I saw one of the 44's in the back of a car at a friend's house back when I was a kid. He was one of the model makers for Gerry Anderson. I was absolutely gobsmacked.
Same here: NASA should consider using that design as basis for their lunar transporter, the proposed ones today are extensions of the Apollo descent stage and have the same problems. The Eagle setup has the crew low down, where a simple boarding stair as used on private aircraft could be used.
I loved the Eagle as a kid but seeing this model now makes the front windows look very impractical. Each of the front windows had very limited viewing angles. It's still a beautiful spaceship.
@@ddegn It may appear impractical, but the shape of the nose of the Eagle would be appropriate for deflection when traveling through Space. With some minor changes, such as adding more viewing windows, the nose of the Eagle might be the only safe design when traveling through space at high speeds.
For me, the Eagle is right up there with all the other iconic space vehicles; The Enterprise, the Falcon, Battlestar etc. S1999 deserves so much more respect than it gets.
The Eagle model is without a doubt the most practical and realistic design ever, for a Science Fiction Series Space ship. From a design and engineering point of view, this design would be possible for actual human use. That says alot, and who knows, maybe by sheer coincidence, or by virtue of simplicity and practicality, future generations in the distant future, may actually use vehicles for Space travel, similar to this. This is a very interesting video, and what a privileged acquisition this is!
Glad you liked it, this was my farewell video to my favourite model as I had to sell it at a Propstore auction last November…….. so it has actually gone from ‘priceless’ to having a price as someone, somewhere, paid around £150k for it. I hope they are enjoying it.
It's fantastic to see that the original model is in good working order, and in the hands of a fan who is clearly as passionate about it as they should be. Good one you for keeping it safe, caring for it, and sharing it with the world via youtube. :) I have all the Product Enterprise Eagles, as well as an aftermarket conversion cargo pod carrying the radiation cannisters seen on the original pilot. Still to this day, Space 1999 is my favourite program of all time. Brian Johnson is a true legend.
At the end of a machining course at British Aerospace I briefly ran a production table set up with about 8 people around it (including our supervisor - as a helper) to manufacture my own miniature Eagle. Their main job was to acid-solder together the framework from precisely cut lengths of coat-hanger wire (galvanised steel, about 2 mm diameter) as components. Stayed intact over decades. Meanwhile I turned (lathe) the combustion chambers (different design) out of dural (duraluminium) and likewise turned the engine bells out of brass - which supervisor denied was possible - which I took as a challenge - and yes it was very difficult, requiring much trial & error - but to my delight and his surprise I (noisily!) succeeded (the turning bells ringing like...). I used tediously gentle cutting with especially sharpened tool coupled with copious amounts of coolant flow (to help dampen the ringing). Finally I made the command and passenger units out of self-reinforced plastic card (no other materials needed) and painted it all up (Airfix paints). Bonus accidental discovery: By using a one-foot-square fresnel lens - one particular way round only and with my head sufficiently far back from it - I was able to virtually peek inside the cabin - getting a point of view as if I was inside it!. Literally a "virtual image" (in optics terminology).
I still have my Eagle somewhere in my room at my parent’s house. It has the green nose pod and the detachable center pod. Space: 1999 was one of my favorite shows growing up, and I never quite grasped why they stopped making episodes.
The die-cast model by Dinky Toys? If so I had the same one! I never understood the green, but aside from that it was a remarkably detailed and well built model - mine was played with extensively!
His comment about the special effects crew being the true stars of the show is bang on for me. I watched the full series again on DVD a year or so ago, and the model work is still what drew me in. Past the uneven writing, inaccurate use of simple scientific terms, love story silliness...the model work, how they were photographed and the extra effects (landing thrusters blowing moon dust, docking sequences...) still made it worth watching. And the crash scenes: painful but impressive to watch, but NOTHING crashes like an Eagle ! Glad to hear this could be done without destroying a model.
I just got done now, watching Space 1999 for the first time and falling in love with it. What a great model, so robust. Thank you very much for showing us the inner workings and the details put into it.
Having just made the new 14" kit I enjoyed watching this video even more and seeing all those little details about the original Eagles I'd read about over the years.
@@john-ic7vg The new 14" Eagle kit goes together well with only the engine assembly at the rear being a bit fiddley. Fit is good as is the detail. You don't get clear windows or interior detail for the cockpit though. The decals for the windows aren't bad though. Looks great when built.
@@williamporter7596 hey thanks for the reply! I can't wait to sink my teeth into it.if I may ask what did you use for the windows? did you vacuum form them your self?
@@john-ic7vg I used the season 2 version of the interior decals with characters in uniform as supplied in the kit. And put some clear gloss over them for a more glassy look.
It's great that you are preserving the vehicle so well. Space 1999 was a classic British Sci-Fi series. Very few guns and a lot more imagination than many series from across the pond.
