DukeDexter

Thanks all! Made a start on the underside panel. Reference photos for this are vague and in limited supply so a lot of this is guesswork, trying to find a use for any kit parts I already have. I doubt there are many Terrahawks specialists around to pick me up on anything that's not 100% screen accurate!

A little bit more work done on this. I've used all the kit parts I have, others have proved to be unobtainable so have done my best to scratch a few of them (approximately). Primer is to show up any blemishes, just working on the underside 'plate' though the kit parts on the bottom are still proving difficult/ impossible to identify. The primer has pulled if together a bit, I wasn't that keen on the way the kit parts were used but have replicated them as far as possible.

Thanks for the encouragement chaps, I must press on with it because I know it's going to be a good 'un when it's done!. I tend to go in fits and starts on models. Here is a pic of the story so far. Bar one or two pieces still to be attached, that's all the kit parts I have. A fair few stuck on the rear too. I had to busk it regarding the supports for the rear section (between the back of the wings) - I just couldn't see how it was supported on the screen grabs. I haven't been able to get the AMT Bulldozer so may have to scratch build those pieces for the top of the cabin. As for the underside, I'm not sure. I may have to just approximate what's (briefly) seen on screen based on the kit parts I have left over. Couldn't have got this far without the help I had from Rob H and John H over on the Eagle forum If you have any comments or suggestions, glad to hear them!

Hi Eagle-1, I've added all the kit parts I have, and primed the (balsa) cabin. There are a few kit parts that I can't get - from memory they're from the AMT bulldozer - so I may have to scratch build them. I haven't added the underside yet either, may have to use some imagination with the kit parts on the underside. Can't seem to post a photo via Photobucket, will look into finding a new hosting site. It's been on pause for a while but it's not going to stay that way, after getting this far I every intention of finishing it!

Love the navigation lights, that's a great touch. Great photos against a real sky too, well done - that can't have been a straightforward kit to put together!

Rainy day today meant a bit of time to add more kit parts It's ironic that when you buy a kit to cannibalise, a part you actually need goes missing. Out of 50 parts… Anyway, a bit of progress.

Thanks Madhatter, Will Vale and Pete in Lincs for the advice the balsa was sealed with 'HMG' sanding sealer which was the first thing available at the local model shop. I'm nearly there with filling the imperfections but vac-forming sounds like something to consider in future. I've got limited space and time so I tend to have to find the easiest option. Learning a few new techniques wouldn't do any harm though! I think the original cab was vac-formed from the cabin of the Treehawk miniature; John Lee who'd designed and built the Zeaf said it was put together very quickly and it reflects the wing designs on the larger ships in Zelda's fleet. I think the series is being released on Bluray but I hear the quality isn't the best as some or all of the original negatives have gone awol. I really like Windsor Davies' character in the series, he generally gets the last word on Ninestein. I like the fact it's played for fun, it would have run out of steam earlier if it had been too 'earnest'. The later episode are played more for laughs but the effects shots become more elaborate and interesting to look at.

Thanks for the comments Terrahawks seems to be mainly forgotten and doesn't even get much love from a lot of Anderson fans these days. I've always quite liked it and thought some of the designs were interesting - the Zeaf has the look of a Snowspeeder about it. I've added the one kit part that I identified myself - the front bit of the Zeaf is the back bit of a Tiger tank. Scratching in plasticard is much easier than balsa… it's taking ages to hide the grain on the cabin!

Hi, First time I've gotten round to posting on here - mainly because I'm such a slow builder. This is a scratch build of a fighter featured in one of Gerry Anderson's later series, 'Terrahawks'. I always liked the wedge shape and thanks to some meticulous research (not by me, I hasten to add), most of the kit parts have been identified, enabling me to scale up studio-scale plans. Although the original was made from perspex I opted for plasticard as I'm more used to working with it. The first step was to make the thing strong enough to support itself and withstand being picked up! The side wings are split into three parts so had to be connected with a 'runner' between them. Once the main shell was complete, I got on with adding the kit parts, mainly from German tanks, and carving the cab out of balsa. The tailplane is plasticard with some Plastruct angles. And that's the state of play as of today!

Michael Butterworth was the link - in one of his Space:1999 novelisations, he used the lyrics from one of Moorcock's spoken word pieces featured on Hawkwind's 'Space Ritual' - I think it was 'The Black Corridor'