Moebius posted this photo of the new War Machine kit.  Look for it on display at Wonderfest this year!

Here’s a look at my build-up of Moebuis’ 1/32 Viper MKII from the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica series. I added a photo-etched decal set and created a custom pilot’s nameplate and tail number.

The Model

The Viper MKII is kitted by Moebius in 1/32 scale and comes very well detailed and researched straight out of the box. The instruction sheet clearly lays out the structural and cosmetic differences between the CGI and practical models, allowing the modeler to choose exactly the version he or she wishes to represent. Though the detailing is quite accurate, there are still one or two areas which could use improvement.

Modifications

One major design feature of the MKII is the prominent Reaction Control System (RCS) thrusters which consist of various-sized ports located throughout the fuselage. They are represented in the kit as decals; I felt that these didn’t look realistic enough so I set about drilling out the RCS ports. To get the size and spacing of the ports correct I applied the RCS thruster decals in their appropriate locations and used these as templates for the drilled holes. The decals easily detach from the raw plastic surface so I marked the centre of each port with the tip of a hobby knife before I started drilling. After the ports were drilled, I backed each set of holes from the inside of the fuselage with plastic strip.

I added a photo etched detail set from ParaGrafix to refine the detail that extra little bit. One area which is greatly improved through the use of PE is the cockpit; the ParaGrafix set provides PE panels for all of the switches, gauges and displays as well as acetate and decals for the display and gauge faces. To install the panels in the cockpit tub, I removed the existing detail with a scalpel blade and jewelers’ files, then glued the PE in place with cyanoacrylate. I then cut the acetate displays and gauges to shape and glued them in their appropriate places with white glue and then replicated the glass faces with a few coats of Future.

After it all dried, I masked the displays with making fluid and painted the cockpit tub semi-gloss grey. I also added seat belts made from painted masking tape with photoetched buckles as well as the prominent tubing above the pilot’s seat which I represented with copper wire.

The ParaGrafix set also includes two pieces which more accurately represent a mystery component and its heat shield which are located in the front weapons bay. To install this, I removed the existing portion of the fuselage with a Dremel tool and files and then backed the opening with sheet styrene. The photo etched replacement component installs flat, but its heat shield is bent into a half-round shape. To achieve a consistent bend, I pressed a piece of half-round styrene rod into a block of Milliput. When this dried, I used it as a forming jig by pushing the PE into the groove in the Milliput using the half-round rod. These were the most difficult PE components to install.

The rest of the PE consisted of replacement engine exhaust rear walls which were installed after the existing plastic was removed and engine wiring which was simply attached on top of the exposed engine components in the rear nacelles.

The only other structural modifications I made were to scratchbuild the launching hook assembly for the front landing gear out of styrene strip and tube; and to blank off the see-though nature of the exhaust openings with black painted styrene disks.

To Be Continued

This is my model of the Biliken Keaton Batman. I got him cheap at a yard sale. A fairly easy model using LOTS of black. I used a flat black (Tamiya xf-1) on pretty much the whole suit. Not a lot of definition, so I then used a spray can of satin black on the cape and highlighted it with different shades of gloss black. I then used some various shades of acrylic flesh paint for the face. The stand is an oval pine plaque that I got at a craft store (Michael’s) for a dollar. After painting it black, I found a photo online of the logo from the first Batman movie and after tweaking the photo a bit, sized it to fit on the stand. I used a spray high gloss lacquer (about four coats) to seal it and make it look nice. Hope you like!

Ken Meekins

Graveyard Scenes have been a lot of fun and we are continuing to expand the line with new and original 1:12 scale  kits and bases.    We’ll have several new Graveyard Scenes kits at Wonderfest this year.   The first up is the Vampire Hunter!

Graveyard Scenes needed a hero, someone to stake vampires, thwart mad scientists, and rescue The Girl.   The Vampire Hunter is just the man!   This resin kit can be built a variety of ways.   He can be equipped with hammer and stake, a crossbow, a lantern, or a holy cross.    This 1:12 scale resin figure was sculpted by Chris Elizardo.

The Vampire Hunter is also available with a Deluxe Graveyard Scenes base, designed by Rick Evans.   Rick also did the build up and paint job shown here.    The Vampire Hunter is inspired by the adventure heroes of the classic movie serials from the 30′s and 40′s.

Next up we will bring you the Graveyard Scenes Creepy Coffin.  The Creepy Coffin is a 1:12 scale casket, designed and cast for Graveyard Scenes by Brad Hair.   The lid is removable, and the interior can be detailed.  The Creepy Coffin is a perfect addition to your Graveyard Scenes diorama, or makes for great decoration in you Creepy Castle Kits diorama.   Build a Crypt!

Of course, there will be a Creepy Coffin Deluxe Graveyard Scenes kit, which includes the Coffin, along with a base and a pile of dust for the inside of your coffin.   The base incorporates the Creepy Coffin into the Graveyard Scenes diorama.

Also making it’s Wonderfest debut is the Grave Robber Deluxe figure and base.

Here is an updated look at the Graveyard Scenes diorama.   You can see that the Vampire Hunter, Creepy Coffin and the Grave Robber are all located together.

Here’s a look at the Creepy Coffin, displayed with the Graveyard Scenes Vampire Bride.

We’ll also have a new Deluxe Creepy Castle Kit…. more on that soon.   We’re also working on a new Graveyard Scenes Kogar base, which we hope to preview at Wonderfest.

If you want to read more about Graveyard Scenes, check out these pages:

• A Bit about Graveyard Scenes
• Graveyard Scenes in the CultTVman Shop

If you are going to Wonderfest, we have something very special planned for Friday night.   As part of the Friday night social, CultTVman will have a special Show Room set up off the main hallway.   We’ll have a full display of all the Graveyard Scenes set up, along with a Creepy Castle Kits diorama.    Rick Evans of NightOwl Models is busy putting on the finishing touches for this special display.   This is Friday night only!

For more about Wonderfest, visit the Wonderfest website.  I hope we will see you there!

The Dalek is the Comet kit. This was a really nice build especially after wrestling with the 15″ high Sevans vacuuform/multi-media Daleks.

Jim James

The Flying Sub hull that I have made is 24 inches across the wings and is 1/18th scale, based on the studio blue prints and numerous shots of 3 different studio models as well as hours of watching Voyage, pause, rewind, play, pull hair out!

As with all my models I make molds so copies can be made. The material of choice is fiberglass because I like too get my models wet and radio control them and fiberglass is much more sturdy than vacuform. I took me a little over a year working on and off on the master too get it too where it looked correct .

David Merriman is making the detail docking collars and hatches for my hull at his shop D&E miniatures and as many know David is the submarine model guru as well as effects miniatures for the movie industry.

I had some help from Joel Tavera in the research dept. who has done some fine work on the lunar models kit detail pieces as well as David’s invaluable help.

To get a good looking model you need too research ,and study every scrap of info you can find and then bug the crap out of the wife for a different perspective as you go bug eyed from staring at it .

Richard Teskey

I just got through with the Gemini 3 spacecraft. I like the package that was sent to me from Real Space Models. The people did magnificent work and details of the Gemini Exterior Detail Set. You can contact them at www.realspacemodels.com. I put the details with no problem. I had to use crazy glue to assemble them. Then I painted it with white & black spray paint with some additive to it. Some metalizer sealer to give that metal paint finish. The spacecraft is the version of Gemini 3 in which Gus Grissom and John Young was flying.

I like to say that Real Space Models are a blast.

William Powell

Here’s a project I fiddled with over the last two hurricanes, it’s a toy figure of Apollo 12 astronaut Alan Bean made by Bandai, it’s about 6 inches tall. I didn’t think it looked too great as is, so decided to fine tune it a bit.

I puttied the huge gaps at his articulated legs and arms, I used Krylon “flat white” which actually came out looking a lot like betacloth. I carefully dremeled his painted gold opaque visor so you could see Al better. And I thought he needed a ‘snoopy” cap so I covered his head with a thin layer of green squadron putty, made two “balls’ and squished them flat to make his ear muffs. I drilled into the top of his backpack with a pin vise and added a antenna fashioned from a length of paper clip.

The wife has thought Al was pretty cool since the “Is That All There Is” episode from “From the Earth to the Moon”, so when she saw me laboring to try to mimic a shot of Al’s actual wrist checklist from his book “Apollo” with flair pens, she took a picture of the actual list and reduced it till it was in scale, then printed it on a mailing label (it’s VERY small), I stuck that on a piece of the thinnest sheet styrene I had and mounted it to his wrist. I think it looks really cool! Thanks honey!

He’s very heavily washed with grey and black acrylics thinned with windex over Krylon flat white enamel from a can. Most of the details are MM enamels painted with a brush. I used liquid mask to save the metallic paint on his patches, flags and hose connections. the hose connections would have been a REAL bear without liquid mask. his watch strap is black bare metal foil. I learned a lot from this guy, I’ve never been much for figures, but lately there’s some new kits I want to try.

Plus I picked him up for a quarter at a garage sale!

Scott Copeland

Moebius just posted this image of the upcoming Deluxe Bela Lugosi Broadway Dracula.   Great looking kit!   Still not sure exactly when it will be available.   You can preorder this in the CultTVman Hobbyshop

This is a Horizon Joker With custom base and custom made props my fave was fun painting enjoy.

Dave Tafoya

April 15, 2002 was certainly a “taxing” day for me. I wanted to start this model, but my own little world stood still. I broke my driver side mirror backing up into the garage that morning. Maybe it was my sleepiness… maybe I was distracted by my desire to start this kit. Or maybe it was the cute blond I’ve never seen or met watching me from across the street. Unlike this kit, breaking my mirror in front of her was NOT cool. DOH!

Gort and the Tobor robot models are the only kits done in spray paint. All others are hand painted. Everything is painted the same silvery shade because it is the primary color scheme, and acts as a primer for the other paints. I enjoy painting models from the b&w error of film because I can always embellish the model. In most cases it’s hard to tell the difference from the film footage.

The biggest decision in this kit was, helmet head, or Michael Rennie’s likeness? In the spirit of tax day he “filed jointly”. Made the heads interchangeable, and posable. Using the spray paint protector cap, I made a mount to hold the spare head. Though I enjoy the helmet, I lean toward using the Michael Rennie head because of the strong resemblance to yours truly.

This kit comes with the costumed Gort who stands at 13-½” tall. He is molded in one piece and is done with his basic body color, visor black, and “signature” chrome on the outer ear orbits. Gort just looks better sporting his cosmic shades. Unlike my first costumed Gort, he was free of serious defects. Klaatu stands at 11-¼” with either head, and his arms must be attached. He sports nostalgic black wingtip shoes, rubber gloves and fashionable gold sash to look cool. The gold mesh on the helmet matches the sash with more chrome highlights in the visor, and seam. Used a darker metal to highlight clothing creases for detail. Between both heads and the body, 12 unique paints are used.

Clearly, the most detailed work went to Micheal Rennie’s head. (Just like an actor.) Holes were drilled for ear canals, and his nose. After seeing a base of pale flesh tone, I was determined NOT to live with a ghostly Klaatu. After several attempts of mixing flesh with a special red the color was just right. [It was so perfect, in fact, I grabbed Dr. Smith from my B-9 Robot model for a make over I've been longing to do.] Now being “in living color” dry brushing of clear coat makes the flesh a bit wet. After wearing that hot helmet his skin must be moist – right? Even his hair has clear coat with the upper layer rubbed away with a finger for subtle highlights. His mouth, ear and nose canals are darkened, his eyes are a special blue and even have pupils.

Who says tax day has to be dreary? Michael Rennie is now ready for his close-up now, with time to spare to mail his taxes.

Frank P. DeCandia

Just a quick and dirty shot of the new Graveyard Scenes kits that will be at Wonderfest this year.  The Vampire Hunter, the Creaky Coffin, and the Grave Robber, all shown with their Graveyard Scenes bases.   Build ups by Rick Evans.    More to come…

The good folks at Moebius Models are sponsoring the Make and Take for Kids at this year’s Wonderfest event, May 25-26, 2012.   Kids that are 16 years old and younger can build a kit and take it home with them.  There will be modelers on hand to help them.

The Make and Take needs some volunteers to help with  this event.  If you can spare an hour or more over the weekend and want to help out, please contact Terry Miesle at teror.teror@gmail.com

For more information on Wonderfest, please visit the Wonderfest website

The Botany Bay was a whole new experience for me! It was a vaccu-form kit Is. It really was a lot of fun and I recommend it for a first-time vaccu-form kit. It’s pretty straightforward and the parts are great! Not much detail, but the original didn’t have much either.

For the painting I used Wal-Mart brand flat gray and gloss almond spray paints (88 cents a can!). The gray was painted first, and left to dry for about three days. Then the gloss almond paint was sprayed and left to dry for about an hour. Then I sanded off the fresh paint using 150 grit paper in areas I wanted to look weathered. The gloss paint seems to sand off easier (especially given the short drying time) than the flat gray and looks like old worn off paint. Afterwards, a few decals were applied and some streaks were airbrushed. Then it was all hit with Testors matte finish.

I think it’s a cool kit and one that a few ‘elite’ people recognize and even fewer have on their shelf! The Botany Bay got a Merit Award at the 1998 Wonderfest.

Clark Bradshaw

This is my second Star Trek model, my first being the classic Enterprise. I really enjoyed this Voyager model and interpreted it in my own way rather than going for any realistic look. The model went together fairly well, though I wish I had spent more time sanding the parts down to a more exact fit. I painted the hull before gluing. This resulted in having to do a lot of touch up work but seemed easier than masking everything.

I used light ghost gray for the base hull color. This was my first time using an airbrush and I was very pleased with the results. I spent a lot of time painting the details by hand. I really enjoyed the detail work on the sensor panels. I used intermediate blue for a base coat and international orange, gloss yellow, light blue, and flat white for accents. The phaser strips were done in TAC tan. I had some trouble with glue getting on the clear plastic windows while putting them in. But I found brushing them with a coat of gloss finish removed many of the glue marks. The escape pods were painted desert tan. I used intermediate blue for some dark accents on underside of the hull. Most of the many windows I painted flat white, but used duck egg blue on a few of them for some variety. For the warp nacelles I sued clear blue on the sides, which came out a bit dark, since I didn’t light the model. I painted the clear part of the deflector dish clear blue, outlined in brown and the part behind the dish duck egg blue. I really like the way this looks (though I know it’s not at all accurate!).

The model had been bought several years before I finished making it so the decals were rather old and tricky to work with. I ordered a new decal set from the Revell-Monogram web page for $3 and received a new decal sheet in less than a week. I was really pleased by their service.

