As an addition to yesterday's Sixteen 12 'Wargames' Episode set post, here's another look at the photos I’ve taken of the Sixteen 12 ‘Wargames’ Special Edition White Mk IX Hawk.
As most Space:
1999 fans will know, the original model Hawk props, designed by Brian Johnson
and built by Martin Bower were originally painted white as per instructions,
but following delivery to the studio it was decided viewers might confuse the
Hawks with the white Eagles during the ‘Wargames’
space battle scenes, so the more familiar orange paint scheme was applied,
although a few pre-publicity photos of the White Hawk did appear.
In spite of
its single appearance, the Mk IX Hawk has certainly proved a fan favourite, and
over time some magazines and comics have given the Hawk spacecraft various
historical back stories relating to the Space: 1999 universe.
Probably the
most notable came from the American ‘Starlog’ magazine during the late
seventies/early eighties, which did champion Space: 1999 at the time. The magazine’s writers concocted an ‘imagined’
detailed history suggesting that the Hawk is a further development of the SHADO
Interceptor from Gerry & Sylvia Anderson’s previous series, UFO, with upgraded Mark 10 Hawks stationed in the orbiting Space Dock, (Starlog
writers christened the dock, Centuri ) until
the Dock’s destruction, as seen in the opening 1999 episode, Breakaway!
While I
don’t really buy into the UFO connection, I do like the idea that the Hawks
operate and are despatched from a space station.
The question
has been asked by some as to why Earth needed a fleet of elite fighter spacecraft. A hint in the series might be in the second
season 1999 episode, The Rules of Luton,
in which John Koenig recounts to Maya how his wife had sadly died during a
terrible global (and presumably a space) war that took place in 1987. At its
end all prejudice was apparently wiped out, and survivors witnessed the rise of
a new and enlightened civilization!
The only one I have, but very cute, and beautifull pictures as always!
ReplyDeleteMany thanks,fredlight, glad to read you own one.:)
DeleteOne of my early teenage scratchbuild models was the Hawk. I built it from styrene sheet, soldered copper wire and a carved balsawood block for the cockpit.
ReplyDeleteMy reference photos were of the white version, as portrayed in pin ups in Science Fiction Monthly.
It was only later when MPC brought out a kit version, that I discovered how far off my model was. Both the photos I'd been using were perspective shots with extensive foreshortening.
It turns out my model should have been about a third longer!
The problem was always a lack of decent reference photos in those days, wasn't it Lewis.
DeleteI built a studio scale Space City tower during the mid- eighties and could never find a colour shot of the real thing. I even asked Bob Bell about the colour at a convention and he couldn't remember!
I chose a kind of petrol blue in the end.
The shots of the hangar take-off are stupendous Scoop. So well done.
ReplyDeleteThanks Woodsy
DeleteGlorious interior sets on this one!
ReplyDeleteCheers Ziggurat. It was fun building the space station hangar diorama. It makes a change from lunar surface photos.
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