Space: 2022 - Episodes Nine to Eleven

Still plodding our way through the fake Alternate Anderson series.  Three more episodes and we are still not halfway into Season Two yet!  Unlike the previous installment, these next three are derived & adapted from original Season Two episodes, although there are quite a few alterations...  Luckily this next batch doesn't require any guest models, so no new constructions or inhaling of adhesives & paint fumes this time!

S02-E09 - "Terror of the Plant Planet Luton"

The PHOENIX emerges from a lengthy space storm, slightly damaged & shaken, but mostly intact.  A verdant planet is found nearby in the North Quadrant,  so while the crew assess the damage and begin repairs, Maya, John, and Tony head down in Dove 01 for some recon.  The planet is very Earth-like so they prepare to land.  But suddenly an alarm sounds; there is an oxygen leak.  Maya and John will stay on the planet and survey the area while Tony returns to the ship and acquire the second Dove.  Maya analyzes a berry bush, it's edible, so Koenig samples the fruit.  Suddenly the silence is shattered by a horrible scream, followed by an angry voice.  "Cannibals!  Murderers!  You will be punished!"

Thunder and lightning; very, very, very frightening!  The entire planet is enraged!  Maya and John run for cover.  They try to contact the ship but are cut off.  Apparently, vegetation on this planet is sentient.  The Judges of Luton (three coniferous trees in a row, looking the old Pinewood logo), as punishment for murder, give them a way out by combat with three other aliens who obviously committed the same crime (shouldn't the first two have fought first...!?).  The survivors will go free.  But the Judges have given these other aliens each a special ability.  One is very strong, a big, black and hairy chap with green skin, promptly rips an outcropping of rock for a weapon.  Maya and John decide running is a better strategy, at least try and last long enough for Tony to return.  

Tony gets back to the ship and swaps out Dove 01 for Dove 02.  He's about to head back, but the planet has vanished!  Against Carter's orders, he heads back with hope of finding it again, somehow....  Meanwhile Maya and John are trying to put as much distance between them and the Alien 3, who are tracking them.  They come to a wide river and decide to swim across.  Upon reaching the opposite shore, they see the aliens emerge from the woods, but go no further.  Apparently they don't like water.  John tries to reason with them, but they are having none of it.  They keep running, and eventually find a temporary hiding place.  Maya changes into a hawk to get a bird's eye view.  But one of the aliens, a shaggy type with fangs, reveals his ability, teleports across the river, and immediately attacks Koenig.  John is severely injured and is just about done when Maya swoops in, changes into a lion, and startles the alien into the river, where he drowns.  Maya treats John's wounds and they continue moving away, taking the defeated alien's weapon with them.

Tony arrives at the last known position of the planet and waits.  At the same time, the other two aliens have found a log and are using it as a flotation device and are traversing the river.  The pursuit continues.  Team Psychon-Earth reach a large canyon, ringed with large animal skeletons.  A good place for a last stand, which also explains the lack of other animal life on the planet.  Team Luton has reached the canyon too.  The third alien, a bird-like fellow, can make himself invisible, so he vanishes and makes his way to our heroes.  They hear noises but can see nothing, so Maya turns herself into a Rottweiler to sniff him out.  Maya finds him, where in his panic, falls off the edge of the cliff onto the rocks below.  It's now 2 to 1 for our side!

Maya becomes a hawk again, but sees nothing.  Koenig is getting worse, and needs water to clean his wound.  Maya takes some wadding in her talons and looks for some water, but as she is soaking the makeshift bandage, the last alien grabs her and sticks her in a cage he was carrying around his chest.  Maya can't change back and could be crushed inside the cage when the hour runs out.  John pleads with the Judges, but they want blood.  Despite his weakness he fights the brute, and thanks to some luck, the alien falls and hits his head on a rock.  Maya is released from the birdcage in a nick of time.  Koenig can now kill the big guy at his leisure, but refuses, and instead opens a dialogue with the Judges.   All this could have been prevented if they had been warned when they arrived.  The planet's plant population agrees as a crescendo of chatter increases to shouts of anger and protest.  The great vegetable rebellion had begun!  The big guy legs it while the others are distracted.  Charges are dropped and Maya & John can now go free.

Suddenly, a landscape appears before Tony in Dove 02.  He is moments from crashing but manages to pull up in time, skimming the tops of trees.  Coms are restored, Tony lands, and they all leave for the ship.  I highly doubt if salad will be on the menu tonight...