I have done for the last 20 years but she is now being boxed up and will be auctioned later this year. As the previous owner always said to me ‘We are only temporary custodians’.
an amazing clip, thanks for posting; the attention to detail by the special effects team is what have made Gerry Anderson's series' stand the test of time. What a wonderful item to own too.
My mom let my brother and I stay up late on Saturday night 10:30 here in the states to watch this show. I was 6 and my brother was even younger but we loved that show even though we were scared to death half the time. I had no idea the model was that size. Thanks for the show and tell, I enjoyed it.
I'm constantly amazed at how much work was put into those models, they could have used an aluminum paint for the bells, and plastic tubing for the frame, but they knew the rig would flex over time. Incredible. I grew up watching that show, and hope you still have the prop, and are able to preserve it for the next generation.
I had my photo taken next to this fine specimen in 1984 when I was 14 at my first Fanderson and re-taken last year if I'm not mistaken at Fanderson 2019. I'm now 49 years old...the model hasn't aged a bit, me on the other hand... Thanks for sharing 👍
You are not mistaken Martin, the Eagle usually turns up at the Fanderson events and was there last year. One of the reasons I love my models, and the old Gerry Anderson series, is that in an ever changing world they always remain the same.... although thanks to digital remastering and HD TV the 50 year old programs have the benefit of looking better with age than we may do! LOL
@@Spaceman042 you're not wrong there, greatly helped being shot on film rather than tape. Thanks for continuing to share your models with fandom, so many disappear from view... I love to see props of all kinds, production skills are often overlooked in favour of the actors. In the meantime I'll squint at my 23" Product Enterprise Eagle and pretend she's the real-deal 👍
That was very interesting. I remember the series from back in the day- quite ahead of it's time. Very happy to see that Eagle survived the passage of time and is now safely in your collection.
Most of the models from the Gerry Anderson series made before Space 1999 have unfortunately been lost/destroyed, but luckily most of them from 1999 survive to this day, including the various Eagles. The 2nd 44inch is in a private collection in London, the third in Canada, the 22inch is in Belgium and the 12 inch in the USA.
My friend ! What an exquisite autopsy! !!! I loved that serie but even more the era where models were made like Star Wars/Trek and Battlestar Galactica! Thank you so much for sharing this incredible find with the world.
I have very fond memories of this show as my father was in the series i have several photos and some scrips,my mother told me when i was young that i thought my father was a astronaut as i had several pics of him in full costume standing on the moon,now the pic sits on my home office wall.
This is so cool! I was a fan of the show back in the 70s, and I even still have my Eagle Transporter toy that I got for Christmas 1976. Great memories. I really enjoyed this video!
I had the large plastic model as well as the die-cast version by Dinky toys. I wish I still had them, they’d probably be worth something to the right nerd (says the nerd who wishes he could cash in on that)!
Superb design. Thankyou for this vid. Just goes to show that in special effects, appearances are everything. One last comment : Gerry Anderson's special effects teams were true trailblazers in special effects. I feel that they still to this day don't get the recognition that they deserve.
So glad these survived and are being well looked after and maintained. Too many props / models are simply scraped or destroyed. The Eagles are my favorite space craft.
Don’t know why this came across my feed today but thank you for sharing. I had many eagle models as a kid and would have loved a video like this back in the day!
I’m always impressed with the willingness to make such complex models knowing that you may need three of this size and a couple of a smaller size and maybe five of a very tiny size
Spaceman042 Thank you for saving this film and television treasure. It is truly a work of art and pure genius. But most importantly, thank you for sharing it with us in this video. Too often collectors with buy up something, then hide it away until the day they die like jealous little packrats. I certainly hope you have plans to ensure this model is preserved for generations to come. Again, thank you.
I am so jealous of your Eagle! I am 44 now and Space 1999 was my first Sxi-Fi program I remember. I was glued to the television to watch. Thank you for sharing!
So awesome!! Friend of mine’s dad had something to do with tv programation in the days of the series and my friend had two of the smallest eagles.we crash those and play so much with them things! They were metals and solid.Thanks for showing this.brings some memory’s.
Thank you for the detailed tour. I often wondered what the insides of the Eagle models looked like. It must be sooo tempting for you to add lights and extras ... but good on you for leaving them exactly as they were. Love how the thrusters work - cans of Airbrush Propellant controlled by selenoid valves. Brilliant ! +1 LIKE
Wow. What a cool video! This was a must-see series for me back when I was a teen, and I always wanted a prop model Eagle. The plastic kits were good, but having an actual prop from the show was a dream... I knew a lot about how the models functioned, but it was great to see it all in detail. Thanks again!!!
Excellent, excellent featurette, Mark! You're very fortunate to have that miniature, as well as the other artifacts you've collected. I'm American and was living in London in '75 when Space: 1999 debuted and I LOVED the Eagle! I see that a few people have mentioned the huge plastic toy Eagle that was available back in the late 70s. I still have mine! Somehow, I managed to keep my parents from donating it. Anyway, thanks again, Mark!
