# Earth vs. The Flying Saucers in 1/350 scale



## Frank2056 (Mar 23, 2007)

Earth vs. The Flying Saucers is one of my favorite 50's films; it's goofy, but fun. 

Skyhook Models makes several resin kits from the movie, and they're great. 
I have two - the 3" saucer (which scales to about 1/288) and the mini diorama of a saucer crashing into the Washington Monument.

Why make a 1/350 version? I just wanted to have it match my other 1/350 scale models and I would gain yet more experience in dealing with the materials available at Shapeways.
I used The Saucer Fleet as a source of the dimensioned drawings of the flying saucer; they match the screen caps I have fairly well. 

The drawings are in 1/250 scale, so I scaled them down to 1/350 and used them as a background in Rhino:










I used the drawings to create a cross section. From there, it was all done in Rhino. 

About 20% of the effort in designing a 3D part is the actual drawing of the part. The rest of the effort is getting the part to match the limitations of the printer and material, and to minimize the volume so you don't end up with a very expensive piece of plastic. 

I chose the Shapeways "Frosted Ultra Detail" plastic. From experience, I know that this material is brittle, and large, thin walls can warp after printing. So after thinning some of the interior of the saucer, this is what I sent in:










The death ray part couldn't be printed (it had one _tiny_ section that was just under the Shapeways limits). After a week, this is what I got back:



















With a 1/350 figure from Preiser:









Even the Frosted Ultra Detail has some printer artifacts on the surface:









While finishing the saucer, I resubmitted the death ray and some alien buddies:


















I should get them this week or next.


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## Frank2056 (Mar 23, 2007)

The surface "noise" was easy to sand out and hide under some primer. The original saucers were in an exciting gray color:










The ship has a clear satin finish over the gray, except for the dome, which is shiny.

Here Dr. Marvin goes for a stroll:









The landing foot/central post and lower dome are in Testor's Dark Anodonic Gray Metalizer. Some of the flying saucers in the movie have these areas in a darker shade.
The lower outer ring (with the balls) is also slightly darker. 










So far, I've managed to crack a part in almost every Shapeways object I've had printed. This model was no exception. The central post bottom cracked (it's only 0.5mm thick) but I put it back together with superglue and sanded it flat. Good as new!

This was a quick project - about 6 hours to design and a couple of hours to prime and paint. The figure took about as long to design.


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## robiwon (Oct 20, 2006)

The future of modeling is 3D! Well, maybe not, but it sure is a handy tool. Great work on the saucer. It too is one of my favorite 50's era scifi films.


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## teslabe (Oct 20, 2007)

Hi Frank, is this a file you could share, I'd love to see how well my Rep 2
would do printing it out.....:wave:


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## mrstumpy (Oct 5, 2013)

*RE: Earth vs The Flying Saucers in 1/350 scale*

I've always been a fan of film animator Ray Harryhausen, and especially his sci-fi films. "Earth vs The Flying Saucers" is a gem of 1950's era B picture making. I wonder what could have been done with the budget MGM poured into "Forbidden Planet?"

Your model is great! Excellent work! I imagine that if the scale was larger, the cracking problem could be solved by thicker "castings." (What DO you call 3D printed parts since they're not molded?) Unfortunately, the cost would probably be pretty high. 

Stumpy in Ahia


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## CaptCBoard (Aug 3, 2002)

I gotta say I love this project! One of my favorite films! But, if you get the chance to make new parts, I'd like to make the following observation--










The dome on the ships is a bit flatter than on your model. I know this difference is minor, but my eye went right to it. 

I envy those who can do 3D work!

Scott


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## Steve H (Feb 8, 2009)

Are the 'slots' on top and bottom meant to line up? I would figure they would, being in effect 'registration marks' for the animation. It's been a long, long time since I've seen the film. 

But, yes, very very nifty. I really like you making the little suits to go with it. (can't really call them aliens per se, can we?  )


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## Griffworks (Jun 24, 2002)

Fan-frakkin'-tastic work, Frank! Just amazing! :thumbsup:

I've come to be quite fond of Shapeways of late. There are some really talented folks there making some great stuff. One of them is a BSG enthusiast who's good with CAD and is making parts for both the Moebius Galactica and Pegasus kits, as well as his own original designs. He's also made little _Gemenon Travelers_. The detail is just beautiful! 