Claire Ames

This is the AMT “Klingon Bird Of Prey” which was pretty much straight out of the box except I added some minor details under the wings and neck. The model was primed and then sprayed with the base color. Most of the individual panels were hand painted with different shades of green and then drybrushed and airbrushed for weathering. It was a fun kit to build and my only gripe was that one of the parts hadn’t quite formed correctly in the mold. Tamiya acrylics were used and some model masters “Acryl”.

Chris Mulcahy

It was a busy weekend in the CultTVman Hobbyshop.  We’ve added a bunch of new products to the shop.

We now have the new Star Wars kit from Fine Molds.

Naboo Starfighter 1:72 scale from Fine Molds – This model comes with a seated Anakin Skywalker, a seated Naboo Royal Space Fighter Corps pilot, and a droid.  Molded in colored plastic.   About 7 inches when assembled.

Other Star Wars restocks from Fine Molds:

• Jedi Starfighter 1:72 scale from Fine Molds
• Millennium Falcon 1:144 scale from Fine Molds
• X-Wing 1:72 scale from Fine Molds

Paragrafix brings us this new set of photoetch details for the 22″ Cutaway AMT Starship.

22″ Starship detail set from Paragrafix – Includes warp engine grills, nacelle dome fan blades, rib details for the secondary hull, replacement bridge details and more

Paragrafix also has this new decal sheet coming.  I should have this at Wonderfest and in the shop in June.  Be sure to add yourself to the Waiting List for this item and you’ll be notified when this is in stock.

Seaview Movie Edition 1:128 interior decal set from Paragrafix  - This decals set is designed for the interior of the 1:128 Movie Seaview from Moebius Models.  It includes wood paneled walls and cabinets, metalic baseboard, wall map, TV view screens, and control panels.  Detailed placement instructions.

New kits from Japan!  We’ve added a bunch of new Anime kits from Bandia, Fine Molds, and more.

• Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind Gunship 1:72 from Bandai
• Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind Moeve Flying 1:20 from Bandai
• Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind Kai and Nausicaa 1:20 from Bandai
• Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind Oumu and Nausicaa 1:20 from Bandai

• Laputa: Castle in the Sky Robot Soldier Landscape Version from Fine Molds
• Laputa: Castle in the Sky Robot Soldier Battle Version from Fine Molds

• Leiji Matsumoto Mechanical Universe Missile Escort 1:500 from Fine Molds
• Leiji Matsumoto Mechanical Universe Fleet Flagship 1:500 from Fine Molds

And here are a few of the wonderful Maschinen Krieger SF3D kits:

• Female Pilot at rest 1:20 Maschinen Krieger (SF3D) from Brick Works
• Mercenary Space Pilot – Inner Suit 1:20 Maschinen Krieger (SF3D) from Brick Works
• S.A.F.S. Raptor 1:20 Maschinen Krieger (SF3D) from Wave

Lots of restocks from New Ware and a new kit

• R-7 Sputnik I Launch Vehicle 1/144 from New Ware  NEW!

• Apollo CM decal sheet 1:32 scale from New Ware
• Apollo CM detail set 1:32 scale from New Ware
• Apollo CSM 1:96 photo etch detail set from New Ware
• First Spacewalkers 1/24 scale from New Ware
• Little Joe I 1:144 scale from New Ware
• Little Joe II 1:144 scale from New Ware
• Lunar Module detail set 1/48 from New Ware
• Mercury Atlas Friendship 7 1/144 scale from New Ware
• Mercury Redstone Conversion kit 1/48 scale from New Ware
• Mercury Redstone Freedom 7 1/144 scale from New Ware
• R-7 Vostok 1 Launch Vehicle – First Manned Spacecraft 1/144 from New Ware
• R-7 Stencls 1:144 scale decals from New Ware
• Redstone Cape Canaveral Launch Stand 1:144 scale from New Ware
• Saturn V decals 1:144 scale from New Ware
• Shuttle photo etch upgrade 1/144 from New Ware

And we have a bunch of restocked decals from JTGraphics

• Classic Bird of Prey replacement decal from JTGraphics
• Kitbasher 1/1000 Scale Decals from JTGraphics
• Refit Starship 1/350 scale replacement decals from JTGraphics
• Shuttle decals from JTGraphics
• Space Fighter Mk II black stripes decals from JTGraphics
• Space Fighter Mk II markings decals from JTGraphics
• Space Fighter Mk II red stripes decals from JTGraphics
• Space Ship Set 1/1600 scale decals from JTGraphics

I expect the Strange Change Time Machine  from Round 2 to be here later this week and we’ll have more updates to the shop soon!

Be sure to visit CultTVman’s Hobbyshop for these and more.

These are just a few shots I took of the 18 inch Moebius Jupiter 2.  It took four months to build.  The light kit comes from VoodooFX.  I also used fiber optics to give it a more realistic feel.

Damon Wright

Another kit built straight from the box. The snakes were a bit of a pain to putty and sand, but painting this kit was a lot of fun. Sure brought back some great memories.

Tony Hardy

Moebius Models has revised the upcoming 1:25 Dark Knight Rises figure set.   The revised set is now a two figure set, including a standing Batman and a riding Batman figure for the Bat Pod.

If  you had this kit on preorder in the CultTVman Hobbyshop, we have canceled those orders.   If you want the revised figure kit, please place a new preorder.

http://www.culttvmanshop.com/product.asp?itemid=2090

This is the AMT/ ERTL cut-away Millennium Falcon. I bought it in a toy store on sale in Norway for about $30. I have skipped the cut-away part; otherwise, it`s built straight from the box. I have done a small modification in the cocpit, I`ve added a “dash board”. I used the parts that was left from the cut-away section. I’ve also made it very battered and worn. The weathering was done with Humbrol paint and an airbrush, and some Spannfix ( paint thinner ) for some of the effects.

Jan Erik Kristoffersen

I saw the pictures of some fan- built Star Wars- Models on your web- site. I’m sending you pictures of two of my X-Wings. I constructed them on my own, and built them with paper! One Model is just 20 cm long, the other 50 cm. I built them a long time ago, about 16 to 17 years ago.

Gerhard Veitsberger

It’s been a busy week here in the CultTVman Hobbyshop.   We have several new items and quite a few restocks.

Seaview Movie Edition 1:128 scale from Moebius Models   Moebius brings us the Seaview as featured in the motion picture Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea.   This version of the sub features eight windows on the bow, a different sail, different control room, and a launching Polaris missile.    It is about 38 inches long when built.   I’d also recommend the Movie Seaview photo etch detail set from Paragrafix.    The latest issue of Sci-Fi & Fantasy Modeller also features a couple fantastic articles about the kit by Seaview expert Gary Kerr.

Paragrafix just announced Movie Seaview Decals, which should be available in time for Wonderfest!

Incredible Hulk Snap kit from MPC/Round 2 – Round 2 has reissued this old MPC snap kit of the Incredible Hulk.  The kit is molded in two colors of plastic and and comes with two different hand options.

Aztek Dummy brings us a couple new sets of paint masks.  Armored Hero MK 6 paint masks from Aztek Dummy are for masking up the new Iron Man Mk VI kit from Moebius Models.   NeoRaider paint masks from Aztek Dummy are for the Cylon Raider kit from Moebius Models.   These masks allow you to create a detailed paint job without spending hours trying to mask the kit with tape

MechaLabs has a nifty new conversion kit to turn the Moebius Flying Sub into an RC Sub.  RC Sub Conversion from MechaLabs contains all the components you need to transform your model kit.   This kit includes

Pressure hull with all hardware
Motors and motor mount assembly – prewired
Elevator assembly with all hardware
Foam for trimming with templates
Illustrated instructions

You will need to supply your own RC gear – speed controllers (two required), receiver and batteries.

Restocked items  from Round 2

• Enterprise 1:2500 Set: TOS, Refit, and B reissue from AMT/Round 2
• Enterprise-E 1:2500 scale reissue from AMT/Round 2 
• Barnabas Collins Vampire Van reissue from MPC/Round 2

Light Kit Restocks

• Cyber Eye light kit from Tenacontrols
• Space Fighter Mk VII light kit from VoodooFX
• Viper Fighter Mark II lighting from VoodooFX

Other Restocks

• Captain Scarlett Angel Interceptopr 1:72 from Airfix
• Area 51 UFO AE-341.15B from Pegasus Hobbies
• Luke Skywalkers X-34 Landspeeder from Revell
• Republic Star Destroyer from Revell
• Pod Base from BHP
• 22″ Starship Cutaway Parts from Dons Light & Magic

Visit the CultTVman Hobbyshop for all of these and much more

Here is one of my favorite kits of all time. I built this kit as a kid! I ran out and bought this kit as soon as it came out. The one in the photo is my fifth one I have done. This one is mine, the other 4 where done for other people. I wish Polar Lights made it a bit bigger like they did Spiderman & Hulk. Over all this kit is easy and fun to build. I put a small Christmas light in and its powered by one 9v battery.

Don Morley

Back to part 1

One of the unique things about the SPV, is that it has 6 sets of large twin wheels and 4 sets of smaller ones. By pure luck, I found a bag of tyres, in my local model shop, exactly the right size! These are used as fenders for model boats. I again had to cut these to make one tyre from two. And as this was the only bag of tyres in the shop, I had to make another latex mould to cast the remainder from resin.

Next job was the rear caterpillar tracks. The original studio models featured tracks from a Japanese tin toy. I couldn’t obtain one of these, so I had to make do with what I could make/find.

I patrolled the model shop and bought a Tamiya tank kit, which featured tracks very similar to the ones I wanted and virtually the exact size! I found a wheel, from a model kit, and cast 7 copies from resin, which would form the bogies. With the aid of photographs, I built up the rear section from widgets, brass, tubing and plasticard to provide the entire caterpillar assembly.

Turning my attention back to the SPV itself, I marked the position of the doors. I decided that I wanted both doors opening, with a detailed interior. The doors were then cut out, using a drill. The edges were filed flat and the doors repositioned. I slid thin pieces of plasticard into the openings around the door and then applied generous amounts of filler. The plastic card was there to prevent the doors from being sealed back in place. I certainly didn’t fancy cutting them out again! Once the filler was dry, I simply prised out the doors. A bit of sanding and touch up filling, provided a nice snug clean fit for both doors.

I then started on the interior. This involved making two seats from plastic card. One of the advantages of having a computer is the ability to freeze DVDs and create printed screen grabs – invaluable for making plans. I made the seats out of plastic card with strips of half-round rod for the cushioning. I made up one of the parachute assemblies, which fits to the back of the seat and then cast a copy from resin. These were then super-glued in place and both seats painted.

The front lights of the SPV were then marked and cut out. The insides of the holes were filed flat and lined with plasticard. The seams were then filled.

To save building a box section for the chassis, I cut down the one that was fitted to the toy lorry mentioned earlier. The axles for the larger wheels were fitted through drilled holes and packed with foam, to serve as suspension. The axles for the smaller wheels were simply glued onto the bottom of the chassis. The wheels were fitted onto the axles and capped off, to enable them to spin and prevent them from coming off! The hub caps were made a combination of ping-pong balls and resin casts with elongated holes drilled in them

I was now desperate to get paint on the model. The entire model was first sanded with wet and dry sand paper to get a smooth finish. In order to achieve the panel lines which cover the SPV, I did the same trick I had done on my Maximum Security Vehicle. This was to apply thin strips of tape to where the panels would go. Generous coats of filler primer were sprayed over the model. When the paint was dry, the tape was removed, leaving perfect lines. Much better than scribing in by hand!

The model was then gone over with wet and dry sand paper once more and the SPV was then painted, using cellulous car spray.

Decals were colour prints stuck on using spray adhesive (note, the adhesive ate into the decals, so these will need replacing!).  Chrome trim was added using aluminium foil tape and the red and black stripes were trimline tape.  And there we have it. A replica of the SPV.

However, there’s more to come. The vehicle looks like it’s just come from the showroom and is going to need some dirtying down. Front and rear lights are needed, as well as the side windows and aerials. Also, apart from seats, there is no interior, so stay tuned.

Dave Ruther

Here is a Polar Lights “Dick Tracy” turned into the “Green Hornet”. I got tired of waiting for an inexpensive Green Hornet kit so I decided to use the Polar Lights Dick Tracy kit. I decided to use a more vibrant Green for the Hornet’s outfit for more of a comic book version as opposed to the more realistic TV version most of us know and that I remember. The brick wall was a mixture of Cherry Red toned down with White/Tan and then a black wash applied to different areas and finally a thin acrylic wash for the mortar and excess removed. For the trash can I used a texture paint to simulate rust, then top coated with various colors.

John Dunar

Horizon made up for their silly model of 1989 with this Steve West sculpt. Easy to make, easy to paint…black. I used iridescent blue on highlights, and satin and matte blacks. Lucky for us, all eyes look at Keaton’s eyes. The base is covered with a logo of my own design.

Clif Dopson

Jerseyfest Model Kit & Statue Fair

August 3rd and 4th, 2012, at Rider University in Lawrenceville, New Jersey

www.jerseyfestfair.com

• Amazing selection of model kits, statues, fine art and hobby supplies!
• Celebrating movies, TV, and comic books with the focus on horror, science fiction and fantasy!
• Top vendors and artists contributing across multiple hobbies!
• Professional demos, seminars and classes!
• Huge exhibit & contest of painted kits with great prizes!
• Terrific location and venue!
• Meet, socialize with and learn from incredibly talented artists!
• Join us celebrate the 6th anniversary of Jerseyfest!

The Barbarella figure is about eight inches high and basically resin with clear parts. I think it was made by Shed or Warp and I got it from Comet some years ago.

Jim James

Here is a GEOmetric Worf that I painted for my son. The face is done in oils over an acrylic base coat. There was no over coat of flat lacquer for the face and you can see how the oil paints can give a life like sheen to the skin.

Jim Bertges

I’m sending you a few snapshots of the Moebius kit of the Frankenstein monster, that I got from you, along with LEDs and connectors .    What I did was to reconfigure the display to get it as close as I could to the 1931 movie,  I decided to use the door as is,  but the rest had to be built .

The walls were sculpted from balsa foam ( 1” and 1/2” thick planks ) to imitate the original movie set, painted in light sea gray , then dry brushed using the same color mixed with titanium white oil paint.  Then the joints were darkened using pastel chalk (reduced to powder , 1/3 burnt umber and 2/3 black , applied with a red sable brush.)

The walls were constructed so that I would be able to create a passage way behind the monster.  This hallway was designed to be lighted from the top, hence the display built with a canopy to hide the LEDs and the battery pack (2 strips of 6 lights each with 2 9 volt batteries.)  A window was cut in the ceiling then built up with plastic strips (to cast shadows) and covered with a piece of orange tinted plexiglass .

