# Spindrift Reference Photos



## starseeker (Feb 1, 2006)

Mark Dorais just sent me a package of photos of the Spindrift miniature. He wrote: "I've attempted to show the elusive bowing of the upper edge of the model. As you can see, the colour varies quite a bit depending on film, light, etc.
"Feel free to share the images on Hobbytalk... If Moebius ever does produce a kit of the Spindrift [I hope] they'll base it on the 3 foot miniature."

I've moved the photos to:
http://s1004.photobucket.com/albums/af170/jkirkphotos/Mark Ds Spindrift Photos/


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## Carson Dyle (May 7, 2003)

Great shots; thanks for posting.


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## starseeker (Feb 1, 2006)

In other threads, I've written about how puzzled I am about the lip that runs under the door and back to the intakes. It's shaped nothing like the blueprints. It continues to flare out from the intake, increasing in width. Mark's pictures clearly show the lip.


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## starseeker (Feb 1, 2006)

A big surprise to me is the lower edge of the hull under the front windows. The front bottom of the edge droops down on both sides, making the lip there an uneven width. It also meets the lower hull in an irregular curve.


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## starseeker (Feb 1, 2006)

I suspect that the miniature was more difficult to make than anyone imagined, and that the extra curves under the cabin windows and control room windows are as a result of trying to get halves to mate.


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## starseeker (Feb 1, 2006)

I can tell I'm going to be spending a lot of time studying these photos in the days and weeks to come. This is just an amazing resource that Mark has provided to all us Spindrift lovers. I'm just going to post these last five and let Mark, if he's here, answer any questions, as I know nothing about their specifics at all. I don't know if I've missed any. I will double check soon. 
Thank you for these, Mark! Thank you, thank you!


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## TrekFX (Apr 15, 2004)

Awesome references. Thanks!


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## sliuman (Mar 23, 2004)

Fantastic photos. Thanks for sharing.

I have always loved this ship...and that goes for many others too obviously.

I can only dream of a Moebius kit....


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## Lloyd Collins (Sep 25, 2004)

Thanks for posting the photos. I hope Moebius puts out a 3 foot model.


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## jbond (Aug 29, 2002)

I'm not even that big a fan of the Spindrift but those are fantastic reference photos--might even make me appreciate the ship a bit more...


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## Larva (Jun 8, 2005)

Great images of the Spindrift. I love this ship. It looks to me like the sculpt for the original mold was largely done freehand style. From the top, the left and right sides are not symmetrical. There is more outward swoop on the right side, which changes all the compound curves on that side. And on the left side, the lip edge never runs parallel to the livery stripe and side windows. This girl is a freeform sculpt based on a drawings, if ever I saw it.


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## Carson Dyle (May 7, 2003)

The thing about the Spindrift is it's unique; there's nothing else quite like it. 

I've pretty much written off the long wished-for Moebius Spindrift because, from what I understand, the marketplace demand simply does not justify the time and expense required to do the subject justice (it's the tooling costs that take a toll). More's the pity, because I suspect Frank and Dave would like nothing more than to have been able to make the numbers work. 

Fortunately, thanks to threads like this, there's plenty of reference data out there for those wiling to take the plunge (a la Brent Gair) and recreate the ship from scratch.


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## Argonaut (Feb 11, 2007)

I'd even go for a limited edition, screen accurate replica, like the MR 
Enterprise.


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## NTRPRZ (Feb 23, 1999)

It always was an interesting little ship, but sadly one that was much underused. Except for one episode where they had to fire up the engines to get the ship out of a bed of quicksand, IIRC, it never moved under its own power after the crash.
Again, IIRC, the Jupiter II was supposed to have been in a similar situation -- crashed and then useless except as a shelter. Thank goodness TPTB on Lost in Space thought better of that decision and made the Jupiter flyable again.
My personal opinion is that since they never really planned to use the miniature much after the crash, except for a long shot of it under some foliage, there wasn't a whole lot of work put into making it symmetrical or well balanced.
Jeff


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## RMC (Aug 11, 2004)

let me guess,.....there is more people out there "screaming" for a northstar 2010 truck,..... than the Spindrift ? ................. "I DONT THINK SO ! " 
there have been countless requests for that ship,So many in fact that every time a post is started in the moebius forum it get shut down because too many people are making requests ! ........I wonder what goes on behind the scenes .....


