STAR TREK USS ENTERPRISE AT WONDERFEST 2012

REPORT BY MAT IRVINE:

Here I continue my review of the 2012 WonderFest science-fiction and fantasy show, held at the end of May in Louisville, Kentucky - and take a close look at the test shot (above) of the huge 1:350 scale USS Enterprise due for release soon.

The large scale means that the bridge of the Enterprise is clearly visible (above). 

Main runners (below) for the kit.

 

Mighty starship

Jamie Hood of Round-2 showed off the upcoming Star Trek USS Enterprise. This is the original version from the first series, and ‘the best’ as Scotty might maintain, “No bloody A, B C, or D…” The kit is made to a massive 1:350 scale, and stretches some 813 mm (32 in) long. Five moulding colours are involved: two shades of grey and three transparent tints. The Enterprise will be sold under the Polar Lights name, and should be available in October.

You even get a tiny Galileo shuttlecraft, seen below next to a business card.

Munsters at home

Frank Winspur and Dave Metzner of Moebius Models had test shots of several of new kits, such as the Bride of Frankenstein, the Cylon from BattleStar Galactica, and an HO (1:87 scale) model of 1313 Mockingbird Lane (below) perhaps better known as the home of The Munsters! 

Dressed-up ladies

Jimmy Flintstone’s kits range from car bodies to human bodies, mostly of the female kind, and the items he bought to WonderFest tended to lean towards the latter. However, some are, shall we say, for the more discerning and open-minded modelmaker. So, because WonderFest was a family show, some of the ladies had to be ‘dressed’ for the occasion. Jimmy is seen (below) peering from under his Rat Fink sign. 

Full-size heads

Some dealers had full-size objects on show, usually just the heads of famous science-fiction, fantasy and horror characters, as full bodies would be a tad impractical. Dale Morton displayed an excellent range of fantasy heads, while the ex-GEOmetric George Stephenson also deals with full-size horror and fantasy heads, these marketed under his BlackHeart company name.

Popular pirates

Pete Vetri and Rick Delfavero of Atlantis Models, part of Mega-Hobbies based in Long Island, NY, were at the show. Atlantis Models has already reissued some classic Aurora kits, both from the original moulds and re-tooling. One new one shown at WonderFest was Blackbeard the Pirate (above). With Sinbad featuring in a new TV series, and Pirates of the Caribbean still being so popular, ‘pirates’ are obviously the new ‘aliens’, ‘dinosaurs’, ‘Star Wars characters’ or whatever you reckon the last popular phase was! 

General view of the main dealer room at WonderFest 2012.

The Round-2 stand, primarily Polar Lights, but also including AMT and MPC.

Moebius Bride of Frankenstein.

Moebius reproduction of the Aurora Forgotten Prisoner at left, Cylon at right.

Part of Jimmy Flintstone’s display showed a mix of science-fiction, fantasy and horror figure busts, and ladies that were mainly busts.

Dale Morton of Dale Morton Studios, sharing the limelight with one of his creations.

George Stephenson’s BlackHeart company stand, with full-size figure heads including Mr Hyde (top left) and Terminator (top right). George himself is at left.

The Atlantis Models reissue of Aurora’s Blackbeard the Pirate.

Unpainted test shot of Blackbeard. Do you think there's a resemblance to another pirate, maybe a certain Captain Jack Sparrow? Well, that answer’s up to you...

Rick and Pete of MegaHobbies/Atlantis, with the Blackbeard (or Jack?) figure.

THE WONDER OF WONDERFEST

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), a joint venture by CultTVMan and Federation Models, the latter run by Tracy Brownfield. 

Skills improvement

For this, around 30 keen modellers wanted to expand their skills, and so with a number of Iron Man kits - donated by Moebius Models - the morning and afternoon were spent painting the parts, then fitting LED lighting supplied by Paul Bodensiek of ParaGrafix. I and a few others, including Jim James, an ex-pat living in Florida, made our way round, talking with the builders, making the odd suggestion and generally putting in our two pence worth - though, given the location, I should say “two cents worth…”

Wait here please

The main events started on the Saturday with dealer rooms being the initial focus for attendees, who patiently stood in line down the corridor - until the doors were opened, when the rush started!  

Meeting a mastermind

Dealers and displays, of which there were almost 100, covered the whole range of WonderFest interests, so we are talking science-fiction, fantasy and horror, with many figures, but a good smattering of craft and other models appeared as well. I met up again with George Stephenson, after many years. George was the mastermind behind GEOmetric, though that was some time ago, and I hadn’t seen George for well over a decade. He’s now creating 1:1 scale figure heads for his company BlackHeart.

