The Scrap(book) Yard #6 - "The Future is out of Shape..."

Yes, it's been a while, but the yard is still open for business!  Although I have had no time for personal modeling, I still follow the genre.  Tonight's post is another article featured in the "Special Effects Modeler" magazine from 1979.  (See Scrapbook Yard #5)  This was only a two page feature on a Canadian film, "The Shape of Things to Come" which Brick Price Movie Miniatures was contracted for the model work.  More about the film later, but here is the original print:

Normally I would end this post here, but in re-reading the article I drifted off and began thinking about the other miniatures made for the film.  I am a little reluctant to admit I actually saw this in the theatre, way the hell back in 1979!  But it being a Canadian film, "The Starlost" had been cancelled 6 years ago, and nothing else sci-fi related at the movies that week, it seemed like a good idea at the time....

It was the late '70s, 1979, but the actual month is forgotten.  This was originally supposed to be a sequel to "Things to Come", a 1936 epic film about war, famine, and the rebirth of civilization.  (If you have never seen it, I urge you to check it out.  It is one of the ten greatest sci fi films of all time!).  I think poor Herbert George must still be spinning in his grave from this one!  The only real connection are the names of two characters,  evidently descended from the savior of mankind, John Caball.  

It's a basic comic book plot with evil dictator on Planet Delta 3 planning on taking over the last survivors of Earth who have retreated to large domed cities on the Moon.  Our poor home planet has taken yet another beating after rising from the ashes, this time a robot war. The population is now dependent on a drug, Raddic-Q-2 which cures the radiation sickness caused by this war.  Unfortunately the drug is only available on D3, so begins our tale....

Of course the quintessential baddie Omus is played by Jack Palance.  Who else could pull it off so well?  He has seized control of Delta 3 with his robot army and commands from the massive Citadel.

This miniature was about 5 feet tall.  Here is a top view:

I also remembered this film discussed in another magazine around the same time.  Here is the feature in Starlog #23.  It describes the destruction of this miniature.

A very familiar actor also appears.  It is four years later and he is back on the moon!  Another time; another place.  I would have preferred him to be in Season Two.  You know what I mean!

Barry Morse in John Caball, and he is a scientist (again) who has constructed the Star Scream.  This warship is can be seen on the first page with red background.  Here is a screen cap of the rear view:

Part of the fun I had watching this film was "shape-spotting", trying to pick out and identify the various kit parts used for the model.  The disc on the front of the ship is easily identified as the central hub from the K-7 Space Station model.  This section can also be separated to be used  to land on other planets.  Behold the image I refer to as "The Project UFO Shot"!

Another shot of the Star Scream on the launch pad of the New Washington moon colony:

The other major player in the miniature fleet is the Delta Three freighter, used to transport the mineral to the moon.  We got lots of swooping and overhead shots but very rarely was the model in full frame.  Here it is lifting off from the mining platform on Delta 3:

The opening of the film had this ship crash into the moon city dome.  About 15 minutes spent with long swooping shots building up to the impact.  To repair the hole in the dome, the besieged inhabitants send up the repair drones.

These swan-like ships trail behind them some sort of sealing mist.  Kinda Tholian Web style!  Now I have to mention some other elements of this film not related to the miniature work.  The locations include Ontario Place, which was meant to represent the future moon city.  Many shots feature the pods and Cinesphere (IMAX) as well as connecting corridors.  All external filming for both the radio active Earth and Delta Three were done somewhere north of Toronto.  No distinction between planet locales!  Of course there had to be obligatory robots, especially since evil baddie Omus has an army of these mechanical horrors.  

Hard to believe these are from 1979.  I think Robby or B-9 could have taken them out with one claw behind their backs!  Must have been a shock to some hikers or campers in the area!  And thanks ot R2, had to have the cutie robot.

This little fellow was salvaged from the robot who piloted the suicide run at the dome.  They name it Sparx, and it can, of all things, teleport.  Why they never exploited that plot point further I don't understand.  

Here is the closing shot where both ships fly off into the "sunset".  If you want to watch the film, I'm sure you can find somewhere on the internet where you can stream....

OMG!  I paid real money to see this!  Looking back I think there was only about 12 people in the cinema!  And it only lasted a week.   We didn't have the luxury of Rotten Tomatoes back then.  And if anyone is interested, I have a 27 x 41 official 1-sheet for sale!  Contact me if interested!

That's it from the Yard this time!  

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.....

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!

The Scrap(book) Yard #1

New look; new format!  I had originally intended this blog to be a platform to showcase the models and miniatures I construct.  But there are many other things to say and/or contribute, so today I am starting with a new ongoing feature.  Over the years I have collected many articles from magazines and other print sources which deal with miniature and model work, as well as practical in camera effects and props.  (I apologize in advance for the quality of some of the images.  That paste I used so many years ago was not "time friendly"!)  My first post was taken from TV Guide magazine way back in 1975.  (Is this still copyrighted by TV Guide; I have no idea,  but I shall acknowledge the source just to be sure...).

The October 11, 1975 issue featured an article on some model work for the Sid and Marty Krofft series, "Far Out Space Nuts".  Lasting only 15 episodes, this Saturday morning live action series starred Bob Denver and Chuck McCann.  (I will let you research the series further if you so wish; the episodes are available on YouTube...).   The amazing fact of this clipping is the model builder is non other than Mike Minor!  If you follow Star Trek, you should be very familiar with this man.  (Again I invite you to look further into Mr. Minor's history....).  Nice to see good old simple effects, as well as the use of dried teazel flowers for use as alien vegetation!   Until next time: "Think big, but build small!"