beany Posted October 15, 2008 Share Posted October 15, 2008 Sean has me down as doing Thunderbirds are Go but to honest the nearest I can get to that is the Imai Sky 1 from UFO which was my personal favourite Gerry Anderson TV series. For those not familiar, the series was about the attempted invasion of earth by aliens, although fortunately they only ever seemed to come one or two at a time. Skydiver was a nuclear submarine (that was always in the right area that the aliens were attacking!) and Sky 1 was the jet interceptor that detached from the front and flew up out of the sea to engage the UFO. I confess to starting the build some time before this one was announced but my build had already stalled at an early stage anyway so I thought I'd resurrect it here. First off the box shot. I've done the basic constuction here and given it an undercoat coat of H117 green. The actual colour varies in just about every photo I have from the TV show. It is a metallic greeny, browny, goldy sort of colour. I have read that the actual paint used in the 70's on the studio models was Ford Oyster Brown - I looked in Halfords but couldn't finds a 2008 equivalent although there are several 'Oyster ' shades still available! These Imai kits were designed as toys that could be motorised if required - this one came with large wheels and a metal axle for the rear and a rotating plastic front wheel at the front for gods sake. Obviously, the holes for these had to be filled in. There is no pilot, seat or cockpit detail whatsoever, but little can be seen though the glazing so I am undecided as yet what to do here. Next shot is a comparison (from top to bottom) between the size of the kit, the Product Enterprises die-cast Sky 1 and the Japanese Konami Bubble Gum toy. By comparison with photos and looking at the Product Enterprises model, it can be seen the tail is too far forward on the Imai kit so next step it to re-position it and fill the resulting gap. Eventually, I want to build a diorama base of the sea with Sky 1 bursting up from the depths as it did in just about every episode. If this makes it on to the table at Telford it may break up the pattern of camoflaged Spitfires, Hunters, Lightnings, Meteors and so on (where's that tongue-in cheek emoticon...) Cheers Al. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonymousDFB1 Posted October 15, 2008 Share Posted October 15, 2008 Cool I just luv all the Anderson series and like you UFO was my favourite. I'll be watching this one with interest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daz greenwood Posted October 15, 2008 Share Posted October 15, 2008 Looks nice, but never did like UFO, T-birds was my favourite. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wkennerley Posted October 15, 2008 Share Posted October 15, 2008 Never heard of UFO but I do like the interceptor Wayne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avro683 Posted October 15, 2008 Share Posted October 15, 2008 I've got one of those to do. What's always held me back is the accuracy of the colour as the appearance seems to change depending on the light. I love all Gerry Andersons stuff (including "The Protectors" that so often seems to get bad press). Thunderbirds will always be my number 1 though. Good luck with the build. Tony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beany Posted October 15, 2008 Author Share Posted October 15, 2008 Cool I just luv all the Anderson series and like you UFO was my favourite. I'll be watching this one with interest I thought you may enjoy these as well Mish, £160.00 worth of Product Enterprises finest SHADO themed die-casts. Well, they would be at full RRP, but thank gawd for eBay and auctions that finish in the early hours of the morning when no one else is bidding! Cheers Al. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonymousDFB1 Posted October 15, 2008 Share Posted October 15, 2008 Wow, cheers Al, I'm very envious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thx6667 Posted October 15, 2008 Share Posted October 15, 2008 Those die-casts are excellent, I have memories of having the Dinky interceptor (never could figure out why they did it in green) and mobile, but always wished they'd done a UFO (I made them from Lego), and if only Dinky had done Sky 1/Skydiver... I've got the Imai kit up in the loft, from memory doesn't it include a mobile and Straker's car that pop out the back - which is an interesting scale juxtaposition given that the Imai mobile has a Sky 1 that pops out the back! Great show though, looking back on it now its deeper and more disturbing that perhaps originally intended, and the motives of the aliens (and their exact form) becomes more mysterious as the series evolved. My fave eps are "The Sound of Silence", "Survival", "A Question of Priorities", "Confetti Check A OK", "Timelash" and "The Long Sleep". Looking forward to your build. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beany Posted October 24, 2008 Author Share Posted October 24, 2008 I've got the Imai kit up in the loft, from memory doesn't it include a mobile and Straker's car that pop out the back - which is an interesting scale juxtaposition given that the Imai mobile has a Sky 1 that pops out the back! You're not wrong about that Jonathan - the scaling of the mobile and car are ridiculous. Here's an update to the build. The tail has be taken off to be moved back by about 10mm - probably see if I can get away with re-attaching it with a super-glued butt joint being the lazy sod that I am. The original green I used was much too dark so I re-coated with an old tin of Humbrol authentic HM7 Olive Drab. Once dried I dry brushed Humbrol Gold over this to get the metallic look. It is not far off the finish of the Product Enterprises die-cast so that will do for me. I'm working away from home over the weekend on a overnight commissioning in a signalling centre in Ashford, Kent, so probably won't get a lot done till next week (and if the trains ain't running in Kent on Monday morning you'll know why!). Also means I'll probably hit the model shop in the gardening centre across the road from the Holiday Inn where I'm staying in Ashford - can't spend much though - not this close to Telford! Cheers for now Al. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thx6667 Posted October 24, 2008 Share Posted October 24, 2008 That is looking pretty darn good, the colouring is excellent. Had lunch round Mums today and "Mindbender" was on ITV4 - what an episode! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beany Posted October 25, 2008 Author Share Posted October 25, 2008 Had lunch round Mums today and "Mindbender" was on ITV4 - what an episode! Yeah, I'm surprised how often UFO pops up on that channel but without any apparent rhyme or reason. One day I will invest in a full blown DVD set of UFO but I am still a bit annoyed that they seem to hold their price well on eBay and Amazon (me being the tight git that I am!). Al. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beany Posted November 12, 2008 Author Share Posted November 12, 2008 A rushed progress pics of my work in progress Sky 1 diorama. Sky 1 still needs some finishing touches, not to mention glazing and decals. The little base was knocked up in 20 minutes. £1 shop acrylic paints covered with cheapo bathroom and shower sealant which dries clear for the water which still needs a gloss of Klear to make it look a bit more wet. Must dash now. Hope you like it so far. cheers Al. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonymousDFB1 Posted November 12, 2008 Share Posted November 12, 2008 Wow, nice work Al. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beany Posted November 12, 2008 Author Share Posted November 12, 2008 Wow, nice work Al. Cheers Mish. Couple more pics here that wouldn't load earlier for some reason. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonymousA667 Posted November 12, 2008 Share Posted November 12, 2008 Gadzooks Al, that looks corking! peebeep Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HOUSTON Posted March 28, 2009 Share Posted March 28, 2009 SWEET !!! This is very awesome and SO COOL !!! Love the T-BIRDS MYSELF though..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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