd pieces of fret that
are lying around.
Soldering is not needed very often at all in fact
most builders will probably never have to solder

| 62

etched parts. Its most useful when doing folded


items that assemble into large structural
components that need the strength; or boxes or
similar items that need the seams to be light-proof,
though putty, CA glue, and/or paint can generally
handle that.

SF&F: What are your favourite subjects personally


and why ...and what can we expect for the rest of
this year from ParaGrafix?

Paul: Ive been a Star Trek and Star Wars fan since
day one, probably because they are what I grew up
on. Trek was playing every afternoon when I came
home from school beginning in sixth or seventh
grade and Star Wars premiered the summer before
I entered high school. (I wont say how many times
I went to see it that summer on the grounds that it
may incriminate me.) Now they continue to appeal
to me for very different reasons, though back then
it was mostly about the cool spaceships flying
around outer space.
I love doing interiors and anything that will
work with lighting. Both of these come together in

Top left:
Star Trek sets.
Top right:
Galactica sets.
Above:
Star Wars sets.
Opposite top:
Space:1999
Eagle set.
Opposite bottom:
Lost In Space
Robot B9 set.

08-Paragrafix_pp56-63_scififantasyModeller 23/02/2015 15:00 Page 63

the cockpits Ive done for the BSG Vipers and


other small spacecraft. Two of my favourites along
this vein are the sets I did to enhance the TOS
Bridge kit.
As for whats coming in 2015,
much of that will depend upon
what the model manufacturers
have up their sleeves. Im
looking forward to Polar
Lights Galileo from Star Trek,
Moebius
Ranger
from
Interstellar, and Pegasus MLEV.
In addition to add-on sets
for those kits, and others, I
will be expanding the
ParaGrafix line of modelling
tools to complement the
stainless steel straightedge
and a grabbing tool for
small parts that are now
available.
And after that? Well, I
dont like to plan too far
ahead.

SF&F: What are your


views on how the
industry has changed
over the years, and do
you feel the SF side
of model making
is evolving and
expanding or are we all
getting a bit long in the
tooth and not being
joined by a younger
generation of modellers?

Paul: Ive only known the


industry from an insiders
point of view for about the
last seven years, so I cant
really speak to the long term
changes. One thing Ive
noticed as a builder, though,
is how much better the kits
are today, and I think this is in
all genres, not just science
fiction and fantasy kits.
Accuracy is vastly better than it
used to be and in most cases
kits fit and finish are light years
beyond what they were in my
youth.

Im glad to see more subjects being available


beyond just the relatively small number of kits in
the 70s and 80s that were all of Star Trek and
Star Wars, plus the occasional Space:
1999 or The Black
Hole kit. One very
exciting piece of
news is Moebius
Models
announcement of
the Ranger kit from
Interstellar before
the movie has even
hit the screens. I
know this is only a
single data point but I
hope that it signals
the start of a trend
where well get kits
when a movie/show
premieres rather than
several years down the
road if ever.
I think the hobby is
expanding, but mostly
in terms of older people
returning to a hobby
they enjoyed as kids,
bringing
an
adult
sensibility with them.
There are some younger
modellers out there, but far
fewer than in ages past.
Make-and-take tables at
modelling shows, prepainted and snap-fit kits
are important to help
bring more kids into the
hobby and help it grow.
I dont think it will
ever go back to the
prevalence it held
during the 60s and
70s, but one can
hope.

Our thanks to
Paul for taking
time out of a busy
schedule to talk
to us. Ed.

63 |

09-Deckards Sedan Part 2_pp64-71_scififantasyModeller 05/03/2015 11:43 Page 64

FUTURE IMPERFECT
Iain Costall integrates his Deckard Sedan into a grimy, retro-fitted Bladerunner diorama.
Part two of two: expanding and customising Randy Coopers resin building kit.

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09-Deckards Sedan Part 2_pp64-71_scififantasyModeller 05/03/2015 11:43 Page 65

10 12

13

11

WITH DECKARDS SEDAN ALMOST COMPLETE (See


part one of Iains article in Volume 36. Ed.) IT WAS
TIME TO COME UP WITH AN IDEA FOR A BASE. Id
already decided I wanted to place the car in a dirty,
future LA street and was casting around for ideas
when, in one of those happy coincidences, I saw an
online ad for a resin kit from Randy Cooper.
Although relatively expensive to import, I figured
it was worth it having seen the detail on the
castings, so it was duly ordered.
A week or so later the kit arrived, and on first

inspection I was not disappointed. Consisting of


just six parts, the castings featured crisp detail
with virtually no air bubbles and only minor clean
up required (1, 2).
The kit is based on the entrance to the building
opposite Leons apartment where Deckard and
Gaff conduct a search. The columns are
particularly impressive (3), as is the insanely
detailed door on the rear wall (4). The kit includes
self adhesive stickers to decorate the two large
advertising screens but I had something more

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09-Deckards Sedan Part 2_pp64-71_scififantasyModeller 05/03/2015 11:43 Page 66

14 15

16

17 18

19

20 21

22

23 24

radical in mind...
The first thing that struck me was how close the
columns were to the rear wall (5). To increase the
space on the pavement I installed the wall further
back on the base (6), which caused a gap to appear
under the door so a styrene extension was fitted
beneath it (7, 8).
The only flaw in the kit was a taper in the
canopy roof (10), which I remedied by using
styrene strips of various thicknesses then skinning
the underside with sheet styrene. At the same time

| 66

a number of holes were marked and drilled to


allow lights to be fitted in the canopy underside
(11, 12), and brass portholes designed for model
ships were then used to create the light fittings (13,
14, 15).
The large advertising screens in the upper wall
were lined with chrome tape and styrene strip was
fitted to form a rebate to accept the adverts (16).
At this stage some basic colours and washes
were added to the main components prior to detail
painting and weathering (17, 18). The underside

09-Deckards Sedan Part 2_pp64-71_scififantasyModeller 05/03/2015 11:44 Page 67

25 26
28 29

27
30

31 32

34 35

of the canopy was first brush painted with a red


enamel base then oversprayed with crimson acrylic
car paint, which caused a reaction between the
paints resulting in a cracked, flaking, weathered
appearance. White LEDs were installed in the
downlights and the remaining space filled with
cheap 5-minute epoxy glue that dries to a milkywhite, giving a very convincing light effect (19, 20,
21, 22, 23).
The rear wall was detailed using various paint
finishes and some homemade decals. I printed off

33
36

several Japanese posters and newspaper pages and


applied them to the walls using PVA glue before
weathering them (24, 25, 26, 27). Fibre optics
were then installed in the door and lit via a blue
LED (28).
While waiting for the paint finishes to dry I set
to work creating various detail items to place
around the diorama. The newspaper carries the
story of the replicant escape and the street signs
are printed from an online copy of The Blade
Runner Sketchbook (29, 30). An appliance box