More faces

Fellow space modeller Jay Chladek was there, as was Rob Schmitt of Iwata Airbrushes, Larry Thompson of Pegasus Hobbies, and Frank Winspur and Dave Metzner of Moebius Models. Jamie Hood of Round 2 was showing the company’s latest - and one of the largest - creations, the 1:350 scale original Star Trek USS Enterprise. Another guest I was pleased to meet was Eric Chu (above), who had worked on designs for the new series of Battlestar Galactica.

Original Ghost Buster

A special guest was Bob Burns (above left) who besides having taken over, to a certain extent, the mantle of the late Forrest J. Ackerman, with his collection of movie memorabilia, was also an actor in his own right. However, for one of his premier roles, he spent the whole time inside a gorilla suit, playing ‘Tracy’ from ‘The Ghost Busters’. And here, yes, the style of wording is correct, as we are talking about the original TV series, not the better-known movies. If you can locate a DVD of the show, its blend of absolute chaos is not to be missed - rather like The Three Stooges colliding with The Goodies, with a bits of Scooby-Doo and Rentaghost thrown in for good measure!

People at WonderFest

The photos here concentrate on the people at WonderFest. Future articles will cover dealer stands, the model competition, and some of the other ‘interesting events’ over a very full weekend. I thought the event was excellent - if you get the chance to go, go! 

Space modeller, Jay Chladek (left) with Bob Koenn. Bob worked on all the Shuttle missions, mainly inspecting the Orbiters when they returned from space.

You never know who you’ll meet at WonderFest, Here, Jango Fett bumps into Bossk.

One of the Show’s organisers, Lee Staton, glances through one of Mat’s books. Lee was the mastermind behind Icarus Models, though that was quite a few years ago. 

Rick Delfavero, (right) of MegaHobbies was present. His business partner Pete Vetri was also there, though he managed not to be in this photo!

Rob Schmitt on the Iwata Airbrushes stand.

Dave Metzner of Moebius Models (left) with Jimmy Flintstone - of his own ‘Productions’.

Mat Irvine and Steve Iverson. 

More visitors from another planet…

Dave Metzner, Frank Winspur (of Moebius Models) and Steve Iverson.

George Stephenson and his latest project, 1:1 scale heads, though I presume Godzilla isn’t actually lifesize.

Tracy Brownfield of Federation Models and friend. Er, Tracy’s on the right.

KENTUCKY FRIED SCIENCE-FICTION - WONDERFEST HOBBY EXPO COMING ON MAY 26-27

SMN REPORT:

The WonderFest Hobby Expo is a weekend-long feast of science-fiction, horror, and fantasy modelling that’s held every summer in Louisville, Kentucky. This year, there’ll be a star-packed lineup of movie special effects guests, and a mega-size model contest for sci-fi, horror, and comics-related subjects. Model and toy dealers will be there, as will seminars to entertain and improve sci-fi hobbyists of all ages.

Louisville's glittering nightscape.

Huge range of models, collectibles and events

There’s more - WonderFest features the how-to University, plus after-hours parties and get-togethers. There will be modelling demos, even a cinema. And of course, there’ll be plenty of collectibles from around the globe to inspect and buy. All of which sounds ace to the SMN crew, and a top get-go if you’re free and available. 

WonderFest - a growth story

WonderFest began as a modelling swap meet in August of 1990, called simply: 'The Louisville Plastic Kit and Toy Show.' The show was renamed WonderFest in 1992, and has been an ever-growing annual fixture since, with its model competition now the biggest of its kind in the world. A further part of the WonderFest draw is the guest list - famous faces who appear at the show. 

Hot 2012 guest lineup

The guests will give you a chance to meet the creative talents behind your fave movies, TV shows, books and comics. They’ll be giving talks and discussions, and for collectors, there will be scheduled autographing times. Here’s an alphabetical-order sprinkling of the talent on offer:

Julie Adams - actress

The star of Creature from the Black Lagoon will surface at WonderFest to celebrate her autobiography The Lucky Southern Star: Reflections from the Black Lagoon.

Joanna Cassidy - actress

Blade Runner star Joanna Cassidy appeared as Zhora, the beautiful and deadly replicant assassin from the groundbreaking sci-fi movie of 1982. It’s a role that’s made her a legend in genre film circles.

Eric Chu - designer-illustrator

Concept artist for the SyFy Channel revamp of Battlestar Galactica, acknowledged as a modern classic, and packed with believable - and highly modellable - star-spanning spacecraft hardware.

Who’s this? SMN’s own Mat Irvine!

The trainer and operator of K-9, Doctor Who’s original robot dog, will materialize at WonderFest, thanks to CultTVman’s Fantastic Modeling and Hobbyshop. Best known for his work on Doctor Who, for which he was a Visual Effects Designer, Mat worked in the BBC's VFX Department for more than 20 years, and contributed heavily to other classic British sci-fi shows, such as Blake's 7 and Edge of Darkness.

