A beautiful machine, no doubt, but I will never understand why models nowadays have to have all those pretentious painted panel lines, and conspicuous smudges of dirt around same. It does not make the vehicle look more realistic, but it does look "Show-Offy" - at least to me. If that's what's called "Weathering," you can have it. I like my space vehicles clean and shiny, thank you! Great pix as usual!
I suppose a space prop model like this Zigg represents the mucky world of industrial space. I wonder if kids weathered their pristine toys? I can't remember if I did.
Don't blame David Sissons for the paint job Zigg because the guy responsible is ...well it's me ! As a BBC Visual Effects Design Assistant in 1989, I co-designed Starbug with fellow Design Assistant Mike Tucker and Designer Peter Wragg. As Woodsy points out, our brief was to come up with an 'industrial' shuttlecraft, with a quirky look, befitting a working vehicle belonging to the fictional Jupiter Mining Corporation. Hence the 'dirty' finish. As for the panels, they were intended to give the ship a sense of scale, and would have been scribed into the model, or glued over the top, but the budget didn't allow the time to do that so they were painted on. You may not like it Zigg, but I think I helped to deliver what the writers asked for and produced a decent and memorable TV Sci Fi ship
Undoubtedly the best replica Starbug ever built !
ReplyDeleteA beautiful machine, no doubt, but I will never understand why models nowadays have to have all those pretentious painted panel lines, and conspicuous smudges of dirt around same. It does not make the vehicle look more realistic, but it does look "Show-Offy" - at least to me. If that's what's called "Weathering," you can have it. I like my space vehicles clean and shiny, thank you! Great pix as usual!
ReplyDeleteI suppose a space prop model like this Zigg represents the mucky world of industrial space. I wonder if kids weathered their pristine toys? I can't remember if I did.
DeleteDon't blame David Sissons for the paint job Zigg because the guy responsible is ...well it's me !
ReplyDeleteAs a BBC Visual Effects Design Assistant in 1989, I co-designed Starbug with fellow Design Assistant Mike Tucker and Designer Peter Wragg.
As Woodsy points out, our brief was to come up with an 'industrial' shuttlecraft, with a quirky look, befitting a working vehicle belonging to the fictional Jupiter Mining Corporation. Hence the 'dirty' finish.
As for the panels, they were intended to give the ship a sense of scale, and would have been scribed into the model, or glued over the top, but the budget didn't allow the time to do that so they were painted on.
You may not like it Zigg, but I think I helped to deliver what the writers asked for and produced a decent and memorable TV Sci Fi ship