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09-Deckards Sedan Part 2_pp64-71_scififantasyModeller 05/03/2015 11:44 Page 68

37 38

39

40 41

42

43 44
46 47

was also constructed and suitably weathered to


add to the general rubbish strewn about the street
(31, 32, 33).
I fitted banks of white LEDs into the screens and
began experimenting with various adverts (34, 35,
36, 37, 38). I also made some miniature garbage
bags based on a technique by master diorama
builder Satoshi Araki (39, 40) and printed off
more Japanese newspapers and added them to the
base (41, 42, 43, 44, 45).
With the building approaching completion I felt

| 68

45
48

it needed to look more imposing and so decided to


add another storey. This was constructed from
thick styrene sheet and detailed with various pipes
and items from the spares box (46). Pieces of
machinery were created using my tried and tested
method of decorating a printer cartridge with kit
parts (47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52).
More detail was added using plumbing parts to
try and capture the retrofitted look of the film set
(53, 54, 55, 56).
After a couple of false starts I hit upon the idea

09-Deckards Sedan Part 2_pp64-71_scififantasyModeller 05/03/2015 11:44 Page 69

49 50

51

52 53

54

55

56
57

of using some new flat backlit LED modules to


construct a hanging sign. A box section was built
and attached to a girder (57, 58, 59, 60) and a
hotel graphic was printed onto clear film then
added to the sign assembly... the results were very
convincing (61, 62).
Finally the Sedan was placed in its surroundings
and the various wire feeds routed around the rear
of the building, where three 9v batteries provide
the power for the various lighting elements (63,
64, 65).

58

In conclusion, this has been a fairly lengthy


project, albeit punctuated by long periods of
inactivity. However, I think the finished piece
captures the grimy, neon-lit look I was aiming for.
As to whats next...
Well, Ive got several Spinners sitting on the
shelf...

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59 60

61

62

63

64 65

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71 |

10-Viper_pp72-78_scififantasyModeller 23/02/2015 14:56 Page 72

Gary R. Welsh
builds Moebius new 1/72 Galactica Viper Mk VII and Raider kits
ARRIVING AT THE SAME TIME AS THE 1/72ND. VIPER
MKII RELEASE FROM MOEBIUS (featured in Vol. 36),
I also received test shots of both their new
Battlestar Galactica MkVII and Cylon Raider
1/72nd double kits. Again two kits are included in
each release, with an undercart up or down option
featured on the MkVII only.
The Viper comprises twenty-six light tan parts
and three clear parts (including a one-piece
canopy). The fit is very good, with just a little filler
required where the upper and lower fuselage
halves meet... and this could be simply down to
the fact that the samples sent were test shots.
Unlike the MkII the cockpit is a three-piece tub
affair, with coaming detail and a rear bulkhead, a
seat and two-piece pilot figure finishing off the
internal details (to me the pilot looks a little small
in comparison to the MkII figure).
Six parts make up the rear engines and these

should be assembled into a single piece and fitted


before the fuselage halves are closed up. As an
alternative, however, you can clip them into place
once painting is complete if you remove the
location strip and are very, very careful!
Construction is rapid and I was able to get the
main components together and primed within a
couple of hours with no problems.
The Raider is actually easier to build than the
MkVII. Eleven parts make up this little beauty,
with a further two clear parts for the stand. One
complaint here is that the model doesnt match the
images that I referred to for finishing, taken from
Modelers Miniatures and Magic. These CGI files
show the Raider having three engines, whereas
Moebius kit only features two. However, a little
work with a suitably sized drill bit and a small file
quickly sorts this out to an acceptable level.
A tiny bit of filling here and there (again

1: Main sprue layout for the Viper MkVII. The detail is excellent and as with the MkII, two complete kits will be included in
the box when released. 2: Sprue layout for the Raider. Clever tooling means this kit is incredibly easy to build. Again, two
complete kits are included. 3: Construction is quick with undercarriage parts included so the model can be built gear up or
down. 4: Underside of the model. Undercart doors can be glued directly into the bays. 5: Main components of the Viper
completed ready for priming. Even with a little filling and re-scribing it took very little time to get to this point. 6: The pilot
appears to be slightly too small, as illustrated here in a side-by-side shot with the MkII pilot. The MkVII pilot is the one on
the right. 7: The completed Raider ready for paint. 8: Prior to painting the third engine is drilled out and filed into shape.

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10-Viper_pp72-78_scififantasyModeller 23/02/2015 14:56 Page 73

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10

11

12

13 14
15 16

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10-Viper_pp72-78_scififantasyModeller 23/02/2015 14:56 Page 75

17

18

19 20

9: Both models primed ready for colour. The canopy of the Viper has been masked. 10: The engines have been sprayed grey
and silver and the interior grey. Note the canopy that has been sprayed inside with Tamiya Smoke. All that remains is for the
pilots visor to be picked out in sky blue. 11: Following a coat of grey the model is carefully mottled with a mixture of yellow
ochre and cork. 12: Post-shading brings it all together using a wash mix of black-grey, black-green and black-brown.
13: Additional streaks and scorch marks are added. Grey is applied to the middle of the main damage areas using a brush.
14: Further scratches are created using the bouncing rigger brush technique. 15: Following a desaturation and a bit more
shading using black the model is sealed and the canopy masking removed. 16: The black recognition strips on the Raider
are masked with thin strips of masking tape. 17: French blue-grey is misted over the model as a base coat. Note this is a very
thin mix so care must be taken not to scratch it before it has dried and cured. 18: A scribble of violet mix is applied across
the model. 19: A second custom mix of rich silver is used to create a shaded panel look. 20: The underside of the model.
Although difficult to see, the metallic shading has been applied. 21: Laser and helmet detailing is added using a brush.

probably down to this being a test shot) means


that this is a model that can be primed and ready
for paint in just a couple of hours.
Painting of both subjects could now be
carried out. I began with the Viper and its
interior. This proceeded in the same
way as the previously built MkII
with sky grey and a wash mix. The
seat was painted brown and the
pilot painted and glued in
position. The inside of the canopy
was sprayed with Tamiya Smoke
to impart the tinted look of the
CGI images before being glued into

21

final position prior to the model being resprayed in


matt black.
Following an overall coat of grey, misted across
the ship so that the black undercoat still showed
through in the recesses, a mix of yellow ochre and
cork was mottled across the Viper, roughly
following my CGI reference. Panel lines were then
carefully post-shaded using my regular wash mix.
The engines were also sprayed grey before being
misted with silver and shaded initially with a wash
mix, then with pure black, these being finally
clicked into place with a little superglue to hold
them in position.
Scorch marks, directional streaks and main