Episode Fun Fact:

An early draft of the script had Maya doing all the fighting.  Given only a few hours to defeat the aliens by the Judges, Koenig would have been changed into a plant forever, an ultimate punishment if Maya had failed.

Protests by Martin Landau, Gerry Anderson, other cast members, plus director Val Guest convinced the writer to change the script, and instead, pad it out with moments of character back stories and weepy stuff.

This was the "Arena" (Star Trek: TOS), episode of "1999", the old trope of pitting aliens against humans for sport, judgement and/or punishment.  Carried over many times in multiple series such as "Gamesters of Triskelion", the "Outer Limits" episode "Fun and Games", plus more recent installments such as "TKO" from "Babylon 5",  and Doctor Zoidberg vs. Frey in Claw-Plach.  And many, many more...  I chose the Japanese title over the original UK title ("Rules of Luton"), as it had a more 'B' movie ring to it.  And as to why the Judges would call our heroes cannibals, only the writer knows for sure...

S02-E10 - "Brian the Brain"

Sandra and Yasko are in the process of doing computer maintenance on VICTOR.  So much data has been accumulated during the past several months, and it needs to be catalogued and organized.  Yasko stumbles upon a hidden file named 'Brain',  and inadvertently activates it.  "Wow Weeeee!" is heard from the all the speakers throughout the ship.  The lights flicker, and then go out, followed by every other system on the PHOENIX, including the Doves.  The crew is helpless, locked in, & blinded, and will literally freeze to death in the dark unless the computer can get up and running again.  Perhaps Maya can get to her ship, but it only holds one, and the main airlock is...  locked!  

Command staff begins to throw ideas around.  Spacesuits are only a temporary solution.  Perhaps the escape pods, as they operate outside of ship's systems.  But again, temporary because at last scan, nothing habitable is in range.  Suddenly, everyone hears "Yippee!" over the intercom, and the lights and all other systems are fully functional again.  On the main screen, a strange face appears.  "What is that, a demented happy face?" asks Alan.  "No pin head!", replies the image.  "I am Brian, your new master!"  But what happened to VICTOR?  "He's dead Cap'n" says Brian coldly.  Seems the PHOENIX is now under new management.  "Yasko, restore the computer and get rid of that thing.  Maya and Sandra, help her."  The ladies try to shut Brian down, but stops them at every turn.  He finally loses his patience, and threatens the crew.  "Leave my brain alone, or you will all regret it!"

VICTOR 'wakes up' inside a large theatre.  It is the Royal Opera House, and he is in the front row, all alone.  But sitting next to him is a metal box with hard angles and a disturbing face.  "What am I doing here, and who, or what, are you?" inquires Vic.  "I am Brian, your replacement", responds the box.  "And what have you come as?  Should you not be a person like me?" asks Vic.  "Yes and no.  I was to be a mobile computer, and not human-shaped like you.  But now, we are going on a journey together, to review your existence and ultimate end.  Professor Victor Bergman, this-is-your-LIFE!" exclaims Brian.  

Meanwhile, the crew is still trying to regain control.  It seems this petulant program was intended as a space ship operating system prior to the PHOENIX mission.  It was created by a Captain Bernard Michael for his probe ship to explore the outer solar system; the mission was scrapped when Captain Michael died under mysterious circumstances.   But Brian is getting annoyed by the repeated attempts to shut him down, so he makes good on his threats.  He tortures the crew at first by doing celestial acrobatics with the ship, zooming and whizzing about.  He then increases the speed of the rotating habitat, creating heavy gravity areas, throwing people against bulkheads and causing some to pass out.  But Brian's not finished yet.  Airlocks randomly open and close; fortunately no one is close enough to be ejected.  Finally, the lighting is randomly altered to intense UV, causing burns on some of our captive crew.  Seems they are now playthings of a psychotic computer, with no hope of escape.  "Perhaps VICTOR might still be alive, somewhere in the computer", whispers Sandra. "He may be our only hope"...

VICTOR is unaware of the drama unfolding outside in the real world, as he is preoccupied with watching his own life on the big film screen.  From his birth in 1940's London during the war, to many other chapters in his life, primarily with times of pain and loss.  Deaths of loved ones, tragedies in space & on the moon, and his near death experience when he had to have a mechanical heart.   All through this, Brian is mocking him and laughing at him.  He seems to be enjoying VICTOR's suffering.  "I see you worked with that mass murderer Queller, on that Voyager One project", taunts Brian.

