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Sci-Fi Content

Showing topics in Science Fiction Discussion, RealSpace Discussion, Work In Progress - SF & RealSpace, Ready for Inspection - SF & RealSpace and Sci-fi & Real Space Reviews and articles posted in for the last 365 days.

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  1. Past hour
  2. Pete in Lincs
    I thought they were on strike again? There's plenty of beer to be found out there. Your task, should you choose to accept it.......
  3. Today
  4. Head in the clouds.
    You can't Pete, I need beer for Bank Holiday Monday Weapons, you must be spoilt for choice but how about a Railgun, very modern!
  5. Yesterday
  6. Corsairfoxfouruncle
    Hmmm Laser, Rockets with spring loaded release system, that or a Gauss Rifle any of those should work.
  7. Pete in Lincs
    It's another update time. I've got the week off work so have been able to get on with it. It makes a nice change. A long distance shot which takes in the upper hull and turret. Getting closer. The rear upper hull is now faired in with Milliput, it's still wet in this picture. The turret has a hatch from something else. It does fit better than this but will be glued shut anyway. The hatch is one of those ones that lift & swivel on a rod, here under the round bit nearest you. Speaking of hatches, did you notice that I fitted the Tiger tank ones? And here is the deck minus turret to show the 26mm hole I had to make so the turret can swivel. Not quite sure what the bulgy thing on the front is for, perhaps some sort of sensor. It was in the spares box, it fits and it looks right, so it's staying there. As always with these things, I love how disparate parts just fit together with no more than a quick cut or application of the file. This lot should dry overnight so it will be back to the wet & dry again. I need to finish the turret, and figure out a weapon for it. Maybe a chain gun? Although it should really be a recoilless weapon as this thing will be hovering. Thanks for dropping by. More weirdness should follow shortly. Cheers, Pete
  8. Getting Old
    Looking very good, it will be worth all the hard work
  9. Deanflyer
    I'm not sure that that wouldn't have been quicker, Andrew! I've been busy with the command module decalling. I did the underside first to see how the anti glare decals would work...luckily they were a very good fit. Don't know why they didn't include any decals for the blacked out underside windows though - I had to mask and spray those: Then I finished off the top side: The inside won't be seen much through the tiny windows, so this is probably sufficient: I've got the decals on the engines too, but I haven't taken photos of that until the plumbing is all connected up. Current decal count - 324, and a few more coloured bands to go on the spine yet! Getting there, Dean
  10. Wulf
    It's a nice little technique. The increased drying time makes it easier to apply the wash on larger surfaces before the wash starts drying and makes it easier to wipe off excess wash with a slightly wet cloth or Q-Tip. It also improves the flow of the wash and reduces the typical water marks from acrylic washes.
  11. GordonD
    23 MAY 1965 American Apollo astronauts returning from the Moon to be quarantined The Life Sciences Committee of the National Academy of Sciences' Space Science Board recommended to NASA that American astronauts returning from the Moon and planets be kept in quarantine for at least three weeks to prevent possible contamination of the Earth by extraterrestrial organisms, Howard Simons reported in the Washington Post. "A report entitled Potential Hazards of Back Contamination from the Planets presented quarantine and other recommendations: the need to avoid decontamination of returning equipment until it had been subjected to biological study; the possible need for the astronauts to shed their outer garments on the Moon and Mars before returning home; the need to conduct immediate research on any samples of extraterrestrial life brought to Earth; and trial runs to acquaint astronauts with methods for minimizing chance of contamination." This resulted in the construction of the Lunar Receiving Laboratory, where the crews of Apollos 11, 12 and 14 spent three weeks in isolation. The Apollo 13 crew, of course, never reached the Moon, while for Apollo 15 onwards it had been determined that there was no risk of contamination.
