Kremmen

Couldn't agree more, I really want a big TV SDF-1. The DYRL version doesn't really do much for me. I've just started putting together a mesh version this week. I have a friend who may be able to output it for me via CNC, which I fancy. I mean you could always just fabricate it in styrene but there are so many fine chamfered edges, seems likely to be a pain. If he can do it, I'll get it output in 1/1200, that should be a nice enough size. I could go bigger, but then it'd get tricky to do a Nupetiet-Vergnitz in scale, LOL. Cheers, Martyn

OK, I'm in for one kit please. Can't fault those contours at all. Beautiful! Cheers, Martyn

Hi all, Fans of 70s SF tv shows and movies may be familiar with the work of Martin Bower, the prolific English modelmaker who co-supervised the model shops for Alien and Outland with Bill Pearson. Martin also built Eagles and other ships for Space:1999, UFO and other TV series - in fact he's done far more work than most people realize, since he was rarely credited. These days he also does a ton of private commissions. There's a possibility of a book showcasing Martin's work which I think will be a must-have for fans of 70s SF. Price and other details aren't known at this point, in fact the publisher needs to gauge interest before the project can even go ahead, so Martin is seeking feedback. If you would be keen to own a copy you can help get the project made reality. Please just email me at nipngnwm AT q-net.net.au (replace AT and spaces with @) using the topic "Martin Bower book" and stating something like "I would buy a book of Martin Bower's work" in the body of the email. Please note this isn't a pre-order or anything like that, it's purely that the publisher needs to know the level of likely interest before committing to the project. Personally, I've always been a fan and will be pre-ordering as soon as possible. Fingers crossed! Cheers! Martyn G

Looking really good! I love the sound of the deployable missile trapeze, that'll be a really nice little selling point.

@ bigF - understood - yeah, I know all about the snowball effect. No offence taken! @ Cap - looking very nice!

Hey, that really is nice panel line work. But I have to say Jinnai has a point - if you're going to do a nice paint job, why not fill the seams? It's not hard, and doesn't add too many more hours of work. Got to admit it's never one of my favourite jobs (second only to cleaning up flash on tank wheels), but the result always looks far better. Just about mandatory for competition, too.

That'd be a fair bit bigger than a 1/160. My 1/160 is about what, 10 inches long, built up? Not at home right now but will check tonight. Cheers, Martyn

OK, looks like I have still failed to make my point clear. Repeating - I AM NOT CHALLENGING JOHN'S WORKMANSHIP. I know it's good! I was one of the many who were eagerly following his Legioss fighter project, for example. But masterful workmanship doesn't matter if I - subjectively - decide his cockpit is thinner than I'd have liked it, or his engine fins match the line art front view when I'd have preferred them to match the line art side view, or anything like that. It's a kinda subjective thing and there's no way to tell in advance. He's already made the point that he's going to have to make decisions of interpretation because the line art is not consistent. Am I making sense now? Cheers, Martyn

I'm sorry if I was unclear. I know John's work, and I wasn't referring to or questioning his mastering or casting skills at all. I was alluding to the conflicting line art and the possibility of a final DESIGN interpretation that differs from my subjective 'feel' for how a Gnerl should look. The other scratches and CG work I've seen have often been technically good, but I'd have done things differently. The line art's loose enough to allow for interpretation. Cheers, Martyn

Mike, I bought your X-wing kit just after you'd taken it over from Scott and added the new wing joiner which was a nice touch; I was pleased with the quality. Great to see you've done something about some of the accuracy issues since then too. FWIW I reckon the wing chord is slightly short also, but not by a lot, maybe 3-4mm - I just built my leading edges up with a couple of strips of styrene, easy. How did I get so off-topic? I was going to say - if I'm not too late can I please, please be on the Monster list too? I love that thing. Also, a 1/24 Elintseeker or Strike or Super would be killer. Or even a D. Or especially a Super Ostrich, LOL! Definitely a stock ship is the way to go first off, but you could do modular conversion sets pretty easily, right? Cheers, Martyn

To be perfectly honest, you had me at 38cm...but less so at 34. Size IS everything, lol. Can we have the price pro-rated to the new length? I make that $268. (JOKE!) I do understand your reasoning and I'm tentatively up for one; the real issue isn't size or price so much as interpretation. I've seen CG and solid Gnerl models done well and done 'less well'; it definitely requires an artist's touch to get the right balance. I'd like to see your masters taking shape before I make a firm decision, but thanks for tackling the old Fighter Pod, it's totally an interesting topic. Cheers, Martyn

His work is very nice, but so's yours from what I've seen here. If you're talking a bigger scale (oh PLEASE, be talking a bigger scale!) then I'd be up for one. It really is a beautiful plane. Cheers, K