# Slightly OT: Plan 9 Flying Saucers



## ost15jr (Apr 4, 2002)

I'm just curious if there's anyone here who knows a bit about the Plan 9 From Outer Space Flying Saucer model. 

I recently bought the Plan 9 DVD, which contains a pretty good Plan 9/Ed Wood documentary. In the documentary it suggests that what Ed used as the model for his flying saucers was the only styrene flying saucer kit available back in '58 - the Lindberg Flying Saucer model. Does anyone know when this kit was last released, I.E. if it's reasonably available or if Lindberg still has the molds for it and might have any intentions of rereleasing it in the near future?

:dude:


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## Mike Warshaw (Feb 23, 1999)

What a great old kit that is, with its little green alien. It was released a few years ago, I'm pretty sure, by Glencoe, maybe at the same time as the old Strombecker space kits. Like those, it had a cool box.


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## Otto69 (Jan 2, 2004)

Check ebay, the Glencoe repop comes up for sale fairly frequently and cheaply, like about $10 + shipping. I have one. Now I'll have to look up Plan 9 and see if there's some appropriate kitbashing to be done.

Glencoe is interesting. I've heard that they own the original Strombecker molds and make a new run of the kits whenever the guy who is Glencoe can afford a new run. I'm still trying to get the kits I don't have, particularly the space station and some of the rockets. Strangely I got a "3 stage ferry rocket" last week. I thought this would be fairly good sized, but it's pretty compact at an estimated 1/288 scale. Was this kit released in a larger size originally (complete with clear/red engine plates, multi-part passenger area, etc), or is this just another case of "things look bigger when you're a little kid" like the Aurora Flying Sub?

Anyhow I wish Glencoe would make another run.


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## ddevers (Mar 24, 2002)

There was a similar, but not identical, design released by Lindberg...the U.S.S. Discovery, I think. It was a bit larger, and molded in red and white, if I remember correctly.


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## Mike Warshaw (Feb 23, 1999)

Nick Argento, who is Glencoe, is a great guy and a real character who lives here in Central Mass. and has a fascinating life story; among other things, he served in the Israeli army. It's true, he basically does runs when he can afford to and he does it out of love. He's said, for example, that when he repopped the Aurora WWI airplanes he tried to replicate the aprakly plastic, but couldn't find anyone who knew how to do it, much less replicate the Auroma. He has spent years crawling through awful old warehouses finding old molds nobody knew were there or wanted. His battleship Oregon is almost like an obsession in the ship modeler world. It always makes me crazy when people gripe about the outdate nature of his kits, because he's resurrecting obscure ITC and Stormbecker subjects, not be some new company trying to compete with Trumpeter.


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## Otto69 (Jan 2, 2004)

I saw the Lindberg kits at a model show today. The guy selling them (who I will admit had a SPECTACTULAR amount of fine, originall issue kits from Aurora, Lindberg, and 1970's Revell or Monogram kits) was asking an absurd $125 for the kit. No one was buying. They also weren't buying the $350 Tom Daniels Tijuana Taxi or other expensive kits. But it sure was fun to look at all the kits he had. He had many duplicates of original Hawk Silly Surfers type kits, etc. I have him pegged as one of those people who figures they will corner the market then make a killing. But for me, no way I'm going to pay $100 for a kit like that that I'm going to build. Heck at a different vendor at the same show I got a 2nd issue Aurora SPindrift in box with all parts and decals for $45. That's more reasonable.


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## Otto69 (Jan 2, 2004)

Mike Warshaw said:


> Nick Argento, who is Glencoe.... It always makes me crazy when people gripe about the outdate nature of his kits, because he's resurrecting obscure ITC and Stormbecker subjects, not be some new company trying to compete with Trumpeter.


People who gripe about Glencoes efforts should be forced to build Lego snap 'kits' the rest of their lives . Those Glencoe kits represent the thoughts of the best and brightest who created space travel. That's what's lacking in todays world, as well as todays models: imagination. That these kits are made cheaply available to us today is a boon.

Today I just scored a Retriever Rocket and a wheel space station NIB after trying to get these on ebay for a year and constantly being outbid. Hot darn. Now I will hold them and love them and call them George...at least until I can no longer resist the urge to open them and build them.


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