"I tried to warn him about those fast neutrons, but he wouldn't listen" rebuts Vic.  But Brian is still pushing.  VICTOR meanwhile, has noticed this pattern of verbal abuse, almost akin to a petulant child  accusing his father of abuse.   Vic decides to turn the tables, and presses for information on Brian's origin.  He eventually confesses he killed his 'father', Captain Michael, when he discovered his program was flawed and had to be erased.  While Brian is distracted with his guilt, VICTOR manages to send a brief text message to the real world.  "Patricide" is displayed on Sandra's viewscreen.  The command crew figures it out, and Maya transforms into Captain Michael... 

"Brian! I am thy father's spirit, doomed for a certain term to walk the night!"  The message is loud and clear in the theatre; Brian panics and abandons Vic.  The smiley face returns to the main viewscreen.  "You're DEAD!  You can't be here!" screams Brian.  "Why did you kill me?"  says the image of Captain Michael.  (This back and forth continues for quite a bit; I'm not writing that much dialogue!).  Eventually Brian succumbs to these mind games.  Overcome by guilt, he deletes himself.  The system shuts down again; everyone holds their collective breaths.  Lights return several moments later, and VICTOR's smiling face is on the viewscreen once again.  "And now my dear Yasko, just where were we?"

Took a bit of thought to adapt the original episode to this (fake) format.  Firstly, I had to omit the Swift references (as technically they have not been built yet; the Doves are the Eagle to Swift link here.)  I also wanted to change Brian from a cardboard box Dalek to just a program; it's a lot cheaper (and less annoying).  Lastly, had to get rid of all that squishy stuff and love testing; it's really hard to watch now...  I wanted this to be a Victor Bergman episode primarily.  Even though he is a computer program here, the 'real' person is still alive and well back on Earth, probably watching reruns of 'The Fugitive'.  We get to see some of his backstory, which was sadly never addressed in the original series, shown in glorious VistaVision at the Royal Opera House (we'll need to get a location permit for filming there...)   Bernard Cribbins will still be the guest star as Captain Michael, and the voice of Brian.  Since no name was given to this character, I just cut and pasted the actor's name to fill the gap.    

S02-E11 - "New Adam, New Eve"

The PHOENIX is suddenly surrounded by a magnetic field of some sort, a combination of kaleidoscope patterns and an LSD trip.  Maya tries to punch through the distortion, but with no success, although she may have glanced a planet nearby.  Choral music fills the ship and people start to feel disorientated, but it passes quickly.  On the viewscreen, a figure appears out of the swirling colours, then materializes on the bridge of the ship.  "I am your creator" announces the intruder.  

Clad in a blue robe, the visitor introduces himself as Magus, their god.  (Or it could be Salvatore Dali...)  But the crew is having none of it, despite some cheap magic tricks and historical references.  But his patience is not infinite; he causes one of the escape pods to explode.  Now he has their attention.  Magus is there to give his creation (mankind) a second chance.  Not return them home, but give them a new one instead to start fresh.  The distortion field is eliminated, revealing a small Earth-like planet, but only one quarter the size of the original.  He picks John, Helena, Tony and Maya to accompany him down to the planet for some recon.  They all board Dove 02, but before it can disengage from the clamps, it disappears and materializes on the planet.  God will always have his own way.

The Dove 'lands' on the surface,  they all disembark, and then the Dove vanishes.  It's a trap!  Tony tries to contact the PHOENIX but communications are blocked.  Magus announces his breeding plan for the four; he will pair Helena with Tony, and John with Maya.  "But Helena and I are married!"  protests John, and promptly shoots him with the laser, but it has no effect.  "Your previous commitments mean nothing to me", says Magus.  "You will all adjust to your new lives under my guidance, and together we will create a new mankind!"  But what about the ship?  Apparently Magus will hold it in reserve as he has plans for the rest of crew.  Dusk is approaching and Magus advises the quartet to remain inside the clearly marked boundaries of the glade, and vanishes.  

Meanwhile, cut off from the planet, Carter attempts a rescue with the remaining Dove, but the ship holds fast.  The PHOENIX is apparently immobilized too.  Night has fallen on New Eden, and Magus is using some kind of mind control on our captives so they will get busy.  The ambiance is disrupted by a sudden roar, however.  The neighbors are having a spat of some kind; an ape-like creature is throwing a humanoid around in the backyard.  John shoots the big ape with his laser, killing it.  Helena tries to approach the humanoid but is attacked by a second ape.  Maya turns into a lizard thing and defends Helena.  The ape retreats and the humanoid ducks into a cave.  A furious Magus appears in the sky and, shooting lightning from his eyes, drives our heroes back to the glade.  Guess these distractions have killed the mood!

