A THANK YOU MESSAGE FROM AUSTRALIA

Dear Woodsy, I just wanted to say how much pleasure your blog has given me over the years and I've never thought of contributing in any way or saying thank you before... Shame on me! 

I grew up in the UK watching Thunderbirds and thought the BEST JOB EVER would be to build miniatures for filming. But I emigrated to Australia in 1972 so that seemed to put paid to that dream or so I thought. 

The worlds of Gerry Anderson and later Star Wars had really inspired me to become a modelmaker and designer and I finally got into the Australian film industry, making props and models for films like "Razorback" "Careful He Might Hear you" and "Mad Max 3". Probably my finest hour was working as Head Miniatures on "Dark City" where I made many miniature set pieces, the long shot floating city was my most obvious piece. 

Sadly what looked like a fusion of traditional miniatures and the newly emerging CGI turned out to be the death Knell for modelmaking, so I transferred to the Art Department where I hade study models for films like "The Matrix trilogy" and "Red Planet" where I actually saw some of my design work up on the screen! 

I also worked on Star wars Episodes 2&3, so that was another dream realised (even if it was making hand props rather than spaceship miniatures!) 

Anyway, the tides seem to have turned again and apart from teaching work, my film making days seem to be over rather sooner than I thought. (I recently worked on an upcoming film called "Infini" which was meant to feature a miniature space refinery, but the plug was pulled because they couldn't afford to shoot it!) 

I'm spending my new found leisure getting on with all those projects that one puts on the back-burner. Up first is a home cinema (to watch Thunderbirds in!) and going all out with the set decoration, I'm making nostalgic versions of the sweets and ice lollies I grew up with for a fake freezer on the sideboard! 

Here are pics of the chocs and lollies - I wonder if any of your readers remember them too? - I'm also including a pic of a fake tin-toy Frank Poole (made by me) inspired by "2001". 

Keep up the great work, your site really takes me back to my lost childhood! 

Yours sincerely, 

Lewis P Morley 

P.S. you can see some of my wife's and my work at www.morleypride.com