The wood floor was made using 1/16′ x 1” basswood strips.  The grain was carved out using a scriber then lightly sanded and painted using enamels and oil paint wash (my usual mixture consists of equal parts of burnt sienna , yellow ocre, and burnt umber , all thinned down to a milky consistency, applied and then wiped off .)

The figurine was modified.   I didn’t like the skinny legs ( just look at the picture on the box ),  and the straight forward pointing boots , so I decided to start by increasing the distance between the legs, beefing them up using epoxy putty, and finally I splayed out the boots and angled them to give the figurine a forward leaning stance .

The head was reworked as to change the shape from too triangular to a more rounded top edge , then I proceeded to increase the height of the forehead and recreate the hairline.  Painting was straight forward using fleshtones, slate gray ( humbrol’s has a greenish gray tint ) with the edges feathered .

Aside from the modifications , I consider this model a great depiction and very well presented by Moebius.  I just wanted a little bit more of the original setting from the movie and that model allowed this very well, then the old Aurora kit that i did back in the sixties.

Sylvain Rivest

This is an Ertl Snow Speeder. My inspiration was The Empire Strikes Back. I tried to make it look like it was crashed. I love to modify kits.

Dave Tafoya

Here’s some pics of the new kit coming from Skyhook Models.    It Came From Beneath the Sea is 9 inches tall when assembled.  The creature is sculpted by Joe Laudati and the bridge was done by Dave Bengel.   Look for this kit from Skyhook at Wonderfest

By popular demand The Headless Hearseman and Resin Crypt present the Resintopia Plastic Model Kit & Statue Expo. At long last a hobby show catering to the specific wants and interests of figure kit and plastic model builders on the East Coast!

Resintopia will be held at

The Crown Plaza
690 Route 46 East
Fairfield, N.J. 07004

The dates are on the weekend of June 23 and 24, 2012.

Approximately 50 tables will be available.  Admissiion will be $15.00

The show will feature:

• A kit contest
• Door Prizes
• Painting seminars
• Sculpting seminars

Please contact Fritz Frising “The Headless Hearseman” or Vin Bordogna, “Resin Crypt” for further information.

Visit their website at http://resintopia.com/

Email: Resintopia@gmail.com

I sent this edition of Retro Rockets out last week.  If you are not on the Retro Rockets mail list, you can sign up for it on the Retro Rockets YahooGroups webpage.

So here we have the third edition of Retro Rockets in a month. Life is good!

I was out in Los Angeles last weekend (actually Burbank) for Monsterpalooza. If you have any interest in classic monsters and horror movies, this is the show for you. Actors, technicians, make up and effects artists, panels, toys, models… this show has it all. I had a great time helping out in the Moebius Models Make and Take room, building Moebius kits with kids. Amazing Figure Modeler sponsored the model contest, which seems to grow every year. And there were plenty of vintage plastic kits and new resin models to be found. They are having a “Son of Monsterpalooza” this fall, so you may want to check that out.

I’ve been busy catching up with orders in the Hobbyshop since I returned and I should have everything out the door Monday.

MOEBIUS MODELS ANNOUNCES THE MIGHTY KOGAR KIT

Moebius Models announced an all new Monsters of the Movies kit at Monsterpalooza. The Mighty Kogar is based on the gorilla portrayed by the legendary Bob Burns. Over the years, Bob Burns has appeared in many movies and TV shows as Kogar the ape, including such “classics” as Rat Pfink a Boo Boo, and Lemon Grove Kids Meet the Monsters. Kogar also appeared on Laugh-In, My Three Sons and many other shows as well as many personal appearances over the years. Most recently, Kogar was featured in the movie Dark and Stormy. Bob Burns also appeared as Tracy the Gorilla, a friendlier comical ape on the legendary Saturday morning show The Ghostbusters with Forest Tucker and Larry Storch.

The new Kogar model kit is a 1:12 scale styrene plastic kit that comes with a classic Monsters of the Movies base and nameplate. And it comes with three heads so you can build Kogar, Tracy, and even Bob Burns himself. The figure is sculpted by the incredibly talented Jeff Yagher, who also sculpted the new Bride of Frankenstein kit. Look for this kit to arrive later this summer.

In connection with this new kit, CultTVman is issuing a special limited edition of the kit featuring a second figure of Kathy Burns. Kathy is a styrene and resin figure and Kathy’s likeness was sculpted by Ray Santoleri. Kathy Burns has been Bob’s companion for 50 years. She sewed the ape suit that Bob has worn all these years. Together, Bob and Kathy hosted their legendary Halloween shows from 1967 to 1982. My thanks to Moebius Models and Bob and Kathy Burns for making this special edition happen.

Check out the Cult site for more pictures of the kit

http://culttvman.com/main/?p=21927
http://moebiusmodels.com

ROUND 2 STAR TREK NEWS

Round 2 released the box art for the upcoming 1:350 scale classic Enterprise, painted by noted comic artist Alex Ross. Here are some excerpts from their press release:

“… celebrated comic book artist Alex Ross has created the box art for its new 1:350 scale Star Trek: the Original Series U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701 model kit. ”

“…brand manager Jamie Hood sought an artist who could do the subject justice. “Alex Ross’ painting has the kind of attention to detail that lends itself perfectly to the Star Trek franchise,” said Hood. “His realistic style of artwork reflects the level of quality that we are trying to attain with this kit. The art looks like it has jumped straight off the screen. We’re thrilled to have the chance to work with Alex on this project and we think he’s the perfect man for the job.”

….This project gave Ross his first chance to work with the Star Trek universe, and he was excited to be a part of the project as well. “I’m a big fan of the original Star Trek series, and this was the perfect opportunity to do an illustration of the icons of the show. It’s a great challenge for me to work with the likenesses of such well-known figures as Shatner, Nimoy and Kelley,” said Ross. ”

Also from Round 2, news about the upcoming reissue of Deep Space 9. The 1:3200 scale kit will be molded in clear ABS plastic for lighting. It will include masks for the windows, along with decals if you choose not to light it. They are also including a new, 1:2500 scale Defiant kit with the DS9 model.

http://www.collectormodel.com/
http://culttvman.com/main/?p=21907
https://www.culttvmanshop.com/product.asp?itemid=2076
https://www.culttvmanshop.com/product.asp?itemid=1923

BEAST WISHES – THE FANTASTIC WORLD OF BOB AND KATHY BURNS

While in LA, I attended the world premiere of Beast Wishes – The Fantastic World of Bob and Kathy Burns. This is a new documentary produced by Frank Dietz and Trish Geiger. This is a fantastic documentary about Bob and Kathy, their story, the world famous prop collection, Bobs appearances in movies and TV shows, Major Mars, the Halloween programs, and more. The movie features many rare pictures and movie clips. It features interviews with John Landis, Rick Baker, Greg Nicotero, Joe Dante, and many others that have known and worked with Bob and Kathy.

The movie is amazing. Andrew Kasch edited the project, taking interviews, photos, and film clips to weave the story. The production is top notch. You can tell that this was a labor of love for everyone involved. Frank and Trish will be showing this at Wonderfest this year as well. You don’t want to miss it.

http://beastwishes.blogspot.com/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Beast-Wishes-The-Bob-and-Kathy-Burns-Movie/136028563147264
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1824891397/beast-wishes-the-bob-and-kathy-burns-movie

PEGASUS HOBBIES UPDATE

Dragonslayer Vermithrax has arrived in hobby shops and it is a sweet kit. While at Monsterpalooza, I was able to chat a bit with Larry Thompson from Pegasus. They are still working on the Nautilus, as well as the Great White Shark, Tarzan, Terminator and the dinosaur kits. Not a lot of news to share at this point. Of course, once they send out more photos and news, I’ll pass it along.

SCI-FI AND FANTASY MODELLER VOL. 25

The latest issue of Sci-Fi and Fantasy Modeler is out and it features a great article by Seaview expert Gary Kerr on the development of the new movie Seaview kit from Moebius. Mike Reccia also offers a review of the new kit. Other articles feature the Pegasus Area 51 UFO kit, the Moonbase Alpha studio model, the Moebius Space Clipper with a booster, and several other great models. Don’t miss this one.

http://www.culttvmanshop.com/product.asp?itemid=2061
http://www.scififantasymodeller.co.uk/

This model is based on the 8 window version of the sub as seen in the Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea motion picture. Also shown are the molds used to cast this model.

Here I have a few pictures of my 120 mm Alan Shepard from Reheat Models. I modified a few details, like the OPS. Check list in the cuff. The hosts connections an the RCU unit in the chest. I also painted the visor to simulate the reflection of the lunar terrain. I was inspired by the book by Alan Bean “Apollo”.

I wanted to have Alan Shepard sign my model, but were he travels, No man has come back and this is no good form me. Because of this I scanned the signature and made my own plaque. I redid the chest connections because the instructions havet it wrong. I also made my own set of decals, because the kit doesn’t have any

Ricardo Salamé Páez

I finally built my first model in about six years – Monogram’s Tranquility Base.

Jim Brooks

Probably the most famous scene involving the Chariot is with the giant Cyclops. I wanted to do something different with my Moebius Chariot model. I chose the Robinsons’ alien encounter on the way back to the Jupiter 2 after finding Prof. Robinson following their crash on Preplanus. The Crow’s Nest Models figures were painted from 1st season publicity photos. John’s space suit is foil wrappers from Hershey’s Kisses. Crow’s Nest also supplied two extra laser rifles as in this scene there are four rifles seen in the rear of the Chariot. There are two rifles that come with the Chariot kit but I wanted all four to be alike and the Crow’s Nest rifles are much more detailed. The lighting kit is from VooDoo FX and the backlit instrument panel is from Outer Space Outfitters. The Aztek Dummy painting masks were used for the interior color instead of painting as well as masking the outside of the canopy for painting.  The scanner, radar dish, and solar panel upgrade parts are made by Trylon.

All the landscaping materials are made by Woodland Scenics. The rocks are from a mold and were cast in resin rather than plaster. The backdrop poster is available from Cafepress.com. The tumbleweed is excelsior moss purchased from Hobby Lobby. Eventually it will have a lighting kit in it.

Philip Hamrick

This one was built straight from the box and brush painted with acrylics. It’s always nice to have the opportunity re-build and paint a kit from your childhood. I certainly do a much better job than I did back then.

Tony Hardy

This is a Catwoman figure that I bought at Wondefest several years ago.   The producer of the kit is Liquid Factory. I bought it on Sunday when dealers are trying to get their inventory reduced. It was $25.00 and very well worth it. I liked doing the base and painting all the trash and debris. The figure itself is stunning whoever sculpted this did an excellent job. It was really a fun little build.

Jonathan Reich

The Movie Seaviews have arrived in the CultTVman Hobbyshop and will start shipping out Friday.

• Seaview Movie Edition 1:128 scale from Moebius Models

Lunar Models Gort is of 1951′s sci-fi movie fame, ‘The Day the Earth Stood Still’. This all resin model only looks simple. Large hardened stems were removed from the arms, and legs. Mold lines had to be removed from the hands, arms, head, body, & inside legs. Sanded to a smooth finish. Several hours work and a pile of dust to clean up.

Glued, plastered seams, sanded, primed, and ready to go.

Preliminary paint stage. Used spray paint. I ran out and had to wait til morning to buy more. Spray paint can be tricky. Only use light coats. Had some problems with discoloration, and heavy coating. Got it all right in the end.

Stands at a whopping 11-3/4″ tall each. Seen here “standing still”. Took this opportunity to picture Gort with his “visor down” and “visor up”. Both have a visible black visor now.

Here Gort’s visor caught glare from the camera flash. Looks like he’s charging up his visor to blast things to bits. Just like the movie!

This bust photo looks good enough to be an actual shot of him standing outside his ship. His original color is aluminum-like. I did NOT use the color from my “Lost in Space” B9 Robot.

The very outer ear ring is painted chrome. It doesn’t belong there, but it’s hardly noticeable, and adds to his charm.

Here’s Gort with some of his Lunar Model buddies you may remember. The “Lost in Space” B9 Robot, Gort, and “Forbidden Planet’s” Robby the Robot.

Frank P. DeCandia

I got the idea for building this model from Marc Kimball’s Jurassic Park Vehicles. I did some research to try to find a proper model to start from and discovered that Tamiya made a Jeep Wrangler kit back in 1995 that was the same generation Wrangler as the ones used in the film. As far as I know, the kit is out of production, but I was able to find one from Hobby Link Japan.

The model required some detailing and modification in order to make it match the Jeeps used in the film. The red stripes were masked off and airbrushed, and the decals were made in Microsoft Publisher and printed on Expert’s Choice decal paper using an inkjet printer. The only modification necessary to the Jeep’s body was sanding off of the turn signals from the front fenders. The fog lamps were kitbashed from the tips of a pair of Harpoon missiles. The winch, light bar, door surrounds, soft top mounting hardware, additional tail lights, and radio antenna were built from scratch using rod and strip styrene, hobby wire, and guitar string. To match the light beige metallic body color of the movie Jeeps, I started with Model Master “steel” acrylic and mixed in some light tan to darken it a little.

There are still some inaccuracies with this model, most noticeably the spare tire cover. The ones in the movie did not have a cover, but I didn’t want to go through the trouble of obtaining another kit just to cannibalize it for one wheel. Also, the “18″ on the side of the vehicle is supposed to match the body color, and it looked fine on the decal sheet, but when it was placed over the red background the red caused it to look darker.

Eric Morris

Here are a few pics the Enterprise C for your Star Trek section on your web page.

Christopher J. Ross

I went to the Modeling The Federation section & was amazed to find an area on the New Orleans-class frigates. “Oh my god!!” thought I. “Someone else has tried to build this, too!” I looked at the pictures & noticed the inaccuracies that the builder/author pointed out, & so I made a decision.

The USS Gaia (NCC-70922), a New Orleans-class ship was built for a friend of mine on AOL as a gift (It’s our sim ship & she’s the captain). It was built using the recent ST Encyclopedia as a guide, with both the dorsal & ventral oblique views given in it.

Required Parts:

• 2 original 1/2500 AMT/Ertl 3-piece Enterprise kits
• 1 1/1400 AMT/Ertl Galaxy
• 0.25 mm sheet styrene
• 2 mm sheet styrene
• 0.67 mm sheet styrene

Construction:

Saucer section

The saucer section was fairly straightforward. I used the saucer unit from one of the 1/2500 kits. The interconnecting dorsal neck was cut out from the ventral half at a point where the curve was still relatively flattened out (It’s easier to keep the cut in a triangular shape for later on). The captain’s yacht area on the ventral saucer was sanded down until somewhat flush & then lightly puttied in & resanded when dry.

