[In The Stash] MPC / Round 2 2018 1:72 Mark IX Hawk
Hi, Everyone!
Many sci-fi fans remember the 1975 British-Italian television show Space: 1999. Some consider it a classic with high-at-the-time production values and thought-provoking story ideas while others find the episodes dragging with poor plots, bad acting, and lots of very questionable science.
The show ran for two seasons, each one being very distinct from the other. Season one featured often-explosive Commander John Koenig (played by Martin Landau), soft-spoken Doctor Helena Russell (Barbara Bain, who was Landau's wife at the time), science adviser Professor Victor Bergman (Barry Morse), and many other members of Moonbase Alpha. Many of the first season episodes skewed toward the cerebral which made them seem long and drawn out to critics. By season two, Star Trek: The Original Series third season producer Fred Freiberger had come onto the show, and made tweaks so that it became more action oriented in efforts to appeal to a wider audience. By then, gone was the Bergman character with him being replaced by an alien science officer Maya (Catherine Schell), some characters would go missing while a few new ones were added, and some set design and costume changes were made.
While opinions of the show itself varies quite a bit, most will agree that the special effects were top notch. In particular, the design of the Eagle Transporter, the main spacecraft featured on the show, would go on to become iconic being both fantastical and realistically believable at the same time. In the episode "War Games," the 17th of season one, a space fighter design was introduced - the Mark IX Hawk. While only appearing in that particular episode, the Hawk would become very memorable with its obvious resemblances to parts of the Eagle, and has always been thought of fondly by fans of the show.
In 1977, MPC produced a 1:72 model of the Hawk (kit number 78-1904-202). Airfix would also sell the kit in Europe (kit number 05173-2) where it would be re-released in 1979 and 1983. The kit was small, under-detailed, and featured many inaccurate sections. However, since the kit was not as available as the Eagle kit, it became quite a collector's item among sci-fi modelers. When Round 2 re-released the original 1:72 MPC Eagle Transporter kit in 2013 (kit number MPC791), it had a very successful production run which led them to produce new-tooled kits that included the very popular, larger-scale 1:48 Eagle. With that bigger kit becoming a hit as well, Round 2 saw fit to replace the old Hawk molds with brand new ones. A new, well-researched and accurate 1:72 Mark IX Hawk was then introduced in 2018 (kit number MPC881)!
Let's take a quick look at the MPC / Round 2 Mark IX Hawk kit...
Here is the box top.
Here is a closer look at the assembly instructions sheet and decal sheet.
The parts count for this kit is 61. There are no clear parts featured with this model. Also included are parts for Round 2's usual dome display stand. The model is considered to be 1:72 scale and comes out to about 10 inches (25.4 cm) long when built.
We can take a closer look at some of the parts. Can you spot the use of NASA Lunar Module parts as greeblies?
The surface detail over much of the parts is quite nice, sharp, and fine. There are also many parts that are thin and delicate so care is highly recommended when removing them from the sprue trees / runners.
As a bonus, if you want to catch up on the television show itself, Shout Factory, the North American distributor of the show, has made every episode available to watch for free on their web site. The best part is that the video is from the Blu-ray re-master so everything is in high definition and looks pristine. Check it all out at http://www.shoutfactorytv.com/series/space-1999. Enjoy!
In most cases, you should be able to get this kit for under $30.00 U.S.D.. Some select Walmart stores are even selling it for just below $20.00 (http://the-modelshop.com/viewtopic.php?f=92&t=144). If you don't have the model already, should you get it? Absolutely! This new Hawk model is beautifully molded and its accuracy and amount of detail are no longer sore spots. This kit belongs in every sci-fi modeler's collection!
:)
Many sci-fi fans remember the 1975 British-Italian television show Space: 1999. Some consider it a classic with high-at-the-time production values and thought-provoking story ideas while others find the episodes dragging with poor plots, bad acting, and lots of very questionable science.
The show ran for two seasons, each one being very distinct from the other. Season one featured often-explosive Commander John Koenig (played by Martin Landau), soft-spoken Doctor Helena Russell (Barbara Bain, who was Landau's wife at the time), science adviser Professor Victor Bergman (Barry Morse), and many other members of Moonbase Alpha. Many of the first season episodes skewed toward the cerebral which made them seem long and drawn out to critics. By season two, Star Trek: The Original Series third season producer Fred Freiberger had come onto the show, and made tweaks so that it became more action oriented in efforts to appeal to a wider audience. By then, gone was the Bergman character with him being replaced by an alien science officer Maya (Catherine Schell), some characters would go missing while a few new ones were added, and some set design and costume changes were made.
While opinions of the show itself varies quite a bit, most will agree that the special effects were top notch. In particular, the design of the Eagle Transporter, the main spacecraft featured on the show, would go on to become iconic being both fantastical and realistically believable at the same time. In the episode "War Games," the 17th of season one, a space fighter design was introduced - the Mark IX Hawk. While only appearing in that particular episode, the Hawk would become very memorable with its obvious resemblances to parts of the Eagle, and has always been thought of fondly by fans of the show.
In 1977, MPC produced a 1:72 model of the Hawk (kit number 78-1904-202). Airfix would also sell the kit in Europe (kit number 05173-2) where it would be re-released in 1979 and 1983. The kit was small, under-detailed, and featured many inaccurate sections. However, since the kit was not as available as the Eagle kit, it became quite a collector's item among sci-fi modelers. When Round 2 re-released the original 1:72 MPC Eagle Transporter kit in 2013 (kit number MPC791), it had a very successful production run which led them to produce new-tooled kits that included the very popular, larger-scale 1:48 Eagle. With that bigger kit becoming a hit as well, Round 2 saw fit to replace the old Hawk molds with brand new ones. A new, well-researched and accurate 1:72 Mark IX Hawk was then introduced in 2018 (kit number MPC881)!
Let's take a quick look at the MPC / Round 2 Mark IX Hawk kit...
Here is the box top.
Here is a closer look at the assembly instructions sheet and decal sheet.
The parts count for this kit is 61. There are no clear parts featured with this model. Also included are parts for Round 2's usual dome display stand. The model is considered to be 1:72 scale and comes out to about 10 inches (25.4 cm) long when built.
We can take a closer look at some of the parts. Can you spot the use of NASA Lunar Module parts as greeblies?
The surface detail over much of the parts is quite nice, sharp, and fine. There are also many parts that are thin and delicate so care is highly recommended when removing them from the sprue trees / runners.
As a bonus, if you want to catch up on the television show itself, Shout Factory, the North American distributor of the show, has made every episode available to watch for free on their web site. The best part is that the video is from the Blu-ray re-master so everything is in high definition and looks pristine. Check it all out at http://www.shoutfactorytv.com/series/space-1999. Enjoy!
In most cases, you should be able to get this kit for under $30.00 U.S.D.. Some select Walmart stores are even selling it for just below $20.00 (http://the-modelshop.com/viewtopic.php?f=92&t=144). If you don't have the model already, should you get it? Absolutely! This new Hawk model is beautifully molded and its accuracy and amount of detail are no longer sore spots. This kit belongs in every sci-fi modeler's collection!
:)
Comments
Post a Comment