Eagle Transporter 1/72

[gengriz]

This was a rather nice Christmas present from MrsT and the MiL. I've been building since Boxing Day, which, by my standards, makes it a very long build!

It's the new-ish mpc 1/72 Scale kit, which first appeared in 2019. Far more compex than the previous mpc/Airfix kit (which is about 1/96 apparently), this one is 35cm long when completed (14 inches). It makes an interesting comparison with the 1/72 Millennium Falcon!

Nothing particular to report on the build - it all fits together very nicely as you would expect for what was not a cheap kit !















and with the MF:



FredT

[DavidWomby]

Definitely a step up from the original Airfix. Lovely build.

I think they do a Hawk too, Fred.

David

[JamesPerrin]

Super build.

Next to the MF it looks less SciFi and more real space.

[iggie]

Excellent work!
It certainly does look a lot better than the older mpc offering, especially around the fore and aft fuselage framing
(And as David says, they do indeed do a Hawk. When's your birthday? )

[gnomemeansgnome]

I like that a lot! Very nice results.

[Battletweety]

Wow that is a huge improvement from the original 1/72 bird. Who doesn't love a Space 1999 Eagle. Very nicely done.

[Tarkas]

That is nice... and I do like seeing the Eagle next to the Falcon... Good work.

As regards the scale of the original MPC/Airfix kit, I have seen several figures for that. Airfix claimed 1/72 -- but then, they would, wouldn't they? -- and if the Round 2 1/48 model is 22 inches long, then it's easy to see where the 1/96 figure comes from. The bookazine Modelling 1999 included articles which scaled both Airfix kits (Eagle and Hawk) at 1/87 (HO scale ) -- which was also, IIRC, close to the actual scale of the supposedly-1/72 Angel Interceptor, so Airfix were being consistent. Back in those days, nobody much really went in for "studio scale", which both the Airfix Eagle and the big Round 2 one are, so they missed an opportunity there.

Regardless, that is a very nice-looking model. Did you build a cockpit or are the upper "windows" simply decals? Either way, they look good.

[gengriz]

Thanks Tarkas. It is about the same length as the Falcon - not immediately obvious from the picture. The cabin windows are decals - same ones as on the 1/48 kit I believe, and they do match some of the screen shots. There are two options - with space suits and without. If I had one criticism of this kit, it would be that they didn't provide proper windows as the cabin is ripe for detailing - although cutting them out wouldn't be too hard and there are resin interiors available.

[Tarkas]

Thanks, gengriz, that's useful to know about the decals for when I get the kit. I'll have to look for the resin cockpit; I have the ParaGraphix etched cockpit for the Round 2 1/72(?) Hawk, which I look forward to building. I'm going to use a couple of the old Airfix 1/72 Astronauts as crew -- suitably painted, of course -- as they're about as close as I can find to 1/72 Alphan crew in spacesuits. Crooked Dice do a 28mm miniature that matches the 1999 suit, but 28mm is too big for 1/72.

[Dazzled]

A wonderful model Fred. I really do like that

[G-Man69]

Nice build Fred, is the medical pod detachable? It was interesting seeing it alongside the same scale MF, for some reason I imagined a much larger size difference (length-wise).

It would be interesting to see how it compares with the Sixteen 12 Eagles shape-wise? Size-wise I think your Eagle is nearly 2" longer.

Cheers,

G