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10-Viper_pp72-78_scififantasyModeller 23/02/2015 14:56 Page 76

damage was blocked out with black, prior to


chipping being added in grey using a brush.
A final desaturation with the wash mix,
followed by a bit of sharpening using black,
finished off painting nicely, only leaving a solid
coat of Liquitex Matte to be applied and the
removal of the canopy masking. With this
completed, the model could be popped onto its
stand done.
Not wanting to court controversy, but while
looking at the CGI files, I noticed that the Raiders
are not metallic at all but, rather, a mixture of
grey-blues and violets, the metallic sheen being
rendered during compositing.
What to do?
I decided I would try to combine a metallic with
the colours as shown in the reference I had to
hand... I began by masking off the black stripes on
the top of the wings prior to misting a thin coat of
grey across the model so that the black really did
show through. I then mixed up a violet colour
using purple and black brown and this mix was
scribbled across the model in an uneven manner.
A second mix of rich silver and black-grey was
used to carefully shade panels, bringing a sheen to
the model. Next, selected panels were picked out
with a brush using medium sea grey, lasers and
helmet detail being picked out in black-grey.

| 76

There then followed several rounds of shading


and desaturation passes using my usual
weathering mix plus alternating coats of the violet
and rich silver mix.
The side detail was painted in yellow ochre
before being weathered and glued in place. The
engines were painted with Humbrol Polished
Aluminium, the nozzles then being highlighted
with a mixture of copper and black-brown and
glued in position.
The identification stripes were de-masked and
the Cylon symbols carefully painted with blackgreen. After a final shading with thinned black and
a misting with violet, rich silver and my
weathering mix, the model was sealed with
Liquitex Matte, finishing it off nicely.
I thoroughly enjoyed assembling and painting
these kits and can recommend them to modellers
of all skill levels. For the experienced, these
represent a satisfying weekend project, as well as
forming the basis for a reasonably-sized diorama
should one wish to create one.
My grateful thanks to Moebius for the review
samples.
Review test-shots kindly supplied by
Moebius Models.
www.moebiusmodels.com

11-Kane_77-91_scififantasyModeller 04/03/2015 13:12 Page 77

RAISING KANE
AND PUTTING HIM IN THE SPOTLIGHT
By Barry Maddin and E. James Small
Poor Executive Officer Kane was the very first
victim in the entire Alien quadrilogy to die (an
agonising and shocking death in the first film,
directed by Ridley Scott in 1979), as he was so
unfortunate as to unwittingly discover the alien
derelict ships deadly secret.
Thus it seems only fitting that he be
immortalised in a brand new model kit from
Round 2s Polar Lights division. The kit captures
in great detail Kanes iconic moments in his
environmental protection suit as he kneels to
examine the alien embryonic egg containing the
facehugger that will be his ultimate doom.

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11-Kane_77-91_scififantasyModeller 04/03/2015 13:12 Page 78

The kit is sure to satisfy the most discriminating


figure and small diorama modeller. At 1/9th scale
(same scale as the classic MPC Alien figure kit
which was also recently re-released by Round 2)
the model is made mostly of easy-to-work-with
solid resin, a material which may seem somewhat
daunting to traditional modellers used to working
with styrene. However, the fact is the kit is actually
easier to build than a standard styrene subject
because almost no clean up is necessary, and the
parts fit together with little or no puttying or
filling needed. The resin parts practically fall
together and the material is much easier to work
with than vinyl because there is no trimming or
guesswork, and unlike styrene kits there are no
seams to deal with. Plus, you can use any kind of
paint on it including cellulose lacquers, which are
normally somewhat harmful to styrene kits, or oilbased artists colours or enamels which never dry
if you use them on vinyl kits. Additionally, there
are clear parts that encourage the installation of
lights to add an interesting element to the
completed kit.
The buildup described in these pages was a joint
effort between E. James Small and Barry Maddin.
Round 2 hired Jim for the job, but Jim brought
Barry into the project because, when it comes to
painting figures, Barry is more qualified. The
challenging notion of lighting the kit up and
photographing it to look as close as possible to an
actual scene from the movie was most interesting.

E. James Small
ASSEMBLY OF THE MODEL IS SO STRAIGHT-

FORWARD, ALMOST ALL THE WORK

DID WAS IN

LEDS and
wiring that would help to bring the figure to life
before turning them over to Barry to paint. I began
by planning where the lights would go and
studying stills from the original film. I figured that
lights would need to be placed as follows:

PREPARING THE PARTS TO ACCEPT THE

A very bright light on top of the helmet (a single,


10mm white LED sanded down) to shine down
onto Kanes face through the visor as well as light
up the egg which would ultimately secure his
doom.
A light on the back of the helmet (3mm warm
white LED) plus a light illuminating the
dashboard inside the front of the helmet just in
front of Kanes face (3mm warm white LED).

| 78

Unique Master

A bright light in Kanes flashlight as he lays it on Models razor saw.


the ground while he watches in awe as the egg Fig 2: 10mm white
opens (3mm warm white LED).
LED (shown as

Lighting the Dark


SINCE

Two lights (5mm white LEDs) in the spacesuit Fig 1: Helmet light
backpack.
sliced off with a

In planning the kit, Polar Lights have taken care


to provide clear parts where all the lights needed
to go. I took full advantage of these excellent
features for the build-up.
First I had to ready the kit to accept the lights
and wiring. With the subject being solid resin, a fair
amount of drilling and hollowing out of parts was
necessary. Fortunately, resin is very workable and
machines as well as any material youve ever used.
Note: when working with LEDs, you must
remember that they are polarity sensitive. They
dont work if you hook em up backwards. So
make sure you pay attention to positive and
negative when wiring them up!
I concentrated immediately on the top helmet
light as I figured that would be the most difficult

originally provided
at top of picture)
sanded down to
replace the lens in
the helmet light.
Holes for leads to
pass through
drilled out with a
Dremel tool.
Fig 3: Rear helmet
LED glued to the
back of the clear
kit part and fed
through helmet
shell. Leads poke
through to helmet
interior.

