“I’LL BE BACK” - ARNIE SCHWARZENEGGER’S WHISPERCRAFT SWOOSHES IN AGAIN FROM FANTASTIC PLASTIC

California-based Fantastic Plastic has just released a new 1:72 scale kit of the Whispercraft, a fictional helicopter that featured in the 2000 sci-fi movie, The 6th Day.

In The 6th Day, Arnold Schwarzenegger (famed for the Terminator movies) plays the owner of a small aircraft rental company specializing in vertical takeoff Whispercraft, advanced helicopter-like vehicles whose blades can be fixed in flight to function as conventional wings.

Ron Cobb’s work
The Whispercraft was designed by the hugely talented Hollywood conceptual artist Ron Cobb, some aspects of which he based on actual aerospace projects then being developed by the US military.

Upgrade kit
This Fantastic Plastic kit is a re-release of the 2007 kit, with upgrades that include Ron Cobb's blueprints, along with extras such as a detailed interior, clear vac-form canopy and - we’re pleased to see this - weapons for a military gunship version.

Movie plot
In case you’d forgotten (or didn’t know) The 6th Day plot here’s an intro: “...In 2015, cloning technology is sufficiently advanced that the 'Sixth Day' laws prohibit reproducing a complete human.

“Michael Drucker, the owner of cloning company Replacement Technologies, hires charter helicopter pilot Adam Gibson (Schwarzenegger) and partner Hank Morgan for a ski trip. The two must first undergo blood and eye tests to verify their identities and aptitude...”

From that point on, the plot thickens. Actually it wasn’t a bad script, even if the notion of human cloning being so advanced so quickly was a pipedream. Whispercraft apart, if you like seeing Arnie’s splendid muscles at work, and the bad guys take a dive, then it’s well worth a look on DVD when you have a couple of hours spare.

Summation
Useful addition to the ranks of sci-fi aerospacecraft. Useful scale too. Movie so-so, but good couch potato stuff with a beer and pizza.

Scale: 1:72
Material: Resin/vac-form
Number of parts: 50
Versions: Civil or military
Length: 190 mm (7.5 in)
Pattern: Scott Lowther
Casting: Mana Studios
Decals: JBOT

More Fantastic Plastic stuff at SMN here.

Visit Fantastic Plastic here.

ROBOT PLANE RETURNS FROM ORBIT - AND A 1:48 SCALE VERSION LANDS ON YOUR WORKTOP

DAVID JEFFERIS REPORTS:

The X-37B mini-Space Shuttle made a landing recently, after a record-breaking orbital flight lasting nearly 15 months. Its missions are US Air Force secrets, but the appearance is less so - and with this latest 1:48 scale kit, you can add a state-of-the-art robotic spacecraft to your display shelf.

About the kit

This Fantastic Plastic X-37B kit is a larger and more detailed version of the earlier 1:72 X-37B sold in FP’s Virtual Museum Store. In addition to precise exterior detailing, FP’s new 1:48 kit also includes a cargo bay and landing gear. It’s a resin kit, so is more suitable for experienced modelmakers. Having said that, with just 31 components it shouldn’t be too difficult to assemble - and perhaps makes an ideal choice for a first resin build.

Brief Stats

* Scale: 1:48

* Material: Resin

* Number of Pieces: 31

* Pattern and casting by BLAP! Models

* Decals by JBOT

About the spacecraft

The X-37B orbital robotic spaceplane was designed to be launched vertically by an Atlas V booster and then land horizontally on a runway, like a conventional aircraft, or indeed like the retired museum-piece Space Shuttles. The X-37B is built by Boeing and is essentially a 120 percent upsized version of the earlier X-40 atmospheric test vehicle. 

Fast track space project

The X-37B project was started by Boeing in 1999, then turned over to the US Air Force in 2004. The spaceplane made an extended maiden orbital flight in April 2010, returning successfully to Earth later that year, in December. To date, the purpose of the X-37B's missions have remained classified, though most observers reckon that checking out the spacecraft systems comes high on the list, as well as likely testing of hi-res cameras, reportedly capable of discerning newspaper headlines at ground level.

