Close Encounters Mother Ship has it been done

Supa troop

Supa troop

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RPF PREMIUM MEMBER
As per the Title, has the CLOSE ENCOUNTERS mother ship ever been tackled i did do a search but didn't come up with anything !!

If it has been tackled can someone point me in the direction of the thread, if it has not been done whats the best way to have a go at trying to source the pieces for this.

I assume there would be an awful lot of electronics involved ?
 
You'll Need an MPC xwing for the r2 unit. That's a start.

9b09f73f.jpg


b47a65bc.jpg
 
I don't think the X-Wing kit was available at the time this was in production, the R2 was most likely scratch built. This ship had a lot of model railroad parts, Monopoly pieces (plastic houses), airplanes from carrier kits, etc. You'd go crazy trying to source it all.

I'd just build it from scratch, make it look good but make it up, have fun with it :) The light patterns on the dome will be the toughest part, they were moire effects shot separately and projected into the dome.
 
Yeah, id go with scratchbuilding a very close replica, IDing this prop would be pretty much impossible, ive never seen any decent ref of it, and as stated, some very obscure stuff was used Simon.
Its kinda funny you post this, as im kind of on a kick for UFO type spacecraft right now, with the saucer from The Thing in my mind, the Mothership is something id kinda buzz off doing TBH.

lee
 
I always thought the R2 was from a pewter key chain. I had one and could have sworn it looked the same. It was open in the back and the legs swiveled.

At any rate, there have been a few small resin models but I have never seen anyone tackle this on a larger scale than a few inches.
 
It's at the Udvar-Hazy. Used to be dusty, unprotected, and in the open at the Garber Facility in Silver Hill MD, amongst the Ho-229, Enola Gay, Kikka, Salamander, Avrocar, Pogo, and all the other weird stuff awaiting restoration from the NASM. I'm glad it was dusted off and placed in the Udvar-Hazy though! You can walk all around it and get killer reference if you want to.

THANK GOD this model doesn't call to me. I just lost three years to the Blade Runner Blimp, lol!
 
moffeaton said:
THANK GOD this model doesn't call to me. I just lost three years to the Blade Runner Blimp, lol!
Click to expand...


Ahhhh (disappointed sigh) I actually thought of you when I read this thread and thought, well, there you go, this is Jason's follow up to the blimp.

And, actually, if you listen closely, it IS calling to you...

... JaaAAASSSOONnnn....
 
Robiwon said:
I always thought the R2 was from a pewter key chain. I had one and could have sworn it looked the same. It was open in the back and the legs swiveled...
Click to expand...
I remember that, and you may be right. But was it available in '77 during CE3K production?
 
Come on Jason, it has all kinds of neat stuff on it! You know you want to do it.....it is calling......"Jason, build me"......
 
Shapeways plus brass etch plus 1/2 SS = doable. Accurate SS would be a short trip to the asylum, IMHO!
 
moffeaton said:
THANK GOD this model doesn't call to me. I just lost three years to the Blade Runner Blimp, lol!
Click to expand...

Alan Cross said:
Ahhhh (disappointed sigh) I actually thought of you when I read this thread and thought, well, there you go, this is Jason's follow up to the blimp.

And, actually, if you listen closely, it IS calling to you...

... JaaAAASSSOONnnn....
Click to expand...

Hmmmm.... I hear it too......

(and I have most of the kit parts sourced, too..... go here - http://www.therpf.com/f10/close-encounters-third-kind-ufos-91831/#post1322368 - but the R2D2 was scratchbuilt - by Dave Jones (the same guy that made them for Star Wars). He finished up on Star Wars and along with Dennis Muren, transferred over to CE3K......)

Gene
 
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Just referring to Lee's post....sorry about going off on a tangent..the thing saucer has always looked good to me too, any info on that would be great. Seem to recall a magazine, maybe cinefantastic perhaps, had a thing special issue with some pics of the construction of the saucer..Where there extras on a DVD a while back too?

Anyhoo sorry for the hijack,..

Phil
 
tk1608 said:
Just referring to Lee's post....sorry about going off on a tangent..the thing saucer has always looked good to me too, any info on that would be great. Seem to recall a magazine, maybe cinefantastic perhaps, had a thing special issue with some pics of the construction of the saucer..Where there extras on a DVD a while back too?

Anyhoo sorry for the hijack,..

Phil
Click to expand...

There are extras on the last SE DVD Phil. Its got an article with Rob Bottin too, really cool, im trying to think of the lady's name who built the saucer, it escapes me, but i recall a lot of PE brass for the hulls and lighting strips.
Ill dig the DVD out again and take a look.

lee
 
Perhaps this would be a smaller, yet still complicated alternative to building a full size ship, which would take up a lot of space in one's home...

http://www.rickingalsbestudio.com/Part 7/part_7_10.jpg

This was the study model of the Mother Ship that Steven Spielberg chose from to build the filming model. It's only about 6 inches tall and very cool. We had it on set for 5-25-77. It was insured for a small fortune!
 
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