11-Kane_77-91_scififantasyModeller 04/03/2015 13:13 Page 79

Fig 4: Paying
careful attention
to polarity, LED
leads from top and
rear lights brought
together inside the
helmet. They will
be soldered to the
wires that will pass
into the torso.
Fig 5: A rasp bit
chucked into a
Dremel tool is used
to hollow out the
helmet dashboard
to admit the LED
that will be glued
inside.
Fig 6: The
dashboard LED is
tested.

thing to modify because of the lack of space


available. It turned out to be a lot easier than I had
originally thought. The helmet light was sliced off
using a razor saw as shown in figure 1. This
particular saw, available from John Vojtechs
Unique Master Models (www.umm-usa.com), has
a very thin blade with a narrow kerf, so you dont
lose much material.
A Dremel tool was used to drill two holes for
the LED leads. A 10mm LED sanded down to fit
the lens receptacle as shown in figure 2 would
provide the main light source for Kanes careful
observations. I suppose I could have used a smaller
3mm LED as well and just placed it behind the
lens part that comes with the kit, but I just liked
the idea of using a solid piece for the headlight.
Remember, unlike light bulbs, you can sand or
machine the LED case (the epoxy shell of an LED)
down to whatever shape and size you want as long
as you dont expose or damage the little metal bits
inside. And because LEDs emit little to no heat,
you dont have to worry about damaging the
plastic parts you glue them to. Once the LED was
in place in the headlamp the unit was glued back
into place with superglue (or Cyanoacrylate CA)

after drilling holes through to the helmet interior


for the leads.
The same was done for the light on the rear of
the helmet (figure 3). After test-fitting, some
material had to be removed from the back of the
clear insert part and glued to the sanded-off lens of
the LED itself. Paying strict attention to LED
polarity, the leads from both helmet lights were
bent into place on the inside of the helmet back
(figure 4). As this area would ultimately be painted
black and Kanes head would block it from view, I
didnt bother disguising the leads any further.
Next, the dashboard for the helmet was
prepared. The solid part had to be hollowed out
on the back to accept the 3mm LED that would
make the tiny lights illuminate (figure 5). The LED
was also sanded down a bit to help it fit and then
it was tested (figure 6). When I was satisfied with
the fit, the parts were glued in place. Next, wires
were soldered to the LED leads at the back of the
helmet and to the front dashboard light.
The lighting for the backpack was prepared in a
similar way by drilling receptacles into the resin

79 |

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11-Kane_77-91_scififantasyModeller 04/03/2015 13:13 Page 81

Fig 7: LEDs are buried into drilled holes on the back of the
clear parts, then fitted to the backpack after holes were
drilled to admit the leads.
Fig 8: LED leads are bent over and the wiring is soldered to
them.
Fig 9: Kanes back is bored out using a Dremel tool and a
ball-shaped cutter to make room for wiring.
Fig 10: Holes are drilled out through the left leg and torso
to admit wiring. Bamboo skewers are put in place to show
the path of the drill.
Fig 11: A plywood riser is made for the base to allow room
for the battery box to be hidden underneath. A piece of
styrene sheet is put in place to mount the switch.
Fig 12: The resin base is glued down to the plywood riser.
Hole for the switch is visible on the side.
Fig 13: Holes are also drilled so the figure can be screwed
down to the base from underneath.
Fig 14: The battery box is roughened up on the joining
surface and glued to the underside of the resin base using
a hot melt glue gun.
Fig 15: Parts temporarily assembled to test that the
passageways for the wiring are clear of obstructions.
Fig 16: Here you can see the holes drilled through the torso
to admit the wiring from the helmet.
Fig 17, 18: Testing the clearance of the wiring from the
helmet to pass through the torso.

and passing the LED leads through and bringing


them together and soldering wires in place. The
LEDs were buried by drilling holes into the clear
parts and gluing them inside (figures 7 and 8).
Next, the torso, where all the wiring would
come together, had to be hollowed out and holes
drilled through to admit wiring to the helmet and
backpack. I used a Dremel tool with a ball-shaped
rasp bit to remove the material, much the way a
dentist would drill out the cavity in a tooth.
Knowing that the backpack would cover this
work, I was able to remove a lot of material.
Constant test-fitting of the backpack helped guide
just how far to go (figure 9). I wanted to open it
up as much as possible so thered be plenty of
room to stuff the wiring into place when the model
was all ready for final assembly. Holes also had to
be drilled through Kanes right leg from his knee
through his hip (figure 10) to admit the wiring
from under the diorama base where the power
supply would be hiding. Bamboo skewers were put
in place for these pictures to show the path of the
drilled holes.
Next was the problem of where to put the power
supply. LEDs use very little energy, so power was

81 |

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mounted with small screws ready for final wiring


after the model was painted.
Main parts (legs and torso) were then test-fitted
to make sure all holes were cleared to admit wiring
from the base and through the model (shown with
bamboo skewer in figure 15).
Finally, in this phase of the model, holes were
drilled in the upper torso to admit the wiring and
leads coming out of the helmet as shown in figure
16. Wires were soldered to the helmet leads which
were fed through the torso (figures 17 and 18) and
the unit was tested to make sure all the lights
worked (figure 19). The 3mm warm white LED
was also placed into the flashlight using the same
methods as previously, with the leads going
through holes in the floor underneath it. I would
have liked to use a much larger LED, such as the
10mm size as used in the helmet, but the design of
the flashlight, with insufficient depth behind the
lens, made that impossible.
At this point the model was turned over to Barry
for painting. After he finished his paint work, the
model was finally assembled by Barry and myself,
the wiring soldered together as shown in the block
diagram (figure 20).

to be from two simple AA batteries (3 volts) placed


under the base. But the base is flat on the bottom,
so a surround had to be made from plywood that
would provide the room necessary underneath to
hide the battery pack and switch as well as allow
wiring to reach Kanes flashlight placed on the
ground. The shape, made by tracing the base onto
the plywood, was cut with a bandsaw, sanded
down and sprayed with Krylon Natural Stone
textured paint to hide the grain of the wood. A slot
was also provided for the switch which would be
screwed to a piece of styrene sheet glued in place
(figure 11). The base was then glued to the
plywood using CA (figure 12).
Next, holes were drilled in the base (figure 13)
to admit the wiring as well as some screw holes.
Rather than glue the figure to the base I used
screws mounting his leg and foot so that Kane
could be removed from the base for painting or
future repairs if needed. The back surface of the
plastic battery box was scored with a knife to
provide bite and was glued to the bottom of the
base (figure 14) using hot melt glue and the switch

| 82

The finished model was then set up for


photography with a hastily built extended set floor
made using painted tin foil and (new!) kitty litter
to extend the ground work, shot with time
exposures while a fog machine provided an
atmospheric mood. The hero pictures shown in
this article, as well as the publicity and box art you
will see regarding this kit, are a result of that
photo session.
To be honest I personally prefer building
spaceships and other mechanical things to figures,
but I have to admit this particular kit has a special
appeal to me because it lends itself to such
versatility of display and photography. Because of
the subject, the style and the unprecedented and
very thoughtful pre-planning for lighting, which is
almost unheard of with resin kits, this was the first
figure kit Ive ever worked on that really fulfilled
most of my interests in modelling.
Please note: Ive been told that the production
kit will include injected styrene for the helmet
faceplate clear parts, as the resin ones used for the
test shots were less than satisfactory.

Fig 19: The lights


are tested.
Fig 20: Block
diagram of the
wiring
throughout the
model.

11-Kane_77-91_scififantasyModeller 04/03/2015 13:13 Page 83

Painting the model in detail!


1. Body parts
washed.
2. Body parts
primed.
3. Body base
painted.
4. Shoulder
plates painted
and weathered.
5. Body finished.
6. Legs base
painted.