Thanks for sharing and love your work you've done with this! Excellent subject, as well.


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## Frank2056 (Mar 23, 2007)

Thanks guys - Scott: I used the Saucer Fleet drawings, which has some inaccuracies. The upper dome looks more "C57ish" on the drawings and slightly less on my model; the height is correct but the lower part has a steeper curve than the filming miniatures. I also missed the slot/lip/gap on the edge of the upper saucer to allow the slotted section of the saucer to rotate, although that was intentional. It just looked too "mechanical" to me and it's hard to see in most of the visuals in the film. The biggest mistake I made was with the lower dome "balls" which are the correct diameter, but I inset them a bit too far into the saucer lip.

3D is analogous to (and no harder than) making a master, a mold then hollow casting a copy. Both methods have their gotchas and annoyances. 3D has the advantage of being able to correct errors. 

Steve - the upper and lower slots on the "real" saucer lower saucer didn't always line up:










The upper and lower saucer parts on my model are just press fit together (it's a tight fit; no need to glue it) I aligned them after I took the pictures because I felt they looked better.

Stumpy - a larger scale would have greatly increased the volume and the price. Also, since 3D printers have a maximum work area, the saucer would have to be broken up into segments (like the 1/72 C-57, although maybe not quite that bad). 
This saucer in 1/72 would be about 14" in diameter and cost around $900 to print. I love this movie... but not that much.

Jeffrey - You have one of my earliest 3D printed parts, in that awful nylon!


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## CaptCBoard (Aug 3, 2002)

Does anyone know the diameter of the filming models? I know Harryhausen used 2 or 3 sizes.

Scott


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## Zombie_61 (Apr 21, 2004)

Steve H said:


> Are the 'slots' on top and bottom meant to line up? I would figure they would, being in effect 'registration marks' for the animation. It's been a long, long time since I've seen the film...


No, they're not. It's difficult to spot, but if you look closely you'll see that the sections of the upper and lower hulls with the slots spin in opposite directions when the saucers are in flight.

Nice work Frank! _Earth vs the Flying Saucers_ is one of my favorite sci-fi movies of that era, but it doesn't seem to get much "love" in the modeling community except for the kits Skyhook Models has produced.


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## Steve H (Feb 8, 2009)

Zombie_61 said:


> No, they're not. It's difficult to spot, but if you look closely you'll see that the sections of the upper and lower hulls with the slots spin in opposite directions when the saucers are in flight.
> 
> Nice work Frank! _Earth vs the Flying Saucers_ is one of my favorite sci-fi movies of that era, but it doesn't seem to get much "love" in the modeling community except for the kits Skyhook Models has produced.


Ah, thank you! Like I said, long time since I've seen the film. I had forgotten that the platters counter-rotated. 

(the currently available DVD is one of those misguided 'watch it in color or black and white!' releases which sometimes plays oddly because of the 'feature'.)

We're just going to ignore the whole issue of the 'entry cylinder/interior volume/central mounted ray dish' for the love of the design, yes? 

Seems to me this is right up the alley of Pegasus, surprised they haven't given it a go.


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## Skymods (Feb 5, 2001)

Frank, excellent work. I really envy people who have 3d computer design skills.


CaptCBoard said:


> Does anyone know the diameter of the filming models? I know Harryhausen used 2 or 3 sizes.
> 
> Scott


I believe only 2 sizes were made. The large one was about 7" in diameter and the small one was 3"

I actually have a copy of the 3" one. Its in 5 parts that nest together so you can spin the platters.





























In case anyone is now wondering, the small 3.5" Skyhook kit is NOT a copy of this one. 

Dave


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## Frank2056 (Mar 23, 2007)

Dave,
Thanks for posting those. Not only is the dome on mine wrong, but the saucer body is too tall. 

What did you use as a reference for the 3" model? I had it on my shelf the whole time; I should have used it as a "sanity check" against the drawings.

I think having a good eye for proportions is better than any 3D "skill"...


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## mrstumpy (Oct 5, 2013)

*RE: Earth vs The Flying Saucers in 1/350 scale*

Because I'm into both sci-fi and UFO investigation, this movie has long been a favorite. Unfortunately in the best book on Ray Harryhausen's film animation work "From The Land Beyond Beyond" this film gets only six pages, some of them half photographs.

