Sunday 13 June 2010

Creating the master race.

I might be quiet for a while.

Someone sent me the Airfix kit of 'Daleks in Manhattan' as a late 50th birthday present. It has Dalek Sec and Dalek Caan and a background. Sec is opened-up just before he sucks in the human victim. Oddly, the background includes a dial-laden panel high on the wall, reached by a ladder. I can only assume it was installed by Dalek Twat, or perhaps by Dalek Harman for the sake of inclusivity. Maybe Dalek Anonymous from Skaro borough council.

Much fun, much detail, and Airfix hasn't changed, it's still 'assisted scratchbuilding'.

Here's a chunk of plastic and a picture that looks somewhat like what you're supposed to make out of it. Oh, and the instructions might be lying here and there (they are).

With trimming, filler and swearing, it might turn out pretty good. Did you know that every Dalek has 56 of those half-globes around their casing? I had never counted until Airfix gave me 112 of the bastard things to fix into place.

The Daleks talk, too.

One thing - the friend who sent it to me said that 'Daleks in Manhattan' made him think they'd have top hats and canes. It can be arranged...

There'll be photos when it's done. With top hats and canes.

15 comments:

JuliaM said...

Here's hoping there are no transfers, like you usually get with military vehicles. They were always my bane.

That, and the glue that always went everywhere no matter how careful you were....

Captain Haddock said...

JuliaM said...

"That and the glue that always went everywhere no matter how careful you were"....

Ahh .. Good old "Airfix".. I too remember the days of glue in a thing which looked like Cod-liver Oil capsule .. Ha ha ..

Things only really improved when I discovered Glue in a bottle, with a brush .. but by then, I'd moved on to "Historex" figures ..

Good luck with the Daleks L.I .. Personally, I could never take to "Dr Who" .. the programme always seemed a bit daft to me ..

Conan the Librarian™ said...

Did you know that in the original design for the Daleks, the globes were meant to be flashing lights?
Thanks to BBC cheeseparing, that idea was killed just after all the holes had been drilled...
It's just as well; ambulatory fairground rides probably wouldn't have the same air of menace.

Dioclese said...

I am forced to point out that only wimps read the instructions...

sixtypoundsaweekcleaner said...

I always preferred Captain Scarlett and Joe Ninety.

banned said...

Airfix must have turned over a new leaf; I gave up on them after opening a Christmas present, Apollo Moon Rocket that came in a box you could almost climb into. Wow!
What a rip off, only about twenty parts and all done in about half an hour!
Mind you, to be fair, I was pretty chuffed with my H.M.S. Victory.

Captain Haddock said...

Ahh .. HMS Victory .. that takes me back, having served aboard her myself (before they "civilianised" it) ..

And before anyone makes the obvious comment .. No, I never knew Nelson .. but his Grandad was a hard bastard .. Lol

Leg-iron said...

JuliaM - no transfers. There are cut-out and stick-on dials but I copied those onto cheap photo paper and fixed them with clear lacquer. It works well, and it's a good way to fix in clear plastic too because it doesn't fog the plastic.

Glue was supplied in a tube but I prefer the bottle with the fine metal tube. Less messy and no stringing.

The thing about Daleks and the trucks/civilian ships I normally prefer is that you aren't tied to the instructions. Military stuff is fixed, it has to look exactly as directed, but a lot of the other stuff is open to imagination.

So colour schemes are open, as is internal construction to a large extent.

Leg-iron said...

Conan - that is something of a coincidence.

As a student, I supplemented my grant by making sound-to-light gadgets for discos. My dream, never realised, was a life sized Dalek with all the balls replaced by lights! I'd already called it the 'Dazzling Dalek Disco' and had plans drawn up, but unfortunately it was way out of anyone's price range to build it.

Lots of interest, no cash up front, so it never happened.

Leg-iron said...

Dioclese - I always read the instructions. I don't necessarily follow them...

Leg-iron said...

Sixtypoundsaweekcleaner - I remember those. Joe 90 was probably taken off the air because of child labour laws.

Captain Scarlet made a brief CGI comeback but fizzled out again. Pity. One of the best Airfix kits was that Angel fighter.

Leg-iron said...

Banned - I once bought the Airfix Concorde which was in the same vein. About ten parts altogether and the nose didn't even dip. A total waste of time and money.

Leg-iron said...

Captian Haddock - Historex rings a bell, I remember a Roundhead model and I think, Henry VIII. Was that an Airfix subset?

Captain Haddock said...

Airfix did make a series of 54mm figures, including the mounted Roundhead & a mounted Lifeguard (Waterloo) ..

The larger figures you mention (1/16th, I think) included Henry VIII, Elizabeth I, A Guardsman, Julius Caesar & A Yeoman of the Guard (possibly others which I've forgotten)..

Historex were & are manufacured in France from a superior grade of plastic .. they're highly detailed & come with several different heads and arms, so that one could create "original" figures, without resorting to "scratch building" .. They're mainly French Napoleonic troops, though some British regiments are also represented ..

Leg-iron said...

Stupid bloody Airfix.

These Daleks have a little voice and light thing in the head, you lead the wires through the casing and connect them to the battery box in the base.

The 'ears' light up in time to the voice. Good so far.

The eyestalk is all clear plastic except for the 'eye' which is not. You paint the eyestalk to cover up the light coming from it but as it is, the light comes out of all of the eyestalk EXCEPT THE ONE BIT IT'S MEANT TO COME OUT OF.

I'll have to hunt out my Dremel.

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