Barry Maddin
EXCELLENT FIT, AND

GIVEN THE
EASIER, I DECIDED

TO MAKE THINGS

TO PAINT THE INDIVIDUAL KIT

PARTS BEFORE ASSEMBLY.

Jim had already hollowed


out areas and had installed working lights, taking
full advantage of the clear parts. Reference
provided a starting point for painting the kit, with
lots of screen shots and pictures of the Kane suit. I
then selected the colours I would use and planned
the painting sequence. I first washed the parts with
warm water, Ivory hand soap and an old
toothbrush (Photo 1). Using Humbrol Masking
Fluid and Tamiya tape I masked off the areas
where glue would be used and then primed the
body parts with Krylon White Primer (Photo 2).
The main spacesuit colour is a dark yellow, so I
airbrushed Tamiya XF-70 over all the body parts.
Starting with the body I hand-painted the chest
plates with Humbrol 171 Antique Bronze (Photo
3), the shoulder pads with Panzer Aces 340
Highlight Afrika Korps, and the straps Panzer

Aces 345 Splinter Camouflage, with the shoulder


pad ties Vallejo 993 White Gray. The belly pack
belt was then painted Vallejo 875 Beige Brown
and I weathered the chest plates with an
application of Decoart Acrylic Paint Bayberry
Green (Photo 4). I then applied the Kane
nameplate decal over a coat of Future clear acrylic
and sealed it with a second coat before applying a
wash of Decoart Acrylic Black over the entire
body. When dry I dry-brushed Humbrol 55 Bronze
over the weathered chest plates to accent them
(Photo 5).
The legs were next (Photo 6) and I painted the
pistol belt with Vallejo 875 Beige Brown and the
holster and boots Vallejo 950 Black. The leg bands
were given a coat of Vallejo 824 German
Camouflage Orange Ochre with the border bands
and strings painted Panzer Aces 340 Highlight
Afrika Korps. I then painted what I call the
compression straps Panzer Aces 345 Splinter
Camouflage Base and all the belt buckles Vallejo
884 Stone Gray. I chose Crafters Acrylic Light

83 |

11-Kane_77-91_scififantasyModeller 04/03/2015 13:14 Page 84

Antique White for the knee pads and Panzer Aces


340 Highlight Afrika Korps for the pad straps
(Photo 7). The trim around the knee pads was then
painted Vallejo 929 Light Brown and the rib
around the boot Vallejo 953 Flat Yellow, with the
boot straps Vallejo 862 Black Gray. The back
pocket decal was applied over a coat of Future
clear acrylic and sealed with a second coat. The leg
assembly was then given a wash of Decoart Black
(Photo 8).

| 84

I then tackled the arms and painted the shoulder


armour and arm controls Humbrol 171 Antique
Bronze (Photo 9). The arm control bands were
given a coat of Vallejo 862 Black Gray and I drybrushed them with Humbrol Antique Bronze. The
upper arm bands were painted Vallejo 824
German Camouflage Orange Ochre with the
lower bands done in Vallejo 953 Flat Yellow. I
decided on Panzer Aces 340 Highlight Afrika
Korps for the border of the bands and strings. Like
the legs, the elbow pads were painted with

7-8. Legs painted &


finished. 9. Arms base
painted. 10. Right arm
finished pre- weathering.
11. Left arm finished
pre-weathering.
12. Head primed.
13-14. Face base
coated, highlighted &
washed. 15. Finished.
16. Head finished.
17. Egg. 18. Egg
opening base coated.

11-Kane_77-91_scififantasyModeller 04/03/2015 13:14 Page 85

19. Egg opening dry


brushed. 20. Egg
completed before
interior wash.21. Egg
interior washed.
22. Egg finished.
23. Embryo washed.
24. Embryo primed.
25. Embryo soft
tissue painted.
26. Embryo soft
tissue dry brushed.
27. Embryo finished.

Crafters Acrylic Light Antique White and the


middle part of the arm was finished in Crafters
Acrylic Antique White. I then weathering the
shoulder armour with Decoart Acrylic Paint
Bayberry Green and dry-brushed it with Humbrol
55 Bronze. Next, I dry-brushed the gloves Panzer
Aces 345 Splinted Camouflage Base and coloured
the lights on the arm controls (Photos 10 and 11).
Finally, the arms were given a wash with the
Decoart Black.

The head was glued onto a small wood block to


facilitate handling and primed with Krylon White
(Photo 12). I then applied several thinned coats of
Vallejo 815 Basic Skin to the face. This was
followed with a careful application of Vallejo 928
Light Flesh on the highlights of the face (Photo
13). A light wash of Vallejo 941 Burnt Umber
added depth to the facial features (Photo 14). I
painted the whites of the eye with Vallejo 933
White Gray and carefully avoided the crossed eye
effect, adding irises with Vallejo 872 Chocolate

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11-Kane_77-91_scififantasyModeller 04/03/2015 13:14 Page 86

Brown. I then coated the lips with Vallejo 817


Scarlet and applied a drop of scarlet into the tear
duct area of the eyes. The upper and lower eyelids
were traced in Vallejo 846 Mahogany Brown and
the eyes coated with Future to give them a wet
look (Photo 15). The skull cap was painted Vallejo
880 Khaki Gray and dry-brushed with Vallejo 988
Khaki. The headphones were finished in Vallejo
950 Black and dry-brushed Vallejo 862 Black
Gray with the chin strap done in Vallejo 988
Khaki and the skull cap snaps picked out with
Vallejo 864 Natural Steel. The cap liner was
painted Vallejo 976 Buff (Photo 16).

appearance so I painted the top quarter of it with


Vallejo 886 Green Gray and applied the same
colour as a wash for the bottom 3/4s. I then drybrushed the egg with Vallejo Stone Gray followed
by a light dry-brushing of Decoart Acrylic
Westport Gray, allowing some light to pass
through the egg and the embryo inside to be visible
in shadow. Going back to the fleshy part of the egg
I picked out the veins in Vallejo 993 White Gray
(Photo 20) and applied several heavy washes of
Vallejo 815 Basic Skin Tone until the desired colour
was reached (Photo 21). Several coats of Future
were applied to achieve a wet look (Photo 22).

The alien egg is a transparent part in the kit and


we wanted to retain some aspect of the
transparency (Photo 17). The fleshy top part of the
egg looked like... well... as Jim describes it... a raw
chicken colour. I first painted the area with Panzer
Aces 307 Red Taillight (Photo 18) and dry-brushed
it with Vallejo 817 Scarlet (Photo 19). Looking at
all the reference pictures and screen shots I thought
the eggs outer surface had an organic gray

The embryo consists of a facehugger attached to


a mass of soft and armoured tissue. I mounted the
embryo (Photo 23) and primed it with Krylon Gray
(Photo 24). I painted the soft tissue Panzer Aces
307 Red Taillight (Photo 25) and dry-brushed it
with Vallejo 817 Scarlet (Photo 26). The veins were
picked out with V 993 White Gray. I then tackled
the armour tissue with Vallejo 822 Black Brown,
Vallejo 862 Black Gray and Vallejo 861 Glossy

| 86

28. Backpack lights


masked off.
29. Backpack primed.
30. Backpack base
coated.
31. Backpack finished.
32. Belly pack washed.
33. Belly pack primed.
34. Belly pack base
coated.
35. Belly pack
completed.
36. Helmet lights
masked off.