More on the first X-37B flight at SMN here.

Visit Fantastic Plastic here.

Plenty of space model kits here.

And hordes of sci-fi kits here.

'2001' SPACE WHEEL FROM FANTASTIC PLASTIC

DAVID JEFFERIS REPORTS:

For my money, 2001: A Space Odyssey is one of the seminal science-fiction movies of all time, sharing the podium with the first Star Wars trilogy. Despite its fame, 2001 has not been kitted much over the years, so here’s an opportunity to catch up, with a twin-scale Space Wheel, from Fantastic Plastic.

  

About the kit

The scale is an interesting one. In the words of Fantastic Plastic: “The size of the 'real' space station is under much dispute.  Sources close to the production insist was meant to be 1000 ft (305 m) in diameter.  However, director Stanley Kubrick ‘cheated’ by optically reducing the size of the approaching Orion III as it approached the station to enhance the drama, causing fans to recalculate the station's ‘actual’ size to twice that... or more.

Orion shuttle choices

Fantastic Plastic adds: "To placate fans, we're including two Orion III miniatures along with the station - one in 1:1400 scale and one in 1:2800, so the resulting 8.6 in (218 mm) diameter model can be which ever scale you choose!” So there you go 2001 fans - the choice is yours, along tiny alternative Orion III space shuttles.

Plenty of parts

It’s not a kit for the beginner I reckon, as there are more than 200 resin and photo-etch parts to assemble, but take care and a decent model should result. When completed it just has to turn, so there’s a further opportunity to bring realism to the finished thing, an easy way being to simply to mount it on a turntable, using a length of steel or brass tubing.

Summation

Fantastic Plastic’s Space Wheel is a salute to the movie-making achievements of Stanley Kubrick and to the late Sir Arthur C. Clarke who co-wrote the script. It was The Sentinel, his short story of 1948, that inspired 2001.

Get better, Allen

Fantastic Plastic’s leading light, Allen B. Ury, recently injured his arm, but he reckons things are looking up: “...thank you to everyone who has expressed good wishes concerned my recent arm injury. I visited my orthopedist yesterday. The X-rays were good, I have 85 percent range of motion and he expects all restrictions to be lifted within three weeks.” Good luck Allen, and keep those kits coming!

Visit Fantastic Plastic here.

More space and science-fiction kits here.

Original poster, showing the Orion III space shuttle departing the Space Wheel. Artwork was by the fabled illustrator Robert McCall, who worked on just about about every space-orientated project of the period.

INCOMING - PLANET OF THE APES ICARUS SPACECRAFT

SMN REPORT:

It’s a science-fiction time at the moment, with the run-up to Wonderfest this coming weekend, and today we’ve got an elegant-looking fictional spacecraft, the Icarus from the classic 1968 sci-fi movie Planet of the Apes.

Rising above the water

Here’s what Fantastic Plastic has to say about the Icarus release: “The interstellar spaceship that brought Commander Taylor and his fellow astronauts to the fabled Planet of the Apes is seen only briefly - and partially - in the seminal 1968 classic of the same name. During the early ‘splashdown’ sequence, the spacecraft's nose rises dramatically above the lake waters into which it has crashed, clearly suggesting a much larger aft section hidden below the waterline.”

Neat assembly

The resulting Fantastic Plastic kit, patterned and cast by Anigrand Craftswork of Hong Kong, assembles to make a decent sized model some 292 mm (11.5 in) long, about the length of an A4 sheet of paper. It won’t be a long job, as there are less than two dozen components, and while an interior of sorts is provided, it’s a bit bare-bones, so there’s plenty of opportunity to add detail, not least an astronaut crew.