TY for sharing. I grew up on Thunderbirds, UFO , and Space:1999. My Dad said we used to watch Captain Scarlet but I dont remember it. I see UFO stuff on those shelves too! :D
This was great to see. It's amazing how much detail went into the odel of the ship. I don't just mean looks detail, but having to plan out piping systems for propellant and such. Just great to see.
Thank you very much for sharing this with us. Space 1999 was my favorite show in the 70s and I was quite depressed when it stopped production. Gerry and Sylvia Anderson are special people to us Sci-Fi/Fantasy fans. So glad to know this survivor is still in great repair! Lucky you to own such a treasure! 😉 If only Stanley Kubrick hadn't been such a nudge about the Odyssey some lucky person might have been able to purchase that one as well. Alas!
It's good to see this classic model and I liked the way you presented it and showed all the tiny details and craftmanship. I only went as far as to buy the plastic model kits, (Eagle & Moonbase Alpha) and had them for years. Thanks for posting! (I'm also a fan of the show).
Loved SPACE: 1999 when I was a kid - as with all the Gerry Anderson gold I grew up with - Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlet and of course UFO. I was fortunate enough to photography Gerry years ago when he toured the country doing talks with a few leftover Thunderbirds - TB2, Lady Penelope's FAB 1 and a marionette of her. The TB1 he was using wasn't original - sadly, the models ended up in a skip and this was a recreation for a TV ad (for insurance, IIRC). Lovely chap with some great stories of how they filmed such great action sequences - Derek Meddings went on to work for George Lucas on Star Wars with Industrial Light & Magic - that's how good they were! Your Eagle is awesome - it has the makings of a real spacecraft with all the brass and copper pipes. Thanks for sharing - would love to see it filmed using a tripod and some brighter lighting. Tip: Manual exposure will stop the picture going dark when there is a lot of white spacecraft body in the shot :-) Cheers Spike
First, thanks for the tour of this awesome filming model! It makes me really excited, not only to see how the model was built, but for the 22" model kit coming out from Round 2.
I had several models Of this ship, 3 or 4 of the Tiny Metal ones were My favorite, you could Find them all over my bedroom as a Child. I had them till I was In my mid 20s' when I lost everything to Hurricane Andrew in 1992. I always hoped to Find them for a few years after words in my yard, after all I found a lot of things that were lost back there, but alas it was not to be. still looking to replace them for some reason. that and my 6 million dollar man action Figure. lol I guess its true , Boys don't really grow Up. thanks for this
I was a keen model-maker back in the 70's and filled my bedroom with all sorts of kits. I had two airfix model Eagles, one of which I built "as is". The second I cannibalised to make a new ship using bits from other things I had collected. Eventually, I ran out of space to store them all and they spent some time in a box before I gave the lot away. If only I had had the foresight to use firecrackers!! Imagine the fun I could have had!
I loved that show too. I'd shopped for an Eagle model that had the same color scheme as the show. Many of the models had green parts to them. I found one - made of metal and plastic - all white, with the black accents...still have it.
If it was the Dinky toys one from memory the green painted and blue versions seemed to be the most common, with the white versions being harder to find, White ones seemed to be more common with the freighter pod than the transport pod
@@Wolfe351 Yes, it was made by Dinky in UK, 1974; and, you're right. The white ones were difficult to find; and, I found one. I didn't want the colored ones. It's sitting on my book shelf - looks good as new.
@@Search4TruthReality i had a green one painted it white..no idea what happened to it! Could still be in Dad's shed at home!! Had a Shado2 as well wore the tracks out playing with it as a kid
Thank you so much for sharing this with us! I also enjoyed S1999 and I had no idea how sophisticated the Eagle models were! I was thinking that they were simply pieced together from various off-the-shelf modeling kits (particularly the Apollo lunar module) as I had heard was done for models used in previous Anderson series. But it sounds like quite a clever piece of engineering! Congratulations on your acquisition!
@airscrew1 Many of the models from Space:1999 have survived thanks to the displays at Blackpool and Alton Towers in the 70s & 80s, then they spread out into the hands of the more serious Space;1999 fans - most noteably via the well-known model maker/collector Philip D Rae, who had most of them at one time or another. The three 44" Eagles survive to this day and are occasionally displayed at public events. Eagles 1 & 2 are in England, Eagle 3 moved to Canada a year or so ago.
I enjoyed this video. Quite informative. The fact that it predates Star Wars alone is amazing because it’s design actually seems plausible. It appears to have come from endless years of trouble shooting until they found the right combination of elements to make it work not unlike the real moon lander by NASA. So much is owed to the genius of its creators. They made what was considered a monumental leap forward for television and the effects still look amazing and easily shines through the test of time. I envy your purchase of The Real Deal. It really is a piece of history. Thank you for sharing this with the world.
Incredible the detail and old school knowledge, turned bells, soldered brass tubing. The Eagles final embodiment was determined by their tech and physics. And still the finest/sci fi close to real world spacecraft.