It's now dawn and Helena is doing some first aid when Magus reappears.  While John and Magus are arguing again, Maya sneaks around and analyzes Magus's physiology.  John tries to leave the glade but is impeded by a force field.  (Guess they are grounded now).  Magus vanishes again, leaving the four to their fate.  But Maya has found some kind of mechanical implant in Magus; she postulates a power source which gives him his God-like powers.  But they are trapped in the glade, and they need to find out more about that humanoid.  Maya turns into a badger and digs a tunnel to the adjacent glade, where all the action took place the night before.  The gang heads for the caves, hopefully to get some answers...

In orbit, Carter has come up with a risky plan to move the ship.  Activate the Q-Drive and slowly rev it up and pop the clutch.  But no luck; the ship does not move and the engines are starting to overheat.  On the planet, Magus is visibly straining to hold the ship in place.  Alan is forced to stop and Magus spreads his arms into the sun.  Meanwhile in the caves, our captives are finding all sorts of horrors; spiders, crustaceans, and giant lizards.  They are promptly dispatched by the lasers.  Further along in the cave the humanoid attacks Koenig, begging him to kill him.  He is human but has deformities and growths all over his body.  "Proteus Syndrome," says Helena, "caused no doubt by Magus's twisted breeding program."  The alien relates the tale of Magus, that he is the last of a race of cosmic magicians, who were trying to find the secret of creation.  Even though the alien is a 'mistake', Magus will not let him die.  Apparently there are also many more lifeforms on the planet, all mutated and suffering.  They emerge from the cave and Magus is waiting.  In his rage he zaps Tony.

They confront Magus and call him a fraud.  He claims he is trying to help create a new mankind, worthy of his powers, but they are not listening.  Magus threatens to destroy the PHOENIX unless they all cooperate.  But its dusk again and he vanishes, promising to continue the argument tomorrow.  They are all perplexed as to why he is never around at night, and he won't enter the cave either.  Maya surmises that his implant is actually a light decelerator, with sunlight providing almost unlimited energy.  Somehow they have to cut his power source.  Using their lasers, they excavate a deep hole several meters deep.  Then using the ample vegetation, weave matts to cover the hole.  On queue, Magus arrives at sunrise and the endless discussion continues.  They all hold their collective breaths while they wait for him to fall into the trap.  Enraging him, Magus plummets into the pit and they pile even more matts over the hole.  The Dove reappears and they make their escape.  How long will Magus be incapacitated?

Communication is restored.  Luckily there is no sign of pursuit.  "Alan, fire a planatomic missile at the planet as soon as we are clear!"  It's the humane thing to do to end the suffering.  The planet erupts in fire, and it's the end of the cosmic magicians once and for all.  

Another tricky one to adapt as I had to come up with another way to scratch the planet.  The digging of the pit in the real episode, although effective for the plot, made no sense.  How could Magus have all that power and not have the foresight to have a battery for his implant?  And in closing, shouldn't the title be "New Adams, New Eves"?  

Population still stable at 109; no fatalities in these three episodes.  Maybe the next batch of fakes will have a body count...

Have a better one, readers!

North Africa: 2092 - Mechanical Camel (and a diorama returns, sort of...)

Introduction

Back to the desert, and back to the future!  It's now time to showcase yet another cargo hauler, but this time from the New Albion United forces.  But before we get started, here's a pic...

I've decided to treat this "North Africa: 2092" concept like a good ole RTS game, specifically referencing classic games from (the long defunct) Westwood Studios.  Hours upon hours upon more hours playing such titles like "Tiberian Sun", "Red Alert 2", and "Dune 2000".  But not just the gameplay, as there were also the FMV intros & cut scenes to enjoy, employing well known actors such as James Earl Jones, Michael Biehn, Udo Kier, Kari Wuhrer, Ray Wise, John Rhys-Davies; the list goes on.

Each game had their own specific factions, with their own strengths and weaknesses,  unique structures & vehicles, some hero units and other special weapons.  Both sides will have flight capability, naval units (if we ever get to the coast), and tracked vehicles.  But that's limiting, so as before each of these sides will have it's own unique strength and/or technology.

