SCALE MODEL NEWS

WE ARE VERY sad to learn of the death of professional model maker Bill Pearson. Mat Irvine: A special-effects model maker extraordinaire, Bill Pearson is probably best known for being a model-shop supervisor for such movie classics as Alien (1979), Flash Gordon (1980), and Outland (1981). Bill was a member of the BBC Visual Effects Department for two years or so in the early 1980s, which is when I got to know him. While he was at BBC VFX he worked on a variety of programmes, including The Hitch-Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Doctor Who, and Blake’s 7. Later, Bill worked on Gerry Anderson’s Space Precinct (1994), The James Bond movie Die Another Day (2002), Gravity (2013), Duncan Jones’ Moon (2009), and the Red Dwarf series. The photos (below) are shown courtesy of, and copyright  The Prop Gallery  and Mat Irvine . Bill Pearson ( below ) seen in the early 1980s, while working for the BBC Visual Effects Department. Here, he is working on Supereme Commandeer Servalan’s spac...

THIS ATLANTIS MODELS FIGURE KIT of the Phantom newspaper strip superhero is a reissue of an original 1965 Revell kit. Mat Irvine:  The Phantom and the voodoo witch doctor is a companion kit to the Flash Gordon figure from Atlantis . However, unless you are a dedicated comic fan, the Phantom will probably be far less familiar than Flash. The two share similar origins though, as they are both based on King Features Syndicate strips, rather than movie adaptations. The Atlantis reissue ( below ) uses a straight reproduction of the original Revell kit box art. Both Flash and Phantom kits were originally aimed at younger modellers, though both are conventional glue-together, not snap-tight. Assembly is extremely straightforward, as the Phantom has only 14 parts, the companion witch doctor making do with just two. The rest of the components form bases for the figures, and a nameplate. The Phantom has distinctive purple clothing, and the Atlantis kit is moulded in purple styrene, a more ap...

MODEL COMPANIES CONTINUE TO SURPRISE and delight, a trend that is certainly the case with this Flash Gordon and the Martian kit from Atlantis Models.  Mat Irvine:  Older science fiction fans may recognise this kit, as it was first released by Revell in 1965, 51 years ago. Flash Gordon and the Martian has not been reissued until now, and the new release even has the same box art as the original. There were two kits in the original series, the partner kit being the Phantom and the voodoo witch doctor, which has already been reissued by Atlantis.  Flash Gordon and the Martian is a simple kit, intended for ‘junior modelers.’ However, the kit is not a snap-tite product. You need to use cement, though with a limited number of parts ( below ). One side of the instructions ( below ) reproduces the original sell-sheet that Revell issued to hobby stores. Other side of the instructions ( below ) shows the straightforward assembly. The Martian ET consists of just two components, its ...