It does briefly tell about the saucers being metal and 10 inches in diameter. Each was flown from an "aerial brace" using dozens of thin wires. Can you imagine trying to move the saucer up, down, or side to side, spin the top and bottom parts different directions, and moving the death ray arm EACH a fraction of an inch for every frame? And remembering from frame to fram which item was going which way? When you watch the film, notice how active those saucers fly!

The book also says that budget restraints were the reason the aliens were little people in suits rather than animated. If Harryhausen had budget worries, I can REALLY understand why our models have to be small!

Besides, what would you do with a room full of 10" flying saucers? You can't hang them all from the ceiling or the woman of the house would come unglued! (But can you image how cool a couple of flying saucers would look "flying" in the breeze of the air conditioner?):thumbsup:

Stumpy In Ahia


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## Griffworks (Jun 24, 2002)

Frank2056 said:


> *>SNIPPAGE!<*
> 
> Jeffrey - You have one of my earliest 3D printed parts, in that awful nylon!


Yes. Yes, I do! It soaked up a lot of primer and had a lot of careful sanding done to it before it looked decent enough. I've still got it in the box w/the unbuilt kit, too, just waiting for installation.


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## fernieo (Mar 22, 2000)

Some Discussion about the FX Models:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DaEKH9lRI8E
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOWfOjJ6Y4s


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## Skymods (Feb 5, 2001)

Frank2056 said:


> Dave,
> Thanks for posting those. Not only is the dome on mine wrong, but the saucer body is too tall.
> 
> What did you use as a reference for the 3" model? I had it on my shelf the whole time; I should have used it as a "sanity check" against the drawings.
> ...


I thought yours was too tall, but so is the blueprint in the Saucer Fleet Handbook.

I did use the 3" prop copy as reference when I upscaled the Skyhook kit to 3.5". 

Now when I made the master for my 6" kit I just took measurements off some screen grabs. Man, that was over 20 years ago :freak: 

Dave


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## Skymods (Feb 5, 2001)

fernieo said:


> Some Discussion about the FX Models:
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DaEKH9lRI8E
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOWfOjJ6Y4s


The plot thickens. I guess there were 3 different sizes. What is interesting about the 15" one shown in the above clips is that it does not appear to be articulated to animate the spinning slotted sections.

He mentions this saucer was used in hitting the House of Representative. I just checked the scene and lo and behold, its not spinning. It was probably needed do to the scale of the miniature building. If you have a copy of the film it happens at 1:21:00

This video shows Harryhausen and Joe Dante going over the 7". You can see how it spins.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOaHONFVR5M

Dave


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## Steve H (Feb 8, 2009)

Kind of a weird question. If someone were to make this in styrene plastic, like say Pegasus Hobbies, and naturally depending on scale, would people want separate platters that could be spun by an internal motor (aftermarket or just the genius insanity some have here  ) and all the complexities that would bring to the kit, or just do without?

Me, I like how recent kits allow options that let creative people go wild.


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## Zombie_61 (Apr 21, 2004)

Steve H said:


> Kind of a weird question. If someone were to make this in styrene plastic, like say Pegasus Hobbies, and naturally depending on scale, would people want separate platters that could be spun by an internal motor (aftermarket or just the genius insanity some have here  ) and all the complexities that would bring to the kit, or just do without?


I could envision a company like Pegasus engineering the kit so that it would be possible for the hull sections to spin, but it would probably be up to one or more of the aftermarket companies to provide the motors and such. Considering how fast those hull sections spin in the movie, I don't think styrene or ABS would hold up to that kind of friction so it would probably be more of a slow-motion replication at best.

That said, I don't know spit about lighting or motorizing model kits unless they come with all of the necessary "plug and play" hardware and detailed assembly instructions (the aftermarket sets are too rich for my blood), so I'd be perfectly happy with a static styrene kit of the ship.


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## Steve H (Feb 8, 2009)

Zombie_61 said:


> I could envision a company like Pegasus engineering the kit so that it would be possible for the hull sections to spin, but it would probably be up to one or more of the aftermarket companies to provide the motors and such. Considering how fast those hull sections spin in the movie, I don't think styrene or ABS would hold up to that kind of friction so it would probably be more of a slow-motion replication at best.
> 
> That said, I don't know spit about lighting or motorizing model kits unless they come with all of the necessary "plug and play" hardware and detailed assembly instructions (the aftermarket sets are too rich for my blood), so I'd be perfectly happy with a static styrene kit of the ship.