BADASS! Great to see one up close in such detail. No one talks about it but I was always impressed with the actual design. Clearly a lot of thought was put into it, in that it rationally solves many problems of this type of vehicle based on the technology of the time. In other words if actual engineers were given the job to create a vehicle to perform the tasks the Eagle did, with the technology of the time, the design of the Eagle is a logical solution.
What a wonderful little film! This really is a fantastic overview of what is a classic Anderson vehicle. Fun whilst still being informative too and far better than some professional pieces I've seen on effects and miniatures in movies and TV. Thanks so much for a great bit of footage. I'd love to see and hear more on those other amazing models too if poss! Thanks.
Do you imagine how much insane work and attention to detail it had to take to ensure that every Eagle model looked exactly the same when you're trying to bend all that copper piping to be an exact match? I mean, look at how intricate the pipes are in the tail section!
What a fantastic thing to own...it's great to know it still exists :) Watched the series as a kid..loved it!...really exciting. Take good care of it, as you say..priceless! :)
Thank you for posting this video. It's good to see an original Eagle model that has survived. I was ten years old in '75, I had one of the mass-produced plastic toys with action figures. From memory, I estimate it was around 36" long. Sadly, as a kid I had no respect for things, and by the time the show was off the air my toy Eagle was broken and had mysteriously been set on fire in a couple places somehow. Remember what Joni Mitchell said, "You don't know what you've got til it's gone..."
I had that too. Mine fared a bit better (I wasn’t usually too hard on my toys, except for the extensive use they received), but unfortunately mine was also lost to history, as was my (approximately) 12” long due-cast model.
Fantastic video, man. Thank you for jogging my happy memories of building the mpc model kit of the Eagle when I was a boy. I just took a look at Google and I see they’ve reissued it!
This was the first model I built as a young boy! I can remember getting it on X-mas day, and it was just incredible. I then went on to Battlestar Gallactica, Star Trek, and of course, Star Wars. Fun!
Awesome! When I was a kid I loved Space 1999. I thought that the Eagle was the most realistic design of a spacecraft I had ever seen. No redundant streamlining, no wings, totally utilitarian. I surmised that it was patterned after a Sikorsky sky-crane as the central cargo bay was interchangeable. Don't know for sure though. Thanks for the tour!
I saw one of the 44's in the back of a car at a friend's house back when I was a kid. He was one of the model makers for Gerry Anderson. I was absolutely gobsmacked.
The Eagle was one of my favorite sci-fi spacecraft. It looks practical, functional and believable. It was definitely he Star of S1999
Yep. totally agree. And thunderbird 2.
Same here: NASA should consider using that design as basis for their lunar transporter, the proposed ones today are extensions of the Apollo descent stage and have the same problems. The Eagle setup has the crew low down, where a simple boarding stair as used on private aircraft could be used.
I loved the Eagle as a kid but seeing this model now makes the front windows look very impractical.
Each of the front windows had very limited viewing angles.
It's still a beautiful spaceship.
@@ddegn It may appear impractical, but the shape of the nose of the Eagle would be appropriate for deflection when traveling through Space. With some minor changes, such as adding more viewing windows, the nose of the Eagle might be the only safe design when traveling through space at high speeds.
For me, the Eagle is right up there with all the other iconic space vehicles; The Enterprise, the Falcon, Battlestar etc. S1999 deserves so much more respect than it gets.
a very nice piece of engineering
This level of craftsmanship and imagination for an actual intricate model is something that CGI cartoons will never inspire or accomplish!
To me, the Eagle looks so much better than the Falcon or the Battlestar Galactica.
The Eagle model is without a doubt the most practical and realistic design ever, for a Science Fiction Series Space ship. From a design and engineering point of view, this design would be possible for actual human use. That says alot, and who knows, maybe by sheer coincidence, or by virtue of simplicity and practicality, future generations in the distant future, may actually use vehicles for Space travel, similar to this. This is a very interesting video, and what a privileged acquisition this is!
The Eagle will always be my favorite spaceship. Thanks for showing us this priceless model!
Glad you liked it, this was my farewell video to my favourite model as I had to sell it at a Propstore auction last November…….. so it has actually gone from ‘priceless’ to having a price as someone, somewhere, paid around £150k for it. I hope they are enjoying it.
Superb model 👍😎 Space 1999 was by far my fav TV program growing up in the 1970s 👍😎
Loved the show, and the Eagle is Iconic, deserves way more love than it gets.
It's fantastic to see that the original model is in good working order, and in the hands of a fan who is clearly as passionate about it as they should be. Good one you for keeping it safe, caring for it, and sharing it with the world via youtube. :)
I have all the Product Enterprise Eagles, as well as an aftermarket conversion cargo pod carrying the radiation cannisters seen on the original pilot.
Still to this day, Space 1999 is my favourite program of all time. Brian Johnson is a true legend.