The dorsal half of the saucer required a little more work. The existing 1/2500 main shuttlebay door & main bridge were too small for the intended 1/1400 scale, & so they were both carefully score-outlined with a knife & removed. The main shuttlebay door from the 1/1400 Galaxy kit was then cut to size & placed within the shuttlebay opening. Two small layered pieces of 0.67 mm styrene were needed to fill in a small floor gap at the bottom of the door.

The main bridge module from the 1/1400 Galaxy required removal of the lower wall that keeps it in its proper spot on the intended kit. This wall brought the bridge up way too high & rather than cut a hole in the hull, it was easier to carefully remove it, first using scissors to cut away the majority & then a knife for the residual areas. The bottom of the module was then sanded to remove any unwanted elevation. The bridge was then affixed so that the forward edge of it formed a slightly raised curve that was still rather flush with the leading edge of the Deck 2 riser.

A small amount of double-layered 0.67 mm plate was then applied & mildly contoured to the inside of the ventral saucer so as to aid any possible puttying that may need to occur in that region. Also, the sensor strips at the circumferential edges of the dorsal were painted a flat sky blue at this point.

Interconnecting Dorsal

This posed a bit of a challenge & also a bit of a problem. The dorsal is created using the lower section of the 1/1400 Galaxy neck, but it needed to be cut so that it would be flush with the saucer. The 2nd Edition Star Trek Encyclopedia showed that the forward photorp tube-located at the base of the neck’s leading edge-was directly where the captain’s yacht had been sanded down. A careful examination of that same picture showed that there was a total of 4 decks with windows on that sauce, which meant that my neck needed to be 5 decks tall, the 5th deck being that of the outer edge of the saucer. Knowing that the main impulse deck on the rear piece of the dorsal was intended to be 2 decks tall, I counted out 3 decks above that & marked it off.

Using Scotch tape to the hold the neck pieces together, I drew a sweeping curve on the right-hand neck part, placing its highest point at the 5 deck mark I had made before & ending it directly above the photorp tube. I cut that piece & then used it as a template for the left-hand piece, then taped the 3 together with masking tape.

I had deliberately added some leeway to the curve so that I could decipher the exact fit of the saucer (which had been taped together for fitting as well) into the neck.. This is where I had been glad I had added the interior plating to the ventral saucer. I ended up only needing to make some minor cutting along the curve to round it correctly, as the top edge sat right on the plate. I then sanded each piece down along the cutlines & glued them together. At this point, I was able to glue the saucer section together as well.

Secondary Hull

The original plan for the secondary hull had me using the 1/1400 Galaxy one, but test-fittings had shown a problem in that it was too wide. In the 2nd Edition Star Trek Encyclopedia, there’s a shot of USS Kyushu-an oblique dorsal view looking aft-that clearly shows just how far back the hull was to extend. The 1/1400 hull filled that nicely, but there was another oblique shot-this time from the underside-that showed that it was going to be MUCH too wide. Similarly, the 1/2500 secondary hull was the right width, but not long enough. Clearly, more work was called for.

Cursing the Universe once more, the hull sat about for many days while I worked on my Paladin-class project. While fiddling with the configuration of the secondary hull of the Paladin design, I struck upon the idea of using two 1/2500 hulls that had been appropriately cut & placed in line. Rummaging through the spares box, I was able to find a complete section & set upon making the markings for cutting.

This was not a seamless job, as there was no way to get the length I needed with the available flush areas. So, as all good workers do, I compromised. A generally flush cut & curve was made, using the now-completed neck as a guide for the length of the hull. The ventral & edge seams were easily puttied into place, but the dorsal seams left a slight problem: The curvature of the hull varies greatly from the bow to the stern, & so when I combined them, I ended up with a large bulge in the middle of the hull & a flat area underneath it. Thinking quickly, I was able to use the leftover flat tail parts from the forward half of the now-combined hull to help smooth over the flow. Not a PERFECT flush fit, but well enough that it solved the problem at hand. The navigational deflector piece was affixed in place once the hull sections had fully cured & the secondary hull was assembled.

Block Assemblies

The top parts were sanded to

Now, when you look at pictures of the New Orleans-class vessels, you’ll notice that there are 3 odd block-like assemblies on the hull, 2 flanking the main shuttlebay & the aft section of the Deck 2 riser, & one on the very ventral surface of the secondary hull. I have ZERO idea what they are, & I’m considered a Trek expert. I’ve heard various theories ranging from phaser cannons to fighter bays to secondary warp nacelles, but regardless of their actual function, they needed to be created.

I decided to attack the 2 on the dorsal saucer first, as I had the best pictures of them. I’d seen drawings that suggested that they extended past the saucer as slender, flat blocks, attached only at the forward edge, but basic physics told me that wasn’t real smart. A REALLY acute look at the available pictures showed that there was, indeed, a lower segment that attached to the hull.

I had no idea as to how to tackle them, until the day I was at the hobby shop & saw a length of hollow box-shaped styrene that had been intended for usage in railroad model construction. I knew this is what I needed. I bought a length of it (it only came in 30 cm lengths) & brought it home. I figured out that the farthest aft edge needed to be directly above the point where the main impulse deck attaches to the back of the neck.. I also cut a smaller section that would be the lower support, making these…THINGS…a double-layer affair.a certain angle, & the right angles of the top edges were rounded off. Small pieces of 0.67 mm sheet were cut & placed in the hollow areas to block them off. The lower section needed to have a section cut so as to conform to the hull curve. An extra test piece was cut off the original length & was slowly heated & then flattened against the hull repeatedly until the curve was determined. This was then used as a template & marked onto the lower support blocks. The aft end of the lower section was blocked off using small pieces of 0.25 mm sheet & the edges were sanded appropriately. They were then each taped together for a test fit & once alignment had been ascertained, they were glued together. Once fully cured, they were each then affixed to the hull in the proper places flanking the shuttlebay.

The lower block was a little odder. It was obviously about half the height of the dorsal blocks, & it seemed to curve into the aft hull, right before the aft hull undercut began. After measuring the length of the block (just aft of the ventral phaser strip to the end point mentioned above), it was then cut in half about a third of the way, & then began to gentle curve upward until the end. The piece was tested for fit & curve, & then covered with a long single strip of 0.25 mm sheet. At this point, it was then affixed to the secondary hull.

Major Assembly & Warp Pylons

Now I had 3 major sub-assemblies: the saucer, the neck, & the secondary hull. The next step was to cut the warp pylons, but before that could be done, I needed to combine the assemblies into 1 hull for accurate measurement. This was relatively easy.

The neck was glued together with the secondary hull first. I made sure to align the photorp tube so that it formed a nice continuous angle with the leading edge of the hull. Once the glue had fully cured, I taped the saucer into position to check fit & also to measure for the warp pylon placement. I noticed that they were to affix at the joint at the base of the neck, where it was mated to the lower hull. After examining the photos of the class again for pylon shape, I draw up a quick template on paper, cut out 2 (by folding the paper in half), & cut the pylons out of 2 mm sheet styrene by taping the templates on. After sanding the edges smooth, the pylons were test-fit against the intended juncture & the forward edge point was marked off. Putty was then applied on both sides from that point forward to the leading edge of the neck. Once the putty had dried & been sanded, the saucer was untaped & glued to its spot on the upper neck. That seam was lightly puttied as well.

It was now time to establish the height of the nacelles. It seemed from the photos that they were at the same level as the lower half of the blocks on the saucer. A few measurements were made, another template drawn out & cut. The vertical pylons were cut from 2 mm sheet, attached to the outboard edges of the horizontal pylons, & the edges at the joint rounded off.

Phasers, Lifeboats, & Nacelles

It was now time for the fun part. 2 extra phaser strips were cut from 0.67 mm sheet, their edges rounded off, & attached to the outer warp pylons at the corners. Lifeboat hatches needed to be added as well. After counting the number of hatches shown in the photos in the Encyclopedia, measurements were taken off of the lifeboats molded into the 1/1400 Galaxy hull & transferred onto 0.25 sheet styrene to create a total of 104 hatches-44 dorsal , 60 ventral, & all on the saucer. There are no hatches on the secondary hull at all. Using the photos as aids, the hatches were affixed into the proper positions. I also decided to invert the nacelles & sand down the molded-in pylon junctures into dorsal nacelle phaser strips, a practice I had done many times before.

Painting, Inking, & Final Assembly

This was one of the few times I’ve painted a hull AFTER assembling most of it. It was easier that way. The ship was done in a Flanker Pale Blue basecoat & Light Ghost Grey two-tone, with the nacelles & pylons done separately. After all the painting had been completed, I inked on the windows using the photos again for placement. Once the ink dried, I affixed the pylons using Zap & the nacelles were attached the same way. I added the transporter emitter decals & a few others, then inked on the name & hull number. Simple, easy, effective.

Chris St. John

This is my Botany Bay modelled from the “Sci-Fi Spaceship Miniatures” Vac-Form kit. I modified the antenna’s at the back with scratch built parts out of styrene and micro-mesh. I used only the front and back sections of the cargo pod from the kit and scratch built the rest using .030 styrene stock and 1/4″ strips of plex. The “wings” on the top of the sail were also scratch built from styrene. The base was built for me by a good friend who also helped me mount the model onto the base once it was finished. I used Testors Spray Enamel Gray Primer (1237) and the base color was Testors Dark Tan Spray Enamel (1942). The model was then weathered using pastels and a spray fixative was applied (Testors Dullcote 1260). Once that was dry I accented most of the edges of the model with chrome silver to give it the “stressed metal” look.

Chris Mulcahy

This is my “Lost In Space” Pod kit from Moebius. The kit was built pretty much straight out of the box. I did add a Robot (available as an individual kit), a modified 1/24th scale racing figure from my spares box (as John Robinson), the aftermarket base (available through CultTVman), and the lighting kit (the supplier escapes me at this time). In order to hide the battery properly I had to run the wiring down through the base and mount the battery underneath. This makes the battery a lot easier to change. The wiring is strategically hidden by plants added to the base. This was a slow build for me, but the end result was more than worth it!

Tony Hardy

I finished another build, the 1965 Gemini Spacecraft 1/24 scale model by Revell.  Nice kit out of the box!

Steven Carricato

This X-wing sat in its box for many years until I felt I had the confidence to build it the way I envisioned it. As we all know that the MPC version lacked the detail we all came to like in the studio version. It took a lot of sanding and scribing to do the panel lines of the fuselage. I had to do the wing mounted laser cannons in brass tubing. The tips were finished off with small aluminum tubes. Small styrene strips were added to the thrust engines for detail. Extra styrene strips were placed to hide the S-foils between the wings. The pilot was fabricated from a 1/48th scale fighter pilot. Extra detail was added to the cockpit, and the cockpit canopy was scratch built and finished off with .015 clear styrene plastic. The ship was painted in light gull gray, and red paint was used for ships identification instead of the decals. Pastel chalks were used for weathering then sealed with a matte clear finish. The base is a wooden plaque painted with the Rebels insignia, and a clear plastic rod was used to mount the model to the base.

Ismael Davila Sr.

Here I have another photo of one of my paper models of the eighties, the shuttle Tydirium. The scale of this model is about 1:200 and is entirely made from paper. I decided to do it in flight, so i had to build a display. The model itself was made from “3 Stern Papier = 3 Stars Paper” This paper was heavy and you could do a lot of details on it with pencil and ink.

I attended Monsterpalooza in Burbank, CA on April 13-15 2012. Monsterpalooza is a convention devoted to monsters and horror movies. Lots of great movie stars, movie makers, craftsmen, magazines and dealers. The show was a blast. I helped out all weekend at the Moebius Models Make and Take booth where young kids could build and take home a Moebius kit. Moebius announced the new Kogar/Bob Burns kit which should be in stores later this year. Amazing Figure Modeler hosted a contest at the show. There was so much to see and do at this con! I took a bunch of photos at the contest.

We’re still catching up from the week in LA, and we should be caught up by Monday.     We expect the Movie Seaview to be in stock late next week and will send out payment notices shortly.

New in the shop:

• Sci-Fi and Fantasy Modeller vol. 25 -  The Movie Seaview  by expert Gary Kerr, The Moebius Space Clipper and Boosters, UFO’s Skydiver, Thunderbirds Grey-Houseman Explosives Truck, Buck Rogers Doctor Theopolis, Area 51 Hangar diorama, Revell Vostock, and so much more

• Area 51 UFO Lighting Kit from Evans Lighting
• Warbird Lighting Kit from Evans Lighting
• Starship B decals 1:1000 from Dons Light & Magic
• Starship B Detail set from Dons Light & Magic

• Romulan Warbird from AMT/Round 2
• Adversary Set: Klingon Bird of Prey & Ferengi Marauder from AMT/Round 2
• Dragonslayer Vermithrax from Pegasus Hobbies

• Ultimate Bridge Phase 2 Missing Stations from Dons Light & Magic
• Ultimate Bridge Phase 3 Replacement Stations from Dons Light & Magic
• Seaview Movie Edition 1:128 photoetch detail set from Paragrafix

New Preorder items:

• Deep Space 9 reissue from Round 2/AMT – PREORDER RESERVATION
• The Mighty Kogar – Monsters of the Movies from Moeibus Models – PREORDER RESERVATION
• Beauty and the Beast, Bob and Kathy Burns – Monsters of the Movies from Moeibus Models – PREORDER RESERVATION

Restocks from Acreation

• Aztec decals for 1:350 NX from Acreation Models
• Falcon Engine Nozzles Clear 1:72 scale from Acreation
• Galactic Deluxe Aztec Panel/Rib decals from Acreation
• Grid decals 1:1000 scale starship from Acreation Models
• Space Clipper decals from Acreation
• Starship B Aztec decals 1:1000 from Acreation
• Starship Excelsior Aztec decals 1:1000 from Acreation

Restocks from Aztek Dummy

• Aztek Dummy Refit Paint Templates 1/350 scale VERSION 3.0
• Chariot paint masks from Aztek Dummy
• Fighter Mk 2 paint masks from Aztek Dummy
• Flying Sub Paint Masks from Aztek Dummy
• K-7 paneling paint masks from Aztek Dummy

Restocks from Outer Space Outfitters

• Falcon Lighting Panels for the Fine Molds kit from Outer Space Outfitters
• Galileo Shuttle Panels from Outer Space Outfitters
• Voyager Window inserts from Outer Space Outfitters
• Bridge Lighting Panels from Outer Space Outfitters

Restocks from Paragrafix

• Voyager photoetch set 1:677 scale from Paragrafix
• Battlestar Hull Inserts photoetch from Paragrafix
• Refit 1:1000 photoetch detail set from Paragrafix
• Fighter Mk 2 Photoetch/decal set from Paragrafix
• Jupiter 2 Photoetch/decal set 1:35 scale from Paragrafix
• Refit 1:350 scale photoetch detail set from Paragrafix

Other Restocks

• Starship C decals from Don’s Light & Magic
• Castle Mare detail set from Thunderboy

The Mighty Kogar is an all new Monsters of the Movies kit coming in August from Moebius Models.   This is 1:12 scale styrene plastic model kit featuring the classic movie gorilla portrayed by the legendary Bob Burns.  The Kogar model comes with two bonus heads of Tracy the Gorilla from TV’s Ghostbusters, along with a Bob Burns head so you can build three different models.    The figure is sculpted by Jeff Yagher, who also created the upcoming Bride of Frankenstein figure from Moebius.   Box art is by Vincent DeFate.