Yeah, that's true. Friction would be a huge concern. Maybe just make it so 'for the correct detail' you just happen to have this platter that is trapped by edges, so if you happen to forget to glue it... 

I'd love to see someone use such a kit and shoot it stop-motion to create something. 

but of course there has to be a plastic kit. Hurm. That's a stumbling block.


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## fernieo (Mar 22, 2000)

Another Video of Ray and Tim Burton fooling around with a couple of saucer models:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMLMi-zQvL4


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## Skymods (Feb 5, 2001)

In the above mentioned video, Harryhausen states a 12" one was used for the landing scenes.

Ok, now we are up to 4 different sizes. 3", 7", 12" that are articulated. And a 15" static model.

Very interesting, as I always thought there were only 2.

What makes this more interesting is I think I might have a copy of the 12" one as well. I bought it 10-15 years ago from a shop in Burbank. It has a perfect profile. 





































This is resin and nothing spins. It never even occurred to me that this might be a copy of the original prop. But I have no way to really authenticate it.

Dave


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## CaptCBoard (Aug 3, 2002)

Holy Crap. Someone was selling those and I never heard about it???

RATS.


Scott


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## Frank2056 (Mar 23, 2007)

Skymods said:


> In the above mentioned video, Harryhausen states a 12" one was used for the landing scenes.
> 
> Ok, now we are up to 4 different sizes. 3", 7", 12" that are articulated. And a 15" static model...


Dave, thanks for the pictures of the 3" and 12" - I think the larger one must have also been used for some of the in-flight closeups.

I compared the side view of the 3" model vs a screencap and the profiles are different:









The 12" is a close to perfect match to the screencap I used above.

Frank


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## Frank2056 (Mar 23, 2007)

Here's a Rhino3D version next to a landed saucer from a screencap. I didn't use this image as a source. Some minor differences, but extrapolating between pixels can be difficult:


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## Griffworks (Jun 24, 2002)

Is this available for public purchase thru Shapeways, Frank? I'm sort of a closet fan of the movie - and most UFO movies in general - and was thinking it would be kewel to have one.


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## Skymods (Feb 5, 2001)

Frank,

Is that the same Rhino3d version of the ship that you used to grow the one in your first post? It looks different. 

That framegrab is the same one I used for the 6" Skyhook kit.

I bet all 4 props were slightly different.

Dave


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## Frank2056 (Mar 23, 2007)

Skymods said:


> Frank,
> 
> Is that the same Rhino3d version of the ship that you used to grow the one in your first post? It looks different.


No, I redid my original design yesterday and modified it to match a few frames from the movie (watch the movie, capture a few scenes, use a few as reference - not really "work"). I think it's about as close as I can get it; the differences may be a combination of the optical printing process, DVD transfer, differences between the physical models used and errors that I made in interpreting the outlines. It's still not perfect, but closer to the movie version than "the Saucer Fleet" drawings that I used for the original print.


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## Frank2056 (Mar 23, 2007)

I got my 1/350 scale aliens in from Shapeways yesterday:










They have a little "flash", but they otherwise printed well:



















They're also pretty delicate - I managed to snap off the arms from one of the aliens.
I made them a little short (5mm - which works out to around 5'8) since they seem short in the movie. They're also not 100% accurate, but close enough at 1/350 scale.


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## Steve H (Feb 8, 2009)

Those are amazing. Seriously, well done!

Now you need some armor and soldiers for them to destroy! Can't help with army men but I found you these:

http://www.hlj.com/product/AOS03963/Mil


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## fernieo (Mar 22, 2000)

Coming soon From Atlantis Models:
https://scontent-a-sjc.xx.fbcdn.net...0x720/1422535_552966158116922_566192165_n.jpg


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## Steve H (Feb 8, 2009)

fernieo said:


> Coming soon From Atlantis Models:
> https://scontent-a-sjc.xx.fbcdn.net...0x720/1422535_552966158116922_566192165_n.jpg


Well, that's darn sexy. But is that Earth Vs. the Flying Saucers or might it be Mars Attacks? Didn't Burton 'borrow' the saucer design for his movie? Reason why I ask is that stand. That stand has a very definite Tim Burton vibe to it.


