THUNDERBIRDS ARE GO AGAIN: NEW GERRY ANDERSON-BASED PROJECTS KICK OFF WITH A NEW LOGO AND TEASER VIDEO

The British design studio IDO has revamped the logo and website for the estate of the late Gerry Anderson, creator of cult TV sci-fi series such as Thunderbirds and Space 1999.

The logo is built around a simple letter ‘A’ with a rocket blasting off inside - a sure-fire reference to the space-age machinery that starred so strongly in Anderson’s work. As for the video, it’s short but well worth watching - and crank up your speakers to listen to the excellent sound track.

Retro legacy
According to the designers, “We opted for flat colours and an illustrative style, giving a slightly retro look that would sit well with the legacy shows but at the same time look to the future and a new audience to convey that a new, exciting adventure was beginning.”

New look
The style revamp is extensive, and covers online and social media channels to coincide with information that brand-new Gerry Anderson productions are in the works. The bold graphic look is designed to look as good on the website as on memorabilia and collectibles - cards, T-shirts, posters, and other merchandise.

Crystal Ball
What’s coming in the new-wave Anderson future? We don’t know full details yet, but it’s looking good on all fronts. Meantime, we’ll make do with wishing and hoping to see series like Thunderbirds Century 22, or perhaps Space 2099.

Models to come
The Japanese in particular have been busy with Anderson kits and collectibles over the years, and doubtless when new products hit screens big and small, they’ll be there to turn the high-tech machines into stuff that sci-fi fans will just have to add to their collections.

Yes please
If SMN had one request, it’s for more common-scale items, so that (for example) a Thunderbirds fleet could be displayed next to same-scale model aircraft.

NEWSFLASH
David Jefferis (aka ‘Mr J’) will be at the upcoming SMALLSPACE 2 model on Sunday 7 July, 2013. He’ll be showing unpublished works, original art, and signed edition prints from a little-known Gerry Anderson space series from the late-1970s called STARCRUISER. Be there!
 
Gerry Anderson kits and collectibles here.

'THUNDERBIRDS' GERRY ANDERSON DIES

Gerry Anderson, creator of a host of children's TV series, including classics such as Stingray, Thunderbirds, and Space 1999, has just died, at 83 years old.

More on the Anderson legacy at our sister site Starcruzer.

MORE FROM SMALLSPACE - THUNDERBIRDS PUPPETS FROM DUNCAN WILLIS

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 props are mostly made from recycled waste materials which I get from friends in the building trade. I am presently hoping to make a living as a self-employed model-maker.”

For more information, visit Duncan Willis at his Facebook site, Superpropreplication.

SMALLSPACE - MODEL SHOW REPORT

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.

SMALLSPACE - THE NEW MODEL SHOW FROM THE HAMEX TEAM

The new model show from the HaMeX organisers is arriving soon, with liftoff planned for Stardate: July 1, 2012. The smallspace event will feature a galaxy of space, science-fiction and fantasy modelling.

Voice of K-9, the robot dog

A fantastic day is promised for UK model fans at the smallspace model spectacular, liftoff due in a couple of Sundays, on July 1, 2012. There’s heaps of stuff on offer, including a special guest from TV’s famed Doctor Who, none other than the 'voice of K-9' himself, John Leeson (above). And the actual special effects prop K-9, as used in both Doctor Who and The Sarah-Jane Adventures, will be alongside. You will be able to chat with John, have your picture taken, and maybe - for a modest fee - get a signed photograph.

BBC VFX duo

BBC Visual Effects Designer, Mike Tucker (above) will also be attending smallspace. Mike is seen here with the Big Ben clock tower model he designed and filmed for the first series of the new Doctor Who. Mike’s presence means that, along with the show's co-organiser, Mat Irvine, you have two BBC Visual FX designers, and both the authors of BBC VFX, a unique book that details the story of the BBC Visual Effects Department.

Prints on sale

Mike Tucker also writes his own novels, and novelizations of both Doctor Who and Merlin stories. And at smallspace, his own series of limited-edition prints will be on view, where they will be available to buy for the first time.

Props and models

Scores of FX props and models will be on show at smallspace, from Star Cops, The Hitch-Hikers Guide to the Galaxy and Red Dwarf, to Doctor Who, Blake's 7, Moonbase 3, and Space Vets.

Meet the Daleks

The Doctor Who theme starts before you walk in the doors, with a squad of real-life Daleks waiting outside. Steve Fletcher will be co-ordinating them in greeting (or exterminating) visitors arriving at smallspace - assuming the Daleks obey him, of course!

Thunderbirds Are Go!

There’ll be an amazing display of replicas from the Gerry Anderson series, expertly recreated by David Sisson. Look for Thunderbirds and Captain Scarlet, plus an actual Eagle spacecraft, as used in the live-action Anderson series, Space 1999.

No Strings Attached

See the equally amazing puppet recreations by Duncan Willis, including examples from Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlet, and Stingray.

It’s all happening with smallspace at Hanslope village, Bucks, UK, on July 1, 2012, and of course there's much more besides. Full details here.

