Dr. Roney and Quatermass figures. • Military figures painted, prior to weathering. 'TOONZ' toy container -the basis of the space craft. • Deodorant cap initially cut down to create entrance feature. • Main components for front of spacecraft. • Interior detail. • (inset) Rear fuselage main assembly. • Initial selection of spare bits and pieces for the generator. • Assembled generator trolley. • Main hull components with first domes added.


subject for a diorama if handled by a modeller with some skill in that area. As no one was, at the time, available it was decided that we’d make do with my interpretation.


One of the attractions of the project was that the titular pit provided a self- contained setting and, as much as replicating a scene from the serial, the model could also reproduce an impression of the sound stage within the BBC’s then new Ealing studios. The latter had a particular appeal as, in my day job, I’ve had quite a lot of experience of sound stages and sets.


One of the first considerations was what size of model this would be and the governing factor seemed to be the size of the scale figures available, the obvious choice being 1:35. Working on the assumption that these represented men 6 feet in height I was able to make some rough calculations of the size of the object within the pit and other items of scenery. I also had an excuse to watch the DVD of the serial repeatedly. More or less the last scene of the final episode provided some vital information regarding dimensions. In this, Professor Quatermass is addressing a press conference and behind him is a blackboard featuring a chalk diagram of the object with some dimensions marked upon it. In truth I didn’t spot this until I had begun building the object (or craft, as we might as well call it) but my calculations had arrived at the self-same size. That was a happy coincidence and one of several that made me wonder if someone or something wasn’t giving the project a gentle push from time to time. Having worked out a scale for the model I then turned my attention to the figures I would need. The military types would, I thought, be more or less off-the- shelf purchases but I also needed at least two civilian figures and these would not be so easy to find. After a period of fruitless searching I came to the conclusion that these figures would have to be an adaptation of something


71


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19