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## Larva (Jun 8, 2005)

Only one logical answer: a little people conspiracy!


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## Carson Dyle (May 7, 2003)

No one has been more vocal in support of a Moebius Spindrift than I, but the Moebius board is not the most reliable indicator of what the marketplace will or will not allow. 

For example, judging from the chatter, one would assume sales for the Moebius Jupiter 2 are through the roof. And while I very much wish such was the case, I have it on reliable authority that sales for the J-2 have been trailing the large Seaview and Flying Sub kits by a significant margin. 

Several factors no doubt contribute to this, but my point is that although IA fans (like yours truly) tend to be a very vocal lot we're still very much a niche market -- especially where the Spindrift is concerned. A large, detailed, part-heavy kit like the Jupiter 2 is incredibly expensive to tool-up for, and if_ it_ under performs relative to expectations that doesn't bode well for a Moebius Spindrift.

That said, with regard to fans repeatedly pestering Moebius for a Spindrift, I can't help but be reminded of a similar fan "campaign" back in the day which pestered execs at Aurora for a Jupiter 2. At the time fans were told the subject was not commercially viable, and Aurora may have been right (although I somehow doubt it). 

In any case, the subsequent release, many years later, of the Polar Lights Jupiter 2 proved there was a market after all, a fact which came as no surprise to fans who for decades had dreamed of owning a Jupiter 2 model. 

The difference here of course is that, in the case of the Jupiter 2, there had never been a decent model of the subject, whereas the Aurora/Monogram, Polar Lights Spindrift certainly qualifies as such (not to mention the Lunar Models kit).

I'll continue to keep my fingers crossed that Moebius will, one day, figure out a way to deliver an injection-molded Spindrift model without losing money in the process, but in the meantime I'm thrilled by the reference data that's been made available on threads like this. Thanks to guys like starseeker, those bold enough to tackle a scratch build of the subject will not want when it comes to pix and blueprints.


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## Seaview (Feb 18, 2004)

Here are some new great reference shots for the Spindrift;

http://www.iann.net/giants/spindrift/miniature/


And Rob, I, too, am keeping my fingers crossed. Incidentally, many folks may be shying away from the Moebius Jupiter II for 3 reasons; 1) they already have the Polar Lights version, 2) the economy, and 3) the 18" size may be intimidating to folks with limited display space available to them.
A pity, too, because the PL J-2 is probably what the Aurora version would've looked like and that the Moebius version is the best that's ever been manufactured for the market.


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## Mark Dorais (May 25, 2006)

Seaview said:


> Here are some new great reference shots for the Spindrift;
> 
> http://www.iann.net/giants/spindrift/miniature/
> 
> ...


I've shared photos with the Irwin Allen News Network as well..... More Will be sent to them in the upcomming month for all to enjoy.....We can always dream of an accurate, to the filming miniature, styrene plastic kit in the future.


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## Seaview (Feb 18, 2004)

:thumbsup: THANK YOU for making these available for us to study, Mark! :hat:


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## yorkd (Mar 14, 2010)

i too hope that moebius will release a new spindrift kit in the not to distant future.i have the polar lights and the lunar kits of this model but would love one on a bigger scale.btw the lunar kit tho better in detail was a bear to build at least for me as it was my first vacuform and resin kit and the price was scary too .but im a spindrift lover so come on moebius make all of us l.o.t.g fans a happy camper.


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## Seaview (Feb 18, 2004)

True that the Lunar kit was a "bear" to build (nice choice of wording!), but the benefits were that when finished you had a nice representation of Flight 612 AND you sharpened your modelling skills while at it!


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## yorkd (Mar 14, 2010)

seaview do you have the interior kit in yours.i did not have enough money to get both so of course i got just the shell but your right she is sweeet.how long did it take you to assemble yours.sorry about my typing but im still learning this computer stuff.have to keep with the times.