Here's Mat, surrounded by tasty stuff, and (below) heaps of kits for sale.

SMN's Mr J (above) will be there, as will space models by the planetful. Look out for the Gerry Anderson Starcruiser at the SMN Crew Dock, along with displays of original art, and signed prints.

SEARCH THE SKIES! - LUNADIVER STINGRAY ON MOON ATTACK MISSION

SMN report:

Researching the upcoming 51st Shizuoka Hobby Show means we’ve bumped into all sorts of good stuff, and that includes these ace shots of the Hasegawa 1:35 scale Lunadiver Stingray spacecraft, complete with a pair of space-combat troopers.

Moon attack trio

Lunadiver isn’t brand-new, but here you have a couple of same-scale combat troopers cocooned in their Fireball SG combat suits, plus the pilot sitting in the cockpit.

Movie postponed - for a short while

There’s also a brief cgi movie showing these sci-fi combat craft in action, but the oddities of this blogging platform mean that it’s gotta be processed separately - so we’ll hopefully be able to post that later this week. It’s short but really gives a feel for the backstory and ongoing warfare that’s the raison d'être of this futurespace Maschinen Krieger item.

Ma. K stuff to buy here.

Also available at HobbyLink Japan here.

Visit the Shizuoka Hobby Show 2012 here.

2012 INCOMING - GORGEOUS STEAMPUNK KITS FROM FICHTENFOO AND INDUSTRIA MECHANIKA

SMN report:

Boy, there are some enviable kit-producing talents out there, and they are not just working with the mainstream companies, either. US modelmaker and web designer Michael Fichtenmayer is among those talents, and his FichtenFoo and Industria Mechanika websites bring us all manner of science-fiction delights, including this limited-edition model kit of Ralph McQue’s Remora, a sort of anti-gravity floating cargo ship. Orders are being taken now for this very limited release.

Cool designs

A top priority with Industria Mechanika (IM) models is to: “Produce and promote really cool original model designs.” So no Star Wars and Star Trek knockoffs from IM, and in our view, that’s a very good thing indeed. In IM-speak: “Everything seen here is original designs by their original creators. We help modelers turn what might have been a one-off project into original products that everyone can enjoy.”

Promoting originality

Industria Mechanika’s aims are clear: “We take original masters, produce them into top-notch resin kit releases, design print materials, pack, sell and ship worldwide. The artists get a share of the profits and recognition for their works and everyone can get something uniquely cool to build.”

Steampunk Remora

Ian McQue’s Remora is a bullseye shot for any sci-fi model fan who is into the neo-Victorian brand of science-fiction called Steampunk. The ‘parallel universe’ backstory around this kit tells the tale: “ Remora was built in ’73 by J.Dowling & Sons, out of Wearland. An Imp-Class light rigger, it served for 19 years at Crabden Port in Thamesmouth as a cargo loader for the East Island Trading Company. After being sold for scrap, it was purchased and refitted by MacNeil Haulage and put to work as an island hopper, under the command of Captain Jerome Bale, making short-haul provision runs for the mining communities of the Jayamena island cluster. It has a net tonnage of 16 and a lift tonnage of 38. It is powered by a single-turbine Hütter-Schneider Mk.V gravity engine and has a top speed, free-floating, of 27 knots.” To which the SMN crew can add just one word: “Wow!”

Scale matches military model kits

The Remora is to military-standard 1:35 scale, making it ideal for dioramas, or for including in scenes with other sci-fi models such as those from the Maschinen Krieger (Ma.K ) stuff we like so much. The Remora kit has 62 resin components, six of them moulded as transparencies. 

In charge of the ship

There’s a seated figure of the ship’s Captain, with a scurvy crew due for sale separately soon. Fine detail and markings are taken care of with a photo-etch fret and waterslide decals. The Remora is a multi-material kit, with various parts supplied in metal rod, rigging string, and coated wire form. Industria Mechanika has also supplied full-colour instruction details. This second-edition Remora kit is limited to just 45 for public sale, so order online now if you like the idea of an anti-gravity airboat in your life.

There’s more...

Further editions of the Remora will follow when this run is finished, but there are more delights when you go along to Industria Mechanika. They include the tasty ‘FichtenFoo’s Fantastical Fish-shaped Submersible’ (F4S2), a nice design which echoes something of the flavour of Gerry Anderson’s 1960s TV series ‘Stingray’. And of course, the F4S2 makes a cool undersea match for those Disney-inspired Jules Verne Nautilus submarines out there.

...and more

Keep watch for the upcoming Orbship, an original design by the super-talented Scott Robertson. As planned, it’ll likely be a 1:48 scale kit, which opens up all sorts of hugely interesting possibilities. And if you’ve got a great idea for a model design, whether that’s a figure, a robot, vehicle or spacecraft, if it’s considered to be something that people will want to build, then Industria Mechanika can work to get your original design into production and on sale to sci-fi modelmakers around the world. How cool is that?!

Visit FichtenFoo here.

Visit Industria Mechanika here.

Maschinen Krieger future combat trooper kit available here.

Another view of the F4S2 (above), with a four-view of the Captain, and also some special-issue plant life (below).