here is something about the genre of science-fiction film that makes its viewers wish to retain something tangible from the experience—to have and to hold something solid that represents the ideas, the concepts, the designs of some of the most marvelous movies ever made. Merchandise based on these films abounds, and for decades the most popular items have been model kits that hobbyists could lovingly build and paint as showpieces to remind them of the films that held their interest so intently.
Cult TV Man is a Web site dedicated to the modeling experience. The site is rich with detailed articles and pictures of model kits and how they were put together either straight out of the box or customized.
Cult TV Man's Ultimate Modeling Guide is a book chock-full of articles that chronologically step through the genre of science-fiction film, articles that show in great detail how to build kits based upon the classics, from the very first science-fiction film, Le Voyage dans la Lune (A Trip to the Moon) through the first of the Star Trek films, Star Trek: The Motion Picture.
Many of the articles deal with kitbashing, the use of parts either scratch-built or taken from other model kits to enhance or to completely restructure some of the models currently available to hobbyists, adding detail where none existed. The articles delve into customizing parts that are either missing or misformed, enhancing the model with fiber-optic lighting, and advanced painting techniques that may seem daunting to the casual builder—but whether novice or expert, any modeler can learn a great deal from this book.
Written in a helpful and informative style by various modelers, the book shows step-by-step photographs (mostly in black and white) of the construction in progress, with pages throughout in color showing the finished models and their dioramas.
The book is a large-format, glossy paperback comprised of 152 pages. However, the cover depicts the models as rendered in a 3-D computer program. This is a mystery, when the actual finished models shine and would have made a much more appropriate cover.
Kitbashing with the experts
Many of the kits described in this book are resin kits that require a bit of work. Many pieces have to be wet-sanded, or drilled, using special precautions to prevent resin dust from getting into the lungs. These pieces must be otherwise touched up and enhanced with various bonding putties to remove air bubbles in the casting process or voids where the resin didn't reach the mold. Right away, it is obvious that the modeling techniques described are advanced, but still, the novice modeler should not shy away from this book. Seeing the results the experts achieve in the color pages of this book will inspire hobbyists to branch out from the instructions and create beyond the kits' original scopes. While it may be difficult for inexperienced modelers to follow some of the procedures in the book, knowing the procedures can challenge them to become better modelers.
The models covered are an eclectic and representative sample from the genre's best: the bulletlike spaceship from A Trip to the Moon, a rocket ship from the Flash Gordon era, the rocket ship Luna from Destination Moon, the Rocketship X-M, the robot, Gort, from The Day the Earth Stood Still, the Martian War Machine from War of the Worlds, the Nautilus from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, the C-57D Starcruiser and Robbie the Robot from Forbidden Planet, George Pal's The Time Machine, The Proteus from Fantastic Voyage, the spacecraft from Planet of the Apes, the Discovery and the Pan Am space clipper Orion from 2001: A Space Odyssey, and the starship Enterprise from Star Trek: The Motion Picture.
Of particular interest in this guide are the kitbashing ideas, using parts from other models to improve a kit's potential display value, including schemes to light a model from the inside, and unique mounting methods. Also stellar is an article on the finding and restoring of the original 12.5-inch Discovery model from 2001: A Space Odyssey for use in the sequel, 2010. These articles are written by professionals who know what they are doing, and there's no better place to learn the craft.