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## Seaview (Feb 18, 2004)

Actually, I AM the guy who drew the self-admittedly crappy and embarressing instructions for the LM Spindrift interior kit for Mike Evans, about 20 years ago! 
TRUE CONFESSION TIME: I was a drafting student at the time and I inked the rough sketches of Richard Kreegar, who at the time was in the process of passing on.
The last time I built just the shell, I think it took about a month, because I only work on this hobby on weekends if I can squeeze in the "spare" time, which works well for me because it allows putty to dry thouroughly before sanding, then allowing primer to dry thouroughly before sanding some more, then re-primering and allowinging to cure completely before adding the final coats and detailing.
Curiously, the hulls actually fit together better without the interior kit and the difficulty of aligning the passenger cabin interior wall windows with the hulls' window sills.
Randy re-tooled the interior with much better resin pieces, but to my dismay when I cut the hull hatch open, I discovered that the hatch control wall intrudes and blocks about 1/4 of the opening.
Let's all just hope that some fine day before we all keel over from polystyrene fumes that Moebius gives this very uniquly designed craft the justice it deserves with a 1/24 scale injection-molded kit.
-Peter Chelemedos


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## yorkd (Mar 14, 2010)

dont put yourself down it is an exselent kit.i hope that you and i both will have many dis cussins over the moebius kit.i also have the seaview kit but i have yet to start to build her yet.moebius has made so many of my dreams come true at one time i cant keep up and thats a godsend to me.i want to say thanks to seaview and others for helping us new guys out on tips of modeling.im 46 years old but i feel 16 again on this site with you guys.thank you seaview your one the reasons i wanted to get on this site.
i


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## Seaview (Feb 18, 2004)

You're welcome.


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## HabuHunter32 (Aug 22, 2009)

Great shots of the Spindrift! Always loved that ship! I also have the original Aurora kit as well as a couple of Polar Lights repops and the Lunar Models kit without the interior. I blacked out the windows and built it "curbside" as the car guys would say, I also wish Moebius would do a large scale Spindrift. Hey thats an Idea... How about Moebuis doing just the shell and release it as a curbside model and at a later date they could release an interior kit if the demand is there or farm out the interior to the aftermarket? Doing just the exterior would cut tooling costs dramatically and we would have a handsome large scale flight 612 in plastic! Hey..just a thought!


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## yorkd (Mar 14, 2010)

sounds good to me.


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## MJB (Aug 3, 2001)

Thanks for the great shots of the ship. I have never seen clearly the "antenna" that extends from the front of the ship underneath the windows before. Any aftermarket people interested in making us Aurora/PL kit owners one of those antenna??

I'm one of those who won't be buying the Moebius kit, no matter how good it is because I've still got the PL and all the aftermarket details like the chairs, the legs, the decals, even the custom figures, yet to build.

I sure hope in the near future that those of you Spindrift lovers will get their kit retooled and re-released.

Michael


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## kdaracal (Jan 24, 2009)

I wonder if a cost increase could justify the production. 

I, for one, would pay $200.00+ for an accurate, buildable styrene Spindrift in scale to the JII. And I have two Polar lights repops! One MITB and one built. I'm more likely to buy *two* Spindrifts at $200.00+ than another JII at $109.00.

I hope the Moebius gods are listening!


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## charonjr (Mar 27, 2000)

With the Lunar kit, I chose to extend the upper hull out by quarter an inch (?) and moved the windows back that same amount. My intention was to make room for the interior I scratchbuilt that also included the airlock panel partition and allow the door to slide open completely. This would replicate the shooting set, not the hero model.


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## g_xii (Mar 20, 2002)

Seaview said:


> Incidentally, many folks may be shying away from the Moebius Jupiter II for 3 reasons; 1) they already have the Polar Lights version, 2) the economy, and 3) the 18" size may be intimidating to folks with limited display space available to them.


If the Seaview is a better seller than the Moebius J2, I think the reason would be as you suggested: size. While the Seaview is a huge kit, it's long and narrow, and just about anyone could likely find room to put the completed model on a book or wall shelf. That BIG J2 model is ROUND -- so you need a shelf depth of over 18" just to display it! And if you get the Launch Pad kit, well we're talking a lot of vertical height as well. I never even picked up a C57-D, because while I really liked the model and the size, I have no idea where I'd put it if I ever got around to building it. And it's a nice kit as well.

