Alien Nostromo interior models

Andyrowlands62 · Nov 21, 2013

Evening ladies & gents. Brand new user here and as such I don't really know what I'm doing yet. I presume the only way I'll know if I've done this right is if someone comments? I will only add two pics until I know whether this has worked.

Before I start posting pics, another member informed me a short while ago that someone has posted some of my pics on here without my knowledge or permission, so whoever it was please remove them. It is courteous to ask first.

Anyway, about 30 years ago I scratch-built models of some of the interior sets of the Nostromo from the original Alien movie. As VHS pausing technology was pretty awful in the early 80s, I was only able to construct the basic passageways & compartments, much of the detailing had to be left until video pausing technology had improved, and the final details were added with the advent of DVDs allowing stable paused images.

These models are not built to any particular scale, the passageways are about four inches high. I tried to replicate the lighting levels of the movie, and as such many of the pics are by neccesity quite dark, so the best time to view them will be after sunset, when ambient light levels are lower.

These first two images are from the opening sequence of the movie, and are of the engineering, or C Deck. I apologise in advance for the first one being slightly blurred, this was due to having to hand-hold the camera very close to the model.

Mike J. · Nov 21, 2013

It worked!

So, you held on to these models for thirty years?

-MJ

joberg · Nov 21, 2013

Good stuff for sure, so what's the story^^?

Andyrowlands62 · Nov 21, 2013

Ah it worked, excellent! Indeed I did keep them, I put so much time & effort into making them I was damned if I was going to destroy them! They are stored in my Mom's house and I've successfully headed off every attempt by her to get me to throw them out.

The baseboards are chipboard, and the passageways and rooms are made from wood, hardboard, cardboard, Plastruct tubing & pillars, with the detaling made of bits & pieces of plastic, small bits of old electrical equipment, small nuts & bolts, whatever I found that wasn't too big. My reference material was two invaluable publications; The Book of Alien by Scanlon & Gross and the Movie Novel by Richard Anobile, plus multiple viewings of the movie. A few years ago I added two separate passagway extensions, which I used multiple times for different scenes. I made about a dozen of the passageway 'machines', which were all removable so it would make the passageways represent different areas of the ship.

These next two images were after the crew had been woken, and Brett & Parker descend into the bowels of the ship to do something or other, while Dallas questions Mother. They return to the bridge to find out what's going on along the same two passageways seen in the first two pics, but overhead video monitors were added and the lighting changed to make them appear different. The end of the right-hand pic was obscured by the actors, probably deliberately, so I removed the ladderway, changed some of the 'machines', put a blank end across the passageway and cut blocks of wood which I painted light green 'screens' onto, and stuck them into the ceiling recesses. I didn't glue them in as I needed to remove them for other shots. There should be screenshots next to the pics, hopefully giving a better idea of which scenes I was trying to recreate. It's time for bed here now, so I'll post more tomorrow.

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joberg said:
Good stuff for sure, so what's the story^^?

The story is of these models I made Mr Joberg. There should be pictures and descriptions?

zyote · Nov 21, 2013

Love them! Some great attention to detail. Lighting is excellent too!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Andyrowlands62 · Nov 22, 2013

These next two pics are of the main airlock and it's anteroom, which was the galley set redressed. They must have used removable wall sections in the movie, as thie galley was redressed to represent both the man & shuttle airlocks, and a room with an undisclosed function, which will become apparent in a later photo. I therefore made removable wall sections to try & copy the sets, though for this scene I only had enough material to copy the left-hand wall, so I had to cheat with the right-hand wall and use the piece intended for the shuttle airlock here as well. I have been provisionally invited to display these models at a fundraising exhibition in Coventry UK next Spring, so I intend to make new wall sections for this scene, and other modifications and repairs, as after 30 years, parts of the models are starting to show their age.

Andyrowlands62 · Nov 22, 2013

After Kane 'gives birth' the crew hunt for the small alien. Dallas, Lambert & Ash are seen in the distance passing this series of passageways. This was part of the A Deck set redressed and repainted dark grey to represent B Deck. This is actually the junction between the bridge, galley and the passage that leads to the infirmary. The A Deck set was built as a complete enclosed set, but from the way it was filmed, it's not obvious without multiple viewings. I've included screenshots to illustrate the way the camera moved round the junction. You will see from the last two pics my hatchways are too wide, but they were made fairly early on during the initial build, so they'll have to do.

In the fourth & fifth pics, you can see from the floor of the room through the hatch that it is the galley/airlock. The left-hand passage in the fifth pic leads to the bridge as A Deck. I didn't have room to make this passage so I just made a short section that hangs off the side of the model, and can just be seen between the ladder rungs in the fourth pic.

Andyrowlands62 · Nov 22, 2013

Parker, Brett & Ripley search C Deck for the small alien. They come along this passage, which is the same one from the very first pic, filmed from the opposite direction, as some of the machinery details give it away. I copied the machines as best I could and I think I got them pretty close in this image.

You can just see the side of a hatchway at far left, this leads into the large storage room where Brett chases the cat. To the right is the hatch into the small room where they try to snare the alien in a net. That small room I built as a separate piece which butts up to this section. I wanted to show a peek into the large room on the left in this shot, but if I had the camera any further back it would have revealed the open side of the model on the right, as there wasn't room for the camera when the small room was in position.

