Eagle Transporter

Here are some images MPC/Round 2 models 1/48 scale Eagle Transporter from the television series Space 1999.

From Wikipedia"
 The Eagle Transporter is a fictional spacecraft seen in the 1970s British television series Space: 1999. The Eagles serve as the primary spacecraft of Moonbase Alpha, which has a fleet of them, and are often used to explore alien planets, defend Moonbase Alpha from attack, and to transport supplies and other items to and from the Moon. The Eagle was designed by Brian Johnson who had worked with Gerry Anderson on Thunderbirds in the mid-1960s and had produced the spacecraft for the 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey. The Eagle spacecraft influenced the spaceship designs of Star Wars and other science fiction films and television series.
 The Eagles are constructed by the engineering and technical section of Moonbase Alpha using materials and components either shipped from Earth or manufactured on the Moon.^[1] The latter is usually proposed as a rationale for the perceived seemingly endless supply of Eagles despite their frequent losses. At the time of the episode "The Last Sunset", dialogue indicated that there were twenty-eight serviceable Eagles on the roster.
 Completely modular, the craft are divided into three basic sections: the command module, the passenger module/service pod, and the superstructure (containing the landing gear, access corridor/galley, aft compartment, fuel tanks and main propulsion system). The command module also has an escape hatch as revealed in the episode "Devil's Planet", although it is unknown whether this is an original design feature or an adaptation that was designed by Moonbase Alpha. The command module of the Eagle can detach from the main body as seen in the episode "Dragon's Domain" enabling it to dock with another compatible craft or for use as an emergency escape capsule. All Eagles are equipped with artificial gravity.

The Eagles are powered by four nuclear fusion rockets and carry fuel reserves for 48 hours (2 days) of flight. Artificial gravity force fields built into the Eagle enable it to accelerate up to 15% of the speed of light, giving it a maximum range (with extra fuel reserves) of several light days. (At 15% of the speed of light, an Eagle would need nearly 7 days to traverse a distance of one light day.) Should there be a need for higher-than-normal velocities, a set of two booster rockets can be fitted to the superstructure to augment the main propulsion system. Under ideal conditions, re-fuelling is carried out in the maintenance hangar at Moonbase; under extraordinary circumstances, provisions for in-flight fuelling are possible.
The Eagle also has the capability to enter the atmosphere of a normal-gravity planetary body, land using its chemically fuelled landing rockets, and take off and return to Moonbase Alpha.^[1] The Eagle maintains sufficient fuel for multiple take-offs and landings. Should the craft be required to operate within meta-gravity conditions (take-offs and landings from a high-gravity spatial body), the craft can be equipped with four downward-pointing booster rockets to augment the normal vertical rockets on the craft's undercarriage.
The on-board computer system can handle guidance, astro-navigation, and interpretation of sensor data; for comprehensive data analysis, telemetry is transmitted to Moonbase Main Computer. The craft can also be flown by remote control from Moonbase Alpha.

Although the Eagle was not designed for use as a military vessel, some Eagles on Moonbase Alpha are fitted with a laser emitter as standard equipment and an arsenal of space-to-space missiles. The episode "War Games" suggests that only seven of Alpha's many Eagles are armed at that time. It is demonstrated in the series that Eagles were primarily designed for transport, reconnaissance and scientific surveys. In "War Games" the Eagles are badly outmatched by the Mark IX Hawk, which were designed specifically for combat. The Hawks were faster, more manoeuvrable, and better-armed than the Eagles, although a skilled Eagle pilot such as Alan Carter was still able to destroy several Hawks in the battle to defend Moonbase Alpha.
In addition to the primary weapons mounted on the underside of the Eagle superstructure frame (directly behind the command module)intended for combat or defence when in flight, a retractable laser gun was revealed in Year Two for use when the craft is grounded. This mid-size weapon was mounted on the dorsal surface of the spaceframe and emerged from the girders of the ship's 'backbone'. It can be adjusted to fire in 360 degrees and at numerous angles of elevation. Various pods also carry small arms; a rack of stun-guns and a single laser rifle for the use of crew is mounted by one of the two main hatches.
 Eagles are generally flown by two trained astronauts (Eagle pilots) from the Reconnaissance Section; although the craft can easily be handled by a single pilot, the right seat in the Eagle command module is routinely occupied by an astronaut co-pilot, although this varies according to mission profile. Many non-Reconnaissance personnel on Alpha are former astronauts or have received flight training and are qualified to handle the craft. Eagles can also be piloted by remote control from the Alpha command centre.
 The model of the Eagle used in filming was built in four scales: by the end of the series, there were three 44-inch (110 cm) Eagle models, two 22-inch (56 cm) Eagles, one 11-inch (28 cm) Eagle, and a 5-inch (13 cm) Eagle. The superstructure framework was composed of copper tubing on the larger-scale models and the command module was vacuum-formed plastic. Compressed freon streams were used to portray the vertical jets used in lift-off and landing sequences and, in Year Two, the exhaust from the main rockets. The special effects team worked in Bray Studios, a separate studio away from where the live action filming took place.^{[citation needed]}