Plus, one thing I don't think anyone has mentioned, is that the J2 came out RIGHT when the economy was swirling down the toilet bowl, which can't be helping things much. For a "non-necessity" item, I'm sure it's making a respectable sales showing, but I can't help but wonder how it would have sold if it could have hit the market 18 months or so earlier than it did. I know back in the day, I bought quite a few PL J2 kits -- several of them still in the box to this day (rare for me!). 

Now, all we can do is hope for a Spindrift... and these pictures really can make a guy drool for a big Spindrift kit... we'll just have to wait and see!

Thanks for sharing the pics, Mark!

--Henry


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## bradb (May 22, 2008)

g_xii said:


> Now, all we can do is hope for a Spindrift/QUOTE]
> 
> Well I can't believe how many times I've read the phrase "Big Frankie! Big Frankie!".
> 
> ...


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## starseeker (Feb 1, 2006)

I'm moved Mark's priceless photos to:
http://s1004.photobucket.com/albums/af170/jkirkphotos/Mark Ds Spindrift Photos/

My general Photobucket model reference are here:
http://s1004.photobucket.com/home/jkirkphotos/allalbums


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## Arca84 (Dec 23, 2009)

You know it wasn't but five years ago in the Philippines I wanted to do the Spindrift had the plans redone there, but it just wasn't fesible at the time and Cebu dosn't have injection molding, told maybe not even Manilia. I wanted it to be probuction model size (prop) but it never came together there, maybe I'll return if Moebius can't - it would be nice to have it out.


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## fortress (Apr 1, 2006)

Carson Dyle said:


> No one has been more vocal in support of a Moebius Spindrift than I, but the Moebius board is not the most reliable indicator of what the marketplace will or will not allow.
> 
> For example, judging from the chatter, one would assume sales for the Moebius Jupiter 2 are through the roof. And while I very much wish such was the case, I have it on reliable authority that sales for the J-2 have been trailing the large Seaview and Flying Sub kits by a significant margin.
> 
> ...



Great insight Carson, I am sure that Moebius would like to put out a Spindrift
kit as well. They are a buisness and they must look to the future, on the 
other hand as you pointed out Aurora felt that the J2 would not sell, 
And years latter PL proved them wrong. Maybe history will repeat itself.

Let's hope that won't take years as well.

fortress


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## Captain Han Solo (Apr 5, 2002)

Who would have thought a 39" Seaview would sell?

The show was Not being broadcast on TV, But suprise, suprise, the Model sold.A model from a TV show with not the tenth of exposure Star Trek/Star Wars gets!

Lunar Models proved this stuff sold.

Moebius knows what they are doing, and of course the bottom Line is, "THE BOTTOM LINE$$$$$$$$".:hat: 

Personally, I believe the Spindrift would sell..Why? The same reason the Seaview sold. 
As much as I love the Jupiter Two, The Spindrift is a Much more interesting Design. And although some here don't hold the actual show in high regard(I DO!),The Ship itself is an Icon of 60's Art/Design, despite the fact, it seems, Some of it's creators blow it off as Junk.

Although the Little Polar Lights Kit is good/OK, It is a dissapointment. It dosen't capture the curves and Lines of the actual Miniature.

Nuff Said


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## Seaview (Feb 18, 2004)

Although there are a few proportional problems with the studio-scale Spindrift from Thermalized Plastics http://alienscollection.com/thermalizedplastics.html
As a long-time Spindrift lover, I'm still planning on ordering one later this month, tremendous size not withstanding. :wave:


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## Captain Han Solo (Apr 5, 2002)

Seaview said:


> Although there are a few proportional problems with the studio-scale Spindrift from Thermalized Plastics http://alienscollection.com/thermalizedplastics.html
> As a long-time Spindrift lover, I'm still planning on ordering one later this month, tremendous size not withstanding. :wave:


 
I was going to do the same thing Sir!!