  12. Mike
    Apollo 11 Astronaut on the Moon (03702) 1:8 Revell On the 20th July 1969, a man by the name of Neil Armstrong stepped off the ladder of his flimsy spacecraft and onto the Moon's dusty surface, uttering the words that would become famous "That's one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind". His name and this quote, plus the likeness of the Saturn V rocket that got them there, and the Apollo 11 spacecraft that consisted of the Command Module (CM), Service Module (SM) and Lunar Module (LM or LEM if you add "excursion" into the mix) also became amongst the most recognised images of their time. Leaving many footprints in the dusty regolith of the Sea of Tranquility where they landed, they soon clambered back onboard and blasted off for home, paving the way for another six missions, only one of which didn't quite make it but became almost equally famous because of their accident and subsequent return to earth that was fraught with danger. Maybe they should have skipped the name Apollo 13? The Kit Following the 50th year since we walked on the Moon theme, we have more from Revell on the subject, which again is a new edition of a previously released kit from the same era as the Apollo 11 CM & SM that we reviewed recently here. The kit arrives in an end-opening box, with four sprues in white styrene inside, some of which have been cut to fit the new box. There is also a yellow tinted clear part for the visor, a small sheet of decals and the instruction booklet, which is printed in Revell's new colour style. As it's a special edition, there is also a pack of four thumb-pots of Revell paint, a small tube of Contacta semi-liquid glue, and a paintbrush, which as always with these sets has had its hair parted by the bag. The kit is clearly a product of its day, but has good detail throughout and a simple method of construction. The completed model stands at 258mm tall, a little over 2m in scale, out of which you must take the bulk of the suit, helmet and base to account for the difference between Neil's 1.8m height and that of the model. I'd say that scales out pretty well. The astronaut's face is moulded into the helmet area, with the yellow tinted visor added after paint, but here there is a slight deviation that stands out to the average Joe. The bottom edge of the visor is a little flattened when compared with those famous photos of Neil after touch down, so if it bothers you, you'll need a little putty to make that more to your liking. The suit is a pretty detailed rendition of the one that Neil wore, with some slight differences from the real thing such as the central panel on his chest and the lack of umbilical ports on the left of the chest plate. There are also some straps hanging around that are missing for obvious reasons, and the umbilicals that attach to the backpack should have insulating sleeves on them that give them a crinkled, faceted look. All of this can be fixed if you're minded, or you can just enjoy the model for what it is and build it to the best of your ability. Construction begins with the head and torso, which are split vertically front to back, with the astronaut's head moulded into the helmet, as mentioned. It's a generic face that's a very nice sculpt, but clearly not Neil Armstrong, and bears more of a resemblance to a face from a Captain Scarlet puppet. Whether that was for copyright reasons, I guess we'll never know. The legs and arms are next, with the former split the same way, and the latter split to give maximum detail to the gauntlets. The backpack is similarly split front and back, attaching to the torso with a central pin and two realistic-looking strap-ends, with a good amount of surface detail. On the front is another much smaller pack that resembles a claymore mine in shape, but has more to do with environment regulation. The fixed video camera glues into a slot on the front of the pack, and at this stage you are also instructed to install the visor into the helmet. If you've been brave and adjusted the shape of the lower edge, you'll need to reduce the glazed part to match. These things are gold-plated to protect the wearer from excessive sunlight exposure, as there is no atmosphere to speak of on the moon, so the light is undiminished by atmospheric backscatter. This has been mimicked by the clear yellow tint, but you could experiment with gold leaf of gold chrome paint if you feel the need. To complete the figure, the two umbilicals (umbilicii?) are routed from the backpack to the chest and chest pack, with the aforementioned caveat of them requiring insulating sleeves. The base consists of a chunk of the moon's surface with a depression for the lander's leg, and another flat-spot for the figure's left foot, then a raised flat area with that famous phrase engraved on it for posterity. You get a portion of the lander's leg, which has a section of the ladder added to the front, and the big dished foot at the bottom. This portion of the lander was covered in a golden mylar layer for insulation too, so treat yourself to some Cadbury's Bournville or other confection with a golden inner wrapper, and have a go at making it look suitably wrinkly if you feel up to the challenge. The completed figure is attached with one foot on the base, the other in the dished top of the landing pad, with two flat tabs ensuring a good join. Markings The majority of Neil's suit is white, with grey used mainly on his gloves and overshoes that protect his boots from damage, which incidentally debunks another of the deniers' arguments about the tread pattern on their boots being different. I digress. The moon is very dusty, so after even a few steps the suits got covered in an incredibly fine grey dust that was hard to shift. Check your references, and enjoy replicating some of it. There was a #2 Revell paintbrush included in the pack, but as the bristles were bent over, I decided not to photograph it. Ok, I forgot! The decal sheet is small and consists of a couple of American flags, two NASA meatball logos for the backpack and his chest, and a stencil for the water reservoir at the bottom of the backpack. There's no name tag for the suit, but that's hidden away under the chest pack, so hardly an issue. Decals are printed for Revell by Zanetti, in good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin matt carrier film cut close to the printed areas. Conclusion This is a fun model that will give a lot of pleasure to a lot of folks if they approach it with the right attitude. If you treat it as a blast from the past, or a desktop model you'll have fun building it, but if you want something accurate, there are some alterations you can make and still have fun. Considering the age of the moulds there are some really nice cloth effects, with creases, seams and so forth giving a realistic landscape for you to paint over and weather. A fitting tribute to the late, great Mr Armstrong, may he rest in peace. Highly recommended. Revell model kits are available from all good toy and model retailers. For further information visit or
  13. Hunter Rose
    Stellar work Andy it looks fantastic!