*** Upcoming - Mat’s Marvellous Model Museum book

Mat will also be trailing news of his in-the-works MMMM ebook, for online sale this summer. Keep an eye on this space for news and information on this exciting project - and if you’re at WonderFest, ask Mat for a signed MMMM mini-card!

Bill Moseley - actor

If you like horror, here’s the star of such features as Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, Army of Darkness, House of 1000 Corpses and many more.

Giorgio A. Tsoukalos - alien expert

Star and Consulting Producer of 'Ancient Aliens - The Series' and publisher of Legendary Times Magazine, the only ancient astronaut publication in the world. 

*** There's a glitch on the link below, so visit WonderFest here.

Summation - should you go?Absolutely - as the WonderFest organizers put it: “If you dream of collecting models and toys - or simply love the movies they’re based on - you’ll GO APE over WonderFest! 

For more information visit WonderFest here.

MOEBIUS MODELS BATTLESTAR GALACTICA - HUGE SPACECRAFT, TINY SCALE

Size is Important, says Mat Irvine:

There is a big problem when you try to make a small model of an immense object, and it is literally one of scale. With most models, it’s an easy subconscious trick to work out scale by comparing bits and pieces on the model to their real-life counterparts.

Reducing a vehicle to, say, 1:25 scale is perfectly acceptable as the doors, seats, steering wheel are familiar objects. A 1:35 scale battle tank has immediately identifiable features, and an 1:72 scale aircraft equally so - even if it is 72 times smaller than the real thing. Even 1:144 scale airliners are OK, as you can still make out doors and imagine yourself sitting behind those tiny windows. But go further, to ocean liner and warship scale - mostly 1:600 down to 1:1200 scale -  at which point commonplace window and door detail starts to disappear.

Box sides have useful extra pictures.

Mighty movie battlewagon

But what happens with craft meant to be several kilometres or even miles long? For that’s the situation with the 1:4105 scale Moebius Models Battlestar Galactica - a reduction at which a typical human would be a speck just 0.04 mm tall! As conceived for the excellent re-imagined 2003 TV series, the huge spacecraft is almost a mile long. Look at any object that length (some bridges are) and you will notice that while shape and structure are fine, familiar-object detail gets lost. It’s the case with this model, so whilst imagination may to fill in many details, it could be possible to put a familiar ‘something’ next to the ship for comparison purposes. The USS Enterprise aircraft carrier for instance would be just 83 mm (3.3 in), long, while the Eiffel Tower would be 79 mm (3.1 in) high. Either of these examples would really underline the Galactica’s huge size, as it is some 330 mm (13 in) long when assembled. 

Inside the box are three component-packed polythene bags and excellent instructions.

Evolution of the Galactica story

The Battlestar Galactica storyline has had something of a chequered career since its first airing in 1978. Various incarnations appeared before the present, hugely successful, version was released. In the model world, Monogram made four kits from the original TV series, while this Moebius Models version features the latest Galactica. It’s slightly smaller than the Monogram ‘Mk I’, and does suffer somewhat from that lack of indication of scale and size. Overall however, it is a realistic attempt, with plenty of ribbing and surface detail that just beg to be given the super-detail and weathering treatment. And lest anyone say there is no weather in space, remember that the Battlestar featured here is half a century old, has been in plenty of space battles, and has likely suffered much erosion from dust, gas, and interstellar radiation - plus, of course, plenty of combat damage and repair work.

Plans are printed in colour, which is a great help for the final scheme.

What’s in the box?

The box contains three big polythene bags, containing 67 components, including five clear parts. There is also a metal rod that fits into the supplied display stand. Assembly is aided by a comprehensive set of instructions, and colour printing helps a lot, especially when it comes to final finishing. The operational Battlestar Galactica is mostly bare-metal, so finishing the model involves spraying an overall shade of steel, then careful masking for further coats of different shades of gunmetal. And here the plans come into their own, with a five-view technical illustration and colour pix making things clear. Construction is straightforward, though tweezers definitely help with the 24 tiny gun turrets. 

Final model on display - note the excellent pylon stand. 

Should you buy the kit?

For sci-fi fans, and of Battlestar Galactica in particular, this is an essential kit for the collection. With attention to detail and all-important paint detailing, it’ll be a rewarding kit to build. And if you add a scale Eiffel Tower - or even a print of it to the right size - then that visual sense of true-to-life size comparison won’t be lost!

Battlestar Galactica fans should keep an ear to the ground for the upcoming Blood and Chrome, a prequel to the present series. The two-hour pilot is currently being shot, for release planned for late 2011 or early 2012. 

Review kit supplied courtesy Moebius Models.

Visit Moebius Models here.

Battlestar Galactica kits and collectibles here.

Unofficial fan trailer for Blood and Chrome on TouTube here.