11-Kane_77-91_scififantasyModeller 04/03/2015 13:15 Page 87

37. Helmet base


painted.
38. Helmet finished.
39. Weapon washed.
40. Weapon primed.
41. Weapon base
coated.
42. Weapon finished.
43. Torch primed.
44. Torch base
coated.

Black, which I dry brushed with Vallejo 864


Natural Steel. I coated the embryo with Future to
give it a wet look. The facehugger was then
brought to life with Vallejo 843 Cork Brown and
dry-brushed with Vallejo 976 Buff (Photo 27).

inside and out. The lights were powered to ensure


there was no light leakage and additional black was
applied to seal any leaks. Humbrol 171 Antique
Bronze was chosen for the helmet which was
subsequently dry-brushed with Humbrol 55
Bronze (Photo 37). With the mask removed the
lights and buttons on the helmet were coloured as
per the reference pictures and the helmet weathered
with Decoart Bayberry Green (Photo 38). The
paint treatment for the pads located at the base of
the helmet was Panzer Aces 340 Highlight Afrika
Korps washed with Decoart Acrylic Black.

I masked off the lights on the backpack (Photo


28) then primed it with Krylon Gray (Photo 29)
and overcoated it in Humbrol 171 Antique Bronze
before dry-brushing with Humbrol 55 Bronze
(Photo 30). The two knobs were painted Vallejo
957 Flat Red and I then applied the decals. For the
lights I used Tamiya clear colours and then
Decoart Acrylic Bayberry Green to age the bronze
to match the reference pictures (Photo 31). The
belly pack (Photo 32) was treated the same with
gray primer (Photo 33), paint and a dry-brushing
of bronze (Photo 34). The two handles were
finished in Vallejo 950 Black and the belly pack
weathered with the Bayberry Green (Photo 35).

The weapon (Photo 39) was primed Krylon Gray


(Photo 40) and painted Vallejo 861 Glossy Black
with the pistol grip done in Vallejo 950 Black. The
strap was Vallejo 880 Khaki Gray and the bands
on the weapon were finished in Vallejo 957 Flat
Red (Photo 41). The weapon was then dry-brushed
with Vallejo 863 Gunmetal Gray (Photo 42).

The lights in the helmet were masked off (Photo


36) and it was primed with Krylon Flat Black

The torch (flashlight) was primed Krylon Gray


and painted Vallejo 896 Extra Dark Green. The

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11-Kane_77-91_scififantasyModeller 04/03/2015 13:15 Page 88

lens trim and buttons were treated to a coat of


Vallejo 950 Black with Humbrol 33 Gloss White
inside of the lens area to better reflect the LED

ABOUT THE AUTHORS


Barry Maddin
Living in Truro Nova Scotia, Canada
Barry retired from the CF in 2009 after a 37year career as a Navy Stoker, an Army Vehicle
Technician, and finally as an Army EME officer.
He and his wife moved to Truro NS from
Ottawa in 2009, where they built their
retirement home, including a hobby workshop,
which is strictly off limits to the cats. Barry
started building models before he could spell
plastic and currently builds mostly 1/35 WW
II armour and military vehicles, although he
does dabble in other areas. He is a member of
AMPS and has been a member of IPMS Canada
since 2000.

light. The small light on the


top was coloured with
Tamiya X-27 Clear Red.
The
base
provides
mounting points for the
figure and egg with tendrils
fanning out from the egg
mount (Photo 47). The
mounting
points
were
masked off and the base
primed in Krylon Gray
(Photo 48) and painted Decoart Acrylic Storm
Cloud Gray (Photo 49). The tendrils were traced
out in Vallejo 886 Green Gray and dry-brushed
with Decoart Acrylic Westport Gray. The entire
base was then given a wash of Decoart Lamp
Black. I dry-fitted the figure without the helmet
onto the base (Photo 50) to confirm that
everything fitted together correctly.

Conclusion
E. James Small
Living in Lower Onslow, Nova Scotia, Canada,
www.smallartworks.ca
Jim works as a professional model maker
building custom projects for the public and
model kit companies on demand. Education
includes certificates in Electronics, Machine
Shop and Draughting acquired in the 1980s and
a computer-based multimedia degree including
CGI modelling from Mackenzie College in
1997. Interest in model-making was inspired by
his father Ed who liked building WW2 aircraft
and the model work done for Space:1999 and,
of course, Star Wars. Jim also loves his wife
Julie, his daughters Florence and Adeline, as
well as his three members of the Felis silvestris
catus family.

| 88

This was an excellent kit that was a joy to paint,


light and build. The reference pictures (some of
these, at the time of this writing, to be featured on
the kits box tray) were a must to get the colours
and shades right. The scale of the subject makes
the detailed painting easy, and with the addition of
LED lighting the whole kit comes to life.
We would like to express our gratitude to Jamie
Hood at Round 2 for being given the opportunity
to be the first to finish this ground-breaking kit,
which will no doubt be very popular.
For more information on LED lighting, you can
look for a printable primer and lots of other
helpful information posted on the Central Nova
Scotia Modelers website which is hosted at
www.smallartworks.ca. Just scroll down the SAW
main page and look for the CNSM link.

45. Torch painted.


46. Torch lens
installed.
47. Base washed.
48. Base primed.
49. Base painted.
Opposite: suit
painting guides
from box art. Rear
and front box art.

11-Kane_77-91_scififantasyModeller 04/03/2015 13:16 Page 89

89 |

11-Kane_77-91_scififantasyModeller 04/03/2015 13:16 Page 90

| 90

11-Kane_77-91_scififantasyModeller 04/03/2015 13:17 Page 91

50-53: The completed lit kit.

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12-Mobile Part 4_pp92-98_scififantasyModeller 23/02/2015 11:50 Page 92

PROJECT MOBILE
Part Four tackling SHADOwy areas
Mike Reccia builds the new Studio 2 kit

At the point at which the final words were being


written in conclusion of last issues Project Mobile
article my Studio 2 studio scale fibreglass resin
SHADO Mobile build was looking much more...
well... Mobile-y. An interior support frame had
been added to the chassis to support the body, the
upper and lower body halves were together and
filled, the bodys panel strips had been added, the
kit detailing on the upper body and cab was in
place, and the body and cab had been re-scribed
and sprayed in filler/primer and grey primer.
For this installment I would need to add
headlight units, assemble and paint the crew and
detail the cabin interior prior to treating my brow
to a thorough furrowing in earnest contemplation
of two areas that have given Mobile modellers
headaches and tantrums for decades. Yes, faithful
reader, I was almost ready to venture into the
SHADO-wy world of the Mobiles rear lower
panel and front underside detailing...

