A LOOK AT THE 16/12 COLLISION COURSE EPISODE SET

Time for a look at the new Collision Course episode set from Sixteen 12 Collectables, which features two model nuclear mines.

Sixteen 12  revised nuclear mines

I was lucky enough to be offered the chance to take a few photos of their prototype models a while back, which currently appear on Sixteen 12’s website, and looking at them I can see that they have improved the shape of the mines, making them a little slimmer, and added some detailing.

Sixteen 12 pre-production nuclear mines.

This is one of my photos of the Sixteen 12 pre-production mines. At the time some people were quick to complain about the shape, but being only prototypes the final re-vised result turned out somewhat different. 

Sixteen 12's revised and retooled nuclear mine.

I’ve seen the original filming miniatures , and  comparing them with photos I’ve taken at various venues, and taking into account the practical and mass production aspects of actually economically producing these models, I think Sixteen 12 have veered more towards the smaller of the two filming props, and I imagine the three peripheral spikes used to attach the mine to the winch arms are obviously bigger than those seen on the original props simply so the winch arms are able to safely hold them securely and are less prone to damage.

The original props, made by Martin Bower were made in two scales, the largest made from plastic picnic plates from Woolworths is around 8”, while the smaller is half the size at  4”. The Sixteen 12 version is half again at just 2”. Detailing is similar on both the props, however, the larger one has wider sloped sides.

The revised Sixteen 12 Eagle Grab.

The pre-production Eagle Grab.

Another aspect that Sixteen 12 has changed is the Eagle Grab, so it looks a little more like the original filming prop, although the original looks to be painted a mixture of blue/grey  and possibly silver, although that might be just down to the colour fading over time. Anyway, the Sixteen 12 version is a light blue, with silver legs.

This limited edition set comes with their 12” die-cast Eagle, complete with aluminium machine turned and hand finished engine bells. In place of the pod is the small detachable grab winch which clips under the Eagle frame.   The grab can be raised or lowered on the attached cord by turning the red barrel.

Here’s a photo of the attractive packaging it comes in.

Like all the Sixteen 12 ‘Episode’ sets this comes with a display plinth and an Alpha Moon Buggy, which  helps to give a rough scale of things.

Here's a link to the Sixteen 12 Collision Course set website.
http://www.sixteen12.com/s1999_dc_collision.html