A new ship

Deliberately kept back the start of this project - as things looked decidedly dodgy for a while there...
I'd used up this here deodorant spray and thought the slanted top would make for a nice front to a regular rocket shape ship.
Fool that i was.
It wasn't until i added plasticard around parts of it and, especially, the ribbed card around the base that it dawned on me that i was making something that looked an awful lot like *ahem* an "adult toy"...
To take the curse off of it i decided to change tack and have loads more on there to break up the shape as much as i could, making it into a Foss-style ship in an unfeasable design and paintjob. Hopefully then folk won't ask what sort of "thrust factor" it might have.
First up was to add loads of red Go-Fasta stripes for panelling.
I'd decided to have a couple of weapon pods either side - a la 1999's Hawk - using those nifty pieces Andrew gave me as the centre piece of them. To attach them to the main body you can see i've put on half of the feet from the R2D2 kit either side.
And the other thing i've put on are these "wings" up top, which are actually a couple of stands from a telephone that was being chucked out.

BBC VFX book

REALLY enjoying this mighty tome. Just got past the really rather comprehensive history of the Beeb's Effects unit and the broad overview of just what effect entails what (could be a tad dull for anyone who already knows, but Mat Irvine has an alaways engaging style that always makes him readable) and am just starting on the shows listed alphabetically.
It going to have to be a given that, to jam in that many shows with almost equal coverage, some shows will suffer at the expense of others - would rather have more Who and Blakes 7 than Are You Being Served and Tomorrows World.
But that's a small, fan niggle - its set out to be a history of what the Effects Dept did in their time and it looks to have done that admirably, with tons of rare and never before stills to boot.
Recommended.

Victorian Lunar Lander - almost there

Okay, i've put the rusty washes on - even though it doesn't make any sense to have it on there.
Also managed to find a Union Jack decal, which was out of the Airfix SR4 Hovercraft kit.

Off The Shelf - 8 - Dracula as bat

Didn't really like Coppola's version, to me it was only noteworthy for its excellent design work (oh, and Sadie Frost).
Best of which was Drac in his bat form. Which why i bought this here kit.

B7 Hairdryer Ship - putting on a prong

Thanks to Andrew i've now attached the X Wing weapon prong up on top. Looking at the original, Mat put some sort of sphere on the end of it, so i've followed suit and bunged on a bead that's the right size.

Vampire Batman

Was having a good sort out and, at the very back of the top of one of the cabinets was this fella, very dusty and neglected.
I built him years and years ago and had long ago forgotten about him. He was in a right sorry state so thought i'd spruce him up. But the paintjob for his skin was pretty basic - Games Workshop "Rotting Flesh" just washed with black - so thought i'd strip him and start again.
So here he is. The stripper has oddly dissolved the glue holding his ears on but not the paint on his tongue. Odd.

First shot of the new Dredd

Coming courtesy of the 2000AD site, here we are with Karl as the main man.
Its just the first pic but, from what we have, it looks like they're going with a 70's version of ol' Chinface, what with the rounded shoulder pad.
Which is a bold, unexpected, though nice move.
Of course its very early days yet but, from a purely visual point of view, must say i prefer some of the fan made costumes, as seen in Pic 2.

Victorian Lunar Lander - pastelled

All dirtied down. Now to put rusty washes, grime and soot on. Am looking round for a Union Jack decal too to finish it off.

Stormtrooper Helmet - dealing with the inside.

You can see quite clearly here what i have to deal with.
Replace the far too light and really rather flimsy eye lenses.
Put mesh behind the teeth.
And cut down the bolts that hold the thing together - they're far too long at the moment and really gouge into me when i put the thing on.
I was also going to put some foam padding in the top for my head to rest on, but the eyeline when i wear it now is just right and, if i do put some in, i won't see a thing. Might put some on the sides though to stop any wobble.

Blake's 7 Ore Ship - replacing the domes

So, there's two EMA endcaps either side of the X-Wing part. Can't find any domes of a similar size, so have gone a bit further down the more detailed route and put a couple of nifty circular pieces from the 88mm kit, capped with a couple of chrome domes from a motorbike model.

E-11 Blaster - all done

Sunlights given it a golden hue that's just not there - but here you go with the finished thing.
Dunno where i'll put it.

The Lost Continent vs Jaws

Almost through my "Hammer Films The Unsung Heroes" book, which is a great work by Wayne Kingsley, but its SO indepth that at times its a bit of a plod. Especially when you're at the anecdotes from the tea ladies.
Just part that i sat up and took real notice when Wayne started on Robert Mattey.
Must confess that i'd never heard of this model maker before.
Sure know his work though - and am stunned that he connects them.
Not only is he the guy responsable for the bizarro creatures making "The Lost Continent" one of my favourite Hammer films, he made the giant squid for Disney's "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea" and was part of the team who made Bruce for "Jaws".
Why the heck have i never seen articles on this guy?

T.I.E. Fighter - gantry & Stormtroopers

A real nice touch to have this launch gantry included along with a couple of guards to give everything scale. Makes a nice change from having the ship resting on its wings, which i guess would buckle and collapse on the real thing.
Going to have the gantry in dark metallics as i don't want to detract from the ship itself.