The photos show a test shot of Kogar on display at Monsterpalooza in April 2012.

There will also be a Deluxe version of the kit with a second figure of Kathy Burns, the woman behind the man in the gorilla suit.    This Beauty and the Beast limited edition will include a styrene and resin figure of Kathy Burns, in addition to the Bob/Kogar/Tracy figure.   Kathy’s likeness has been sculpted by Ray Santoleri.  This Deluxe Edition will be available exclusively through CultTVman.

These models are available for preorder in the CultTVman Hobbyshop

• The Mighty Kogar – Monsters of the Movies from Moeibus Models – PREORDER RESERVATION
• Beauty and the Beast, Bob and Kathy Burns  Deluxe Edition from Moeibus Models – PREORDER RESERVATION

I’ll have news tonight about an all new Moebius kit that will be out later this summer.

If you are in Burbank for Monsterpalooza, come by the Moebius Models Make and Take room to see it for yourself.   And bring your kids by to let them build and take home a Moebius Model kit!

More info on the Monsterpalooza website

Moebius Models posted new images of their USS Skipack, along with the box art for the upcoming kit.   The completed model will measure over 40 inches.   Look for the nuclear powered sub kit in May/June.   You can preorder this in the CultTVman Hobbyshop

Round 2 released the box art for the upcoming 1:350 scale classic Enterprise, painted by noted comic artist Alex Ross.    Here are some excerpts from their press release:

… celebrated comic book artist Alex Ross has created the box art for its new 1:350 scale Star Trek: the Original Series U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701 model kit.   

….brand manager Jamie Hood sought an artist who could do the subject justice. “Alex Ross’ painting has the kind of attention to detail that lends itself perfectly to the Star Trek franchise,” said Hood. “His realistic style of artwork reflects the level of quality that we are trying to attain with this kit. The art looks like it has jumped straight off the screen. We’re thrilled to have the chance to work with Alex on this project and we think he’s the perfect man for the job.”

….This project gave Ross his first chance to work with the Star Trek universe, and he was excited to be a part of the project as well. “I’m a big fan of the original Star Trek series, and this was the perfect opportunity to do an illustration of the icons of the show. It’s a great challenge for me to work with the likenesses of such well-known figures as Shatner, Nimoy and Kelley,” said Ross.

The Standard Edition kit can be preordered in the CultTVman Hobbyshop.  It is currently scheduled for a fall release.

Back to part 5A

After the heads had been attached the figures were once again integrated with the OC model (still in the form of masters) to insure that everything still fit – the guy in the chair would not hit his knees on the table, the guy at the Navigation plot still had his hands at the correct height, etc.

While doing this I took care to limit my line of sight to the very myopic view through the tiny four windows at the bow of the SEAVIEW – in some respects I was building a shadow-box model: The view into the OC is very restricted. However, unlike many shadow-boxed displays, I did not employ any geometry tricks to extend the displays apparent depth. No need.

At an early stage the headless OC figure masters were test fit to their respective stations. Note that the figure positioned near the Navigator’s table is still only a copper wire bound mandrel – it’s at that stage that the pose is worked out on station by carefully bending the legs and arms to suite the action pose desired.

Me playing with little dolls … who would have guessed? Note that I’ve bent the brass rod coming out of the necks into an ‘L’ to make handling these little items easier.

After the wire bound figure masters had been gooped down with solder, after careful contouring with an iron, there still remained the exacting and time consuming chore of carving in the clothing wrinkles, and other details, with knife and files. Once that was done, I snipped down the projecting brass rod on each master and built up a blob of solder to form a head, which, in turn, was worked with file and knife to give them recognizable human features.

Most of the 1/96 SEAVIEW Officer figure masters arrayed next to one of the tools and consumables used to give them shape. These figures are at various stages of solder build-up. Note the twenty-Watt iron used for detail work and a flux loaded brush. Not shown is an array of removable iron tips of various shape – some pointed, others wedged, and yet another iron tip was ground to a long thin rod.

Using these iron tips for specific chores, I was able to achieve pinpoint melting and positioning of molten solder.

As I began work to detail out the heads of the tiny figure masters I first sculpted a large scale bust to help guide me as I used knife, putty, and files to work in the facial features. At 1/96 scale I found it ‘good enough’ to represent clothing features such as belt, pockets, tie, collar and such and to dig out the suggestion of digits on the hands with an X-Acto knife.

Note that each primed figure has been outfitted with a thin brass wire pin projecting from a foot. Each station for a figure on the OC deck master had a corresponding hole. This made test fitting of the completed figure masters within the OC an easy chore.

Before priming and painting a metal figure (be it master or model part) the surface has to be scrubbed clean to remove both chemical and mechanical barriers that would otherwise disrupt proper adhesion of the primer. We all know it’s wise to wipe metal surfaces down with lacquer thinner or other such volatile hydrocarbon solvent in order to wash and scrub away flux and body oil residue.

But did you know that some type alloys continue to oxidize under the coats of primer and paint – this oxidation is a chemical process exacerbated by oxygen rich molecules in the primer/paint itself! Lead is the worst: over time a pure lead or lead-bearing alloy will slowly oxidize and decompose. Ask any Curator of Exhibits at the Smithsonian! Therefore, it’s wise to produce model parts from non-lead bearing alloy. Here we see the SEAVIEW OC figure masters after pickling. Acid pickling imparts a microscopically rough surface to the object, permitting excellent mechanical adhesion of the primer to the objects surface.

Onto Part 6

Start at the Introduction

After all that work I invested, getting the interior of the Observation Compartment (OC) done right, the job simply would not be complete without providing the scene with model figures of SEAVIEW Officer’s lounging and strutting around (carrying on with ships business) upon the deck of the OC.

Though commercially available 1/96 figures are available I, of course, elected to make my own from scratch.  From those I would make a rubber spin casting tool, and from that produce the needed number of cast white metal Officer figures to dress out the SEAVIEW’s OC interior. I would have the option of breaking arms, legs and heads and repositioning them to achieved desired poses. However, as it turned out, there was no need to exercise that option – four of the five different figures I made were adequate to fill out the OC scene. Too many figures in there would have made the display too ‘busy’ looking.

I took care, during fabrication of each figure master, to insure that each was carefully posed to integrate well with the station in which that figure stood/sat within the OC model. As work progressed on each figure master, it was placed within the OC model to check for continuity. Thus, I saw to it that the Navigator figure would rest its hands convincingly on the Navigator’s table; the seated Officer at the wardroom table would fill his chair convincingly with his arms lazily outstretched with one grasping a cup of hot coffee. One guy I had advancing, with long strides, towards the wardroom table, one hand grasping the top of the FLYING-SUB access hatch guard railing as he readied to turn and address the seated figure.

Though this is a static display – you should endeavor to give ‘life’, a sense of the dynamic, to your figures as they stand or sit within the model/diorama.

This periodic checking of the figure masters within the OC went on through out their fabrication.

But, first things first. How to best create the figure masters? What method would afford me the flexibility to impose personal character to each piece as I went about the work?

Hmmm … how to make the figure masters? And what materials to make them from?

I could have carved them from wood or dense model building foam – but that stuff tends to break around shoulders, neck, and crotch at this small size.

Working a self-hardening clay, Super Sculpy, or one of the thick exothermic curing epoxy compounds would have been the best method of master figure fabrication. However, sculpting in malleable mediums is not my strong suite (but I’m honing that skill – more on my sculpting efforts in a later Cult article).

I can assure you that had I been, at the time of this job, a more accomplished sculptor, it indeed would have been the method used to achieve the desired figure masters.

What I settled on was a technique learned years ago from an old professional pattern maker: Solder build-up. It’s rather easy, and gives you the ability to instantly lay on a low temperature melting metal alloy or remove it – making it change state from solid-to-liquid-to-solid again in only seconds.

To sculpt in solder.

Of course the solder had to cling to a mandrel that gives initial shape to the structure. My figure mandrels were built from solid brass rod and copper wire. The solder selected was a low temperature alloy, good old 60/40 Tin/Lead solder.

Lead bearing solder is getting harder and harder to find at the stores. One of these days you won’t be able to find any, anywhere!

The basic process of making a solid solder figure goes like this: First, a mandrel is constructed to the basic human form (torso, legs, arms) from stiff brass rod. Around the rod I wrap small gauge copper wire to build up the basic shape of the figure – the head is not rendered at this point; it’s added after most of the body sculpting is done.

Before feeding in the Solder, the wire wrapped figure is positioned in the scene and its arms and legs are positioned into a desired pose. The portion of mandrel rod projecting from the ‘neck’ serves as a handle during body contouring. The figures head is worked up later from a blob of solder.

Filling out the wire bound mandrel with solder builds it up to the basic shape of the figure. Fleshing the figure out, if you will.

Solder work begins by coating the entire brass and copper mandrel with an acid type flux/rosin. Using a small torch, the mandrel is heated and solder applied. As the solder makes contact with the hot wire, it melts and flows quickly to saturate the gaps between wire and rod. The figure is filled out with solder one area at a time. Working first the torso, dipping into water to cool and solidify the work, then building up the arms and legs with more solder, dipping in water between each operation. This work goes quickly. What results is a massive figure of blobbed on solder – not pretty.

The process of ‘wicking’ does the initial refinement of the figures form. A wick is simply braded copper wire coated with rosin to insure quick flow of the excess solder from the work into the tight weav of the wicks copper wires. The wick is used here to draw off excess solder, through capillary action, as the work is locally heated with the tip of a forty-Watt soldering iron. The trick is in determining where solder has to be removed and to then do so by placing the end of the wick (available from most electronic supply houses) against the work, then to apply heat with the iron, and draw off the required amount of solder from the work.

The first phase of refining the contouring and texturing of the figures clothing and flesh is done by shifting to a smaller, twenty-Watt soldering iron, where its localized, pin-point application is used to melt and move around solder on the surface of the figure. As this work moves along, the figure in mass begins to get hot. So, periodically, the figure is dunked into water to cool it. The trick of fine solder contouring is to insure that only those areas under the tip of the iron are flashed to liquid, moved as desired, and then left to quickly freeze back to the solid state. It’s surprising how much initial detail work can be done this way – even to the point of building up such features as pockets, shirt sleeves, collars, belts, and even rudimentary facial features.

I elected to ‘dress’ each figure master as an Officer, with shirt, tie, belt and collar styles indicative of the US Navy’s winter kaki uniform. My rational for this? Well … the OC of the SEAVIEW is the undeclared wardroom of the boat – it’s the nicest place aboard the boat to be when one is in an off-duty status, and so would be regarded as an extension of the boats, Officer’s Country. So, at any one time, you would see few enlisted men, dressed in their distinctive solid color one-piece coverall’s (poopy-suits to the initiated), walking the deck of the OC unless performing specific duties. You would not see Able Seaman Paterson or Kowalski lounging in the OC – they would be there only as aircrew while entering/exiting the FS-1 hangar bay via the deck hatch at the extreme bow of the OC. Other than such exceptions, the OC is ‘Officer’s only’.

After all possible work had been done with the small iron, I shifted to knife and files as I cut and smoothed each figures torso, legs and arms to final shape.

With the bodywork done, I directed my attentions to each figures head. The long brass rod, which to that point had served as a handle, was snipped back to the height of the head and solder built up and contoured with the iron to form a head.

As I prepared to work in facial features on the tiny figure masters I grabbed a fist full of modeling clay and quickly sculpted a ‘study model’ bust. This served as a reference as I set about the very exacting work of digging out and adding putty to put a face to each figure master.

Referring to the clay model I set to work will files, knife, filler, and sandpaper to gouge out eye sockets, cheek hollows, and to build up brow, ears, mouth and nose – nothing fancy, these little figures were only 1/96 scale, after all!

Once the figure masters were hammered out, it came time to prim the pieces to uncover hidden flaws and to form a substrate upon which to lay on the final detailing.

Now, sticking primer or paint to raw metal is problematic – most systems will not bond well to non-ferrous metals, and such is the case with Tin, Lead, Antimony and Alloy’s of same. The best means of preparing such substrates for primer adhesion is the process of ‘pickling’, described in a previous section of this article. It’s just enough for you to know here that an acid is used to produce microscopic pits to the metals surface that produce the mechanical ‘tooth’ needed to grab the primer.

Want more information on how to pickle and prim? You do? Good…   …Look it up!

I’m not going to spoon-feed you this crap! Show some initiative…

Once pickled and primed I continued to work the gray colored figure masters to further refine anatomy and clothing. Previous to priming I inserted a wire into a foot of each figure to support them for priming and to later serve as anchor points as the figures were test fit into the OC.

Finally, happy (I’m never truly happy, but one has to be pragmatic about this game if anything is every to reach completion) with the figure masters, I set about the task of integrating those masters with other masters into a single spin casting type tool. That tool later used to produce the many white metal model parts that represented the Officers situated about the furnished OC.

The masters I built up of the 1/96 SEAVIEW Officer’s started life as brass rod and copper wire mandrels. As you can see in this series, the copper wire is wound to a thickness and placement as to represent each figures ‘form’. Note that the extended piece of brass rod, coming out of each masters neck, is used as a handle. The handle permits me to accurately position the work as I went at each with soldering iron, file, and sandpaper.

Only at the point where I had to snip off the end of the rod and build up the figures head did I resort to a Jeweler’s hand vice to hold the work as I sculpted the head.

On to part 5 continuted

Well, what can I say. The Spectrum Pursuit Vehicle, or SPV as it’s more commonly known, is one of my favourite Sci-Fi icons. The SPV itself was in fact one of the less puppet-like stars of Gerry Anderson’s sixties series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons. Like many of the Gerry Anderson craft, it was designed by the late Derek Meddings. The SPV was so popular that it was Dinky Toys number one selling toy.

I built an SPV years ago. It was about 2 foot long and featured detailed illuminated interior, the front and rear lights lit up and it had rubber model aircraft tires. However, I was never that pleased with the result, no matter how I tried to be after the many hours spent on its construction (from fiber glass? Mainly due to it’s complex shape.

