Paul Wagner Posted May 13, 2012 Share Posted May 13, 2012 With the establishment of SHADO in 1969, it was envisioned that Earths front line of defence against the UFO menace would be a space-based, nuclear-armed interceptor, so the Orbital Weapons Launcher (or O.W.L.) program was established. The first generation interceptors, in use when SHADO became operational in early 1980, were moon-based single seat craft, armed with a single long range, low yield nuclear warhead surrounded by a shell of depleted uranium ball bearings, the theory being that by exploding the missile in the path of an approaching UFO, the shrapnel would shred the incoming spacecraft. Here is my Mk.1 moonbase interceptor, the Bandai kit (excellent, if you can find one) with scrathbuilt, analogue-dial filled cockpit, and a set of prototype decals by Jbot (awesome, BTW). SHADO Moonbase Interceptor by puddingisacat, on Flickr SHADO Moonbase Interceptor by puddingisacat, on Flickr SHADO Moonbase Interceptor by puddingisacat, on Flickr Interceptor cockpit by puddingisacat, on Flickr And this is the Foe, and probably my best ever score on eBay - my SHED Models UFO! Gotta say this sat on the shelf for a long time because I was too scared to attempt it, as it contained 1 sheet of roughly vacformed styrene, 1 sheet of roughly vacformed clear stuff, and a whole bunch of little metal bits (there is a photo pf the kit, after I’d succesfully assembled the central cone bit). In the end, however, construction was pretty straight forward, only really requiring patience - and the ability to scratchbuild the inevitably One Missing Bit (one of the internal veins). The clear bits were carefully shaved and Futured, and the result is, I think, quite stunning. SHED UFO kit by puddingisacat, on Flickr SHED Models UFO! by puddingisacat, on Flickr SHED Models UFO! by puddingisacat, on Flickr The moonbase interceptors proved more effective than anticipated, but losses were also greater, so after 2 years of operations a review was carried out in an effort to improve the design. Modifications that were recommended were: Retractable landing gear (one interceptor lost after a skid, damaged by space debris, collapsed on landing) Laser pods as secondary weapons (two interceptors lost to enemy fire after using their missiles) Backup solar power source. to power life support and thrusters (one astronaut lost after his ship lost power while on a vector away from earth) Replacement of bubble canopy with smaller slit window used on Moonhoppers, as heat and radiation management proved to be a problem. An extra crew member, as the workload was considered too great for a single pilot, even with moon base controllers. Additionally the unguided missiles were replaced with a cruise-missile derived design that allowed the weapons operator to alter it’s course in flight, as the target manoeuvred to avoid interception. The warhead was also modified so the ball bearings were expelled in a 70 degree cone forwards of the missile only, after one interceptor and several satellites were destroyed by stray shrapnel. The new interceptors entered service in mid 1984, and this time the Orbital Weapons Launcher appellation stuck, and they became known as OWLs. The Owl was hugely popular with its crews and much more effective than the Mk.1, the combination of weapons allowing the interceptors to corral the UFOs using the guidable missiles and close to dogfighting range with laser cannons to finish off any that escaped. Here is my OWL, modified from the Bandai interceptor I made when I was a kid, and somehow managed to survive. Note the Angry Owl squadron markings! SHADO OWL by puddingisacat, on Flickr SHADO OWL by puddingisacat, on Flickr SHADO OWL by puddingisacat, on Flickr SHADO OWL by puddingisacat, on Flickr SHADO OWL by puddingisacat, on Flickr With the election of President Ronald Reagan in 1984, a huge amount of money became available to SHADO under the cover of the Star Wars program. First on the wish list was the unromantic but urgent need for a utility craft to replace both the aging shuttles and rather limited Moonhoppers. Conceived of as a "space helicopter", the now familiar Eagle was a born. Key to the Eagles success was a new micro-fusion power plant that delivered so much power that the rather industrial design was able to enter and leave Earth's atmosphere through sheer grunt. The pod system allowed it to fulfil multiple roles, and when the first examples were delivered to Moonbase in 1988 the Owl pilots found, much to their embarrassment, that the transporters out-performed the fighters in every way except close-in agility. A request for a new interceptor based around the Eagles engine was immediately forthcoming, but as a stop-gap measure a pod was developed to carry 2 missiles and necessary sensors, and