COUNTDOWN TO SMALLSPACE 4 SCIENCE FICTION FESTIVAL

SCI-FI FANS GET READY for the smallspace 4 sci-fi fest this coming Sunday July 12. It should be a great day for full-size and scale model fans alike. Star of the show will be the Whomobile, the futuristic ride of the famed TV Doctor.

INCOMING: SMALLSPACE 2013 - SPACE, SCIENCE-FICTION AND FANTASY MODEL SHOW

The second annual SMALLSPACE event is coming this Sunday, July 7. This year the show has a twin focus - on the late Gerry Anderson of THUNDERBIRDS fame, and to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the BBC TV series DOCTOR WHO.

SMALLSPACE - MODEL SHOW REPORT

The new model show smallspace was a huge success - outside the hall, Daleks rampaged the streets, while inside model-makers showed off their skills.

SMALLSPACE - THE NEW MODEL SHOW FROM THE HAMEX TEAM

The new model show from the HaMeX organisers is arriving soon, with liftoff planned for Stardate: July 1, 2012. The smallspace event will feature a galaxy of space, science-fiction and fantasy modelling.

“THE DOCTOR WILL SEE YOU NOW” OR “BETTER LATE THAN NEVER.”

MAT IRVINE WEEKENDER

If you start a model build, then it’s best to complete it in a reasonable time, as there’s little point in your latest creation hanging around in a partially-built state. Well that’s the usual idea, but plans can go awry...

SUMMER SHOW FOR YOUR DIARY - WINGS & WHEELS MODEL SPECTACULAR

SMN preview:

The ‘Wings & Wheels Model Spectacular’ (W&W) will be held this year over the weekend of June 23-24. The radio control (RC) show’s organizers describe it as: “A Modellers’ Paradise." And that’s fair enough, as W&W is reckoned to be the biggest UK event of its kind, and what’s more it’s now 26 years since the first show made its debut at North Weald airfield in Essex, north of London.

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.

Book review: Scale Spacecraft Modelling

This chunky paperback provides you with 208 colour pages, packed with useful information. It's the second Mat Irvine model book I've reviewed recently, and it maintains the fascination factor, this time for space modellers.

Mat provides a comment or a picture on just about everything to do with the subject, from the early days of spaceflight up to the present, and (most interesting for me) space-dreams and science-fiction sections, which cover all sorts of subjects from a Doctor Who Dalek to an Area 51 Roswell UFO.

Highly recommended for handy hints and ideas. Published by Crowood at £16.99 GBP or $29.95 USD, and the Amazon store may well offer a deal price on this.