So, here we are, years later. I have a new found zest for model making. Also, I have learnt a lot and most importantly, learnt how not to do things. I started by getting my old SPV down from the attic and attempting to put right what had gone wrong…

…No! Start again was the only option. Apart from anything else, I wanted this model to be complimentary in scale to the Maximum Security Vehicle that I built quite recently.

On a routine shopping trip, I happened across a toy lorry for sale at a bargain price. This I duly bought for the sole purpose of using the wheels for my new SPV model. I then drew up plans of the SPV in line with the wheels.

Then armed with a pile of balsa wood, I began making up patterns in line with the plans. These pieces were then carved to the correct shapes and glued together. In a matter of a few hours, the SPV was born…

I coated the entire balsa structure in fibreglass resin, in order to provide some strength and a basis for the automotive filler I would be applying.

Once this was dry, I covered the model in body filler and sanded it down smooth. The rear section was added from balsa and also filled to blend in with the rest of the body work.

The next stage was to create the wheel guards, which run down virtually the entire length of the SPV. These were cut from bathroom waste pipe. I then super-glued these into position and filled the seam.

The most difficult part (so far) was to get the vents the correct shape. I cut the vent backing pieces from plasticard, in line with the plans, to ensure that I kept the same shape whilst applying the filler. I then cut thin strips of plasticard and glued them on, to provide the grills. Another smaller grill was also made for the top.

The rear end and the front top, of the SPV, were coated in fibreglass. This is due to needing to remove most of the balsa wood from underneath and still maintain the strength.

It was now a case of continually sanding, filling and priming to get the shape and surface perfect. Also, more coats of resin were applied to the model.

I came to realise that the wheels were not wide enough and to be frank would just look silly on the model. Therefore, I cut the back off of each wheel and glued them into pairs. Therefore, two wheels became one thicker wheel. The problem however, was that I now didn’t have enough wheels! This resulted in having to make a latex mould of one wheel in order to cast the additional ones in solid resin.

On to part 2

This is my first completely scratchbuilt figure. I always wanted a model of Harley Quinn to go with my Batman collection, but this figure in 1/6 scale is out of my price range. The figure is built from Magic Sculpt over a wire armature. Painted with airbrush. The base is detailed with whatever I thought would go well with the figure, mostly raided from the dollhouse section of the craft store. Also included on the base is a miniaturized autographed picture of Adam West which my wife received many years ago.

Floyd Christiancy

Here’s some pictures of my Joker.. He won me a 1st at the Atlanta SF Modeling Con, and I think he’s my best paintup ever. Enjoy the pics…..

Erin Lantz

Subscribe to Retro Rockets at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CultTVman/

Here’s another round up of the latest news for Fantastic Model builders.

Please note that there will be minimal updates this week and we won’t be shipping from April 11 to the 16th as I will be at Monsterpalooza.

MONSTERPALOOZA IS NEXT WEEKEND

Next weekend, monster lovers and horror hounds will gather in Burbank for Monsterpalooza. It is a celebration of classic monsters. There will be plenty of guests, a great dealers room, a display room, panels, and much more.

For us model builders, there will be a model contest sponsored by Amazing Figure Modeler, and a Make and Take room sponsored by Moebius Models. The make and take will feature a free kit for kids to build at the show. From what I understand, it should be a very special model. Last year, kids were given a special Creature kit molded in different colored plastic.

Also, expect some new model news from Moebius at the show. I know they plan to announce an all new kit that will be released later this summer. I’ll pass along the news as soon as I can, along with a special CultTVman tie in. Moebius will also have the new Creature and Bride of Frankenstein kits on display. You don’t want to miss this.

For more information about Monsterpalooza, visit http://www.monsterpalooza.com/

MOEBIUS MODELS CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON

This week, Moebius released some new pictures of the Creature from the Black Lagoon, featuring a paint job by David Fisher. A little more news accompanied the photos on the Moebius Facebook page. The model is scheduled for September release. It was originally going to have two sets of arms, but that has been scaled back to one set of arms. I posted one of the new photos on the Cult site

http://culttvman.com/main/?p=21786

MOEBIUS WINS A RONDO!

In a little more Moebius news, the company one a prestigious Rondo Award for the Bela Lugosi Broadway Dracula model kit. It was chosen as Best Toy, Model or Collectible. Read more about the Rondos on their website

http://www.rondoaward.com

ROUND 2 NEWS

The newest Star Trek releases from Round 2 should be shipping out this week. The Romulan Warbird is a reissue of the kit originally found in the Adversary Set. It is 1:3200 scale and includes window decals, a new dome base, and clear and glow parts. The Adversary Set now features just the Klingon Bird of Prey and the Ferengi Marauder. This mini kit set includes decals for the Marauder and clear some orange parts.

Round 2 also announced a reissue of the old Exploration Set. So far they are listing this as a release in a Collector’s Tin. This new reissue should include photoetch parts.

Look for the Strange Change Time Machine, Ghostbusters Ecto 1A and the MPC Hulk kit to ship in the next month or so.

http://round2models.com/

CULT OF PERSONALITY NEWS

Cult of Personality posted some photos of a replacement head for the MPC Werewolf kit. It is sculpted by Ray Santoleri and should be available later this year.

THUNDERBOY HEAVY INDUSTRIES NEWS

Thunderboy has a new Castel Mare detail set available. This features a wall insert so you can join the Ghost and Prisoner kits together as one diorama. Thunderboy has also reissued their Giants figure set, which goes along with the old Polar Lights Snake model. Look for both of these in the Cult Hobbyshop.

PEGASUS HOBBIES UPDATE

We’ve received word that the Dragonslayer kit is on the way. We should have this in stock in the Cult Shop later this week.

WAYNE HANSEN HOUSE FIRE

Wayne Hansen, known to many people in the hobby as Wayne the Dane, lost his home and all his possessions in a fire last week. He managed to save one of his cats and suffered some minor burns but is okay. He is currently staying with a neighbor.

Wayne has done a great deal of figure sculpting for many different garage kit companies over the years. He sculpted one of my first kits, the Forbidden Commander.

John Diaz is leading an effort to help Wayne. He is collecting clothing, furnishings, and anything else you can donate. You can contact John at jayco35@yahoo.com

If you wish to donate to Wayne directly, his Pay Pal email is figuredane@aol.com . His mailing address is

Wayne Hansen
C/O Ann & Jeff Wilken
430 Julian Woods Lane
Julian, PA. 16844

Please help in any way you can. This is your chance to give a little back to one of our own. Wayne is one of the good guys in the hobby.

CULTTVMAN SITE UPDATES

here are just a few of the recent updates on the CultTVman website. We’ve also reposted a lot of great models. Visit the site at

http://CultTVman.com

Denis Lange’s Batman “Enough”
http://culttvman.com/main/?p=21802

Danny Salcines’ Aurora Wildlife kits
http://culttvman.com/main/?p=21790

Tom Militello’s Vulcan Shuttle
http://culttvman.com/main/?p=21693

Thomas Militello’s USS Reliant
http://culttvman.com/main/?p=21621

Jim Long’s Spinner
http://culttvman.com/main/?p=21610

Dennis Hogan’s Han Solo as a Stormtrooper
http://culttvman.com/main/?p=21595

CULTTVMAN HOBBYSHOP UPDATES

Please note that we will not be shipping from April 11 to 16 as I will be at Monsterpalooza.

visit the shop at http://CultTVmanShop.com

New in the shop:

1955 Chrysler C300 from Moebius Models
Castle Mare detail set from Thunderboy
Spinner Lighting Kit from Evans Lighting
Cyber Eye light kit from Tenacontrols
Evolved Scar Conversion from BHP

New Preorder Products

Police Car 27 from Fujimi – PREORDER RESERVATION
Deckard’s Sedan from Fujimi – PREORDER RESERVATION

Restocks:

Giant Snake figures from Thunderboy
Battlestar Galactica Cylon Raider from Moebius
Gemini Spacecraft 1:24 scale decals from Space Model Systems
Mercury Redstone booster 1:48 scale decals from SPS
Saturn 1B 1:144 scale decals from Space Model Systems
Saturn V/Apollo 1:144 scale decals from Space Model Systems
Thrust Vectoring Vanes from AJAModels
Shuttle Lighting Kit from Evans Lighting
Ghost Window Detail from Brad Hair Productions
Constellation Conversion for 1:1000 scale starship from BHP
Shuttle detail set from Brad Hair Productions
Flying Sub lighting 1:32 scale from VoodooFX
Space Fighter Mk VII light kit from VoodooFX
Sci-Fi and Fantasy Modeller vol. 20
Sci-Fi and Fantasy Modeller vol. 21
Sci-Fi and Fantasy Modeller vol. 22
Sci-Fi and Fantasy Modeller vol. 23

visit the site at http://CultTVmanShop.com

FINE PRINT:

CultTVman’s Retro Rockets is a news and information newsletter which supports the CultTVman Fantastic Modeling website. All material is © 2012 Steve Iverson. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. CultTVman, CultTVman’s Retro Rockets and CultTVman’s SF Modeling Guild are trademarks owned by Stephen J. Iverson.

The Powerloader is the Halcyon kit. This was the second attempt at this kit. My local sci-fi shop had my first attempt on display and sold it without asking me!

Jim James

This is an old Resin From The Grave, Valley Of Gwangi resin kit I built on commission for a local comics shop. The casting on this particular kit was quite poor and there was a lot of extra work done to it. The casting of Gwangi himself was passable and was a pretty straight forward build and paint. However, it was a chore cleaning and restoring his teeth.

The real problem with the kit was the one cowboy that came with it. There was a strange texture to the casting of his upper torso, so I replaced his head and torso with action figure parts. The horse was OK, but he needed extensive reworking with putty on the tail and mane.

As I worked on the kit I decided to expand it a bit. The base was attached to an 11 x 14 plaque and expanded out with plaster and real rocks. I added a second cowboy and horse to make the scene more interesting. The second cowboy was an assemblage from several different action figures, boots, head, hands and arms were all from different figures.

It took a while to find the right horse. I spend a lot of time searching through the horsey sections of toy stores, carrying the resin cowboy from the kit, trying to find a horse in the right scale. I found one that had “real mane and tail” and little brushes to comb them. Anyway I tore the horse apart and repostioned the legs and head to makeit look like it was galloping away. I resculpted the mane and tail from Magic Sculp. The horse is attached to the base with a length of coat hanger that runs up through one of his back legs. The rider’s feet are attached with pins to the horse’s side. The lassos are thin string wrapped with thin wire so they hold their shape. When the whole thing was finished, I took it out to a small park and photographed it in the sunlight against a hunk of good old Southern California rock. I was really happy with the way the whole thing turned out and wanted to share it with everyone

– Jim Bertges

This is my Roswell UFO. I started with spraying the main body of the craft with a chrome finish, and decided to go with the clear display top. I really like how the decals show through. For the bottom I sprayed the “tiles” metallic blue, and then I “dusted it” with the chrome so depending on the way the light hits the ship, it either looks blue or metallic. Simple kit, but a nice little ship.

Jeff Tirante

My Spindrift is complete!

One drawback to balsa construction is that if something falls on your model it leaves a “ding”. I found that by wetting the balsa the hull covering went much easier. The ship has three coats of resin, three coats of acrylic and enamel overspray.

You cant tell from the photos but the hatch hallway is detailed and lit. The biggest problem was the navigation blister or bubble. I tried vacumforming but my results were less than ideal. I found a dust mask package was perfect.

The photos also do not give justice to the lighting I could not get the timing right to “click” the photo. There is five lights in each intake port and each exhaust port

I hope all Land Of The Giants fans enjoy these, and I would be glad to help any one who wants to try building with balsa.

Mike Aucutt

Mike’s Spindrift was also featured in the On the Bench page

This model was prettty much scratchbuilt and has been featured in the On The Bench section of the site.

This is the KitKong Batman “Enough” 2.0 sculpted by Chris Gabrish. It’s really a beautiful kit. I re-sculpted the utility belt… other than that it’s straight out-of-the-box.

Denis Lange

This photo was posted by Moebius on Facebook today.   The build up and paint is by the master David Fisher.  Still on the fence with this one?   Look for this kit to hit stores later in the year.   Preorder in the CultTVman Shop

Here are a couple of shots of my 1/12 scale Revell Gemini Astronaut taken with my Casio digital camera. My wife picked out the star background material at Walmart. The picture doesn’t show the metallic red and blue cuffs where the gloves join the suit very well, maybe I’ll get some better pictures later.

I went a little overboard on the gold tint on the visor, you can’t even see his face. The details of the suit were outlined in mechanical pencil to allow them to show up better in photographs and at a distance. I also found out after I finished the kit that the harness should have been more blue than black.

Mark Wilson

I’m attaching four images of the two Dragon figures I have. The plain vanilla figure (standing in for Ed Mitchell) is the Buzz Aldrin while the modified/Al Shepard astronaut was converted using Chris’ kit from EVA. The dirt on the suit is what sells it, I think.

Jim Brooks

Here’s some great new items in the shop this week.  Thunderboy has a great new Castle Mare detail set and has reissued their Giant Snake figure set.   We have a fantastic light kit for the Spinner and are now taking preorders on the next car kits from Fujimi.

Note that we will not be shipping the between April 11 and 16 as I will be at Monsterpalooza.  Normal shipping will resume when I get back and will take a bit to catch up.

We are expecting the Advirsary Set and Romulan Warbird from Round 2 next week, along with Dragonslayer from Pegasus.  The Movie Seaview should be shipping in late April or early May.

New in the shop:

• 1955 Chrysler C300  from Moebius Models
• Castle Mare detail set from Thunderboy
• Spinner Lighting Kit from Evans Lighting

New Preorder Products

• Police Car 27  from Fujimi – PREORDER RESERVATION
• Deckard’s Sedan from Fujimi – PREORDER RESERVATION

Restocks:

• Giant Snake figures from Thunderboy
• Battlestar Galactica Cylon Raider from Moebius
• Gemini Spacecraft 1:24 scale decals from Space Model Systems
• Mercury Redstone booster 1:48 scale decals from Space Model Systems
• Saturn 1B 1:144 scale decals from Space Model Systems
• Saturn V/Apollo 1:144 scale decals from Space Model Systems
• Thrust Vectoring Vanes from AJAModels
• Shuttle Lighting Kit from Evans Lighting

Here are photos of my latest modeling project.  This is the 6″ resin kit from Captain Cardboard, that I lit up and painted over the course of the year (I started the project in January, 2001 and finished last September). It’s not as detailed and precise as I would have liked the end result to be, but with my limited modeling abilities and my busy schedule, this was the best I could do.