Headlights
But first I needed to turn my attention to those
headlight units. It is thought that early versions of
the studio miniatures simply featured a silver

| 92

hubcap part from a kit behind the rectangular


headlight openings on the lower front of the
Mobile, these then being upgraded for scenes in
which the vehicles were required to be shown at
night with their lights switched on via the
incorporation of bulb-holders featuring three
small bulbs per headlight in a triangular
arrangement.
Modelling mate Andy Pearson, hallowed
Specials Editor and regular teamster of this title,
had previously solved an early dimensional puzzle
concerning the cab windows for me (see part two
of this article), and this time round it would again
be he who would come up with a solution to the
question of creating convincing miniature
headlights via the production, during a recent visit
to Reccia Towers, of two tiny keychain torches he
had found in a pound shop. The front bulb and
reflector sections of these were just the right
diameter for use with the Mobile, leaving, when
located against the inside of the headlight
openings, a little framing triangular gap of clear
space at each corner of the headlight casing
rectangles, reproducing the look of the original
models. OK, so these only featured one bulb per

12-Mobile Part 4_pp92-98_scififantasyModeller 23/02/2015 11:50 Page 93

Below left:
two keyring
torches, the
front sections
of which were
installed as
the headlight
units.
Below right:
headlight
units in place
with rims
painted grey.
Bottom left:
front console
unit from an
earlier Mobile
build.
Bottom right:
this was
reshaped
slightly to fit
the cab and
dressed with
fake gem
stones and kit
bits.

headlight rather than three, but this seemed a


suitable tradeoff in exchange for perfectly silvered,
conical reflector units with glassed fronts. At first
I had wondered if I could incorporate each torch
into the body as a complete item via the use of a
clip or some other fastening device, allowing them
to actually function in situ and light up. However,
upon test-fitting it quickly became apparent that,
if I wished to install complete, working torches, I
would need to truncate the driver figures at their
lower torso points and remove their legs
completely to gain sufficient room in the lower cab
area to accommodate them. I wanted the cabin to
feature complete and fairly detailed crew figures,
so I elected instead to only use the screw-off front
portion of each torch, discarding the battery
sections. As the torch bodies were finished in a
metallic red paint I carefully primed then painted
the rim around each reflector section in silver
acrylic with a brush once the torch fronts had been
glued in position.

SHADO operatives
Studio 2s Mamas kindly sent me a second driver
figure on request as I wanted my Mobile to feature
a complement of two personnel as per the original
studio miniatures. The drivers are resin castings

taken from a Seaquest DSV Captain Bridger action


figure, this being to the same scale as the Tiger Joe
tank toy soldiers used in the originals. I wanted to
portray one of the men as Mark Bradley in his
beige uniform (as seen in Computer Affair), and
the other as an operative in a blue SHADO field
uniform. To create some differences between the
two identical figures l altering the position of the
arms on one of them then repositioned the hands
by cutting them off at the wrists and gluing them
back in place turned through ninety degrees as
though they were gripping control levers. Said
levers were then fashioned from the cut-down
curving pieces of a plastic clip that had originally
served as a packaging fastener on a shirt. These
were primed, sprayed matt black, and their
handle areas glued to the insides of the figures
hands.
On the second figure I cut back the hairline,
positioning the head to one side as though
searching for a UFO through the cab windows,
and posed a pair of scratchbuilt SHADO
rectangular binoculars in one hand, these being
created by wrapping an appropriately-shaped kit
bit in thin plasticard then attaching a white
plasticard strap to the prop, which was

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12-Mobile Part 4_pp92-98_scififantasyModeller 23/02/2015 11:50 Page 94

subsequently primed, sprayed in gunmetal and


given a contrast front band of sticky-backed silver
vinyl and a coat of Citadel Satin Purity Seal.
The raised detailing on the boots (lace-up pumps
on the Bridger figures) was scalpelled away in both
cases and the figures primed then brush-painted,
one in beige and the other in blue. A thin strip of
silver vinyl created the zip down the front of
each tunic, and further strips served as the zips
that run centrally down the fronts of the white
SHADO boots. A final addition to the Mark
Bradley figure was a communications headset
made from lengths of Evergreen rod, bent over the
head and around the face and painted silver with a
black tip to represent the microphone. Following
final painting of faces, hands and uniforms,
surplus SHADO badge decals supplied with
Studio 2s studio scale SKY 1 kit were applied to
each operative and the completed figures sprayed
with Purity Seal.

Cab interior
Two seats and upper and lower back wall detailing
pieces (more of which later) are provided with the
kit, but the fleshing out of the interior detailing is

| 94

up to the individual modeller. I had previously cut


a hole in the cab floor section of the body to
accommodate the legs of the figures and needed to
dress this area as the first step in detailing the
interior. I therefore constructed a well from
plasticard sheet comprising side and back walls
supporting a shelf that would accommodate the
seats and drivers and allow, via the gap at the front
of the well, their legs to sit down below the level of
the seats and into the lower front area of the main
body. I then used a cut-down section of a shallow
plastic container to form a central console between
the seats, the rear portion of this being glued to the
wells shelf. This was subsequently detailed with
kit bits and the well and console assembly was
sprayed in grey primer. The seats were then
primed, sprayed matt black, and glued in position.
I had retained the resin front console piece from
my original Mobile replica (the tracks and chassis
from this having been re-used for this build see
part one of this article) and this was slightly cut
and filed down to sit in position behind the front
windows of the cab section and sprayed with grey
primer. Prior to locating this piece, however, it was
detailed with kit bits and several Bling adhesive

Top left: a
well to
accommodate
the seats and
central
console was
created from
plasticard and
installed in
the hole cut
in the front
top of the
body.
Top right:
front console
in place.
Above left
and right:
two views of
the completed
rear plate
prior to
priming.