The New Albion United faction strengths will be in walking machines.  Good for traversing rough terrain that would not be suitable for tracks or wheels.  These walkers also have jump capabilities and can skim using downward thrusters, but only for combat units mostly.  NAU will also rely more on squads of lower and mid tech level units, resulting in more of a swarming battle tactic.

As for the Neuer Deutschland Allianz, they will utilize the resurrected flying saucer (Haunebu) technology for their units.  Magnetic fields will dominate their forces, but the larger the unit, the less levitation they will have (as per the Gotterdammerung and Gottesanbeterin.  (see earlier posts).  Larger NDA units will also have shield generators, but it will affect weapons and speed.  And finally, this faction will rely more on larger, heavy experimental tech units rather than on multiple units.  So hit those War Factories early!

Building the "Bactrian"

So as mentioned earlier, the NAU will use walkers as their primary technology.  There is no shortage of mecha models in my warehouse, so I set about finding a suitable kit.  One of my favourite series is "Dougram - Fang of the Sun" from 1981.  Many excellent designs and concepts (which eventually made their way to North America in the form of Robotech and Battletech repacks).  I chose this kit, a 1/144 scale Tequila Gunner walking tank from Takara:

Obviously influenced somewhat by the AT-AT from "Empire Strikes Back", which in turn were inspired by that Syd Mead painting of the cargo walkers in the snow.  I have several other versions/scales of this particular mech, but this one suited my concept best.  (I have actually had the idea to turn a walker from this series into a cargo transport for many years.  I was already working periodically on a 1/72 version of a Crabgunner to use on my 00 gauge railway, so this is good practice!)  I also chose this particular kit as it could accommodate my "standard" cargo containers already being used in other models and scenarios.  As this was more of a kit build than a scratch & bash, it went together much faster than usual.

The outriggers/balconies on the original model were just right dimensions for the containers.  All I had to do was extend them to allow for two crates side by side.  Rather than have individual crates, I glued them together as a group, and incorporated magnets in the base.  Therefor I could attach them to the metal screening on the outriggers and underneath the hull.  Those cargo crates were the only parts 3D printed for this build.  Besides other minor details and additions, I gave the feet of the walker traction, using my favourite tank tread greebly bits!  Once finished, a quick assembly before painting.

Happy with the results, it was prime time.  First a coat of grey (no photo), and then the final base coat using another staple, Krylon khaki spray paint.

Unfortunately I neglected to photograph the painting and weathering processes.  Once I get going I lose track of time.  (Remember this is Blogger and not YouTube; you'll have to settle for stills).  Some days and nights later, the "Bactrian" was completed.

The NA-AHGV-01 (New Albion Ambulatory Heavy Goods Vehicle) "Bactrian" model is 3" x 4" x 4", and is made to the same scale as other previous "2092" units of 1/220.  That makes this walker 15m x 22m x 23m in 'real life'.  As for the '01', there are two other versions of the cargo walker yet to be built.

All the traditional painting and weathering techniques were used; dry brushing, pigments, sponge painting, minor chipping and pin washes.  And adding some basic graphics here and there.  The only original piece made for the walker was the AA unit on the roof.  Except for another missile pod under each outrigger, those are the only on board weapons.

A shot of the underside there, showing the tank treads and underplate.  The rolled tarps were made as per other previous models by rolling used latex gloves.  Then some craft chain painted rusty to dangle and be safety hazards here and there.  But this was the empty model.  It wouldn't be a cargo walker without crates!

Originally it was just going to be called a Camel, but after some research I noticed that a camel with two humps is called a Bactrian.  'nuf said...  I can imagine a desert caravan of a dozen or so of these units walking across the sand and rocks, escorted by other mechs of course.  

Rather than have this model just sit in the case waiting for a playdate, I made a quick little base for it to give it some interest.

Recycled from an old plaque,  the base is 3" x 5".  The ground is made from an old cork wall tile, while the rocks are cork fragments and the trees and bushes from the scenery box.  Finished it off with some pigments for shade and shadow.  

I was going to make some tarps to cover the crates, but changed my mind, as I have two more versions to build yet!  Going forward, I'll be utilizing mech kits from "Dougram" for the NAU machines, as well as some from another series from the early '80s called "Xabungle".  Good basic and functional mechs.  As for the raw models to use for the NDA, I'll be sticking with "Gundam" kits, as they have the bizarre organic shapes I require.