  14. Last week
  15. andygif290368
    Well, it's not progressed much, the falcon got primed and had some aftermarket resin parts fettled and dry fitted. As for the trench itself, I've sourced some tiles, so 6"x6" resin tiles and some 4"x4" plaster tiles from eBay about to years ago, not to mention all the regular tiles from all the other kits I've assembled since this original post. I don't think that vacforming would get the level of detail necessary I'd like, but if do go down the tile replication route it would probably be silicon and plaster. I've rather entered the modeller malaise, lots of stuff started only to be shelved until another bright shiny thing comes along. There's what's left of my model railway stored in the garage, the kit stash, the ham radio gear and all the electronics odds and sods. Another decade or two and then I can retire and have time to do it all....... yeah I don't believe me either.
  16. spruecutter96
    She is a real beauty and a credit to your build and painting skills. Although the "biomechanical" machine concept has been ripped off ever since the first movie, I think Giger's designs still have a kind of chilling grandeur about them. What a shame Ridley Scott had to go and wipe out the air of mystery with Prometheus and Alien: Covenant... Thanks for sharing. Chris.
  17. Silenoz
    better to be safe then sorry...
  18. HL-10
    That's because it has masking tape on it as it had been painted white
  19. Silenoz
    looks good so far, maybe time for a look to the entrance of the bulge on top, in front of the fin, that one doesn't look smooth
  20. Silenoz
    Beautiful work...
  21. Carts
    Scale Solutions lovely resin Derelict kit completed. Compared to the Halcyon Nostromo,they appear to be a similar scale. Very Happy to have a big derelict in the collection,its one of my favourite designs ever. Andy
  22. HL-10
    As it's such a lovely, bright, sunny, & warm day, a quick application of Zircon blue was in order: All the best Angelo.
  23. Andrés S.
    Thank you. Possibly try to use it. Andrés.
  24. Tarkas
    I think some wascally "creature" has stolen it; that's why he's so angry. And yes, he looks very good -- angry, but good.
  25. GordonD
    22 MAY 1965 Project Fire 2 This was a Command Module configuration test, with an Atlas-D boosting a small scale-model of the spacecraft to high altitude before a solid-fuel rocket slammed it back into the atmosphere to test the capsule’s performance during re-entry at a velocity that would be experienced by a vehicle returning from the Moon. 1969 Apollo 10 Crew: Tom Stafford (CDR); Eugene Cernan (LMP); John Young (CMP) CSM: Charlie Brown; LM: Snoopy Stafford and Cernan undocked the Lunar Module and fired the descent engine to take it to within 15km of the lunar surface. This was the point at which the descent engine would be fired again to take the LM down for a landing but that was for the next mission: after a few more orbits the ascent engine was fired, simulating a launch from the lunar surface. Here there was a brief moment of panic as the ascent stage spun wildly out of control: it was later established that an incorrectly-set switch meant that the computer immediately began trying to locate the CSM. Had the crew not regained control when they did, it is likely that they would have crashed on the Moon. However the crew's skill ensured a safe return and after docking they reported back, "Snoopy and Charlie Brown are hugging each other!" 1981 Soyuz 40 landing Crew: Leonid Popov (CDR); Dumitru Prunariu [Romania] (RC) Landing site: 225 km SE of Dzheskasgan This was the final flight of the original Soyuz configuration (albeit modified several times along the way, not least following the Soyuz 11 accident when its capacity was reduced to two): the upgraded Soyuz-T was already in service. Popov and Prunariu had spent a week aboard Salyut 6, their Soyuz the last manned spacecraft to dock there. Flight time was 7d 20h 42m and 124 orbits.
  26. AndyRM101
    I use Vallejo glaze medium, which comes in the same bottles as their paint. You add a drop or two of the medium to the paint you want to use for a wash and mix it in. Adding it results in the paint becoming more translucent, and also has the effect of extending the drying time. The more medium you add to the paint, the more transparent it becomes. You can then use the paint as a regular wash, or as a glaze to tint underlying colours. Andy
  27. DalekCheese
    A servant dalek? Lol.
  28. Pete in Lincs
    I forgot about that bit. If you feel tired, take a nap, they help a lot. Positive vibes! This is your second chance at this life business, don't waste it.
  29. Nigel Heath
    I'm not sure, I don't have any plans but this build was the most fun build I have ever undertaken. I'm also not sure how AA would take to any challenge to him being the most Supreme Being in the household.
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