Some caveats: I took the pictures with my digital camera, so the quality and resolution aren’t great. Also, I took the pics in my dining room using the built-in flash, while others I took with ambient light to get as much detail as possible. The drawback turned out to be the difference in color temperature between my flash and dining room lights versus the micro white LED lights I used in the headlights. This is why the pictures give the impression of blue tinted headlights. In-person, the LEDs look pure white and very convincing.

The other problem you’ll see come from glare and reflections since I was too lazy to remove the model from the plastic case. Nonetheless, the images came out well enough to showcase the details on the model.

This pic shows how bright the backlit control panels inside the cockpit are by the “Explosive Bolts” sign on the door. The backlit control panels are lit by three 100 mm long miniature fluorescent lights. The same light source offers enough power to give HAL’s “eye” on the front of the Pod a nice subtle glow.

I used 3 mm white LEDs for the headlights that offered enough of a wide-angle light source to ‘fill’ the headlamp reflectors.  Two brass telescopic rods were used to mount the model and base using epoxy resin.  I painted the model with satin white enamel paint and used flat black for the accents.

This photo used the camera flash to give a better exposure for surface detailing, but underexposed the lighting. I used the textual slide-on decals that came with the kit along with decals from my other kit-bashed projects. The stock decals seemed to work well.

The headlamp reflectors are painted with silver enamel spray paint. I used red reflective tape cut up into tiny strips to use for the red accents around the claws. I chose this technique instead of attempting to paint difficult pin stripes.

I chose to leave the door closed in my display to show the detail of the door’s exterior. I do like the way the door was designed to open and close. I really wish there was another after-market kit to build out a seat and matching human figure to seat inside.

Probably the most challenging part to work on was the ‘foot step’ at the bottom of the door. The instructions require you to build this an the ‘shelf’ at the front of the Pod from scratch. The foot step was made up of a rectangle and two triangles that needed to be glued to the Pod’s surface without showing seams.  The silver propulsion exhaust rims around the edge of the disk were hand painted with several coatings of paint.  I also accurized the stock kit with the raised detail (two circles and a rectangle) near the left edge of the portal.

Here’s an interior close-up featuring the door and signage. Both were stock cutouts that shipped with the kit.  The backlit control panels are a little overexposed. They do look pretty real in person.  I used a real piece of thin glass for the portal window instead of plastic. This resisted scratches and made it easier to clean.

I got the kit before the white metal versions of the claw arms. The stock claw arms aren’t terribly bad. I did spend extra time sanding off the ridges and adding more detail.   I also accurized the stock kit with the raised detail (two circles and a rectangle) near the left edge of the portal.

The ridges surrounding the portal window were a little rough from the kit. I used some sandpaper techniques to smooth out the edges, but it wasn’t perfect. Luckily, the ridges look very precise painted black.

Here’s a better look at the custom built ‘shelf’ or hood that covers the vents in front of the Pod.

Edrolfo Leones

This is my C-57D. With very few exceptions, I built it as close to stock out of the box as I could. I did use some metallic paint on the interior, I just like them. I added the small C-57D in the astrogator, which was a cannibalized round headlight with a piece of fine plastic dowel. The white circles on the floor were made at a custom tag shop for $1.50, and I put textured sheet plastic on the outside of the interior. I was a little disappointed on how little of the bottom deck you could see when done, unless you really get in there with a flashlight, but I really enjoyed building it.

Doug Nary

Wayne the Dane Hansen is one of the familiar faces of this hobby.   He’s been sculpting figures and producing kits for years.   Wayne did the pattern for my first kit, the Forbidden Commander.   He’s one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet.   Wayne is also a vet, having served his county in Vietnam.   He is full of love and spirit.

Last Friday, a fire destroyed Wayne’s house, and he lost everything.  He escaped with the clothes on his back along with one of his cats.   Fortunately, he has a neighbor that he can stay with, but he is having to start over from scratch.   We all know, this is not an easy thing to do, especially in this economy.

John Diaz is leading an effort to help Wayne.   He is collecting clothing, furnishings, and anything else you can donate.   You can contact John at jayco35@yahoo.com

If you wish to donate to Wayne directly, his Pay Pal email is figuredane@aol.com .  His mailing address is

Please help in any way you can.  This is your chance to give a little back to one of our own.

Congratulations to the folks at Moebius Models.  They won a Rondo Award for the Broadway Dracuala kit!

See all the results of the Rondo Awards at the Rondo Awards website

The Runabout, Tamesis. Got the blueprints from a friend on Austria (Thanks Herlind!) and this was the outcome. She’s not scaled, and measures like 14 cms long. The only different thing on its construction is that I used clear acetate painted black to simulate transparent aluminum windows. Its nacelles are what I like the most…they’re neat.

Cesar Alfaro

Any fan of Big Daddy Ed Roth (creator of Rat Fink and amazing show cars) knows that Scuz Fink was a prize to have. When Big Daddy created this guy he couldn’t think of a name for him and there was a national contest to name the creature. The winner was a young girl in New Jersey whose prize was…Big Daddy and his entourage for a weekend. Plus money to “feed” Big Daddy. Her parents were not thrilled. Well, after several attempts I finally got hold of the model. I wasn’t thrilled either for some reason which I can’t figure out. I guess I felt that the anticipation was worth more than the gold. I avoided putting the model together for a long time. It just didn’t call out to me. Then one day I decided that this bizarre alien needed a whole scene. I turned a painting canvass face-up and created a hill out of Styrofoam and plaster of Paris. Scuz comes with a “dingbat” crazy bird on a small moon-like base that he stands on as though he’s flying in on the thing. I didn’t want to use the base or dingbat so I made a small separate model out of that. Besides, if there’s one thing I’ve learned in life it’s that you can’t conquer a planet riding on a dingbat. Who’s going to take you seriously? I painted the hill and the grounds dark green and put the menacing alien on top of the hill with his ray gun at the ready. I got some model railroad trees and stuck them here and there. I figured Scuz didn’t walk to Earth and not wanting dingbat involved, I decided to use a flying saucer that I had lying around. It plugs in and slow moving psychedelic lights creep across the dome, fitting for Scuz Fink’s 1960s arrival. I though I was done until it occurred to me that I was the only one he was attempting to scare and it wasn’t working, so I found some terrified victims (every monster model maker’s dream) and let Scuz Fink deal with them directly.

Howard Camner

Rob Mattison has posted a new edition of Monster Model Review!

This is built largely out-of-box from the AMT/ERTL Pro Shop X-Wing kit. At the suggestion of several friends, I decided to model this after Red Two, piloted by Wedge Antilles. (Really, EVERYONE does Luke Skywalker.)

The weathering and markings were based on a small photo of an actual studio model that was on tour with a Star Wars exhibit. It just so happened that the model the studio sent was Red Two!

I was greatly impressed with all levels of this kit. The cockpit and pilot detail were very well done, with the exception of a targeting computer (by necessity of the motorized mechanism) and the amber visor. The latter was easily remedied. The most needed tooling was on the Artoo unit. The fit and function of all the parts was very reasonable with minor aligning of the wings.

This completed model has won first place at a local hobby shop’s annual contest. Score up one more victory for Wedge Antilles!

Hal Bierman

Less than two months until Wonderfest.  Where does the time go?   It seems that every year, the show creeps up on us faster than we expect.   If you’ve never been to Wonderfest, I’d encourage you to think about joining us this year.   There’s still plenty of time to book your room and make travel arrangements.  Wonderfest is the biggest and best modeling event in the country, for those that are interested in science fiction and monster models.

Of course, Wonderfest is much more than just a model show.    There are workshops, presentations, panels that cover model subjects and related areas of interest.  Each year the staff put together a great line up of guests, many that really don’t appear at other conventions.  This year, Wonderfest is bringing Mat Irvine from the UK where he as worked in visual effects for the BBC, along with Eric Chu, a concept artist and designer for Battlestar Galactica and many Hollywood productions.   Joanna Cassidy, star of Bladerunner, and Julie Adams, star of the Creature from the Black Lagoon are attending.   And there are many coming.

I’m still in the process of putting together Sci-Fi University with Tracy from Federation Models.   We’re trying to do things a little differently this year.  We’ll be giving you a model a the start of the day and we’ll be building and finishing throughout the day.   We may not actually get through the final assembly, but we will touch on construction, seam work, lighting, masking, and painting.   You can register at the Federation Models website.

Friday night will be a little special too.  This year the “meet and greet” is a hallway party.  CultTVman will have a special preview room set up where you can come by and see many of the products that we sell on the website and in the Wonderfest dealers room.  There is never enough space to show everything in the dealers room.   We’ll have product displays from Paragrafix, Aztek Dummy, VoodooFX and others.  We’ll also have a full display of the Graveyard Scenes as well as a display of Cult’s Creepy Castle Kits.   We’ll have our upcoming Vampire Hunter kit on display, as well as a new Deluxe Castle Kit with a figure.

There will be some new product announcements from Moebius Models and Round 2 at Wonderfest this year.    Those of you that attend the show will get a chance to hear firsthand what the plans are for rest of 2012 from the source.

Be sure to read all about it at the Wonderfest website

Beyond Wonderfest, or rather, before Wonderfest, I’ll be out in LA for Monsterpalooza in April.    I don’t have a table, but I will be there for the model contest put together by our friends at Amazing Figure Modeler.  I’ll also be helping out with the Make and Take sponsored by Moebius Models.   Moebius will also be announcing a new kit at Monsterpalooza.    You may also hear about a new Cult Exclusive out there!

Once I get back from Monsterpalooza, I’ll be kicking into high gear to get ready for Wonderfest.

The next couple months should bring us quite a few kit releases.   Dragonslayer should be coming from Pegasus in about two weeks.  The new Movie Edition Seaview should be here from Moebius in the second half of April.  The Bride of Frankenstein will likely be shipping in June.  Round 2 will have a bunch of kits coming in April, including the Star Trek Advirsary set, Romulan Warbird, MPC Hulk, and Strange Change Time Machine.  Ecto 1A will be coming around May.     If you have not already done so, get your preorders in at the CultTVman Hobbyshop.

The “Banned at Hobbytalk Sale” is still going on in the Hobbyshop, but that will be ending soon.

I hope you have been enjoying the material that I have been posting on the website.  I’m trying to post something several times a week.  I have new submissions coming in regularly and all the old pre-2008 material to repost.   I’ve managed to dig up my old hard drive from my first computer, so now I have a copy of the orignal website as it existed in mid 1998.    I still don’t have all the original On The Bench pages, but I have a lot more of the old ones now.  I hope you are checking in at least a couple times a week.

You’ll also find that site updates are posted regularly to the CultTVman Hobbyshop Facebook Page

Back to Part 4A

Not everthing created to detail the SEAVIEW interior could be rendered as cast resin/metal parts. Two items were so complex of shape to preclude easy tool making. So, with those items I elected to make them directly from the raw materials, and to place them into service as kit parts. The spiral stair case located at the after starboard corner of the OC; and the circular guard rail around the FS-1 access hatch center, just behind the windows.

Soldering is not welding — none of the base material (brass wire and brass sheet as applied here) is caused to change state from solid to liquid. No. Soldering is not welding. Soldering employs the principle of adhesion. Welding is cohesion, the intermingling of the bass materials across their former union points.

Solder, an adhesive, is introduced between the two items being joined. Soft or hard solders (we use mostly soft, low temperature solders, an alloy of either Tin/Lead or Tin/Antemony) is heated to its melting temperature at which point the solder flows into the gap between the items being stuck together, forming an adhesive bond between the bass metals. At no time in soldering does the base metal change state (melt).

Soldering can be looked on as gluing — that’s what it is, after all. An Adhesive!

Pictured are the tools and consumable needed to effect a strong solder bond: The solder, in this case good old 60/40 Tin/Lead; flux; and a heat source, here a thirty-Watt soldering iron.

Flux (usually in the form of a paste), when heated during the soldering process, greatly reduces the surface tension of the liquid solder permitting it to flow freely and to permeate the tightest gap between the metal parts being joined. The secondary job of the flux (be it a rosin or acid type) is to lift oxides off the work (either there previous to the operation or formed as a consequence of heating a contaminated joint area), oxides that would otherwise inhibit penetration of the solder onto the surface of the parts being bonded.

The best possible solder penetration is achieved with the aid of acid type flux. But, care has to be taken to wipe the excess flux off after the work cools. Remaining flux is removed by dipping then scrubbing the joint while immersed in a base solution or simply scrubbing the work with an aceton/lacquer drenched piece of steel wool, my usual practice.

Never use acid type flux on electrical connections, be the soldering performed on a printed-circuit board or wire — residual acid (which will leach up into the wire under its insulation and between components and the board) will oxidize the metal areas of the circuit over time and change the conductivity of the circuit or even open it all together. Only use rosin type fluxes when soldering electrical circuit connections

The key to strong solder joints is to clean the metal to a shiny finish, to quickly flux the work, and then getting on with the application of a quick heat and introduction of the solder to the joint. In the photo you see a small brush in a dish of acid type flux. It’s my practice to literally paint on the flux to the joint area to be soldered — you can’t use too much flux!

There are many ways to apply the heat to the joint area: soldering iron, soldering gun, open torch flame, resistance soldering machine, inductive soldering machine, candle or match, dip-bath, or rubbing the parts together real quick (sonic soldering). The stairs and guard railing units seen here were soldered up from brass sheet and wire with the aid of a simple thirty-Watt soldering iron and the ever reliable 60/40 (60% Tin, 40% Lead) solder.

Looking at the assembled spiral stair unit would make you wonder just how the hell such a complicated structure could be held together effectively as all the little components were soldered together. As it turns out, if a few simple preliminary steps are taken, the spiral staircase structure can be built quickly, and with reasonable symmetry.

After all, the most complicated of shapes can easily be defined as a hybrid of the three basic geometric shapes that comprise its matrix. The trick is to work out what items of the whole can be built as stand-alone elements, how to fabricate those elements, and later how to join those elements to achieve the ultimate structure.

Methodology, the fabricators ability to formulate a plan of construction/assembly/painting/weathering. Can you, or can you not devise a practical sequential order of steps to achieve a goal? Do you posses the ability to employ a rational methodology that will achieve the goal with the minimum of complexity?

Where was I?…. Oh, yeah … soldering up the spiral staircase structure.

Each spiral staircase consisted of four specific type pieces: the spiral brass sheet ribbon, rail, rail stanchions, and steps.

First step was to determine the diameter, width and height (pitch) of the ‘spiral’ outer staircase structure, a helically wound ribbon of thin brass sheet. Initial examination of the Barr drawings and production stills indicated that the spirals pitch (the linear, vertical distance from floor to ceiling for one ‘twist’ of the spiral structure) was equal to the compartment height.

Simple enough.