An early Christmas present

At the risk of this turing into a Star Wars Blog, here we have probably the biggest thing i'll be getting this Crimbo.
I've had it made for me as, when i tried doing one myself, i lost interest in it REAL fast. Andy's done a great job and its lovely and sturdy.
He's made it to my specifications, ie a Sandtrooper.
Looking forward to dirtying it down but, in the meantime, i need to put mesh behind the teeth, remove the flimsy green lenses for much darker welding types and put in the ROM/FX soundboard, which'll be arriving soon (though how i'm gonna fit it in there...)

Black Park

If you're a fan of Hammer films or the ITC TV shows, might want to slip sideways across to my movie Blog, where there's a piece on our visit to a staple location of such productions:

http://mangamax-outofthebox.blogspot.com/

Image Animation's Joker

Thought i'd dust something else off to show you and this one has a bit of an interesting history.
Back in the mid 80's there used to be a fantasy bookshop down at the bottom of Charing Cross Road, right by Leicester Square.
Used to buy all my comics up at FP and my books in this shop, and they always used to have knick-knacks on the shelf behind the till.
Go in there one time and there's this fella sat there grinning at me.
Really taken with it, so ask the chap about it.
Seems some of the guys at the Image Animation studios used to sculpt stuff in their dinner breaks and flog them via that shop.
Now, this was about 1987 and i knew the company from their work on "Hellraiser" and "Lair Of The White Worm" by that time. Couple that with me being a Bat-fan and i had to have it.
Looking at it now, i still love the realistic skin tones (not at all apparent in the pics) and the dead fish eyes.
After all this time though, the main thing is whoever made and painted it prempted by quite a few years the Joker's re-invention in "The Killing Zoke" and, especially, "Arkham Asylum".
Top work, whoever you were.

T.I.E. Fighter - size difference

With it nearly finished, thought i'd show you how it compares to the old MPC kit. As you can see, it looks pretty tiny. Biggest suprise though is comparing detail on the two.
Fine Molds are rightly acknowledged for their attention to detail but, comparing the two, the MPC one is spot on and, if anything just as detailed.
If it wasn't for the slightly chubby cockpit ball, it'd be spot on.

Blake's 7 Ore Ship - looking at the engine

Thanks to Andrew, i can add the two X Wing parts that make up the bulk of this area. I know the dome shapes are EMA, but can't justify and order just for those - the P&P would be outrageous compared to the cost of the two pieces.
So, going to find a substitute. Not too bothered about that as (A) i've no idea what those spindly shapes are either side (looks like sprue of some part of an undercarriage to me) so have added my own, (B) because i'm not using the right ladder & cage, the dimensions are all wrong - the engine bell will be far nearer to the end of the fuel tanks than on the original.
Another change will to be to add more detail.
Mat made the craft for 1.5 seconds of screen time and, of course, it wouldn't be bearing any scrutiny.
So the whole engine assembly is just what you see in the top pic. But mine will be be studied next year when i put the ship in a model show, so figure i've got to bulk up the underside of these pieces.
Also, i'm adding detail into the front of the cage area, as the blank sides of the pieces i've stuck on the bottom are far too visible.

Meeting Caroline Munro

TOTALLY off-topic but was chuffed to bits and still am - so here we go.
Me and the Bronze went off to London saturday for the Hammer film festival at the Cine Lumiere.
Turned out to be a bit of a damp squib - nice to get the new Hammer book and get it signed by the author Wayne Kinglsey but, by 1.00, all we had was a Q&A with Vera Day (feel free to Google) and a short with her in it that starred Thora Hird. Reeling from the shock of seeing the Hird on the big screen, we fled to have a tour of the Natural History Museum while a new anthology horror film was screened. Big fans of the Amicus one's but we both felt a modern one wouldn't be the same which, along with the big name replacing Peter Cushing as the anchor was (really) Brian Murphy, meant giving it a miss was pretty easy.
Come back and there's still a while to go before the film finishes. So we get our books signed and then the audience come out.
Deep in that crowd, and totally unrecognised, was Caroline Munro. No way i'd pass up a chance of a natter with the lady - so i did.
And she was really, really lovely.
And it made my day totally.
Been a fan of hers since the mid 70's i guess. Think i first saw her in "Golden Voyage Of Sinbad", which sure made an impact as i was 12 at the time.
Next up must've been "At The Earth's Core" - and, now, surely the best thing in it after the drill.
Next, a brief spell in "The Spy Who Loved Me".
Then we're talking staying up waaaay late (or so i thought at the time) to catch Hammer's "Captain Kronos" and "Dracula 1972".
After that it must've been "Starcrash", a film almost unbearable to watch, what with having the Hoff as co-star.
And then, something i wasn't aware of at all upon release, the Lambs Navy rum ads that first got her noticed and her contract with Hammer.
She was, and still is, undoubtably, stunning, but she had screen presence and its such a shame her career decended into low budget fare and, ultimately, co-star to Ted Rodgers in the God-awful 321.
I asked her if she'd be up for a cameo in Hammer's mentioned remake of "Captain Kronos" and she said she'd love to.
The petition starts here.

T.I.E. Fighter - assembly

Zipped along a pace since my last posting.
Pic 1 shows you just how little there is to show of the interior once everythings together. Don't feel too bad about missing off those cockpit decals now.
Pic 2 is it all masked up for priming. It comes with neat little stickers to peel off and place over all the window areas but you have to cut each one out of the sheet and they're TINY. So have gone here with putting a layer of masking tape over the whole area, then trimming the areas with a brand new scapel balde. Hopefully that'll work.
Pic 3 is it in grey primer. I was going to go with that for the basecoat but the details so fine its crying out for a lighter shade to bring it all out.