Supermodelnation

Thanks Maginot and Col Walter E Kurtz for your comments. I've been away for a while so did not see the responses. So glad these were enjoyed. That LP looks like a real classic by the way! In light of the real life events on the ground in Ukraine, these stories I think were very timely. Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Ukraine as they struggle and fight for their survival. I hope to return with new Evie content sometime in the future.

LAST EPISODE IN THE CURRENT SERIES Part 12 - Evie Air Base 2.0: Air Assets Alas, I have come to the end of this project. I tried to run these later episodes in line with real life events and that has made their creations all the more interesting. We do hope that whatever prevails on the Ukraine/Russian border we hope to see de-escalation and a peaceful outcome (though I somehow doubt that). I aim to be back with new creations later in the year when Evie Air Base gets a serious upgrade and expansion - under Evie 3.0. In real life events this week, a Naval Strike Group has been handed over to direct NATO command. Enjoy this last one. Here NATO step up the global effort. Evie finds itself front and centre of these developments. I hope you have enjoyed watching these videos as much as I have creating them. My approach does dare to be different and admittedly may not suit everyone's tastes but this hobby is about pushing boundaries and being different. Could I spend weeks and months on a single static diorama scene with superb results...sure. But I choose to adopt a different route appealing to creativity, imagination and best of all just plain fun with my model collection (most of which I built myself!). Thanks for the Comments, Reactions and most of all for watching. Cheers - Ike

Thanks Maginot. Yes these really have been a joy to produce and the term Supermarionation (an amalgam for super, model, animation) was definitely what I based the Supermodelnation concept around. Thanks for the comments. All I need is now is the marvellous Barry Gray composed music to accompany it! hehe. Thanks for taking time to comment.

Thank you kapam. Your post made my day and yes you are spot on. I indeed draw inspiration from the master guru that was Gerry Anderson and like you, my childhood memories of watching his original series of work till today have a huge influence on what I do. Some folk may not take these too serious as it is very different but that's the point...it's the fact they ARE different and I'm glad you expressed the imaginative wonder I am trying to replicate here. When you get the chance please feel free to watch the rest. Thanks for your kind comments.

Part 11 - Evie Air Base 2.0: Ground Assets Clearly there are no signs of diplomatic breakthrough as both sides continue to ratchet up the tension. Russia are determined to prove a point. The West are trying to make a stand. NATO assets are now fully mobilised and equipment continues to be deployed to support Ukraine. It is unclear how this will play out. the situation is one of increasing concern. At Evie Air Base, hardware from several mechanical divisions arrive on base. [Teaser shot] Part 11 - Evie Air Base 2.0: Ground Assets

Part 10 - Evie Air Base 2.0: Breaking News So we are trying to stay aligned with real life events but the situation on the ground is very fluid and changing at pace. As diplomacy is being exhausted between Western Allies and Russia, tensions continue to mount and no one knows where this is headed. At Evie Air Base following the recent air incursion, leading to NATO jets opening fire on a Russian MiG, we see in this episode, the fall out of that incident played out in online, print and news media reports. This perspective puts you at the heart of the events and brings the latest activities at Evie more to life. And now...the News Headlines... [Teaser shot] Part 9 - Video- Evie Air Base 2.0: Breaking News

Some have asked what I used to create the effects. For the flares I used spherical wireless LED micro lights (soft white) with tiny cotton streaks attached to each "flare". For the missile smoke stream, I used 2mm styrene tube strips and using PVA rolled these around in loose cotton fibres for that wispy effect. I used mini pyrotechnics for the initial contact missile blast shot, but for that one I had to douse the cotton wool "smoke" in water spray to prevent an actual inferno! Sparks on dry wool...very bad!! Look carefully and you'll see the smoke there is slightly "clumped" as it is still wet. For the huge fireball I embedded the same micro lights within cotton wool, which I shredded and spray painted with a combination of blacks and ash greys to create the black smoke plumes arounds the "fireball". I was quite pleased with the way it turned out.

Part 9 - Evie Air Base 2.0: The Russians Are Back Pt.2 In my personal opinion, this post happens to be my very best work to date! The scenes were tedious to set up but the results were very satisfying and enjoyable to create. I hope you enjoy it too. So far we saw the deployment of 2 QRA jets from Evie to seek and intercept the rogue Russian MiG tracked on Radar. With real world events between NATO and Russia mounting, the next few posts could not be more timely. We join the scene as the Eurofighter Typhoon jets catch up with the MiG-25 [Teaser shot] Part 9 Video- Evie Air Base 2.0: The Russians Are Back Pt.2

Part 8 - Evie Air Base 2.0: The Russians Are Back Pt.1 So with the heightened real-life tensions between Russia and the West over Ukraine, the previous post and the next two really reflect the current global mood. Russia is continually testing western capabilities and in this episode we see the radar detection and defence capability put to the test. The QRA sites in the UK - Coningsby and Lossiemouth are supported by a third QRA location at Evie (obviously) and here we get to see up close and first hand what that response activity looks like when triggered. These next two posts will be issued in quick succession as this is a two part episode so please do sit back and enjoy [Teaser shot] Part 8 Video - Evie Air Base 2.0: The Russians Are Back Pt.1

Thank you very much Mike and thanks Bertie for your timely intervention. I know my work is very "different" to most of what is posted here and finding a suitable home can be a challenge. The spirit of the creation is what I hope will be appreciated. A lot of time and energy was expended in setting scenes up and creating the effects. All real...no Green screens or image layering/rendering. Just simple Windows Media edits of the ugly suspension threads. Enjoy

Part 7 - Evie Air Base 2.0: The Russians Are Here... Okay so this particular post truly dares to be different. I'd say this has never been done before- Full scale active dogfight scenes using multiple models. Each dogfight pic was physically set up and as it involved multiple aircraft "in flight" it was a real painstaking challenge to get them all to align for this to work visually. Hopefully the arrangement conveys the action intended. With ever increasing tension between Russia and the West this storyline plays out nicely against the real life events we are all witnessing. The next few posts will be a continuation of the same and yes...it gets more interesting! Enjoy. [Teaser Shot] Part 7 Video - Evie Air Base 2.0: The Russians Are Here...

Part 6 - Evie Air Base 2.0: A Day in the Life of We pause here in light of current global events at the start of 2022 to consider the daily activities on NATO Bases. Personnel at Evie work round the clock to remain busy and ready for action. [Teaser Shot] Part 6 Video - Evie Air Base 2.0: A Day in the Life of

Okay so whilst I acknowledge my content is slightly 'left field' and dissimilar to most of the work found on here, I hope a few are intrigued enough to stop and have a look. This particular post some may argue is even more 'out there' than usual and is quite unlike anything you'll ever see on an airport diorama. Part 5 - Evie Air Base 2.0: NATO 70th Anniversary Special We are still back in April 2019 and it's NATO's 70th anniversary of the alliance. NATO bases globally mark the occasion with various special events and ceremonies. At Evie the first of its kind event on the base was being organised. The event was a tribute to the 70 years of service for all the men and women that have served the Alliance with valour and honour. Here's a look back at how they marked it. [Teaser Shot] Part 5 Video - Evie Air Base 2.0: NATO 70th Anniversary Special

Part 4 - Evie Air Base: Farewell Tornado The year is now 2019. After almost 40 years of continuous UK military air service on both peacetime and combat missions, the RAF Tornado returned home to the UK for the very last time. Evie Air Base saw the arrival of the last three Tornado jets and they arrived home in true style flying a close formation approach and landing for the very last time on UK soil. It was a day of mixed emotions...and with this we pay tribute. [Teaser Shot]