ROBOCOP MARCHES ONTO A JAPANESE BOOK JACKET

We were all smiles in SMN Towers yesterday when sample copies of a colourful book series, completed for Japanese publisher Holp Shuppan, appeared in the arms of our friendly postie. The books are a series of four called Robozones, and pride of place goes to the Robot Warriors jacket that features a model of the ED-209 robot from the movie Robocop - proof (as if you needed it ) that us scale model fans can get anywhere.

ED-209 started life as a cheap-n-cheerful clip-together toy, one of the ‘Ultra Police’ from Kenner, now part of Hasbro. SMN’s Mr J (David Jefferis) who authored the books, cleaned up the mouldings, assembled the parts (just two - legs and body, with a cap-firing trigger behind the head) and added a little paint detailing. Now ED-209 was ready to star in a photographic session, followed by a mega-dose of David’s favourite computer tool, Adobe Photoshop.

Using Photoshop, ED-209’s photographic image was removed from its plain studio background, and laid instead onto a suitable night-time cityscape. With that completed, extra details could be added with brush tools, highlights sprayed in, and reflections incorporated - in fact, a junior version of the special effects used in so many movies.

The cover designs for the series were completed in-house by Holp Shuppan’s designers, using images supplied by David, and a very good job they made too.

Robocop toys and models are around in droves, though ED-209 figures are rather thin on the ground, and this particular one is no longer marketed. Amazon has a selection of models, which you can browse here. You can also have a look at English-language editions of the Robozones books here.

INCOMING - SMN will be giving away a FREE ebook soon, and ED-209 will feature in that, so watch out for the offer to appear.

SCREEN MACHINES - FOUR MASTER MODELS FROM THE MOVIES

Here is some eye candy for you - four nicely made model-show stars, featuring well-known subjects from the cinema and TV. From the top:

The Ghostbusters Cadillac, based on the long-wheelbase ambulance version of the gorgeous yank-tank original. This model is to 1:24 scale, and is missing only a wailing siren and some oozing ectoplasm. At upgrade time, it could be improved by adding a set of flashing LEDs, and maybe a multi-voice sound chip.

Everyone’s favourite peacekeeper, the star of Robocop. The movie franchise may have died a little in recent years, but it’s still a popular subject. This one is to 1:6 scale, and comes on a nicely made piece of future-city paving.

Star Wars is a hardy perennial, and one that’s been given yet another boost since the release of the recent anime series. The various ‘walker’ combat machines are still state-of-the-art on the model-making scene, and don’t forget the AT-AT walkers from The Empire Strikes Back - we’ll be showing off our post-war civilian version soon.

To the small screen now, with a Gerry Anderson TV series called Captain Scarlet - and flying these Angel Interceptor skycraft were the prettiest* pilots ever seen, the Harmony Angels. Just one thing - the Interceptor might look better on a more modern stand - how about perspex or steel?

* Editor's note: not quite true - that honour presently belongs to the Russian gals flying aerobatics for real in their Sukhoi single-seaters, at air shows around the world.