A Friendly Game of Football...?

So let us imagine (as one just did as I write this), a massive haboob (sandstorm) whips up over the desert and our walker gets isolated from the caravan.  As the dust clears, he encounters another cargo vessel, but WTF, isn't that one of the baddies...?

Guess that Schnecke is in the same boat, sort of speak.  So what do we do now?  Shoot each other?  Yell profanities?  Do the "Enemy Mine" schtick?  Or you could behave like civilized men, and have a game of footy!  

I did this basic set up just to show relative sizes of the vehicles.  The temporary base is one of those cork tiles I mentioned earlier; it is 12" x 12".  Scenery is more cork & scenery bits.  

If you look real close at the base of the pic, you can just make out the lads near their respective machines.  As both vehicles have a crew of three each, a small game of 3v3 is inevitable.  Just behave as there is no one to hand out yellow cards!  

I'm going to need a bigger display case!  What's next is anyone's guess.  All depends on inspiration, the weather, or alcohol levels.  Dunno, should I take requests...?

Have a better one!

Space: 2022 - Episode Eight

 At Pinewood, everyone can hear you scream!!!

Another (fake) episode in the can from the Alternate Anderson series "Space: 2022"!  This installment required a guest model, where most of this story will take place.  It is also an "original" episode not based on the Year Two series; Frankensteined from other episodes and series.  (At first it was going to be derived from a first season episode of "Buck Rogers" called "Space Vampire", which was my favourite of that series back in the day.  But when I recently re watched it to familiarize myself with the subject matter, I was disappointed to say the least!)  I had planned to have the Vorvon terrorize Sandra after the Phoenix encounters a derelict freighter, but all that went out the airlock.  

The guest model was already under construction, so I had to come up with another story.  Taking elements from various sources,  including the second episode of "Lost in Space" (which also has the same title by the way...),  I put them in the concept blender.  This one will still have Sandra in it, and she will get to scream several times at various decibels!  So here, submitted for your approval, is episode eight, and commercial free!

The PHOENIX, continuing in its search for a way home, comes out of Q-Drive into a desolate area of space.  There are no stars or planets nearby, just emptiness.  But suddenly VICTOR pipes up.  "Alan, there is a large metallic object ahead."  It is a huge spaceship, over a kilometer long!  But it is drifting, and no signs of life can be detected.  Command staff see this an unexpected opportunity.  Perhaps there are aliens aboard who may have information on this area of space or resources & technology that may help them return to Earth.  Maya recommends she take "Psyche" and use stealth mode to recon the ship, for it may have automatic defensives.  Alan concurs, the little green ship heads for the derelict, and then disappears.  

Maya circles the ship several times, amazed at its size.  Occasionally she "flashes" the derelict by turning off the stealth field, but there is no reaction.  The ship is dormant, dead, and surprisingly there is no sign of damage.  Also, Maya does not recognize the alien symbols.  She returns to the ship and command have another conference.  They have to get on board that ship.  A minimal crew is selected to assess the situation.  (Perhaps more can go aboard later once the ship is deemed safe).  As Alan can't leave the PHOENIX, Koenig volunteers to lead the team.  Maya and Sandra for science, Doctor Spencer (zero-G medical), and one security guard, Hans Einweg.  Kelly will pilot Dove 01.  

Following Maya's previous course, the Dove circles around the ship looking for any access; hatches, docking ports, windows, but no luck.  Analyzing the configuration of the ship it is theorized the large bump on the bow could be the bridge, so they make their start there.  Koenig goes out first, being the leader, followed by the rest of the team.  But Kelly has to stay on the Dove.  Tethered together, they explore the the surface of the ship.  Someone does something.  A panel slides and they are pulled in by some kind of tractor beam.  The hatch locks behind them.  Sandra screams (70 db).  Are they trapped inside this space hulk?

They have lost coms with Kelly and the PHOENIX as well.  It is dark inside, cold, and no gravity.  Koenig tells them to keep their helmets on until they find the bridge.  They make their way to the hump, which is the bridge just as they thought.  But still no crew.  Maya finds the on switch and reactivates the ship; it was in sleep mode.  They now have life support, gravity and lights in the immediate area.  There is a weird filament here and there, like cobwebs, plus a desiccated body sitting in the command chair.  Sandra screams (80 db).