Both the small and large rooms were redressed to represent different parts of the ship in later scenes & I was able to do the same as you'll see from subsequent photos. In the third pic inside the small room, you can just see the passage through the hatchway.

Mike J. · Nov 22, 2013

I get an error when trying to look at your attachments in post #7.

Other than that, so far, so good.

Keep 'em coming!

And I'd like to know how big these are... Could you sneak in a Coke can for scale?

-MJ

Andyrowlands62 · Nov 22, 2013

Mike J. said:
I get an error when trying to look at your attachments in post #7.

Other than that, so far, so good.

Keep 'em coming!

And I'd like to know how big these are... Could you sneak in a Coke can for scale?

-MJ

I just deleted and re-uploaded the same pics in the error one Mike, can you see them now? These pics were taken last year, so I can't insert anything that shows scale on these pics now, but the passageways are about four inches high. The last pice will show all the model sections together on a bed, so you'll be able to see how big they were and how they fitted together.

Mike J. · Nov 22, 2013

All working fine now, thanks.

Andyrowlands62 · Nov 22, 2013

After they fail to snare the cat, Brett chases it across the passageway into the large storage room, passing various vehicles. The closest one was, according to a documentary I saw, intended to represent some kind of prospecting vehicle, and the larger one behind the pillars a heavy tractor unit. The prospecting vehicle I made up from bits and pieces, including part of one of my Dad's used tobacco containers! The two sliver/grey objects sticking up at the front of it, which in the film were supposed to be cameras, are unused parts of the undercarriage of my Revell B-36 model. The 'wheels' are nylock threaded nuts glued on.

I've included two screenshots to illustrate and a pic I found on the net of the smaller vehicle after it was built. All that time and effort & it's on screen for about a minute.

Andyrowlands62 · Nov 22, 2013

A view looking straight down the middle of the large storage room, towards the doors into the landing leg room where Brett meets his end, and a screenshot of the same scene from the movie, followed by the large tractor where Brett finds the small alien has shed it's skin, with a screenshot to illustrate the tractor.

The large tractor started life as a Dinky Leopard tank. I removed the turret & tracks, added the new superstructure, and the new tracks were surplus from a space shuttle launch pad, simply turned upside down and glued on.

Andyrowlands62 · Nov 22, 2013

Last two for tonight. A close-up of the doors into the landing leg room where Brett is killed. I only had enough materials at the time to make one landing leg, and it's way too small, but it's better than nothing I guess. The detailing on the doors was just drawn on, and is copied from multiple viewings of the scene. The second pic is one I found on the net of the inside of the landing leg room which would appear to be from a bit of film that ended up on the cutting room floor, as it doesn't appear in the movie. Brett is just visible at bottom centre of the pic.

joberg · Nov 22, 2013

Got the story now and glad you didn't throw these into the bin. Good work for sure!

Andyrowlands62 · Nov 23, 2013

joberg said:
Got the story now and glad you didn't throw these into the bin. Good work for sure!

That's very kind of you to say so Mr Joberg. I'll be adding some more today.

Andyrowlands62 · Nov 23, 2013

After Ash is exposed as an android, Ripley, Parker & Lambert decide to escape in the shuttle. While Ripley prepares the shuttle, Parker & Lambert go to fetch oxygen bottles. They go into another large room, which is the same room as where Brett chases the cat, but with some of the equipment moved around to make it appear a different room. I did the same, and put in 'machines' I hadn't used elsewhere.

In the movie the camera follows them across the room, so I tried to copy that by taking a series of pics. This sequence was one of the darker ones in the movie, so I covered the top of the model with a dinner tray, closed the curtains and shone a torch through the hatch. You'll definately need to look at these in low ambient light or you'll see very little in daylight.

To represent the aerial vehicle they get the oxygen bottles from, I used my old Dinky Interceptor from UFO, suitably painted to match the room, as I didn't have anything to try and make a copy of the craft. I've included screenshots next to the parts I was trying to copy.

Andyrowlands62 · Nov 23, 2013

After collecting the oxygen bottles, Parker & Lambert exit this room, cross a pasageway into a smaller room to check them. This is where the alien ambushes and kills them, and is the same room as where they had earlier tried to snare the cat, so I used the same extra room I made again. It was too wide to get it all in a single picture, as having the camera far enough back would have resulted in the open sides of the model being visible, so I took two pics. I've included screenshot to illustrate the double hatchways & large oxygen bottles, and the large room is visible through the hatches.

Andyrowlands62 · Nov 23, 2013

After finding Parker & Lambert dead, Ripley goes into the engine control room to set the self destruct sequence. The engine room set was the infirmary heavily rebuilt. You can see this from the positions of the window into the passage and the hatchway. I've included a screenshot of the engine room and an unused shot of the infirmary to illustrate this.

Andyrowlands62 · Nov 23, 2013

After running round trying to stop the self destruct sequence, Ripley finally makes her escape, or so she thought, into the shuttle. The first pic was to illustrate this. With this shot, I also wanted to make the longest section of passageway I could, and also have the 'machine' side of the passageway change sides, as they would not all be on the same sides either side of junctions. This was the first time I had photted this passageway from this direction, and I used machines I had not used before to make it appear as different as possible. I'm quite please with the moody lighting in this one.

The last three pics are of the shuttle airlock and anteroom, which again was the galley set redressed with different wall sections. I copied this and show two screenshots to illustrate what I was trying to achieve.

Alien Nostromo interior models

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