The production team included several experts who later went on to win Academy Awards for Alien (1979) and The Empire Strikes Back (1980):

• Brian Johnson - SFX Designer, Director
• Nick Allder - SFX Director (Year 1), Lighting Cameraman (Year 2)
• Martin Bower - Modeller

The Eagle became an iconic design in the 1970s, and inspired toys and model kits from various manufacturers. Between 1975 and 1980, Dinky Toys manufactured two well-detailed die-cast Eagle toys, each with different modules and colouring. The Transporter was fairly faithful to the version seen on the show, with the exception of the colouring which consisted of a green main body and a white transporter pod. The Freighter pod, while not accurate to those seen on the show, was inspired by the winch pod. The first edition Freighters came with the main Eagle painted a more correct white, while the waste container carrying pod was painted red. In later editions the Freighter Eagle was changed to blue with a white pod. The Transporter retained the incorrect green/white colour combination for the entire run. Airfix released self-assembly model kits around the same time. In the United States, LJN Toys also manufactured smaller versions in the 1970s, and the company Centuri released a rocket-powered "flying" Eagle Transporter kit. In more recent years, toy/model Eagles have been manufactured by other companies, including Product Enterprise and Iconic Replicas.
The repainted Eagle Transporter was used in the 1980s Polish educational TV series Przybysze z Matplanety ("Visitors from Mathsplanet") as the aliens' spacecraft.
The bulk of an Eagle model was seen as the wreckage of an unknown starship in the Red Dwarf episode "Psirens".

Space 1999 "The Alien"

Here are some images of MPC/Round 2 1/25 scale Space 1999 "The Alien".
Let's see, where does one begin?
This vehicle has never appeared on "Space 1999" in any way, shape, or form.
This model is actually a George Barris design that was originally called the "Moon Scope".
However MPC  in their infinite wisdom decided to revamp the kit with the addition of a few extra tiddly bits, plus a space suited figure with base. MPC probably did this to bulk up their Space 1999 kits which was quite popular at the time, and they most likely felt that the real buggy used in the show was to boring to make a kit out of.
I decided to revamp the model with an open hood, as I couldn't see any other logical way to gain entry into the vehicle. I also created some seat belts for the vehicle as well.
I also built the wheels in such a way as to have small wheels on the front and larger wheels at the back.
As for the space suited figure I couldn't in all conscience bring myself to building it as I personally found it a gawd awful design. Unfit for modeling consumption. But hey, to each his own I guess.
I wish Round 2 would re release the Space 1999 Hawk model. That's the one everyone wants.

Eagle HLT (Heavy Lift Transport)

Here are some images of my kitbash of the Eagle HLT (Heavy Lift Transport) inspired from the Space 1999 universe. Built from two MPC 1/72 scale MPC Eagle 1 Transport kits and parts from my spares box.

With two and a half times the lifting capacity as the Eagle Transports the Eagle HLT was instrumental in the construction of Moonbase Alpha.

Alpha Moonbase

Here are some images of MPC/AMT/ERTL 1/3200 scale Alpha Moonbase from the television series Space 1999.
The base of this model is scratch built and designed to be hung on a wall.

From Wikipedia"

Located in the Moon crater Plato and constructed out of quarried rock and ores, Moonbase Alpha is four kilometres in diameter and extends up to one kilometre in areas below the lunar surface. The complex extends outward from the central Main Mission tower in a series of concentrically-arranged curved structures connected by travel-tube transit tunnels. (The look is more than reminiscent of Clavius Base in the film 2001: A Space Odyssey.) Apart from the central tower, the surface buildings are two to three storeys in height.

Originally, the base was designed to serve as both Earth's primary space research and exploration centre and a monitoring station co-ordinating the nuclear waste disposal areas on the Moon's far side. Construction began on 3 February 1983, but was briefly halted during the 1987 world war. Construction commenced afterwards under the auspices of the new World Space Commission. Though operational and occupied for years, final completion of the Alpha construction project occurred in 1997.