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## Zombie_61 (Apr 21, 2004)

Steve H said:


> ...That stand has a very definite Tim Burton vibe to it.


I was thinking, "Futurama." :lol:


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## Frank2056 (Mar 23, 2007)

I'm about done with this project. Here's what I'm calling the "Saucer Fleet" version of the saucer with a projector (this saucer is "book accurate" to the profile & dimensions in "The Saucer Fleet"):


















Shapeways, as they are wont to do, decided that my original aliens were, in fact, too small to print. I modified the figures. Unfortunately, the pose is pretty static (again, a Shapeways limitation) but they turned out to be closer to the "actual" height of the actors in suits.

Here is a 1/350 scale figure for comparison:










Finally, I redid the saucer to match the screen version and had it printed. This is the "Screen Capture" accurate version. The lower part of the saucer is unpainted. I also made a copy of the field lab in paper:










The building is a little too tall; I'll fix that at some point and add more details. This is fairly close to the screencap earlier in the thread:










Many of the scenes in the movie were filmed in the then new UCLA Medical Center (now the Center for Health Sciences - CHS). I work in CHS and I've been able to find the exact locations used for some of the scenes.
UCLA has been under constant construction since the 1950s, and many of the building entrances have been replaced or covered up with other buildings. I believe that the building used for the "field lab" in the movie was one of the many smaller buildings that were demolished to make way for the new UCLA Hospital or expand the Facilities building. I recreated the other sides of the building based on similar structures still standing on campus.

Here Dr. Marvin is getting into a truck as the aliens are coming in the front:










Here's a top view:


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## OzyMandias (Dec 29, 2004)

While reading this thread, I just came up with a completely doable motorising of the spinning discs on the saucer, and even have them rotating in opposite directions from each other. It would ge a relatively easy mod for a resin or styrene kit, so song as the discs moved separately from the hull but were locked into place.

Now, should I share, or keep it tucked away in my evil little mind bwah-ha-ha...:devil:


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## thepixelpusher (Jan 31, 2009)

The Saucer Fleet book was also off on The Invaders studio model too.


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## thepixelpusher (Jan 31, 2009)

Skymods said:


> Frank, excellent work. I really envy people who have 3d computer design skills.
> 
> I believe only 2 sizes were made. The large one was about 7" in diameter and the small one was 3"
> 
> ...


I actually have that same 3" casting too (mine has grey paint on it). Very few out there that I know of.










I was aware of the 3" one, the 12" one and 15" one and I thought the middle size was 6". Is it really 7", if so what was the source of that? I know they are on display in London somewhere.


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## thepixelpusher (Jan 31, 2009)

OzyMandias said:


> While reading this thread, I just came up with a completely doable motorising of the spinning discs on the saucer, and even have them rotating in opposite directions from each other. It would ge a relatively easy mod for a resin or styrene kit, so song as the discs moved separately from the hull but were locked into place.
> 
> Now, should I share, or keep it tucked away in my evil little mind bwah-ha-ha...:devil:


Why not share. That's what this board is all about.


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## thepixelpusher (Jan 31, 2009)

Skymods said:


> In the above mentioned video, Harryhausen states a 12" one was used for the landing scenes.
> 
> Ok, now we are up to 4 different sizes. 3", 7", 12" that are articulated. And a 15" static model.
> 
> ...


Nice paint selection. What paints and lacquers did you use to finish this? Looks amazingly like the originals.


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## OzyMandias (Dec 29, 2004)

thepixelpusher said:


> Why not share. That's what this board is all about.


Yeah,
Don't know what got into me when I wrote that last post. Guess I need to cut back on the caffeine...

I'm sure most of you working on these models would have thought of this, but an electric motor (or a pair if the model scale is larger) mounted horizontally roughly amidships with any old wheel and rubber tire of a diameter to meet the rotating upper and lower surfaces mounted on the shaft would provide the right impetus.

You'd just have to make sure that both the sections could rotate smoothly and easily in their tracks and are locked in place. 

I was actually thinking of the old wheel driven vinyl record turntables which used exactly the same principle, but with a clutch system employed as well to allow for RPM changes.


