Shape Spotting #4 "....it shows them pearly white"

Trying to find that perfect little round shape can be a pain, especially since you usually don't get alot of them in a model kit, and are forced to find other sources.  When in doubt, a trip to the dollar store will solve the problem.  Just head down the craft aisle....

On one of my many quests, I came upon these.  White Pearl Halves, made of a hard plastic and with a thin foam glue pad on the back.  Sold on a card, these little domes can range from a diameter of 3mm to 12mm, depending on the manufacturer and store.  

They are great for subtle details, mini-domes, and even lenses.  I have used them extensively since finding them a few years ago.  All you have to do is remove the foam backing and glue with standard plastic cements.  Examples follow:

I needed alot of convex shapes to make lense clusters and sensors for the Hunter-Killer machine.

The lense for the Tortoise's headlamp is made up of a pearl plus other cylindrical parts.

The Buzzard has about two dozen of the half pearls in various sizes all over the hulls and payload.

And finally some domes on the Gibraltar.  These little "gems" are priceless when it comes to needing large amounts of curved mini shapes.  Of course these craft supplies are not just limited to the pearls.  I have seen many other types such as rhinestones, diamonds, and other faceted shapes.  Don't be afraid to buy them; just tell the clerk they are for your wife, girlfriend, or daughter..... 

The Scrap(book) Yard #3 "Post-Apocolyptic Pilot"

Tonights post is hardly a miniature, but it does fall into the catagory of in-camera effects and props.  After the fall of "Star Trek", Gene Roddenberry tried several times to create new series in the sci-fi vein.  One of these was called "Genesis II", and aired way back in 1973 as a 90 minute TV movie on CBS.  (My first viewing of this film was on a BxW television trying to get a decent signal by antennae from Buffalo, NY!).  I won't go into too much detail here; there is enough out there on the internet if you want to pursue it further... ( It is probably availabe to watch on YouTube).   Basically a scientist named Dylan Hunt (played by Alex Cord) gets trapped in suspended animation after an earthquake seals off his chamber in a scientific research facility in the Carlsbad Caverns.  Fast forward to the year 2133, the now inhabitants of this complex find the chamber and revive him.  What follows is his many adventures in the new world, after the "Great Conflict" along with several "Star Trek" alumni.  The travel gimmick in this film is not a starship, but an underground, nuclear-powered "sub-shuttle", a combination of miniature effects and the full-size prop.  Here is a little feature that appeared in the March 1973 issue of TV Guide:

Our protaganists would use this device to travel all over the world to bring peace and friendship to other post-apocolyptic societies.  As with "Star Trek", a second pilot film was made called "Planet Earth",  but this 1974 offering has John Saxon replacing Alex Cord and again more Trek actors.  Apparently I have found evidence that CBS had optioned six episodes as a mid season limited series; Roddenberry had 20 intitial story outlines.  But as more often than not, the show never made it past the two pilot films.   But a few decades later, many of the plot elements got reused for the Kevin Sorbo series "Andromeda", about a starship's captain called Dylan Hunt (?), who after being trapped on the event horizon of a black hole for 300 years awakens to find his society gone and begins a quest to restore peace to the galaxy....  Oh do I miss the '70's.....

Shape Spotting #3: "Dead Dremel Dilemma"

My dayjob is real modelling, and in the workshop we eat Dremels for breakfast.  It is one of our staple tools; used, re-used, and abused.  It is no wonder that the poor things will eventually wear out, through motor faliure, bent shafts and other misc fates. The unsaveable end up in the bin; this is where I come in!

The primary model used is the Dremel 200.  It is durable and basic without the newer model flash contours and colours, plus the ergonomic hand grips.  Once you take the guts out, you are left with a nice sturdy housing already with vents and other access points.  The labels are easy to remove and if you look closely at the black plastic shell, there is a bonus texture pattern!  I have only used this shape twice in previous projects:

I used the first as the main gun on the Martian tank "Herbert George" (see post from March 16, 2014 for the full back story).

And more recently as the secondary hull on the "Gibraltar", although it is difficult to see through all the greeblies.  Again the vents add to the texture of the shape, plus there is a half-inch diameter hole through the tool housing which was perfect for the mounting rod.

This of course applies to all tools, not just a Dremel.  Everyone at some point has had broken tools which end up in the rubbish.  I say remove the innards and keep the shell.  At this time, I am now down to only one shell remaining in the shapes box, so guys, let's start breaking some more tools!

The Scrap(book) Yard #2 "The Saga of Space:1999"

Well, not exactly...  But "back in the day", before the internet, before this instantaneous exchange of information, we had to wait patiently for tidbits and bread crumbs concerning any new films or TV shows.  Besides  Famous Monsters and The Monster Times, there were very few sources in the early and mid seventies.  So when other magazines would feature an article, especially about a new Gerry Anderson production called "Space: 1999", these little gems would be readily purchased without a second thought.  Such was way back in February of 1976 (41 years ago?!), I spotted an issue of a Man's magazine called Saga which had a photo of an Eagle on the front cover.  ($0.75 suddenly gone; there went my allowance!).

Saga was an offshoot of a popular UFO magazine from the same publishers I believe.  Mostly newsprint pages with a few glossy pages inserted for the "special" features.  (I have no idea how long the magazine was in print, but I don't think it was printed past the 1980's.... )  Also lots of adverts on new careers like radio repairmen, draughtsmen, locksmiths, & automotive customization, as well as ways to increase your muscles and attract lots of women!  (I'll put a disclaimer in here for Gambi Publications, the publisher of this American magazine, if anyone is still out there..?).  But I was more interested in this centerfold:

The show had been on the air for five months now, but (the horror of it all...), we only had a B & W television!  So full colour photos are like gold!  Never was Moonbase Alpha so clear, and the landing pads are red!!!  But turn the page...

So much colour!  I can't remember if "The Last Enemy" had even aired yet!  But the series went on; many reruns and eventually, before the first season ended, I managed to purchase a colour television.  (You want something you go out and get a job!).  So it was back to FM and TMT for news; there were rumours of a second season, but it was not confirmed until I found the October 1976 issue of Saga with yet another colour centerfold (now remember most magazines are released a few weeks ahead of the published date, so the new season was yet to air...).  The cover price was raised to $1.00, but now I had a job!

New ships; new characters...  What's going on?  Guess I will have to turn the page...

Wait...  What...?  Only three pictures this time, and one is the same shot of Alpha just slightly cropped.  Guess this was a portent of things to come.  Unfortunately I never saw much of the second season of "Space: 1999" in its first run on television.  The time slot was such that I was at work (it was aired on Saturday afternoon) so by the time I was home it was over.  I did manage to see some other episodes on the French channel, but that was about it.  Thank the Maker for DVD box sets!  As for other information sources, I acquired my first issue of a new sci-fi magazine called Starlog a few weeks later (it was already the second issue).  I was content!