MODEL BEHAVIOUR SPECIAL

Our resident model expert Andy Pearson recalls the BBC’s original trio of Quatermass serials and reveals how he set about creating a Martian invasion in miniature…

A number of years ago the good old BBC (‘Auntie’ to her friends) released all the surviving material from the Quatermass television series on DVD and, as an enthusiast for all things science fiction related, I was an eager early purchaser. But my thoughts of several relaxing evenings glued to the box were somewhat clouded by a discussion of my purchase with a chum who is also of the sci-fi model-building persuasion.

‘I imagine’ said he, ‘that there are some great subjects for a diorama project in that lot.’

The seed was sown and quickly took root so, instead of evenings of gripping televiewing, I found myself taking notes and making sketches. Having discounted the climactic scene in the first eponymously titled Quatermass serial on the grounds that a scale model of the interior of Westminster Abbey (with interstellar cabbage) was somewhat beyond my abilities, thoughts turned to the imaginatively named second series: Quatermass II.

Again, the prospect of creating a replica of an oil refinery with wobbly monsters seemed overly ambitious but, as much of the action during the third series, Quatermass and the Pit, was confined to a studio set, that seemed more within my bailiwick.

Construction of a model would involve some compromises, not least in terms of the overall proportions of the finished piece, but that was something I felt I could live with. The actual scale of the thing was something of a given as I wanted to include a number of figures, bits of machinery and so on, so the standard 1:35 was an obvious choice as that would give me a wide selection of military stuff from which to choose. What wasn’t available in that scale was a Martian spacecraft, so that was going to need some construction from scratch. The main hull was octagonal in cross-section so it would be relatively easy to make from flat sections of plastic card, but that left the domed nose section (assuming that’s what it is) and the circular entrance hatch. Arming myself with a 1:35 scale military figure I made searching for suitably sized items part of my weekly shopping ritual.

Andy’s Quatermass and the Pit diorama; a soundstage sketch

FREUDIAN SLIP

A good way of getting arrested, or at least being gently led away by concerned security staff, is to walk round the cosmetics sections of a supermarket brandishing a toy soldier and making little cries of delight or disappointment. Many deodorant aerosols feature rounded tops, perhaps because the product manufacturers see the subtle phallic shape as offering a subconscious attraction to potential purchasers. That would be my Freudian slip showing and the rounded shape might simply be easier to manufacture.