I had the Model When I was a Young one When Space 1999 was on the Air. Don't Remember what happened to it.😢
At the end of a machining course at British Aerospace I briefly ran a production table set up with about 8 people around it (including our supervisor - as a helper) to manufacture my own miniature Eagle. Their main job was to acid-solder together the framework from precisely cut lengths of coat-hanger wire (galvanised steel, about 2 mm diameter) as components. Stayed intact over decades. Meanwhile I turned (lathe) the combustion chambers (different design) out of dural (duraluminium) and likewise turned the engine bells out of brass - which supervisor denied was possible - which I took as a challenge - and yes it was very difficult, requiring much trial & error - but to my delight and his surprise I (noisily!) succeeded (the turning bells ringing like...). I used tediously gentle cutting with especially sharpened tool coupled with copious amounts of coolant flow (to help dampen the ringing). Finally I made the command and passenger units out of self-reinforced plastic card (no other materials needed) and painted it all up (Airfix paints). Bonus accidental discovery: By using a one-foot-square fresnel lens - one particular way round only and with my head sufficiently far back from it - I was able to virtually peek inside the cabin - getting a point of view as if I was inside it!. Literally a "virtual image" (in optics terminology).
I'm so glad this amazing model was preserved.The detail that went into it is amazing!
Greetings from Northern California.
That was a huge treat. Your British Scale Model Skillsets are amazing.
I still have my Eagle somewhere in my room at my parent’s house. It has the green nose pod and the detachable center pod. Space: 1999 was one of my favorite shows growing up, and I never quite grasped why they stopped making episodes.
The die-cast model by Dinky Toys? If so I had the same one! I never understood the green, but aside from that it was a remarkably detailed and well built model - mine was played with extensively!
His comment about the special effects crew being the true stars of the show is bang on for me. I watched the full series again on DVD a year or so ago, and the model work is still what drew me in. Past the uneven writing, inaccurate use of simple scientific terms, love story silliness...the model work, how they were photographed and the extra effects (landing thrusters blowing moon dust, docking sequences...) still made it worth watching.
And the crash scenes: painful but impressive to watch, but NOTHING crashes like an Eagle ! Glad to hear this could be done without destroying a model.
I just got done now, watching Space 1999 for the first time and falling in love with it. What a great model, so robust. Thank you very much for showing us the inner workings and the details put into it.
Blimey, I hadn’t really thought about how the studio models had been constructed. I’m still a 5year old kid when I see an eagle 👍
I had one of the die cast models when I was a youngster. Wish I still had it today.
they are worth good money now, more if still in packaging (like all nice things mine got trashed as a kid!)
I have 2 and a half in my workshop.
Having just made the new 14" kit I enjoyed watching this video even more and seeing all those little details about the original Eagles I'd read about over the years.
Hi. I love the Eagle as well and enjoy model building. What was your impression of the new eagle kit and how did the build go?
@@john-ic7vg The new 14" Eagle kit goes together well with only the engine assembly at the rear being a bit fiddley. Fit is good as is the detail. You don't get clear windows or interior detail for the cockpit though. The decals for the windows aren't bad though. Looks great when built.
@@williamporter7596 hey thanks for the reply! I can't wait to sink my teeth into it.if I may ask what did you use for the windows? did you vacuum form them your self?
@@williamporter7596 friend of mine is willing to machine the engine bells for me. I'm really going to try and make this thing cook
@@john-ic7vg I used the season 2 version of the interior decals with characters in uniform as supplied in the kit. And put some clear gloss over them for a more glassy look.
It's great that you are preserving the vehicle so well. Space 1999 was a classic British Sci-Fi series. Very few guns and a lot more imagination than many series from across the pond.
I have done for the last 20 years but she is now being boxed up and will be auctioned later this year. As the previous owner always said to me ‘We are only temporary custodians’.
an amazing clip, thanks for posting; the attention to detail by the special effects team is what have made Gerry Anderson's series' stand the test of time. What a wonderful item to own too.
Amazingly well designed and built weren't they. They were one of the most memorable things about that show.
My mom let my brother and I stay up late on Saturday night 10:30 here in the states to watch this show. I was 6 and my brother was even younger but we loved that show even though we were scared to death half the time. I had no idea the model was that size. Thanks for the show and tell, I enjoyed it.
I'm constantly amazed at how much work was put into those models, they could have used an aluminum paint for the bells, and plastic tubing for the frame, but they knew the rig would flex over time. Incredible. I grew up watching that show, and hope you still have the prop, and are able to preserve it for the next generation.
I had my photo taken next to this fine specimen in 1984 when I was 14 at my first Fanderson and re-taken last year if I'm not mistaken at Fanderson 2019. I'm now 49 years old...the model hasn't aged a bit, me on the other hand...
