Not only will we be bringing other variations of this classic ship to life, but it marks our first foray into the rich worlds of Gerry and Sylvia Anderson, which occupied so much of my childhood. It's my hope that other people will enjoy these Eagles as much as we do, and that we'll have the opportunity to see other classic ships take flight over the months and years to come."

There were two models at 8inch/20cm x 13cm x 8cm. One is owned by Martin Willey; the other (with figure) is owned by David Hirsch. This scale was used extensively (in the opening scenes of Breakaway, in The Infernal Machine, and in The Last Enemy). The front section is quite foreshortened, but otherwise it is a fair representation. They contain an electric motor to drive the rear pair of wheels. An article on the Moonbase model appears in Sci-Fi & Fantasy Modeller volume 22, July 2011, p85-92 and volume 23, Oct 2011, p93-98, by Bernie Walsh. Launch pads Each kit features authentic details copied from the production props like the buttons, knobs, and switches. The models are engineered to allow easy access for custom lighting by advanced-level modelers.Arra's shuttle was designed by Johnson (as a 15cm long plasticene model) and carved from solid Jelutong wood by Bower in ten days. The wings were plywood and decorated with kit parts from a Boeing Superfortress kit. The entire model was 120cm long. Attention, all sections Alpha. This is Commander John Koenig. As you know, our Moon has been blasted out of Earth orbit. We have been completely cut off from planet Earth. Several quite different launch pads can be seen in the series. The largest and most detailed had a hydraulic platform to raise and lower the 112cm Eagle. Two smaller pads, for the 56cm Eagle, were used, with differing detailing. A cross-shaped pad appeared in several episodes: The Exiles, Brian the Brain and The AB Chrysalis. The launch pads on the Moonbase model were crudely vacuum formed. Travel Tube I find that if you make spacecraft, and so on, rather insect-like then you are half way there. That seems to be the way our technology is going. Take Concorde as an example.

Following up its big 1/48 scale Space: 1999 Eagle transporter released in 2015, MPC has scaled the ship to 1/72 scale which makes it about 14 inches long. The kit includes a stand, optional compressed and extended landing gear to pose it on the ground or in flight, and markings for three spacecraft. I also used MPC’s aftermarket metal engine bell set.

BACKGROUND

The MTU, as it was originally named, was designed by Brian Johnson, Chris Foss and Ron Burton. It was obviously influenced by the 2001 moon bus, although with a more insect-like appearance (Johnson cites a grasshopper as inspiration) and skeletal framework. The original designs were short and squat, but it elongated considerably before the first model was built. Original plans can be seen in the Fanderson Design File Volume 2. The 1.5m domes on the planet moon were built by Bower from Plexiglas, but when he tried to get them out of his workshop he found they were too big to get out the door, so he had to remove his door frame. They were later redressed as the nuclear waste domes in The Bringers of Wonder. The Rules Of Luton Cut out Eagles, based on photographs of the early 112cm and 56cm Eagle (before Alpha insignia was added), can be seen in several episodes, some more obviously than others. The Eagle hangar scenes in Breakaway and Earthbound are quite good, although the publicity photos of the Kaldorian ship reveal the cut outs rather badly. Cut outs can also be seen in The Full Circle, Guardian of Piri and War Games (in the last, being blown up). Unusual buildings were built by Martin Bower for the planet, featuring leg pods from the Airfix Eagle model (many of these have been broken off the model as it is today). One 112cm tall tower was made from a swing-bin. Another, 84cm tall, features three towers one made with a slide projector carousel. A third building, a landing platform, was 72cm tall. The Immunity Syndrome The set includes options for three versions of the stun gun and includes viewscreen and ID badge variants on the water-slide decal sheet.