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Round2 MPC Space
1999 Eagle
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I'm
old enough to remember seeing Space 1999 when it was first shown
on TV. I watched the Anderson's UFO series as well before that,
so following Space 1999 was a natural for me.
Like
many others, the Eagle spaceships, and other models in the series,
caught my eye. In the 1970s when the MPC 12-inch Eagles were issued,
I built plenty of those over the years. Even as late as the 1990s,
and recently the new version with the resin parts to create the
laboratory pod and upper booster set.
This
newest kit by Round2 is 22-inches long (half the size of the original
series models, which were 44-inches in length). It's also exceptionally
accurate to the TV series models.
The
two sub-assemblies for the body were assembled. Though they look
complex, Round2 has made all the joins easy to follow and glue
together. It's all well thought out as far as the way the kit
was developed.
The
front one nearly fell together, and it went quickly. The rear
one, for reasons I couldnt figure out, needed some muscle from
some clamps to hold it square while the glue dried.
The
spine went together well. I glued the two main parts end to end,
and let those driy for a few days. I then came back and added
all the extra crossmembers.
Just
make sure the entire spine is square when you build yours. Look
down the spine from one end with your eye, so that the two sides
have the same angle, and the upper portion is square in the middle.
Once
dry, it seems to be quite strong.
The
nose cone is detachable to show the pilots. I painted that piece
with the two figures. The space suits would be orange, so I first
painted them yellow, as the lightest color, since darker colors
(orange) will cover yellow easily, rather than the other way around.
The
nose cone is primarly two parts, halves as it were. The seam was
minimal, I only had to use my finger to smooth on a little putty
in a few places at the joints. It was then shot with primer and
white paint.
The
landing gear pods have been assembled. Again, the joins were minor,
so only a few spots needed any putty to fill them. I've assembled
the halves for the tanks for the rear engines, I still need to
work on those seams.
For
the main middle cargo pod, I plan on making it orange like the
VIP version. Though only the faces will be orange. To do that,
I've primered them white, with a coat of white for the doors.
I then masked them off to shoot on the overal orange color.
While
not 100% correct (the entire pod should be orange I believe?),
I think it will look good, I've seen other pods painted this way
online.
I'm
only adding some orange because the Eagles are pretty much only
one solid color overall, and I wanted to add some interest with
some color.
I
don't have plans to light this kit up (the few lights there are
on the actual Eagles). But maybe on the next one I build. I'll
see how the entire kit build goes first.
I
doubt you could see the pilots in the dark nose cone. So rather
than leave the windows clear, I painted them orange. Not that
anyone will notice, but if the outside light hits the nose just
right, it might look good. I used Tamiya Clear Orange on the backside
of the windows.
The
nose cone blackout areas are Round2's decals. A couple of them
broke while adding them to the part, so if I build an Eagle kit
again, I'll probably paint them on instead of using decals.
One
of the two orange painted side panels for the main cargo pod.
The door's center still has to be masked off and painted orange.
The figures have been painted the colors as the show used. I took
liberties with the back panel with my own color choices.
Round2
gives you decals for the chest plates on the figures, and numbers
(1 -9) for the door. You can choose the number you want to use,
I chose "7".
Note
that the orange paint on the pod has been given a coat of Dullcote
to make it have a consistant matte finish.
Starting
to assemble the cargo module. The parts are thick and sturdy.
Various
parts being primed and painted. There were some small seams and
sharp edges that needed some putty and sanding on the pods, but
overall, they fit together well. Round2 used a creative way to
make them fit the Eagle model, yet make them very sturdy to support
the ship.
The
beginning of the nightmare on the tubes and pods for the rear
engines.
Note
the landing gear assembled in the background.
It's
getting there slowly but surely.
The
engine bells were painted a chrome color on the outside.
I
made a paint mask so I could paint the inside of the engine bells
black. It's a piece of cardboard with a hole cut into it. I then
covered it with masking tape, and recut the hole, so the tape
will seal the edges.
I
slip the bell into the hole then painted. And reused the mask
for the other 3.
I
added most of the decals. The engine cluster at the end is a test
in patience.
The
paper instructions could have been better (drawn) and with more
views. In the end, I had to fudge on a few things, but only a
diehard Eagle expert would know by looking at it. 99% of the people
who will see the model won't know or care. Besides, on the real
TV show, they were destroying Eagles, taking them apart for spare
parts, crashing them etc, so I doubt any two of them were exactly
the same.
The
landing gear struts use springs that Round2 provides. One of the
springs fell into one of the assembled pods, and I couldn't get
it out, so I didn't use the springs. Though, I have no intention
of actually 'playing' with the model anyway, so it's not a big
deal. They seem to be ok without the springs.
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Engine
bells are on. |
The
spine, though it seems sturdy, supports everything else on the
model. So I wanted a good solid bond with the glue. I used a clamp
to hold it in place, and let it dry overnight to be sure.
Using
the clamp to mount the rear parts for the glue to dry.
Pretty
much finished.
I
made the base from a prepainted black shelf from Lowes (about
$ 13.00). I used a plastic for-sale sign for the red platform,
which I randomly painted. I then used two Plastuck crater sheets
on each end.
I
used velcro to attach the Eagle to the base, just so it doesn't
fall off. (velcro from Lowes).
Overall,
this is a pretty good kit. Round2 did the ship justice, and made
a kit that can be built by any modest builder with few kits under
their belt. The only hard part of the kit is the rear jungle of
pipes for the engines (and I blame that on the printed directions
more than anything else). Everything else went together with no
real problems.
The
size is impressive. And there are plenty of areas where the kit
can be detailed even more, especially with the cargo pod. It's
worth every penny of the price.
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