12-Mobile Part 4_pp92-98_scififantasyModeller 23/02/2015 11:50 Page 95

Below left:
primed rear
plate ready
for final
painting.
Below right:
the two
converted
Captain
Bridger
casts note
binoculars
and control
levers.
Bottom left:
central spar
and areas
above the
windows were
also detailed.
Bottom right:
supplied
lozenge rear
wall and
scratchbuilt
lower rear
wall.

fun jewellery gemstones to replicate indicator


lights. The area behind the central pillar of the
front cab windows was also dressed with suitable
kit pieces and gemstones to represent additional
instrumentation and sprayed grey.
The two back wall pieces provided represent the
section that features the twin rows of lozengeshaped protrusions seen in the live action Mobile
cab set (and also in the Moonmobile cockpit
working to budget, the same set was used for both
vehicles!) and the area below this, although this
lower section needed to be discarded and a new,
shallower replacement scratchbuilt as the chassis
on my Mobile protrudes partially into the area the
original, deeper wall piece should occupy.
Following priming, the upper wall area was
sprayed in light grey, then the lozenge shapes
dusted in matt white to pick them out without
making the contrast colour appear too vivid at this
scale. It should be noted that some modellers treat
this section as the back wall itself, installing it
vertically behind the drivers. Actually, when
looking at the live action set, it can be seen that the
back wall is covered in consoles and switches, and
that the rows of lozenge-shaped objects sit above
this at an angle, sloping from the edge of the back

wall forwards towards the backs of the drivers


heads.

Lower rear panel


My first task in creating the profusely detailed rear
lower panel was to blank off the back of my
Mobile chassis (still open-ended at this stage and
revealing the RC gear incorporated into it) with a
piece of plasticard. My reference for this shadowy
area was then a handful of so-quick-as-to-bealmost-subliminal rear-view shots from the
episode Computer Affair, where the Mobiles are
trundling through the forest, plus a reference shot
of the rear of a Mobile miniature taken at the time
by the studio. The basic layout of the kit parts is
the same across all three miniatures, although
additional details can be glimpsed on certain of the
rear plates.
Most of the detailing required was provided by
Bill Orams excellent resin and white metal
detailing kit, with certain of the parts being
replaced by actual plastic kit parts where I had
been able to track them down. It should be noted
that the entire rear plate sits away from the actual
rear chassis plate at an angle (spaced between
chassis rear and plate at its top edge by a bridging

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12-Mobile Part 4_pp92-98_scififantasyModeller 23/02/2015 12:03 Page 96

Gemini part and joined at its lower edge to the


bottom of the chassis rear plate) and that, when
viewed from the side, a clear gap can be seen
between the chassis rear and the back of the
detailing plate. It should also be noted that,
although impossible to see in the brief series
footage of the Mobile rear, and also difficult to
discern in the rear-view studio reference shot, there
exists a skirt piece that extends down from the
bottom edge of and from just behind the rear
plate, and which is made from a cut-down section
of bridge surface plating part from a Revell M-48
& Scissors Bridge kit (see images). Finally of note
is the fact that the large wheel part at the centre

lower left of the rear plate sits vertically against the Above left:
rear plate, and not at an angle as per the rest of the front
kit pieces.
underside
With everything securely in place the plate was
sprayed in grey primer and glued in position. Two
tubular details, originally made from the gun shells
of the Tiger Joe tank toy that was used as the basis
for the track and chassis sections of the studio
Mobiles, sit in the gaps to left and right between
the rear plate and the tracks on the original
miniatures. My Mobile, however, features
independently sprung wheels, the axle casings for
these making it difficult to add these pieces. I may,

detailing
completed
according to
known parts.
Above right:
taking a trip
with the top
down.

SCI.FI & FANTASY MODELLER BACK ISSUES


STILL AVAILABLE FROM OUR SITE...

NEVER MISS A FUTURE ISSUE SUBSCRIBE AND SAVE NOW


Full details at:

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12-Mobile Part 4_pp92-98_scififantasyModeller 23/02/2015 11:54 Page 97

Above:
completed
cab interior,
crew and
headlight
units.

however, attempt an approximation of them in the


finishing stages of this build.

Front underside detailing


This area offers the modeller the least amount of
reference in determining what goes where, and
which kit bits were used, on the entire Mobile. I
have never seen a studio reference shot of the
underside of the vehicle and, as not one of the
original models has ever come to light post-series
the miniatures presumably having been all but
destroyed by the rigours of filming what actually
goes on under the front is subject to a certain
amount of personal interpretation.
What seems almost certain is that the kit bits
that can be seen poking out from the front
underside in a studio reference shot were
positioned up against a flat plane either an
indented box arrangement beneath the Mobile
front or simply an area behind the sloping lower
front edges of the vehicle that was at the same
plane as the chassis top and did not follow the

curving lower front contours of the body. As the


Studio 2 kits sloping front edge dimensions
continue back as a solid piece to the point where
the body underside meets the front edge of the
chassis, this flat area has not been reproduced. I
therefore removed a section of the central spar that
continues under the body on the Studio 2 casting
then flattened off an area to the rear of the front
underside edge by filing and sanding it down.
When the time came to position the front
underside kit bits, however, it quickly became
apparent that I hadnt levelled off this area to a
sufficient depth.
Much of what is known about the underside kit
detailing is reproduced in Bill Orams kit, so it was
now a matter of arranging and offering up these
pieces in their correct configurations and adding
a couple more from the Revell M-48 & Scissors
Bridge kit to the partially flattened underside area,
determining how much of them should be seen
when viewing them from the front, then cutting
away the top surfaces of the parts to give the

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12-Mobile Part 4_pp92-98_scififantasyModeller 23/02/2015 11:55 Page 98

Above: Studio miniature showing front underside kit detailing I have not been able to identify. Anyone out there know what
these parts are, please?

impression that they were sitting against a


horizontal area under the front of the Mobile once
they were glued in place. The Mobiles lower front
details also include some girderwork at its outer

Classic kits
from

Studio 2
Models
Large scale:
SHADO mobile SKY 1
Skydiver Stingray
Terror Fish
Friendly service
with superb after sales support.
http://studio2models.webs.com/
email: studio2models@hotmail.co.uk
Tel: 07534 294 216

edges, these parts again coming from the


ubiquitous Revell M-48 & Scissors Bridge kit, but
these cannot be added until the body is in place, as
they span and connect the areas between the body
and the chassis. I will therefore need to position
these once the body has been secured in the final
part of this series of articles.
With regard to the parts that sit between the
detailing seen in the images and the Scissors Bridge
detailing mentioned above, I have no clue as to
what these are. If any modeller does know (see
image of studio original above) Id be extremely
grateful if they could contact me via the website so
that I can attempt to track the parts down and fill
in the final blanks.
And thats about it for this issue. ...Almost there!
I just need to make and add the windows, add the
top intake grill, fill any small depressions, prime
everything again, and then its on to final painting,
decalling and weathering... and those are the
places well go to next time in the final installment
in this series. Until then, keep those eyes peeled for
Unidentified Flying Objects, SHADO operatives!

Mobile kit details: studio2models.webs.com


Details of the detailing set can be had by
emailing: BIXKITS@AOL.COM

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copyright 2015

99 |

__SFFM vol 37 cover_sff_cover 23/02/2015 11:30 Page 1

volume 37

S c i . f i & f a n t a sy m o d e l l e r

SCRATCHBUILT
1:1 JAWAS!

STUDIO
SCALE
TIE FIGHTER

37

K A N E

E X C L U S I V E

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