nnouncement: RK Industries has launched Project E.B.E. For those who have conspiratorial or paranoid delusions, this isn't the equivalent of the government and Proctor and Gamble teaming up. It's the unveiling of new SPFX model kits that can be used to amaze and delight friends and familial relations. Not resin or vinyl, these kits are genuine latex, complete with authentic latex textures, sounds and smells. When preparing to purchase an SPFX model kit, feel free to choose from a variety of models: Ben, who's slightly akin to an alien-human hybrid; Toba Soto, faintly reminiscent of a bald Lieutenant Uhura; the E.B.E. Infant Doll; the E.B.E. Lamp/Incubation Chamber; Abe, a typical eyes-on-the-ends-of-its-stalks alien; and Geta, the classic "gray" model.
Science fiction FX pros Robert and Richard Knight have put together model kits that allow hobbyists to get hands-on experience in how model-making is done for films. At the Science Fiction Weekly Testing Lab, evaluators tested the U.B.E. model (kind of a sad-eyed alien with antennae, pictured above). Like the other kits, it arrives in a partially complete latex state, and no real assembly is required, aside from attaching the antennae (with liquid latex).
The real tasks are trimming, filling and painting. First, all excess latex along seams and edges must be removed and then sanded. Next, any dimples or bubbles must be filled in with liquid latex. The last task is the painting, but this is the most complex step, for only special sorts of paints may be applied to the latex material. When the paint is dry, it should be dusted with powder. Then it is ready to be attached to its wooden base (included). A little liquid latex does the job, and voila -- a professional-quality alien head.
How do you get that special, just-been-autopsied color?
It would have been kind of fun to pour the latex oneself, but as that step is rather time-consuming and messy, the Project E.B.E. kits as they stand make for a nice bit of quality creative time. Hobbyists who may fear the special paint requirements needn't register unease -- detailed instructions as to what kinds of paint mixtures (and how to mix them) are included with the kit. Ever wonder how the pros achieve that unearthly, glossy, insect-eye effect? Puzzle no more.
Although the variety of model kits is a bit small, the styles available do hit on key categories -- the classic, the whimsical, the humorous and the cool. The E.B.E. Infant Doll is the most freakish, but weirdly, has the most personality and appeal. The E.B.E. Lamp/Incubation Chamber comes in a close second -- how can one resist an alien fetus floating in illuminated green plasma?
The only model that doesn't seem up to snuff is the Toba Soto (the Uhura-like alien), which definitely had a whiff of cheese. Otherwise, the rest of the cast seems ready enough for any kit collector's shelf. These kits will probably have some appeal even for those individuals who are not kit-aware, and of course, there is a lot of pull here for X-philes. Worth checking out.
