The lure(s) of Buck Rogers

So, i'm having a trawl around the Net and i stumble upon the Website of model maker Ken Larsons work on the Buck Rogers TV show.
I've always considered the programme to be naffer than naff and haven't seen it since it aired, but did like Princess Ardalas huge Flagship design, so thought i'd take a look.
WOW. Ken was a pretty prolific modelmaker, turning out some pretty nifty designs as well as the more well known one's.
He's sites really interesting and i urge you to take a look:

http://www.universalhartland.com/code/buck000m.shtml

Looking at the builds on there, i got to thinking maybe i should get the DVD's. "Nah" thinks i, "it'll still be as bad as you remember, probably worse". But i would like to see these ships in action. Then i thought maybe i should get it for that, and the Sprogs can get it for the episodes themselves. And, anyway, it might be duff to get it, but at least i'm not getting the *shudder* 2nd series am i?

So i go ahead and buy it - and what do i think?
Blimey, it IS as bad as i remember it. Most notable now with hindsite and all these years gone by, is:
how each episode is nothing more than "Hart To Hart" in space - God awful crappy soap operas but with Buster Crabbe, Cesear Romero, Julie Newmar etc thrown in,
how they had the gall to think disco light tubing could pass for fueling pipes,
how Gil can't act. At all.
How flaming annoying Tweakie still is (but the kids LOVE him and he's their favourite parts of the show),
how shoddy the model photography is,
and how alluring Wilma still is. That is, when she has this helmet on. The substandard Farrah Fawcett Majors, shambolic hair "do" that's under there is truely hideous. Which is a shame as it spoils that nifty blue/purple outfir she sometimes sports.

So, a right old pold to get through the discs, waiting for an effects scene that always is alet down with its crappness.
But, still have a hankering for them, so thought i'd get this here ship.
Oddly called a Marauder on the box, its never called that on the show, rather a "Hatchet Fighter" or "Pirate Ship".
I had one when they first came out and seem to recall it ended its life by having the cockpit ripped off and filled in, the engine taken off and a 1999 Eagle beak out in its palce. Then painted green.
I'm looking forward to the build as i've always liked this and the Starfighter, this one being the one i've gone for as its not only an unusal design, but its going to be great fun doing the painting and weathering.
The one i've bought has a pretty beat up box and all the parts are off the sprues and dusty as hell, so there's bath time before i can start.