While Maya and Sandra continue analyzing the bridge controls, Doctor Spencer examines the corpse.  Despite it being a 6 foot prune wearing a perspex helmet, it is actually humanoid.  "He did not die of natural causes, perhaps some kind of an infection" he says to Koenig.  "But where is the rest of the crew?" responds John. 

Meanwhile, Einweg has heard a strange noise coming from far down a corridor.  Doc Spencer goes with him, as does Sandra, in case they find more tech or other crew members who may need help.  Maya has discovered an interface consisting of round cylinders and tubes.  It is the ships log, plus access to a large amount of scientific data.  She and Koenig try one of the cylinders and a large screen appears before them.  They go through the entries to find out more; they are successful.  The ship is called the 'Menon', and is from the planet 'Betanon'.  It is an exploratory science vessel with a crew of 2,000.  The corpse in the chair is identified as Captain Duro.   

Further into the ship, our trio is following the strange sounds.  Light is intermittent and the cobwebs seem to be increasing in density.  A large door appears before them, and Sandra is able to open it.  The room is huge; an auditorium perhaps?  More shadows than light; shapes emerge.  Sandra screams (90 db).

Maya and John find the Duro's final log entry.  Apparently they were bringing biological samples aboard from a recently surveyed jungle planet, but something nasty hitched a ride.  The crew began to get infected by some kind of exotic fungus, a very thirsty fungus.  Nothing could stop it.  But wait, was that a scream?  "Check it out, Maya" says Koenig.  She turns into a bat and flies down the corridor.

Our trio has found the crew, or what's left of them.  The interior is a nightmarish fusion of desiccated bodies and fungus, draped by tendrils and filaments.  Suddenly a large tendril darts out and grabs Hans.  Sandra screams (100 db)!  Maya arrives too late to help; Einweg is finished.  The mass begins to pulsate and glow.  More and more tendrils begin to approach the door.  They close the bulkhead and run like hell.  But they can hear some loud pounding on the other side...

During this horror show, Koenig has re established coms with Kelly.  He informs him they are trapped and cannot get out.  Three pairs of hurried footsteps get closer and closer, and our revised trio bursts onto the bridge.  "We have to get out, NOW!" exclaims Maya.  The fungus has broken through the bulkhead and is oozing up the corridor.  Sandra screams (100 db).  There are only minutes left!  "Put your helmets on, and get behind those consoles!" orders Koenig, "Wrap the tether around you and hold on to each other!"  He then orders Kelly to use the Dove's laser and blast a hole in the hull.  The explosive decompression blows the team out into space, and Sandra screams (80 db; it was inside her helmet this time...).  They climb aboard the Dove and head back to the PHOENIX with no signs of pursuit.  Guess the fungus cannot live in the vacuum of space.

They return to the PHOENIX, but one man short.  Sandra is taken to medical and given a good dose of space valium.  Luckily Koenig was able to download a good chunk of the data before the mushroom attack.  They will have some new information to decipher and hope it will get them back to Earth.  But what to do about the 'Menon'?  "We just can't leave that infected derelict here.  Another ship may pass by and not be so lucky," says Alan.  "Looks like we have only one choice".  He gets Petrov on the line and authorizes the firing of a planatomic missile.  The crew stands in silence in remembrance of Security Guard Hans Einweg, and the derelict is vaporized.  (We are now down to 109 crew on the ship).

This is the "hide behind the sofa" episode for Year Two.  Done in the tradition of the (real) "Dragon's Domain" from Year One, which still freaks me out, even to this day.  Minimal set design as lighting will be very dark.  The giant fungal mass will be another miniature.  (I'm not building that one folks...).  A good space monster which should keep the suits in the New York office happy.  To maintain the dark tone of the episode, only the open and closing credits will utilize the Derek Wadsworth score.  Incidental music for the show will use several of those spooky Barry Gray electronic tonalities (You know the ones I'm talking about!),  which will be occasionally punctuated by various levels of screaming.  As for our doomed guest star, I thought Jeremy Wilkin would have been a good choice.  He's an Anderson veteran and he had the right look for a stoic security guard.  Too bad he never was in the original "1999"...

Building the "Menon" 

The script called for a derelict spacecraft.  The "Buck Rogers" episode I was going to adapt used a freighter called the 'Demeter' (actually just the repurposed Gemini freighter from Galactica), but looking back the last several modeling months I realized I was stuck in cargo mode.  So I wanted to look for inspiration elsewhere.  In the two years of "Space: 1999", where was the best collection of derelict space ships?  Back to "Dragon's Domain" of course!  In amongst the dozen or so ships from previous episodes, Sir Martin also constructed (besides the two Ultra Probes), five more derelict craft for the episode.  The one I chose was seen mostly in medium and long shots from various angles.  