Missing concept

The Icarus as depicted in the movie and here is an elegant looking design, so who sketched it out? According to Fantastic Plastic: “One of the most elegant solutions to the ‘missing aft section’ question was posited by fan Jan Rukr in 2002. He extended the nose section’s lines, then cut the rear back in stepped angular configuration, reminiscent of the Lockheed 'Hopeless Diamond' stealth demonstrator aircraft. This aerodynamically credible airframe could have ridden atop (or in front of) a larger drive section, automatically separating before re-entry. Although just one of many Icarus concepts published in the last 20 years,  Rukr's solution remains a fan favorite and was thus chosen for kitting by Fantastic Plastic.”

Rough diamond?

Incidentally, the name ‘Hopeless Diamond’ was an in-house Lockheed pun of the famed Hope Diamond, which was a similar shape. This terrific cgi render comes courtesy of ‘lippischh’ at The-Blueprints website, which is well worth a visit. There's more from Fantastic Plastic: “Although the exposed section of the Icarus (a name given to the unnamed spacecraft by film fan Michelle Evans in 1972) was later used as a stand-alone vehicle in subsequent ‘Apes’ movies (The 1970 sequel Beneath the Planet of the Apes inelegantly paired it with the Lost in Space Jupiter II landing gear), the ship's true configuration continued to be the subject of speculation for decades.

Booster for the bird

Lastly, what was the rest of the Icarus ship like? Well, there have been quite a few sketches depicting the streamlined bird sitting atop its booster stage. Here’s one, representing an advanced solution - nifty if unlikely in our opinion, but it would make an impressive kit-bash project, that’s for sure.

Stats on the upcoming FanPlas kit:

• Scale: 1:72

• Length: 292 mm (11.5 in)

Summation

Interesting kit for sci-fi buffs, maybe an essential for the ‘Ape’ fan. Excellent 1:72 scale means it can sit next to a galaxy of relevant aircraft made to this standard format.

To order, visit Fantastic Plastic here.

The Conspiracy Apes website here.

The Blueprints website here.

Pictures courtesy Fantastic Plastic, Andrew Probert, ‘lippischh’

INCOMING SUMMER 2012 - 'CAPTAIN AMERICA' SUPER-SCIENCE HARDWARE

SMN report:

We’ve got a year of science-fiction models flying our way from Fantastic Plastic - and some of our huge faves are included in the list, starting with some handsome Luftwaffe 1946-style ironmongery from last year’s Captain America movie.

Flying Wing Attacker

Fantastic Plastic have chosen the huge, if fictional, Flying Wing for the first kit, due for release in July. This big bird formed the climactic setting of Captain America: The First Avenger. The Wing was designed by the outrageously talented Daniel Simon especially for the Marvel Pictures production, for which it was conceived as a ‘flying aircraft carrier’, with a wingspan of some 165 m (540 ft), more than double that of today's biggest jetliner, the Airbus A380. 

Weapons of mass destruction

As seen in the movie, the evil Hydra organization equipped its big bird with various defence guns, but the much deadlier claws of the beast are the eight Parasit planes that can launch independently, to drop atomic weapons on the US homeland. Each of the Flying Wing's eight pusher-props doubles as a Parasit tail-mounted prop, and all eight are used as a set of boosters for Wing takeoff.

Horten Wing and new ebook series
The Hydra Flying Wing was inspired by the real-life Horten Ho 229 jet-powered fighter-bomber prototypes, and the later Northrop YB-49. Look at the SMN logo top right, and you'll see the Revell kit of the Ho 229 up there - it's a nice little kit to assemble, and one that can be finished either as a 'real' Luftwaffe 1946 machine, or painted in more or less anything you like. There's one in fictional markings that we're using as a background prop for an upcoming sci-fi ebook series - we'll fill you in on this exciting project as it develops, so watch this space.

Stats on the upcoming FanPlan kit:

• Scale: 1:288

• Wingspan: 572 mm (22.5 in)

• Component-count to be decided.

Deadly Flying Bomb

The Parasit was a single-seat flying bomb, eight of which were carried by the Hydra organization’s Flying Wing. Also designed by Daniel Simon, the Parasit used concepts explored by German aircraft companies during the latter stages of World War II, including ramjet-driven propellers, and a detachable nose-bomb.

Brief stats:

• Scale: 1:48 (thank you FanPlan - this one can sit with other models in a standard scale.)