However it has a LOT of Inaccurate Issues:freak:. For the Money they want, a Better/ Accurate version would be Ideal.


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## Seaview (Feb 18, 2004)

Well, just for the record, I took the plunge this morning and ordered the Thermaized Plastics Spindrift.
Maybe with a bit of elbow grease and hopefully with Mike Aucutt's advice, it won't wind up being too bad, but at least I'll finally have one.
Wish me luck, gentlemen!


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## g_xii (Mar 20, 2002)

Seaview said:


> Well, just for the record, I took the plunge this morning and ordered the Thermaized Plastics Spindrift.
> Maybe with a bit of elbow grease and hopefully with Mike Acutt's advice, it won't wind up being too bad, but at least I'll finally have one.
> Wish me luck, gentlemen!


Excellent indeed! I'm jealous! Please post pics and tell us all about the purchasing experience when you get it in hand (along with, of course, your impressions!). 

I wish I had room for one of those things as well!

--H


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## starseeker (Feb 1, 2006)

Almost twelve months to the day after a storm destroyed our yard, I started work on the Jupiter 2, Spindrift, and Invaders masters again. This morning I joined the top and bottom halves of the Spindrift's front end together and started filling the gaps. In 12 months of waiting and thinking, I changed my mind on how I want to try to do several parts, all for the better, I hope. With luck, I will be fiberglassing by September at the latest. I've decided to try and capture the Spindrift's extra-flaring edge lip but I'm not going to try and replicate the obvious error of the lip/edge under the miniature's front window. I'll post again when I have some pictures of actual progress. What a surprise to see this thread still active.


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## maucutt (May 22, 2008)

*TP Spindrift*

Yes the kit is expensive and has significant errors but with patience and good reference material it can be made into a beauty.
The errors in order of effort to repair are: Bow 1/2" too high, engine exhaust and intake need to be recast, airfoil (fin) needs to be sanded by 1/2 it's width and lastly the hatch needs to be re-worked. I have no doubt that with proper reference materials Seaview's can be superior to mine.
Here are three photos. 1. What you get for $450 2. My first build with minor re-work and 3. the kit after majior re-work to the bow.
I look forward on assisting you Seaview!
Mike


www.mikesmodels.mysite.com


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## Seaview (Feb 18, 2004)

Thanks, Mike!


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## Brisfx (Nov 10, 2005)

*My Studio Scale Spindrift*

What do you guys think of this one????


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## maucutt (May 22, 2008)

*Nice casting*

Where on earth did you get that?


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## Larva (Jun 8, 2005)

Looks like a clean-up of the second Spindrift (unused) hero casting, or a casting from it. Looks to have all the telltale idiosyncrasies and hard-to-define shape anomalies of the hero.


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## Brisfx (Nov 10, 2005)

Yes I was extremely lucky managed to get it in a trade


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## jbond (Aug 29, 2002)

It looks cool--I think like with the Flying Sub, the subtleties of the shapes were lost in translation into the Aurora Models--good as those were for the time. But that's the reason I've never had much interest in the Spindrift. Seeing the actual shape makes it a lot more appealing.


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## Iheartscifi (Jul 11, 2009)

That wouldn’t be Brisfx who used to be a warder? 

Is the Galactica still taking up parking space in your garage? Need some more Roco kits? LOL!

Surely you could show us a scan of you and MickyD with your first attempt at the spindrift, from the cover of SFM? Ive got one, do you want me to post it?LOL!

Seriously though, are the marks on the port side from where a second door might have been? Or am I just a bit behind the times?


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## Captain Han Solo (Apr 5, 2002)

Brisfx said:


> What do you guys think of this one????


 
:thumbsup:

Looks like a direct recast(as others have pointed out already)!

It's a really cool looking Spacecraft:thumbsup:

Love to get a studio scale version for myself...


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## starseeker (Feb 1, 2006)

Brisfx said:


> What do you guys think of this one????