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## thepixelpusher (Jan 31, 2009)

Skymods said:


> In the above mentioned video, Harryhausen states a 12" one was used for the landing scenes.
> 
> Ok, now we are up to 4 different sizes. 3", 7", 12" that are articulated. And a 15" static model.
> 
> ...


Dave,

Just comparing a few screen grabs to your resin model. Maybe it's the angle of your photo, but the bottom rim looks like it should line up with the top rim in the movie 12" model. Can you measure your model to see if the sizes are the same? Also, I compared your bottom photo and your outer underside rim seems too thin as well. I haven't looked through the whole movie to see if maybe there was one that had a wider upper top rim to match yours. It's possible there might have been variations in the models used.



















I'm not sure the bottom shot in the beginning of the movie is the 12" one, but here's another comparison picture to your model. No doubt the resin model you have was made by either someone with a lot of care to match the movie or maybe it's a variation in the models used. I'm still pouring over the movie to see.


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## robiwon (Oct 20, 2006)

A search of Shapeways revealed three different EVFS ships. Not sure why the first one is so much more than the other two though. It's only slightly bigger.

http://www.shapeways.com/model/1684...-s-movie.html?li=search-results&materialId=62

http://www.shapeways.com/model/1715...deployed.html?li=search-results&materialId=62

http://www.shapeways.com/model/760550/evfs-small-model.html?li=search-results&materialId=6


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## Frank2056 (Mar 23, 2007)

thepixelpusher said:


> Dave,
> 
> Just comparing a few screen grabs to your resin model. Maybe it's the angle of your photo, but the bottom rim looks like it should line up with the top rim in the movie 12" model. Can you measure your model to see if the sizes are the same? Also, I compared your bottom photo and your outer underside rim seems too thin as well. I haven't looked through the whole movie to see if maybe there was one that had a wider upper top rim to match yours. It's possible there might have been variations in the models used.


I'm not Dave, but I think a lot of the small variations are due in part to the filming angle and composition process. The angle to the upper saucer by a small amount from scene to scene. There were certainly several models, but not that many.

Robiwon - some of those Shapeway models have even more issues than the one in the Saucer Fleet (I based my first one on those drawings)


Frank


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## robiwon (Oct 20, 2006)

Thanks Frank. How would one obtain the the one you posted in post 36 you refer to as a Saucer Fleet ship? Is your render up on Shapeways?


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## thepixelpusher (Jan 31, 2009)

Frank2056 said:


> I'm not Dave, but I think a lot of the small variations are due in part to the filming angle and composition process. The angle to the upper saucer by a small amount from scene to scene. There were certainly several models, but not that many.
> 
> Robiwon - some of those Shapeway models have even more issues than the one in the Saucer Fleet (I based my first one on those drawings)
> 
> ...


Frank, my comparison was to SkyMods (Dave) Burbank store resin casting purchase, not yours.

Nice work with the Rhino modeling!


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## OzyMandias (Dec 29, 2004)

I had a good look at the three Shapeways models that were linked earlier. The first is the closest to accurate, but it's still a long way off in places. The rotating section on the lower hull has been given a curve on the outer edge while the original models had none. The other two are too far off to be usable in any way.


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## Frank2056 (Mar 23, 2007)

robiwon said:


> Thanks Frank. How would one obtain the the one you posted in post 36 you refer to as a Saucer Fleet ship? Is your render up on Shapeways?


I don't have mine visible on Shapeways. It would be smaller and more expensive than Dave's smaller saucer and no more accurate.


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## thepixelpusher (Jan 31, 2009)

If you want to get picky about sizes, the saucers were just over 3 inches at about 3-1/8" (not verified yet, but based upon supposed casting of which I have), and the next size up was 6-1/2", then there's the 12" with the pedestal that drops down by keyed threads, and the static 15" model that crashes into the Capitol.

