VFX ARTIST REVEALS HOW BIG 'STAR WARS' SHIPS REALLY ARE!

STAR WARS MODEL MAKERS are used to making kits at a seriously wide range of scales. The Bandai Death Star II, for example, is made to an amazing 1:2,700,000 scale.

FROM FILM TO DIGITAL: KEITH McNEILL RAISES THE ART OF SCALE-MODEL PHOTOGRAPHY TO NEW HEIGHTS

Here’s an in-depth article from Keith McNeill, a master of not only model-making, but also the art of studio photography and Photoshop.

BATMAN 2014: DARK KNIGHT 1:25 SCALE TUMBLER FROM MOEBIUS

Mat Irvine: This is going to be about as complex a model car kit in this scale (or any scale) you are likely to build, and initially the packed box of parts looks daunting.

HELO-ATTACK: TOP-LEVEL VISUAL EFFECTS USING A REVELL 1:48 SCALE MIL-24 HIND MODEL KIT

Excellent demo here from South African VFX-master Scott Newman. Being realistic, making a video this good might be beyond many of us, but no matter - it looks great and is something to aspire to.

DALEK SECRETS REVEALED IN ‘BBC VFX’ BOOK FROM MAT IRVINE AND MIKE TUCKER

David Jefferis turns the pages

First things first - BBC VFX is a thundering great tome that tips the scales at not far south of 2 kg (4 lb) and is an encyclopedic 240 pages from end to end. And in fact, that’s just what it is - a show-by-show encyclopedia detailing the work of the BBC Visual Effects (‘VFX’) Department down the years.

SMN contributor Mat Irvine

The two authors behind BBC VFX are long-time experts in the VFX field. We know Mat well for his contributions to SMN, and for his droolworthy Model Museum, packed with examples just about every kit ever made. Mike Tucker worked at the BBC until 2003, and now runs his own company, The Model Unit, based at Ealing Studios near London.

Daleks to Moonbase 3

So what’s between the covers of BBC VFX? Quite simply, the most complete listings, descriptions, and behind-the-scenes information about virtually every BBC TV show that’s featured the Department’s expertise. Some of these are world-renowned - Doctor Who and the Daleks, for example; others are less well known - I’d never even heard of the 1970s series Moonbase 3, much less seen a show. But famous or not, Mat and Mike have put together a showstopper of a book that is packed with fascinating facts, whatever the TV show they are talking about.