Thanks for sharing 👍
You are not mistaken Martin, the Eagle usually turns up at the Fanderson events and was there last year. One of the reasons I love my models, and the old Gerry Anderson series, is that in an ever changing world they always remain the same.... although thanks to digital remastering and HD TV the 50 year old programs have the benefit of looking better with age than we may do! LOL
@@Spaceman042 you're not wrong there, greatly helped being shot on film rather than tape. Thanks for continuing to share your models with fandom, so many disappear from view... I love to see props of all kinds, production skills are often overlooked in favour of the actors.
In the meantime I'll squint at my 23" Product Enterprise Eagle and pretend she's the real-deal 👍
That was very interesting. I remember the series from back in the day- quite ahead of it's time. Very happy to see that Eagle survived the passage of time and is now safely in your collection.
Most of the models from the Gerry Anderson series made before Space 1999 have unfortunately been lost/destroyed, but luckily most of them from 1999 survive to this day, including the various Eagles. The 2nd 44inch is in a private collection in London, the third in Canada, the 22inch is in Belgium and the 12 inch in the USA.
Wonderful craftsmanship! Thank you for preserving the model. With all the reboots, I had hope for a Space: 2099 movie or TV series.
My friend ! What an exquisite autopsy! !!! I loved that serie but even more the era where models were made like Star Wars/Trek and Battlestar Galactica! Thank you so much for sharing this incredible find with the world.
I have very fond memories of this show as my father was in the series i have several photos and some scrips,my mother told me when i was young that i thought my father was a astronaut as i had several pics of him in full costume standing on the moon,now the pic sits on my home office wall.
Awesome tour of your awesome model!
I can’t tell you how much I appreciate you having shared the behind the scenes of it all with us!
Thank you 😊
I have building models since the late sixtys. Nothing like this just kits.
Thanks for sharing!
This is so cool! I was a fan of the show back in the 70s, and I even still have my Eagle Transporter toy that I got for Christmas 1976. Great memories. I really enjoyed this video!
I had the large plastic model as well as the die-cast version by Dinky toys. I wish I still had them, they’d probably be worth something to the right nerd (says the nerd who wishes he could cash in on that)!
Superb design. Thankyou for this vid. Just goes to show that in special effects, appearances are everything. One last comment : Gerry Anderson's special effects teams were true trailblazers in special effects. I feel that they still to this day don't get the recognition that they deserve.
Very well built! This is (in my opinion) the best spaceship among all movies and tv series ones. Long life to Eagle 1 !!!
My favorite spacecraft. I remember having a 24" and a 12". The 24" had a detachable cockpit and engine section that could be joined together.
Loved this show when I was a kid. I can still remember it being advertised on TV & me saying to my mom that I got to watch it.
So glad these survived and are being well looked after and maintained. Too many props / models are simply scraped or
destroyed. The Eagles are my favorite space craft.
Wow! Really enjoyed your presentation. Always love the Eagle ships! Great details. Many thanks!
Glad you liked it but have you seen the new one, it’s a better quality.
I concur with many here. The most logical TV show spaceship design. Also one of my favorite.
that's someone's baby. I'm so glad it's being looked after 🐹
I loved this video. The Eagle is still one of my all-time favourite movie/TV spaceships.
Don’t know why this came across my feed today but thank you for sharing. I had many eagle models as a kid and would have loved a video like this back in the day!
I’m always impressed with the willingness to make such complex models knowing that you may need three of this size and a couple of a smaller size and maybe five of a very tiny size
Wonderfully illuminating video about the best spaceship ever designed for science fiction. Thank you so much for making it and sharing it with us.
Spaceman042 Thank you for saving this film and television treasure. It is truly a work of art and pure genius. But most importantly, thank you for sharing it with us in this video. Too often collectors with buy up something, then hide it away until the day they die like jealous little packrats. I certainly hope you have plans to ensure this model is preserved for generations to come. Again, thank you.
Wow! I had no idea what a physical engineering feat these models were. Thank you.
I am so jealous of your Eagle! I am 44 now and Space 1999 was my first Sxi-Fi program I remember. I was glued to the television to watch. Thank you for sharing!
Fascinating! Gives new appreciation for good, old fashion model building. A lot more complicated than the CGI used these days.
So awesome!! Friend of mine’s dad had something to do with tv programation in the days of the series and my friend had two of the smallest eagles.we crash those and play so much with them things! They were metals and solid.Thanks for showing this.brings some memory’s.
Perhaps my favorite fictional spacecraft of all times.
Thank you for the detailed tour. I often wondered what the insides of the Eagle models looked like. It must be sooo tempting for you to add lights and extras ... but good on you for leaving them exactly as they were. Love how the thrusters work - cans of Airbrush Propellant controlled by selenoid valves. Brilliant ! +1 LIKE
Wow. What a cool video! This was a must-see series for me back when I was a teen, and I always wanted a prop model Eagle. The plastic kits were good, but having an actual prop from the show was a dream... I knew a lot about how the models functioned, but it was great to see it all in detail. Thanks again!!!
Excellent, excellent featurette, Mark! You're very fortunate to have that miniature, as well as the other artifacts you've collected. I'm American and was living in London in '75 when Space: 1999 debuted and I LOVED the Eagle!