• Other details to be confirmed. Planned release is a month after the Flying Wing, in August.

Can’t wait until summer 2012?

Daniel Simon’s super-sub (below) looks a cool device, and it too is a Hydra weapon. We found a nifty 1:35ish scale paper model of it, available as a free download. A problem (for SMN) is that the file type is .rar and we don’t have anything that’ll open it so far. Visit the ‘Paperhobby’ site to have a look for yourself here.

To pre-order the Flying Wing or Parasit, visit Fantastic Plastic here.

Pictures courtesy Daniel Simon and Marvel Studios.

ALIENS BEWARE! ‘AVATAR’ HELICOPTER GUNSHIP KIT FROM FANTASTIC PLASTIC

SMN Report:

The team at Fantastic Plastic (FP) are really in the groove with the ever-increasing range of science fact and fiction kits, choices ranging from NASA aerospace projects to giant starships from science-fiction movies. And the latter is where this latest FP kit comes from - it’s a fictional twin-rotor helicopter that featured in the 2009 box-office smash Avatar from ace director James Cameron, of Titanic fame.

Flying workhorse helicopter

As conceived for Avatar, the Aerospatiale SA-2 Samson a multi-function ducted-fan aircraft that by the movie’s notional 22nd century timeline, has been in service for decades, in similar fashion to the Chinooks and Pumas of today. Not to be confused, of course, with the similar but combat-only Scorpion gunship. A multi-role ‘flying workhorse’, the Samson’s mission profile is wide and varied, ranging from support ops as a cargo and personnel carrier, to full-on combat duties. In the latter role, the twin-rotor Samson can carry a range of weapons that include door-mounted guns and rocket pods.

Exposed to the air

Despite the poison atmosphere of the giant moon Pandora, Samsons are usually flown Earth-style, with rear doors open to the alien world’s elements. The nose section includes a pressurized flight deck which allows the crew to breathe an Earth-normal onboard air supply.  

What’s in the kit?

First thing to note is that the Fantastic Plastic SA-2 Samson is produced to 1:72 scale, just right for mixing on the display shelf with present-day flight machinery for comparison purposes. As usual with FP it’s a resin kit, which makes assembly a little more of a specialist operation than building an injection kit. No matter - it’s not difficult to make, and with just 41 parts, it shouldn’t take too long to put together. The canopy and door windows are transparent, so putting extra work towards a well-finished interior will pay dividends. The kit was patterned by Alfred Wong, cast by Millennium Models International (MMI), and the decal set was supplied by the excellent JBOT of Canada.

Summation

If you’re into science-fiction, then this is a fascinating kit to have. It’s perhaps a pity that other, bigger, craft from Avatar has been produced to much smaller scales by Fantastic Plastic. We’d really like to see a range of Avatar hardware side-by-side, all to the same scale. And if you're into readybuilts, there are plenty of 'toy' models out there, which with some TLC could be made into reasonably good shelf-ready display models. The pix below show the twin-rotor Scorpion gunship.  

Visit Fantastic Plastic here.

Click here for Avatar stuff.

Click below for more Avatar products.

MEGA MOON ROCKET FROM FANTASTIC PLASTIC

David Jefferis reports:

Great news for ‘what-if’ space fans from Fantastic Plastic, with this month’s release of a reworked and upsized 1:72 scale version of Revell’s 1950s-era XSL-01 Moon Rocket. The original kit, designed by US aerospace engineer Ellwyn E. Angle, was a 1:96 scale production, making the FP edition half as big again.

About the kit

The XSL-01 is presented in ‘stack’ formation, with winged Moonship rocket-glider sitting atop the finned multiple booster, though the parts count is surprisingly low, at just 50 components. No matter: the kit - patterned by Scott Lowther, cast by BLAP! Models, with scaled-up decals by JBOT - looks like a fine display piece, especially as it has a specially produced stand (above). Actually, this latter is the biggest departure from the Revell kit, as it is simpler than the original (below).

