Wednesday 22 August 2007

Astronef!

This entry is dedicated to Ogrefencer, who I know will be frothing at the mouth in anticipation of the next VSF installment: Astronef!



I found this beauty online today, a model of the spacecraft from the classic 1902 movie "Le Voyage dans la lune" ("A Trip to the Moon")



SCALE: 1/32
MEDIUM: Resin

ABOUT THE DESIGN
In 1902, French magician/filmmaker Georges Melies stunned the world with the world's first major science-fiction film, "La Voyage dans la Lune" ("A Trip to the Moon"). Based on Jules Vernes' classic 1865 novel "From the Earth to the Moon," the fanciful film featured as its centerpiece a manned shell (named "Columbia" in the original Vernes novel) that was literally fired at the moon from a giant cannon (based in Paris in the movie instead of the novel's original Florida launch site.) The shell/spacecraft striking the "Man in the Moon" in the eye is one of the cinema's most famous images.



ABOUT THE KIT

This Herb Deeks all-resin kit consisted of just two pieces: the solid resin "Columbia" shell and the textured "moon base." Both the kit and the nameplate incorrectly date the source film as 1903 instead of 1902. (The box also calls this a "Moon Rocket" although, having no independent means of propulsion, there's nothing "rocket"-like about it.) This model was built from an original issue.



More info here:
http://www.fantastic-plastic.com/ATripToTheMoonPage.htm
(All images of the astronef were sourced from this webpage)

5 comments:

Don M said...

Warning***Evil thought process****

With this size, add a few engines
and wings etc.....This could be converted to a nice Ether or Tesla designed Electron Wind Space Capsule,
in a smaller scale....)

David Crook said...

Lots of panels, lots of bolts and lots of fun! I am giving the Rayleigh Factorium strict instructions to start creating some VSF space stuff.

Thank God for the bank holiday on Monday is all I can say.........

(Pauses to wipe expectant froth from mouth......)

Paul O'G said...

Her Majesty has issued an Imperial writ commanding the Rayleigh Factorium to share photographic eveidence of its construction activities!

Paul O'G said...

Her Majesty has issued an Imperial writ commanding the Rayleigh Factorium to share photographic eveidence of its construction activities!

David Crook said...

Certainment mon ami.......


An exploration of debauchery, vice and other reasons to be a man!

An exploration of debauchery, vice and other reasons to be a man!