Info on 6-1/2" model:
http://www.proparchives.com/science-fiction/science-fiction-pre-1970s/earth-vs-the-flying-saucers/earth-vs-the-flying-saucers-stop-motion-flying-saucer

Info on 15" model:
http://www.proparchives.com/science-fiction/science-fiction-pre-1970s/earth-vs-the-flying-saucers/flying-saucer-miniature-earth-vs-the-flying-saucers

Video where Ray mentions 12" size model:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMLMi-zQvL4

So here's what he (or rather his father) made for the film:
3 - 3–1/8" saucers (aluminum and anodized gray w/moving parts) NOTE: Size not verified against a real studio prop
3 - 6–1/2" saucers (aluminum and anodized gray w/moving parts) NOTE: Verified size during sale of studio prop
1 - 12" saucer (aluminum and anodized gray w/moving parts with special threaded key system to raise and lower pedestal) NOTE: Verification of size is by Ray's recollection
1 - 15" saucer (made of wood and painted, static with no moving parts) NOTE: Verified size during sale of studio prop

Peter Jackson is supposed to have some of the saucers from Ray. Does anyone have any images or a autopsy (taken apart) images of the real metal studio model?


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## thepixelpusher (Jan 31, 2009)

Skymods said:


> Frank, excellent work. I really envy people who have 3d computer design skills.
> 
> I believe only 2 sizes were made. The large one was about 7" in diameter and the small one was 3"
> 
> ...


Dave I have reason to believe your kit shown above and the one I have too is either a casting off a real Harryhausen model by Hal Miles or more likely a custom made kit by Hal Miles through Milestone Productions some years back. Look at the image from the book "Ray Harryhausen - Master of the Majicks Vol. 2: The American Films By Mike Hankin". It mentions a 3" animating saucer resin kit.










Link to Google Book: http://books.google.com/books?id=1v...ge&q=earth vs flying saucer model kit&f=false

Does anyone know where the Harryhausen saucers are displayed now? I know where they were a few years back, in London.


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## robiwon (Oct 20, 2006)

I think we need to petition Pegasus to do a nice 12 inch model of this. It would be right up their alley with their recent releases!


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## Zombie_61 (Apr 21, 2004)

robiwon said:


> I think we need to petition Pegasus to do a nice 12 inch model of this. It would be right up their alley with their recent releases!


I'd prefer a 6-1/2" version, but would buy a 12" version if it were ever produced. That said, I agree a kit of this subject is right in Pegasus' wheelhouse.


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## WOI (Jun 28, 2012)

I believe that Monsters In Motion had already done that.


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## thepixelpusher (Jan 31, 2009)

Yeah, there are already some kits out there but none are all that accurate. If we're saying what we'd wish for here, I'd like to see a premium 12" model done with motorized rotating top and bottom bezels and a drop down pedestal and ray gun. Maybe add a sound module too. What Master Replicas would have done if they were still in business.

I realize this is asking for a lot.  But it would be my wish.


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## Zombie_61 (Apr 21, 2004)

WOI said:


> I believe that Monsters In Motion had already done that.


They may have in the past, but currently they have only a 9" version listed on their website, and it's a resin kit. Since Pegasus had been mentioned (as a "wish" producer for a "wishlist" kit; I don't want to start any rumors), I thought we were talking about a new kit made from styrene or ABS.


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## Frank2056 (Mar 23, 2007)

Sorry for the necroposting, but I redid both the saucer and the building. This is the reference screen cap:










I'm no good at paper modeling and was not happy with my paper version of the building. Since I had it in Rhino 3D, I went ahead and printed it. I used the cheapest material they had (White strong and flexible). I also made a simpler version of the saucer (only two parts) in the highest quality. Here's the raw building next to the finished saucer:










I gave the building a few coats of primer then painted it in a base cream color. The bricks are a decal I printed, based on the pictures I took of similar buildings on the UCLA campus. The brick & mortar details on the decals are not clearly visible on the photos, but they look OK in real life. 
I also printed backing materials for the vents and doors, coated the paper with CA glue and applied them to the building. 
For the base, using the screen cap as a reference, I looked through Google Maps for a surface similar to the one in the movie. I found something close in the VA grounds, near campus. I added some trees from a train diorama set and placed the figures and building.


















The saucer doesn't appear this scratched in real life. The aliens examining the building:




































Other than the front of the building, everything else is made up. The back of the building is based on the old Engineering I building (demolished a few years ago) on campus.

The pictures show some glaring issues with my diorama, but overall I'm happy with the way this came out. Thanks for looking!


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## robiwon (Oct 20, 2006)

Very nice indeed. The dio looks great!


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