Moonbase Alpha is totally self-sustaining. Power is generated by four nuclear reactors and the accumulation of solar energy. Earth-normal artificial gravity is generated by eight towers surrounding the complex. Water is obtained from ice deposits under the lunar surface, recycled and purified. Nutritional requirements are met by a variety of familiar-appearing foodstuffs produced biochemically on Alpha This diet was supplemented by frozen-food products imported from Earth before all contact with home was severed in September 1999. (At the time of "Breakaway", about eighty percent of food and water products were produced chemically on Moonbase.)

The international pooling of technical skill and resources after the War of 1987 resulted in the advanced construction of Moonbase Alpha. The operations and living areas are both functional and spacious (unlike early space capsules and Earth-orbiting stations). Main Mission, the control centre of the installation, is a massive, multi-leveled room. Opening into Main Mission from behind large sliding doors is the Command Office, which includes a large conference and conversation area. Corridors run eight feet wide throughout the base and the pipes and wiring trunks that festooned the walls of previous ocean-going military vessels and spacecraft are concealed behind four-foot-by-eight-foot modular panels.

All Alpha personnel have their own suite of rooms in the Residence Section with sitting room, sleeping alcove and private bathroom. Suites with a separate, larger bedroom are available to married staff members. Personnel also have the option to live with a roommate if desired. The Recreation Section boasts a gymnasium, private work-out rooms, a solarium with adjacent sauna and swimming pool, bowling alley, performing-arts theatre and separate cinema and a reference library with both real books and electronic equivalents. Recreation lounges and restaurants are scattered throughout the complex.

Several buildings are given over to research in a number of scientific fields including astronomy, geology, chemistry, biology and astrophysics. Others are devoted to the Technical and Maintenance Sections and are responsible for the repair and upkeep of Moonbase and its many complex systems. The Eagle transporters and other ancillary craft are maintained and stored in an underground hangar complex.

In contrast, Year Two revealed that an underground complex had been constructed and expanded upon between the two series and that the majority of Alpha's command, operations and living centres had been relocated there.^[17] The vulnerable Main Mission had been abandoned in favour of the safer underground Command Centre, a smaller control room with many of the same features of Main Mission. The Medical Section once occupied an entire building on the Moon's surface and included several large wards, trauma, casualty and diagnostic units, intensive care wards and operating theatres. Underground, it was reduced to a few rooms, the main Medical Centre acting as a combination patient ward, examination room and surgery all in one. Living quarters were now one small room which did not even appear to have a private bath.

Other facilities revealed in Series Two were a complement of offensive laser batteries which had been installed around the Moonbase complex (starting in "The Metamorph"). These large weapons were stored underground and raised to the surface when deployed. They had a range of at least forty-three thousand kilometres and were controlled from the Weapons Section, a small, bunker-like room. In "The Exiles", the Golos cylinders were taken for examination in an 'underground research area', a laboratory facility constructed inside a lunar mountain on the rim of the crater containing Moonbase. This secure area, designed for the performance of potentially hazardous experiments, was connected to Alpha only by travel-tube and boasted its own Eagle landing pad.

Eagle over Clavius Composite

Here is a composite image of AMT's 1/72 scale Eagle Transporter from the 70's TV series Space 1999 flying over my scratch built model of Clavius Base from 2001 a space odyssey.
I feel Clavius Base was the obvious inspiration for Moon base Alpha from Space 1999.

Images of the Eagle model can be seen here.

Images of the Clavius Base model can be seen here.

Eagle

Here are some images of AMT's 1/72 scale Eagle Transporter from Space 1999.
From Wikipedia "The Eagle Transporter is a fictional spacecraft and the iconic image of the 1970s television series Space: 1999. The Eagles serve as the primary spacecraft of Moonbase Alpha, which has a fleet of them. The Eagles are primarily used to explore alien planets, defend Moonbase Alpha from attack, and to transport supplies and other items to and from the Moon. The Eagle was designed by Brian Johnson; his design was clearly influenced by the 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey. In turn, the Eagle spacecraft influenced the spaceship designs of Star Wars and other science fiction films and television series.
The Eagles are constructed by the engineering and technical section of Moonbase Alpha using materials and components either shipped from Earth or manufactured on the Moon. The latter is usually proposed as a rationale for the perceived seemingly endless supply of Eagles despite their frequent losses. At the time of the episode The Last Sunset, dialogue indicated that there were twenty-eight servicable Eagles on the roster.
Completely modular, the craft are divided into three basic sections: the command module, the passenger module/service pod, and the superstructure (containing the landing gear, access corridor/galley, aft compartment, fuel tanks and main propulsion system). The command module also has an escape hatch as revealed in the episode Devil's Planet, although it is unknown whether this is an original design feature or an adaptation that was designed by Moonbase Alpha. All Eagles are equipped with artificial gravity.