How I've been spending my summer vacation...
I would love to know how that thing was cast. I've joined the the front and back quarters that I had built as separate sections so that now there are just the front and back halves. Right now I'm working on the front window/nose details and hope to have them inserted into the master soon. (Edit: this is my third try at the front window/wall insert. Have to admit that with the compound curves Everywhere, this is the most difficult thing that I've ever attempted to model. The ancient Aurora kit - I don't mind the incorrect flaring lip under the passenger windows. It looks okay. But the most obvious error is the lip under the control windows. And now I totally understand why Aurora did it that way. This area is a monster to shape!) 
But I still haven't got the foggiest how to break this sucker down for ease casting (or glassing) and (vs?) ease of assembly. I'm thinking of just making it in front and back halves now but that leaves the whole front side of the back half (the intake wall) out of the picture. 
Anyone with any suggestions as to how to break this thing down in a manner that would require the least number of joints to fill? How was your re-cast broken down? Are you happy with how it was broken down?


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## Brisfx (Nov 10, 2005)

*Other projects*

Here are some of the other things taking up my time


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## Brisfx (Nov 10, 2005)

More pics


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## Brisfx (Nov 10, 2005)

*My biggest project*

This is whats currently keeping me away from any other model building. My Fiance wants it finished


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## Iheartscifi (Jul 11, 2009)

Bris: Holy $h!t, the DeLorean literally dwarfs all of your other projects to date!! Um… where is the engine? Are you rebuilding it ‘stock’ or is that a stupid question? Hey, wait a minute…are you saying you started with a Mr. Fusion and built a DeLorean around it! LOL!

Starseeker: You seem to be the man to ask. Got any references to an extra (or proposed) door on the port side?? Actually, pretty well most commercial airliners (since forever) have had their main entry door on the forward PORT side! So why is the Spindrift different?
If this model is not ‘kosher’ (I wont say fake) then why did the pattern maker go to all the trouble of referencing the curves and etc. just to get the door wrong!?
If it is authentic then when and why did the props (or art) dept. change their mind?
There is a very good shot of the models port side about half way through “Shell Game” when the giant father picks up the Spindrift (but all of you knew that). Unfortunately my copy is rubbish and I cannot discern any fine detail.
The other thing is that Bris’ model seems to have outlines of the cut-outs on the top rear for access to the lighting FX. Did you trace your fingers across them in the dust Bris?

Just realized the names of the giants. Flat Broke, Also Broke and Lad Broke. LOL!


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## kdaracal (Jan 24, 2009)

> Actually, pretty well most commercial airliners (since forever) have had their main entry door on the forward PORT side! So why is the Spindrift different?


You know, that's a great question. But The world of IA never makes very much sense. I wonder if it had to do with set design or camera angles or whatever. 

BTW: Which was build first? Full size mock-up or mini? Wonder if the order of construction means anything?


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## Brisfx (Nov 10, 2005)

There is a door outline on the port side and hatch outlines on both upper sides of the rear. Also if you look closely you can see screw heads on either side of the main front eindows and in the centre of the rear engines.

Brad

PS the delorean engine is off to the side .


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## Iheartscifi (Jul 11, 2009)

kdaracal said:


> But The world of IA never makes very much sense.


Agreed! 

So Brad, are you going to Er...make backups? Because this site does not condone making copies.


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## Nektu (Aug 15, 2001)

So, I have to ask, Bris...
What TB3 is that in the background of the pic? I'm a Gerry Anderson fan, and don't recognize it. Is it an original you did?

KK


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## Seaview (Feb 18, 2004)

What is the bow to stern measurement of that Spindrift? It looks somewhat smaller than the "hero" model that was used in the show.


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## Brisfx (Nov 10, 2005)

*Measurement*

Just tell me what you want measures, and I can assure you it is cast from the hero 

Brad


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## Seaview (Feb 18, 2004)

The length from the bow atop the point over the control cabin abck to the end of the tail fin, How high from the bottom of the hull to the top of where the dome would be, and how wide the bottom is at it's widest point.
Thanks, Brad!


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## g_xii (Mar 20, 2002)

Seaview said:


> The length from the bow atop the point over the control cabin abck to the end of the tail fin, How high from the bottom of the hull to the top of where the dome would be, and how wide the bottom is at it's widest point.
> Thanks, Brad!


This is really getting interesting .... !!


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