I see that a few people have mentioned the huge plastic toy Eagle that was available back in the late 70s. I still have mine! Somehow, I managed to keep my parents from donating it.
Anyway, thanks again, Mark!
Lucky man, I wish I still had mine - not that I know what I’d do with it, but I loved this series!
TY for sharing. I grew up on Thunderbirds, UFO , and Space:1999. My Dad said we used to watch Captain Scarlet but I dont remember it. I see UFO stuff on those shelves too! :D
nice details in the video, just like the amazing model
dare say it's priceless these days
Went up for auction not too long ago for 80,000 quid.
@@paulclark1918 Thats over $100.000 USD
This is an EXCELLENT 'how to' when designing and building an Eagle, whatever scale.
Many thanks indeed!.
This was great to see. It's amazing how much detail went into the odel of the ship. I don't just mean looks detail, but having to plan out piping systems for propellant and such. Just great to see.
That is a fine model. I'm very impressed by it's strong construction.
Thank you very much for sharing this with us. Space 1999 was my favorite show in the 70s and I was quite depressed when it stopped production. Gerry and Sylvia Anderson are special people to us Sci-Fi/Fantasy fans. So glad to know this survivor is still in great repair! Lucky you to own such a treasure! 😉 If only Stanley Kubrick hadn't been such a nudge about the Odyssey some lucky person might have been able to purchase that one as well. Alas!
What a brilliant model setup. I'm impressed.
Simply masterful model making. Hat's off to the special effects crew.
It's good to see this classic model and I liked the way you presented it and showed all the tiny details and craftmanship. I only went as far as to buy the plastic model kits, (Eagle & Moonbase Alpha) and had them for years. Thanks for posting! (I'm also a fan of the show).
Loved SPACE: 1999 when I was a kid - as with all the Gerry Anderson gold I grew up with - Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlet and of course UFO.
I was fortunate enough to photography Gerry years ago when he toured the country doing talks with a few leftover Thunderbirds - TB2, Lady Penelope's FAB 1 and a marionette of her. The TB1 he was using wasn't original - sadly, the models ended up in a skip and this was a recreation for a TV ad (for insurance, IIRC).
Lovely chap with some great stories of how they filmed such great action sequences - Derek Meddings went on to work for George Lucas on Star Wars with Industrial Light & Magic - that's how good they were!
Your Eagle is awesome - it has the makings of a real spacecraft with all the brass and copper pipes. Thanks for sharing - would love to see it filmed using a tripod and some brighter lighting. Tip: Manual exposure will stop the picture going dark when there is a lot of white spacecraft body in the shot :-)
Cheers
Spike
First, thanks for the tour of this awesome filming model! It makes me really excited, not only to see how the model was built, but for the 22" model kit coming out from Round 2.
Wonderful and informative video. So nice to reflect on this much missed golden age of TV. Thanks for sharing!
I had several models Of this ship, 3 or 4 of the Tiny Metal ones were My favorite, you could Find them all over my bedroom as a Child. I had them till I was In my mid 20s' when I lost everything to Hurricane Andrew in 1992. I always hoped to Find them for a few years after words in my yard, after all I found a lot of things that were lost back there, but alas it was not to be. still looking to replace them for some reason. that and my 6 million dollar man action Figure. lol I guess its true , Boys don't really grow Up.
thanks for this
Along with the original Enterprise, the Eagle is one of my all-time favorite space ships. Thanks for posting this!! :-D
I was a keen model-maker back in the 70's and filled my bedroom with all sorts of kits. I had two airfix model Eagles, one of which I built "as is". The second I cannibalised to make a new ship using bits from other things I had collected. Eventually, I ran out of space to store them all and they spent some time in a box before I gave the lot away. If only I had had the foresight to use firecrackers!! Imagine the fun I could have had!
Takes me right back to being 10 years old and wanting to be an Eagle pilot.
Very cool of you to share this treasure.
It's in pretty remarkable shape.
It's nice to know The Eagle has landed in a caring home!
Thank you for the comprehensive tour. Nice piece.
great video of a great model. thanks for showing it off.I would be proud of her too.
I loved that show too. I'd shopped for an Eagle model that had the same color scheme as the show. Many of the models had green parts to them. I found one - made of metal and plastic - all white, with the black accents...still have it.
Where the heck did you find it?? All the ones I ever found were the white plastic ones
I had the green die-cast model too as a kid. The middle section was white and could detach.
If it was the Dinky toys one from memory the green painted and blue versions seemed to be the most common, with the white versions being harder to find, White ones seemed to be more common with the freighter pod than the transport pod
@@Wolfe351 Yes, it was made by Dinky in UK, 1974; and, you're right. The white ones were difficult to find; and, I found one. I didn't want the colored ones. It's sitting on my book shelf - looks good as new.
