MOONBASE CENTRAL

Thursday, 21 January 2021

Here’s the first batch of small paintings I did last year, under the title Space: 2020. All based on pictures from a 1957 Japanese Picture Transfer book. I think I sent you some of these before, but if you can use any on the MB blog, be my guest!

Rob C

USA

AIRFIX ORION SPACECRAFT

Some previously published photos I did of my Airfix Orion Spacecraft. Obviously,as they are all photoshopped the tricky part is trying to get the lighting on the model photos right, so it doesn't look too much out of place in the photoshopped background.

A photo of the model showing the lighting prior to it being photoshopped into one of the chosen backgrounds.

Another lighting photo of the model.

Making a Balls Up

Following on from my recent chrome cock-up on the satellite customisation, Lewis Morley has responded with some similar problems he experienced, during a model shoot - and shows how the professionals do it!

Looey writes:

"Wotan made a Luna probe out of a chrome Xmas ball and had problems photographing it due to the extreme reflections that created a fish eye lens view of the entire room around it. While this may be of benefit to CGI surveyors trying to capture environments for their Visual Effects work, it's a killer for model photography! I mentioned I'd had similar problems creating a book cover last year and he expressed interest in seeing it.

So here's my photographic cover for Gillian Polack's novel "Poison and Light" a story set on another planet in the future which is going through a very thorough Georgian revival. All the futuristic buildings are in the process of being remodeled to look like the 18th Century and all the inhabitants wear historical attire.

The spacecraft are advanced interstellar vehicles and a chrome sphere seemed like a good idea. It's only a background item, so I made it out of a chrome ball, carefully scribed and minutely scuffed to give a feeling of scale with a torch reflector embedded for the engine.

I climbed onto my roof to photograph it with a natural sky, but me, the camera and the entire suburb around me were also visible, requiring a lot of Photoshop work to fix!

The rest of the buildings are laser cut cardboard at about 1/50 scale. The foreground figures are sculpted from poly clay and are about 1/25 scale.

I hope these work in progress photos give you a good idea of the work involved."

Thanks Looey, amazing model work!

Wednesday, 20 January 2021

WILL'S OSBORNE SPACEX AND SPACE TOYS 1

This is the first of a series of pictures courtesy of collector and toy shop owner Will Osborne. I have known Will since the late 1990's when I was researching Project SWORD and Spacex toys. Will was a font of information when I started out and continues to be. I'm sure you will enjoy his fabulous pictures and toys.

Of this first set, Will says:

Hi Woodsy. Another Ideal robot [sort of] . The Dekkertoys moonscape with some Spacex for scale and the Spacex Moonbase Set with its lunar plan. Enjoy.

JET READY

Woodsy, here is a little thing I slapped together last week, just to get in some painting practice. It’s the ARII G-2 Jet Boat, a very crude model from the late 1960s or early 1970s.

It’s basically a top and a bottom with a few doodads as accessories, so I tried to gussy up the fuselage as best I could. No figures came with the kit, and as I didn’t want to spend $$$ on expensive aftermarket pilot figures, the G-2 remains unmanned.

Originally powered via rubber band! Enjoy!

Rob C

CT, USA

THE DAEMONS BY CHARACTER OPTIONS

Some previously published photos of my Character Options Daemons set, with a guest appearance from Azal by Eaglemoss.

IDEAL'S ROBERT THE ROBOT

A few photos of my vintage Robert the Robot toy. Sadly, his internal record is broken,so he no longer speaks, and the light in his head is missing, but he still moves, of a fashion, and still looks good after all this time.