I turned a wooden dowel on the lathe to the diameter of the spiral. With a pen I marked off two radial lines indicating the distance from deck to overhead (pitch). Then, experimenting with a ribbon of paper, its width equal to that of the eventual brass spiral piece, twisting it around the mandrel in a helical fashion until I found the angle that would make one complete circuit of the mandrel within the two height points. I then traced the outline of the paper stencil onto the wooden mandrel, those lines to later guide where to lay down an annealed strip of brass sheet as it was bent to conform to the helical (spiral) shape indicated.

An annealed brass wire ‘handrail,’ mounted atop the spiral ribbon, upon vertical stanchions, was also wrapped around the wooden mandrel to capture the correct diameter and pitch — the same helical twist as that of the brass sheet ‘ribbon’ piece.

(Two spiral stair units were made, though only one is needed for the model. The extra unit presented in this series of pictures is there to better demonstrate the procedures involved in spiral staircase fabrication — it’s an extra. I’ll likely use it in the Teskey SEAVIEW when that kit finally arrives. That model will be mine, damit! Building these turnkeys for clients is killing me … after years of making perfectly good toys for others. I want to play too! Ain’t fair!).

Each staircase step consisted of a flared strip of brass sheet soldered to a short length of brass tube, oriented perpendicular to the plane of the step. The brass tube element of each step piece would later slide onto a central aligning brass rod preceding attachment of the stair steps to the inboard side of the brass spiral ribbon piece.

Examination of the assembled spiral staircase shows that each stair step is staggered a specific angular distance from the one atop and below it. This angular distance — a specific ratio of the vertical distance between steps — is driven by the length of the steps perpendicular brass tube. Initial trials, varying the length of the step tube, determined the tube length required to achieve stair step height that looked reasonable for a 1/96 model (though, between you and me, I would prefer, on the next effort, to stagger the steps a bit less and have them piled a bit closer together — in other words, make the step tubes a bit shorter in height).

I then went about the task of making a marking/sizing/soldering/holding jig to mark out brass strips for cutting to the outline of each step, hold each step securely in space, and to also secure a sized piece of brass tube for soldering to the inboard end of each stair step. This jig was nothing more than a piece of veneered particle board with a circle marked on it representing the inside diameter of the spiral ribbon (equal to the diameter of the spiral mandrel).

Within the center of this circle was drilled a hole to receive a pin that would hold short brass tubes as they were soldered to their associated stair steps. Note that also marked out on the jig are radiating lines that denote the shape of the stair steps.

Each stair step was cut out with tin snips from brass strip and the shape refined with a Moto-Tool cutoff wheel, file and sanding block.

The trick to successful soldering of intricate structures like those that make up the spiral staircase is to ‘tin’ all parts at their joint lines/edges prior to assembly. Tinning is simply pre-soldering the parts at their joint points.

A part, say one of the stair steps, is scrubbed in lacquer thinner with a small wad of steel wool. It is then slathered with flux and a small amount of solder flowed onto the inboard and outboard edges where the step will solder to its short length of brass tube and to the inboard wall of the spiral wound ribbon. of course each step/tube assembly has to be held in the assembly jig to insure that the applied heat used to tin the assembly does not cause the tube to de-solder and fall out of alignment with its step.

I found it a simple matter to completely tin the inside of the spiral ribbon, the entire spiral handrail, and each handrail stanchion in their entirety. Excess tinning solder can be wiped off with a dry cloth while the solder is still in its molten state.

The soldering of the spiral staircase assembly was surprisingly easy: All the stair step pieces were run up over a brass rod that fit the bore of the step tubes. Using a clothes pin, the upper stair step was held against the top inboard portion of the spiral brass ribbon piece. The same was done with the lower step piece … and, like magic, the center of all stair steps became instantly centered with the helically wound spiral ribbon piece

It was then a simple matter to rotate the individual stair steps to fit against the inboard face of the ribbon, brush on acid flux to all joint lines, and then to apply heat with the solder iron. Since everything had been pre-soldered during the tinning operation, the existing solder, which had platted the parts, began to flow into the adjoining seams, effecting low radius, perfect solder unions.

It was then a simple matter to solder on the vertical stanchion wires against the inboard side of the ribbon, and to then solder atop each stanchion the continuous running helical wire forming the stair handrail.

The completed spiral stair assembly was then dunked in lacquer thinner and scrubbed with steel wool to kill and remove excess flux. A little work with file and sandpaper readied the unit for pickling.

The FS-1 access hatch guard railing was soldered and dressed in a similar fashion.

The two soldered assemblies were then pickled in Ferric Chloride acid, rinsed in a base solution (water doped a bit with baking soda) to kill the acid. Rinsed in fresh water, dried, and primed. Readying them for final painting.

The pickling etches in millions of microscopic pits onto the surface of the brass and solder, producing a ‘mechanical tooth’ that greatly enhances the primers ability to adhere to the work (this pickling process is also a boon to you figure guy’s who are tired of seeing your gorgeous paint jobs peeling and chipping off cast white metal figures). It’s not enough to dunk and scrub metal pieces in lacquer thinner to make them receptive to primer and paint

Break out the hot acid, breath deeply, and let the games begin!

onto part 5

Back to the Introduction

Both the Teskey and DeBoer Hull 1/96 scale kits of the SEAVIEW offer few kit parts or instruction for those wishing to properly detail out all the equipment and furnishings seen within the hull through the four big observation window. Both manufacturers leave it to the assembler to come up with a viable representation of the Observation Compartment (OC). And, that’s just what I did for my buildup of the 1/96 DeBoer Hulls TV version of the SEAVIEW, I scratch-built the OC interior

First step, outlined in the previous section, was to identify a sources of pictures and plans that faithfully described (graphically) the interior spaces.

Second step, which I chronicle here, was to come up with a means of representing the deck, wall, and window girder area in model form.

Finally, I would build up the figures, furniture and equipment, produce tools from that work, then cast resin and metal parts from the tooling. Parts produced from the tooling constituting the items that would outfit the model.

The principle reason I don’t go the direct route of building model parts from scratch and then using them as the final product is the need to produce multiple copies of each item for later commercial use.

Before I could press on with the neat looking stuff on the inside of the SEAVIEW – such as the figures, furniture, equipment, and that intimidating looking behind-the-window girder work – I first had to establish the deck; transverse bulkhead between OC and Control Room (the ‘crash doors’); securing frame (strongback) to hold the clear acetate window piece up tight from inside the hull; the girder foundation piece; and deck bracket that would permit perfect registration of the OC deck within the hull as it was installed/removed through the removable FS-1 access hatch at the bottom of the submarines bow.

This particular model of the SEAVIEW was built up to be a fully practical r/c submarine; capable and built to withstand the normal rough handling such models are subject to in and out of the water. The entire OC was made removable to permit easy inspection and repair of that unit during the course of the models service life.

This r/c model boat (much like the actual Fox effects miniature) was built as a ‘free-flooding’ type submarine. That is, the entire hull, sail, OC, and other structures free-flood with water as the model is placed in the lake/pool. Only the removable water tight cylinder (WTC), mounted in the hull, containing the electronics, ballast system and propulsion items is water tight.

This models entire OC fills and drains with water as it is immersed or pulled out of the water. No effort what’s so ever was made to make the windows, FS-1 access hatch, and other structures comprising the hull ‘watertight.’

Note that the plastic sheet OC deck has already been marked out with pen to denote the location of the girder network, wardroom patricians, bulkhead, and walls. Those vertical components have already been cut from sheet and are arrayed behind the deck. The two projections below and either side of the deck are the make-up points for the mounting brackets bonded within the bow, which index and secure (with the aid of two thumbnuts) the OC piece securely within the bow of the SEAVIEW.

With the deck of the OC established and indexed to fit properly within the hull I turned my attention to creation of a set of window girder templates. These were cut from heavy gauge styrene sheet one at a time, installed upon the forward mounted ‘foundation’ piece and secured at their after ends onto temporary false transverse bulkheads (the after false bulkhead mounting the four outboard girders, the foreword false bulkhead supporting the two inboard girders.

Several attempts for each type girder were made till I had achieved a set of window girders that fit up hard against (but not hard enough to be distorted by) the temporarily installed brass window strongback piece. Working out the exact rake, height and length for each type window girder template was time consuming and frustrating work, but one of the most important tasks of the entire OC job: care and exactness of fit here was essential. If these templates did not fit properly then neither would the masters, nor the parts produced from the tooling made from those masters.

Once the six girder section (the longitudinally oriented girders, the ones who’s forward edge is positioned behind a window frame) shapes were represented by templates, the templates were then used to trace outlines onto thinner pieces of styrene sheet. The full blown girder masters were made from the thinner styrene sheet.

Building the girder masters involved cutting them to shape, punching out the ‘lightening holes’ in each piece, and then gluing narrow cap-strips of styrene top and bottom of each girder to form the characteristic ‘H’ section of these structural members.

The holes in each piece of girder were started with a punch mark, followed by a drilled pilot hole which was then sized with a rattail file spun in the chuck of a variable speed drill (always power ream in reverse, as most rattail teeth patterns are right-handed). Tedious, time consuming work. But, with the exercise of care during layout (the transfer of points and lines from plan to work) the lightening holes were cut out with reasonable precision.

(Incidentally, though both the Teskey and DeBoer SEAVIEW kits purport to represent the vessel in 1/96 scale, there are variances in size and geometry between the two products. So, when I go about the task of adapting the OC masters I’ve produced to fit the DeBoer Hulls kit to fit the Teskey kit … yet to be delivered… I will likely have to make a dedicated set of window girders to fit that kit. But, that’s a problem for a later date).

When gluing styrene to styrene you are best served to use a solvent type cement (forming a weld, or cohesive bond) not adhesives like super-glue. As each narrow cap-strip was positioned onto a girder master, a thin line of cement was applied with a small brush and capillary action counted on to draw the solvent into the gap between girder and cap-strip thus effecting a seamless weld between the two.

Once all the girder masters were made, assembled together, test fit within the bow, errors corrected, and the array disassembled, each girder piece was then primed, spot puttied and readied for creation of a spin casting tool. From that RTV silicon rubber tool would be cast metal girder model parts. It is vital that the master fit properly and that all observed problems corrected before committing the masters to creation of the production tooling — again: if the master don’t fit, neither will the production parts

Note that at the lower forward end of each window girder (all six of them) there projects downward an indexing tab. Each girder tab fits a corresponding slot at the top of the foundation piece. Surprisingly, a dry-fit of the entire girder/foundation tab/slot equipped master assembly revealed that the foundation/girder indexing, coupled with the transverse/longitudinal joints, keyed the assembly tight enough to make it a very sound unit — without glue!

When something of this complexity works so well, after so much invested effort, it can’t help but make your day!

Damn, I’m good!

Just about finished with the foundation and girder masters. Here I’m putting on the final touches to the foundation master by installing the inboard ‘kick plates’. Once the girder and foundation masters were completed, they were set aside as I worked the other OC masters. Only after all the masters involved with the interior of the SEAVIEW bow were completed did I set about the task of making the rubber tools needed to create resin and cast metal kit parts.

More interior construction in the next page

Rescue Eagle from Space:1999. This was built from brass tube, fibreglass, Perspex and plastic sheet. The engines are table tennis balls and the main boosters are lemonade bottles. The model is 33 inches long.

Dave Ruther

Here are some pics of the new Fujimi Blade Runner Spinner. This was a fun , easy kit to finish.

Jim Long

This is an original Screamin 1/6 scale vinyl figure kit. The kit was labeled STORM TROOPER, but it comes with a Han Solo head option. Now, the big problem with Screamin kits that have a helmet with them, is that you generally take off some paint from the face that lies beneath it. I also felt, that it was important to feature Han Solo here. So, I took a little bit of vinyl I had from other kits, and re-configured the arms. First, I wanted him to hold the gun to his side. Then, I wanted him to be able to hold the helmet (as he called out to Luke). Not easy, but I think it was worth the effort.  The figure stands twelve inches tall and I basically only used Flat black, flat white and gloss white.  He stands on a simple wooden base that has been spray painted with “stone” color paint. Difficult to use because it takes so long to set and dry, but worth the effort again.

Dennis Hogan

We’ve got a couple new items and a lot of restocks today

New items

• Cyber Eye light kit from Tenacontrols
• Evolved Scar Conversion from BHP

Restocks

• Ghost Window Detail from Brad Hair Productions
• Constellation Conversion for 1:1000 scale starship from Brad Hair Productions
• Shuttle detail set from Brad Hair Productions
• Flying Sub lighting 1:32 scale from VoodooFX
• Space Fighter Mk VII light kit from VoodooFX
• Sci-Fi and Fantasy Modeller vol. 20
• Sci-Fi and Fantasy Modeller vol. 21
• Sci-Fi and Fantasy Modeller vol. 22
• Sci-Fi and Fantasy Modeller vol. 23
• Dark Shadows Barnabas Collins reissue from MPC/Round 2
• Dark Shadows Werewolf reissue from MPC/Round 2
• Refit Enterprise 1:350 reissue from Polar Lights/Round 2
• Enterprise B reissue from AMT/Round 2
• The Swamp Monster Base – Graveyard Scenes
• Sea Monster replacement head 1:12 scale from Cult of Personality
• The Operation conversion kit from Cult of Personality
• The Grave Robber – a Graveyard Scenes figure
• The Grave Robber Deluxe Figure and Base – Graveyard Scenes
• Ultimate Bridge Upgrade Set from Creature Arts/Dons Light & Magic
• Galaxy Class detail parts from Dons Light and Magic
• Galaxy Warp engines from DLM
• Vulcan Warp Sled lighting from DLM
• 1/350 Refit Shuttle Bay from Dons Light and Magic
• 1/350 scale Workbees and Travel Pods from Dons Light and Magic
• Altaira for Robby from Jimmy Flintstone
• Giant Monster replacement head from Creature Arts

The Horizon Catwoman was originally a poor sculpt. “Sources” state she was begun by one artist, finished by another, and that Horizon was in a hurry. She had giant balloon breasts, a tiny waist, and dull legs.

I gave her a reduction mammoplasty, ribs, abdominal musculature, leg and hip muscles. A piece of wire constituted her whip. The custom whip is gift packaging cord over wire, with steel wire tails and a thread wrapped handle. It’s very poseable.

The custom base is wood overlaid with a variety of materials.The chimney and brick are Sculpy. The concrete and “bronze” details are “dollhouse” wood, and the slate roof is hand carved Plastruct. The railing is from a dollhouse fence.

Clif Dopson

Wanted to send you an image of the “Fireball play set” my mom got me for Christmas, primed them up with some Kryon, and did all the main body work with Tester’s and then shadowed and toned with acrylics.

Jeff Tirante