Rare item

According to Fantastic Plastic, the 1950s-era kit (above and below) is a ‘Holy Grail’ collector's item that commands top-dollar prices when one comes up for sale on an auction site such as ebay. So this kit is a chance to get your own, and with the bonus of being made in a far more widely used scale than that of the original.

About the original kit

The XSL-01 (Experimental Space Laboratory Number 1) was designed in the mid-1950s by Ellwyn E. Angle. Formerly associated with the Bell X-1 and X-5 aircraft, Angle was working for SLC (Systems Laboratory Corp) in California, when he was put in contact with Revell, based in nearby Venice Beach. Revell needed original concepts for its fast-expanding line of space-related models, then a hot subject area for the company.

Boost to orbit

The launch portion of Angle's XSL-01 concept consisted of four liquid-fuel boosters, to propel the winged and crewed Moonship to orbital altitude. Then the Moonship’s nuclear engine would fire up for the Earth-Moon flight. Angle envisaged a vertical landing on the lunar surface, followed by exploration, then blast-off back to Earth, with a glide landing - like the now-retired Space Shuttle fleet - after atmospheric entry. Revell released a separate kit of the Moonship (above) in 1957, though this has never been re-released by the company.

Summation

This Fantastic Plastic kit has been delayed, but should be available this month. It’s a fascinating kit for space enthusiasts, that now comes in a standard scale. You lose the interior detail that was a feature of the original Moonship which is a shame, but externally the FP kit can be made to look highly convincing.

Visit Fantastic Plastic here.

Read about Ellwyn E. Angle at Mat Irvine’s smallspace site here.

Other space kits here.

STAR TREK KITS ON MARK-DOWN SALE THIS WEEK AT FANTASTIC PLASTIC

SMN report:

We’re a bit tardy with this info, but there’s still time to bag a bargain. Fantastic Plastic, which styles itself as: “The Virtual Museum of Flying Wonders!” certainly gets our vote for creating and marketing the widest range of rare and odd machinery, both real and fictional.

There’s plenty to choose from in the sale, though as we’re in Star Trek mode just now, there are three kits that look particularly interesting.

Sleeper ship DY-100 Botany Bay

First off, the 1:350 scale Botany Bay. It’s a simple resin kit with just a dozen components, and comes in ‘bare-metal’ finish - that’s to say, decals are not included, though that’s no great problem for this sort of subject. 

A word about the ship itself, which appeared in the first-season episode ‘Space Seed’, itself forming the basis for the 1982 motion picture Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. The DY-100 was powered by sub-light ion engines, so the crew had to spend years-long voyages in suspended animation. The ship, work of art director Matt Jefferies, was later used as an automated ore carrier in the episode, ‘The Ultimate Computer.’

Botany Bay in plain finish, and sprayed white, with commercial spaceline decals. Take your pick as to which kind of marking scheme you prefer.

USS Emmette Type-3 Warp Ship

This 15-part starship is made to a tiny 1:1000 scale, but is interesting for being seen only briefly in the series. According to Fantastic Plastic, it is: “glimpsed only briefly in the opening credits of Star Trek: Enterprise following the launch of the Phoenix One warpship and the unveiling of the NX-01. Shown approaching what appears to be a Moon base (In the Fourth Season ‘Mirror Universe’ opener, it bombs the Moon base) the craft disappears and is never referenced again.”

Phoenix Warp Ship One

This resin 13-part kit is to the more widely-used 1:144 scale, and features the very first warp powered spaceship. As FP puts it: “Launched into space by a highly modified Titan V ICBM, the Phoenix was humankind's first operational warp-powered spacecraft. Designed and built under the direction of Dr. Zephram Cochrane during the aftermath of WWIII, the Phoenix - with a crew of three - made its first successful launch from Montana on April 5, 2063. It was shortly thereafter that humanity had its first encounter with an alien race - the Vulcans.”

Summation

A fascinating sci-fi trio from FP, with plenty more to choose from on the site, including many non-fiction 'what-if' subjects. Sale ends on October 16.

Pictures courtesy Fantastic Plastic. Visit the site here.