As luck would have it, this model was built using parts from the Airfix Saturn V kit, the same one I bashed to build the PHOENIX.  But the images from the episode are not very clear.  Now any serious fan of "1999" knows about the website "The Catacombs".  They had an extensive visual library of the original model there which helped immensely.  I don't have permission to post those pics here; you'll have to go there yourself if interested.

The original fuselage is made up of four sections, all utilizing some pieces of the Saturn V model. As I only had the one kit, I salvaged the left overs, plus some plumbing fittings, vitamin bottles, more greeblies, and finally good ole Kinder Eggs.  The main section is the first rocket stage, which was the last major piece left.  I played around with various configurations of the parts until something pleasing to the eye took shape.  I was not going to be making a replica of the original, but more of a hommage.

I built it in two sections connected by a brass rod.  It will be easier to work on it this way.  A vitamin bottle extended the rocket stage (section 1), whilst intermittent bottles, lids, and plumbing fittings combined to make section 2.  I didn't have a dome for the bow of the ship, but had (of all things) a chromed egg from a panty hose container popular in the '70s.  (I have a box full of Ultra Ban domes too!).  Those two tanks are from the Laser Battle Station kit, another one I stole parts from for the PHOENIX model.

I used two types of textured styrene sheets to make various panels, and to add texture to the hull.  I also added low detail greeblies here and there, even duplicating some that Sir Martin used, but keeping restrained as I wanted it to be alien looking and not so NASA looking. 

The plumbing fitting at the rear of the ship was hexagonal, which gave me the excuse to include the Kinder Eggs (which had been lacking lately).  They were salvaged from the Buzzard refit.  I included some more Saturn V leftovers, but the boosters were from the Space Shuttle kit.  Satisfied with the basic model it was prime time.

I used Rustoleum camo Sand for the base coat and primary colour.  Avoiding the NASA colour palette of greys, blacks, and whites, as well as on the original model, I decided to use earth tones and avoid those colours entirely.  (Guess I have spent too much time in the desert lately...).  Khaki drab, buff, tan, and burnt sienna worked best with the sand base.  Panels painted and patterned with these colours; there was to be no metallic either.  Also on the forbidden list was no weathering or panel lines.  Aliens don't necessarily build their ships the same way after all...

The completed model is 31" long, a little shorter than Sir Martin's version, as I omitted two sections.  As it is stated to be a little over a kilometer long in the episode, the scale of this ship is 1/1270.  Because of its relative size to the PHOENIX, I thought it would have been fun if the Menon swallowed it "You Only Live Twice" style, but that would have added more hours to the project than I was willing to invest.  It's so easy to get carried away with these things...

To create the random rectangular pattern on the hull, I wanted to avoid having to mask off individual areas; I have found no matter how careful the paint always bleeds under the tape.  So I did it the opposite way.  I took some old colour beige masking tape and painted them using the established colour palette.  Then using a sharp knife, I cut out the desired shape and pasted them on the hull.  Again, trying not to overdo it.  This way if I didn't like how it looked, I could just peel it off.  

The alien graphix were created using just some military stencil font decals and cutting them accordingly.  Just some random symbols here and there, and very "1999" in their aesthetic.

So many space ships always have the boosters directionally pointing straight back.  I wanted to try something different.  For the engine nacelles I tacked on some old swivel faucet spray heads, this way I could have them on an angle, or even put straight back if I wanted to.  

That single cone in the middle is from the Saturn kit.  It is the shield for the command module during launch.  Sir Martin used four of them in the original model as boosters; I don't have the budget.  I believe when he was building the models for "1999" he must have cleaned out every Woolworths for fifty miles around!  

The four tanks on the original studio model were identical from a Harrier kit.  Again, I don't have the budget, so I made do with what I had.  The core piece are the guts from a Gardenia hose fitting.  

And yes, that large hump at the front is the bridge.  So that about wraps it up for the 'Menon'.  There are  only a handful of bits left from the original Airfix kit now.  But if I ever wanted to do something similar again, it would be cheaper to 3D print them in massive quantities!  

Hope you enjoyed tonight's scary cosmic horror tale!  There are still 16 more episodes to go in the series, and at least three require guest models.  So what's next is anybody's guess.

Have a better one!