for a brief time armed Eagles took over as interceptors, relegating the Owls to point defence of the moon only – a role that they were ideally suited to, and in which they were retained until 1996. Here is my SHADO Eagle, made from an old Airfix kit that survived unbuilt from when I was a kid! (plus some extras) SHADO Eagle by puddingisacat, on Flickr SHADO Eagle by puddingisacat, on Flickr SHADO Eagle by puddingisacat, on Flickr The Owls replacement, named the Hawk, was rushed into service in 1991. All the designated design features were incorporated into the new fighter, but early models were plagued by technical problems caused, for the most part, by the speed and urgency with which the ship was designed. Not until 1995 would the definitive production version, the Mk.9, enter service, but from early on it was clear the Hawk represented a quantum leap in capability. Twice as fast at the Eagle and three times that of the Owl, the Hawk had the range to patrol deep into space and intercept UFOs long before they came into the range of the Owls. Additionally, the old missiles were replaced the "nuclear torpedoes", where both the engine and the warhead were in fact the same micro-fusion reactor. These weapons had an acceleration 7 times that of the conventional missile, fast enough to outpace the UFOs and allowing, for the first time, interceptors to directly target enemy craft and do away with the rather dangerous area-effect warhead – and it is from these weapons that later plasma, proton an quantum torpedoes were eventually developed. As a United Nations sanctioned organisation, SHADO officially didn’t tolerate overt shows of nationalism, but this became difficult to enforce on remote outposts such as the Mars FAB. This is well illustrated on this colourful Hawk Mk.9, christened “Lonesome” by it’s isolated crew, and bearing it’s impressive tally of kills (another habit SHADO officially disapproved of). Note the Hawk squadron markings, and the crew inside the cockpit, as I managed to give this one an interior and windows! SHADO Hawk Mk.9 by puddingisacat, on Flickr SHADO Hawk Mk.9 by puddingisacat, on Flickr SHADO Hawk Mk.9 by puddingisacat, on Flickr SHADO Hawk Mk.9 by puddingisacat, on Flickr SHADO Hawk Mk.9 by puddingisacat, on Flickr SHADO Hawk Mk.9 by puddingisacat, on Flickr SHADO Hawk Mk.9 by puddingisacat, on Flickr SHADO Hawk Mk.9 by puddingisacat, on Flickr SHADO Hawk Mk.9 by puddingisacat, on Flickr SHADO Hawk Mk.9 by puddingisacat, on Flickr SHADO Hawk Mk.9 by puddingisacat, on Flickr Even as the engineers struggled to de-bug the production Hawks, work was started on a follow-up, the Kestrel. The aim was to develop a craft with the performance of the Hawk, but to match the Owl’s dog-fighting ability, and to be able to not just enter and leave Earth’s atmosphere like the Eagle, but to manoeuvre and fight as a conventional atmospheric fighter as well. It was armed with 2 neclear torpedoes, and a dorsally mounted laser turret that could fire behind as well as forwards and to the sides. From the early 1990’s the moon had become a dumping ground for Earth’s nuclear waste, and the original SHADO moonbase had been expanded, and eventually turned over to civilian use as “Moonbase Alpha”, while SHADO relocated to a purpose-built facility “Moonbase Beta” on the dark side of the moon. Two squadrons of Kestrels were delivered to SHADO and undergoing trials on Earth at the time of the 1999 moon disaster. On September 13, a massive chain reaction detonated the vast fields of nuclear waste stored there, and while nobody has ever proved alien interference as the cause, it is now generally believed the theoretically safe atomic waste exploded because it was being bombarded by a highly focused, unknown form of energy. What is a fact is that, as Earth reeled from the consequences of the moon’s shift in orbit, the aliens launched the largest mass attack seen for a decade, which was primarily fought and ultimately repulsed by the Kestrels. And finally, here is the Kestrel, built from the old Hawk model that survived (kinda) from when I was a kid: SHADO Kestrel by puddingisacat, on Flickr SHADO Kestrel by puddingisacat, on Flickr SHADO Kestrel by puddingisacat, on Flickr SHADO Kestrel by puddingisacat, on Flickr Paul 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deon Posted May 13, 2012 Share Posted May 13, 2012 Awesome! These are great Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Womby Posted May 13, 2012 Share Posted May 13, 2012 Wow - what a terrific collection. I like the link in to Moonbase Alpha - you're doing UFO the way that Gerry perhaps intended if he had done a second UFO series. I love the Kestrel design! David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimbuna Posted May 13, 2012 Share Posted May 13, 2012 That's a great looking collection...brought back a few childhood memories. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hawkkeeper Posted May 13, 2012 Share Posted May 13, 2012 great craft, love the expanded story too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerard Posted May 13, 2012 Share Posted May 13, 2012 Paul, Well done. The best sci-fi collection that I've seen for some years. Nicely done, and a good stroyline too. The word "inspiration" can describe your work. Regards, Gerard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thx6667 Posted May 13, 2012 Share Posted May 13, 2012 Ha! Excellent stuff. The original interceptor still looks like a real life piece of hardware to me, perhaps that's the genius of Anderson's designers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kallisti Posted May 13, 2012 Share Posted May 13, 2012 Love it, the way you merged the UFO and Space: 1999 stories and tied it into real world politics is excellent and the models are very cool! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rx79guntank Posted May 13, 2012 Share Posted May 13, 2012 Nice work on those vintage kits, I really like that Mk 9 design. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madam I'm Adam Posted May 13, 2012 Share Posted May 13, 2012 The whole concept and delivery of it is cooler than a bag of ice. Great stuff ....... so it was you that bagged the UFO.... Coolieo Adam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Esposito Posted May 13, 2012 Share Posted May 13, 2012 (edited) S.H.E.D. UFO Awesome kit!! I want one. Edited May 13, 2012 by Mike Esposito Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tank152 Posted May 13, 2012 Share Posted May 13, 2012 What a great thread, awesome models. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyC Posted May 13, 2012 Share Posted May 13, 2012 Ha! That made me laugh out loud and great modelling on the kits - great work Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prowler0000 Posted May 13, 2012 Share Posted May 13, 2012 Someone actually made the old Airfix Eagle look good! Nice jobe, love the paintwork on the Hawk, & the whiffy OWL.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike DeTorrice Posted May 14, 2012 Share Posted May 14, 2012 Excellent stuff ! Some great models and a cool backstory to bring it all together. Very well done ! Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heloman1 Posted May 16, 2012 Share Posted May 16, 2012 Hi Paul, Pure magic, they all look great, glad I could help with the decals. Colin on the Africa Station Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr.Jellyfingers Posted May 20, 2012 Share Posted May 20, 2012 Fantastic stuff, all of it!! Nice one for sharing! Si. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F-32 Posted May 20, 2012 Share Posted May 20, 2012 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mk 7 Posted November 27, 2016 Share Posted November 27, 2016 I was a maintenance Crew Chief on one of the first Mark 7 Hawks stationed in orbit. Man, were those things hot! Too much power for an Interceptor, not quite the avionics of the Mk IX nor the celestial navigation of the Eagle. Basically the early crude version of the Eagle powerplant shoved into a all-purpose space fighter. After we started upgrading weapons and tactics, we began to wonder why the UFO attacks dropped off so significantly, but reading this article about the lunar accident, maybe that's why. Never did like the "cover" story claiming all of our Hawk crews were killed after the Space Station was damaged' The program simply had different priorities after that. We kept a piece of UFO shielding outside our hangar at Nellis for a long time as a dart board. I hate aliens. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mk 7 Posted November 27, 2016 Share Posted November 27, 2016 Long Live the RAF and USAF! Brits & Yanks rule the universe! HOO-YAH !!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrish Posted January 8, 2017 Share Posted January 8, 2017 Great stuff. I am actually thinking of building replicas of slightly different UFO interceptors, like this RAF Lightning, for example: http://www.ufodigest.com/news/1206/binbrook.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kallisti Posted January 8, 2017 Share Posted January 8, 2017 That incident has been well and truly debunked in records released by the MOD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark4700 Posted January 10, 2017 Share Posted January 10, 2017 Very nice, and a great back story. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roberto Posted January 10, 2017 Share Posted January 10, 2017 Great post and works Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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