@@Search4TruthReality i had a green one painted it white..no idea what happened to it! Could still be in Dad's shed at home!! Had a Shado2 as well wore the tracks out playing with it as a kid
Thank you so much for sharing this with us! I also enjoyed S1999 and I had no idea how sophisticated the Eagle models were! I was thinking that they were simply pieced together from various off-the-shelf modeling kits (particularly the Apollo lunar module) as I had heard was done for models used in previous Anderson series. But it sounds like quite a clever piece of engineering!
Congratulations on your acquisition!
Thank you very much for the walk-through with such detail.
A screen used Eagle - Outstanding.
Superb video of excellent model. I am glad that the model has a good home.
Really great to see these; it was a great show.
@airscrew1 Many of the models from Space:1999 have survived thanks to the displays at Blackpool and Alton Towers in the 70s & 80s, then they spread out into the hands of the more serious Space;1999 fans - most noteably via the well-known model maker/collector Philip D Rae, who had most of them at one time or another. The three 44" Eagles survive to this day and are occasionally displayed at public events. Eagles 1 & 2 are in England, Eagle 3 moved to Canada a year or so ago.
I enjoyed this video. Quite informative. The fact that it predates Star Wars alone is amazing because it’s design actually seems plausible. It appears to have come from endless years of trouble shooting until they found the right combination of elements to make it work not unlike the real moon lander by NASA.
So much is owed to the genius of its creators. They made what was considered a monumental leap forward for television and the effects still look amazing and easily shines through the test of time.
I envy your purchase of The Real Deal.
It really is a piece of history.
Thank you for sharing this with the world.
Incredible the detail and old school knowledge, turned bells, soldered brass tubing. The Eagles final embodiment was determined by their tech and physics. And still the finest/sci fi close to real world spacecraft.
BADASS! Great to see one up close in such detail. No one talks about it but I was always impressed with the actual design. Clearly a lot of thought was put into it, in that it rationally solves many problems of this type of vehicle based on the technology of the time. In other words if actual engineers were given the job to create a vehicle to perform the tasks the Eagle did, with the technology of the time, the design of the Eagle is a logical solution.
What a wonderful little film! This really is a fantastic overview of what is a classic Anderson vehicle. Fun whilst still being informative too and far better than some professional pieces I've seen on effects and miniatures in movies and TV. Thanks so much for a great bit of footage. I'd love to see and hear more on those other amazing models too if poss! Thanks.
A well made model that has stood up very well. Really glad to see it has survived.
Do you imagine how much insane work and attention to detail it had to take to ensure that every Eagle model looked exactly the same when you're trying to bend all that copper piping to be an exact match? I mean, look at how intricate the pipes are in the tail section!
Thank you for showing this beautiful gem!!
The Space: 1999 models themselves were just as genius as their Thunderbird ancestors!
Ah the memories,,,amazing looking craft,,had a couple of toys of these back in the day,,(way back!),,,good days.
What a fantastic thing to own...it's great to know it still exists :)
Watched the series as a kid..loved it!...really exciting.
Take good care of it, as you say..priceless! :)
I have always loved this craft right from day one of the tv series.
thanks for showing
thats the coolest thing I have ever seen! Space 1999 was THE show to watch as a young man! Really helped sustain my dreams of the future!!
Probably one off the most highly engineered models of all time, great vid.
Great video! I still think the models created in the 70's are far far better and more realistic than modern CG creations.
Thanks for making the video, had some very good information on it and I enjoyed seeing the model again! Brings back some good memories!
Great insight into the original work. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you for posting this video. It's good to see an original Eagle model that has survived. I was ten years old in '75, I had one of the mass-produced plastic toys with action figures. From memory, I estimate it was around 36" long. Sadly, as a kid I had no respect for things, and by the time the show was off the air my toy Eagle was broken and had mysteriously been set on fire in a couple places somehow. Remember what Joni Mitchell said, "You don't know what you've got til it's gone..."
I had the same one and mine met about the same fate as yours.
I had that too. Mine fared a bit better (I wasn’t usually too hard on my toys, except for the extensive use they received), but unfortunately mine was also lost to history, as was my (approximately) 12” long due-cast model.
What an incredible treasure. Thank you for sharing!
If there ever is a remake (Space 2099) do not change the look of the Eagle.
Fantastic video, man. Thank you for jogging my happy memories of building the mpc model kit of the Eagle when I was a boy. I just took a look at Google and I see they’ve reissued it!
This was the first model I built as a young boy! I can remember getting it on X-mas day, and it was just incredible. I then went on to Battlestar Gallactica, Star Trek, and of course, Star Wars. Fun!
Awesome!
When I was a kid I loved Space 1999. I thought that the Eagle was the most realistic design of a spacecraft I had ever seen. No redundant streamlining, no wings, totally utilitarian. I surmised that it was patterned after a Sikorsky sky-crane as the central cargo bay was interchangeable. Don't know for sure though. Thanks for the tour!
Wow! Thank you for sharing this tour of the Eagle and the spacesuit!