SCALE MODEL NEWS

A MAT IRVINE EVENTER As you might have surmised from Part 1 of my Wonderfest 2012 review, there was a lot to see at the show. So here’s Part 2, and this time, think back to my October 2010 review of a DVD entitled The Aurora Monsters - The Model Craze That Gripped The World . One of the DVD’s producers was Cortlandt Hull, with featured characters that included Gorgo the Gargoyle, his keeper being Bill Diamond. Well, all three of them were at Wonderfest 2012. The Witch’s Dungeon Cortlandt Hull also created the amazing Witch’s Dungeon Classic Movie Museum in 1966. The Witch’s Dungeon celebrates the Golden Age of Hollywood chillers, featuring famed movie stars such as Bela Lugosi, Boris Karloff, Vincent Price and others.  Silver Screen Movie Museum Cortlandt still runs the Witch’s Dungeon, and is now hard at work expanding the whole idea to become The Silver Screen Movie Museum and Archive. However, despite its Hollywood connections, the Silver Screen is not based in Tinseltown, but ...

SMN EVENTER BY MAT IRVINE Each year sees the Crown Plaza Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky, transformed into WonderFest - an event that presents all that’s wonderful in science-fiction, fantasy and horror model-making. WonderFest 2013 was held a couple of months ago, over the weekend of May 25-27, and your occasional SMN writer attended the show as a first-time guest.  CultTVMan invite All this was down to an old friend, Steve Iverson ( on his stand above ) who runs the CultTVMan website, who had been suggesting for a few years that I should, “Come over for the event”, and this year decided to sponsor me - so there was no argument! Mat Irvine (above) preparing one of his talks during the SciFi University session (below). SciFi University I’ve attended many UK science-fiction conventions and also a number of model shows in both the UK and US, but WonderFest is a unique mix of both convention and model show. I arrived for the Friday session, which featured the SciFi University ( above )...

The smallspace show displayed UK science-fiction models at their best. And for nostalgic fans of the Gerry Anderson Supermarionation TV shows, the puppets of Duncan Willis took some beating. Early TV shows Duncan is seen above, with three of his replicas, Steve Zodiac, Lady Penelope, and the chauffeur Parker. In Duncan’s words: “I am a lifelong fan of Gerry Anderson's Supermarionation shows, with my first proper memory being of watching Fireball XL5 on TV, although I can just about remember watching Torchy, a Torchy annual being one of my most-read bedtime books.” Early Anderson inspiration Torchy the Battery Boy was the second TV series produced by Gerry Anderson. Fifty-two 13-minute episodes were made, for airing in 1958-1959. Predating Torchy were the Adventures of Twizzle, the very first Anderson series.    Recycled materials Duncan adds: “I have been making puppet replicas for around six years, and like to make scratch-built props for them to sit on/in. The pr...

The new model show smallspace  was a huge success - outside the hall, Daleks rampaged the streets, while inside model-makers showed off their skills. Thunderbirds are Go Gerry Anderson’s famed puppet and live action TV series were a popular subject at smallspace , so here’s a first burst of pix, to give you an idea of the beautifully made models on display. More to come There’ll be more to come throughout this week - enjoy! Neat 6-wheel Rolls-Royce, with Lady Penelope under the wide canopy. Tasty red markings sported by Thunderbird 3. The Meta probe (above) looked a serious design for a deep-space craft. Plenty of Thunderbirds collectibles and models available here .