Original Monogram Buck Rogers Thunderfighter restoration.

[Hand Solo]

Years ago, my friend KuhnGlobal gave me his old Monogram Thunderfighter ( otherwise known as the Starfighter ) when he moved back home from Washington State.

I always wanted one of these since the show first aired and I was 12.

The kit itself is still in remarkably good shape for it's age and having been put together once already by Kurt when he was a kid. ( He and I are about the same age. )

Today, I prepped the parts for later rework. The first step was to remove the cockpit tub with a Dremel, as the old tube glue we used as kids pretty much fused it to the body of the kit... I then removed the cockpit 'glass'. I'll be rebuilding the cockpit tub from scratch and adding new glass during the rebuild.

There are raised panel lines on various parts which will be removed and rescribed. I'll also obtain new Earth Forces decals for it.

I'll also be repairing the broken point on the portside canon, but overall, it shouldn't take too much effort to make this look very nice. It will have an honored place on my shelves.

Thanks again Kurt for the kewl old model. :thumbsup

 

[Tordoc]

I'll be watching your progress. I have that same OLD kit, glue and all.

 

[Hand Solo]

^ I'll have to bump this thread from the depths now and then. It's gonna be awhile before I get very far. But then again...

You know how it goes.

 

[cobywan]

I have an unbuilt kit in the closet that I got from Green Models or whatever they were called. I don't have the heart to start it when it cast as much as the updated resin version by Alliance.

actually Alliance has a very nice cocpit interior and frame to go with thier kit that probably would fit the original kit as well.

 

[Hand Solo]

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actually Alliance has a very nice cocpit interior and frame to go with thier kit that probably would fit the original kit as well.[/b]

Really?

I'm a glutton for punishment. I really enjoy building my own cockpits. And fortunately, I have all the Buck Rogers episodes on DVD now. I have to tell you, my sons like them better than I do.

I can hardly sit thru an episode anymore, but back in 1979? You couldn't tear me away from the telly with an Aliens cargo-loader...

Now? Well...Erin Gray is STILL hot in that spandex flight suit and the Starfighter is still one kewl fightercraft....and Twiki looks like a walking/talking phallus wearing one big ass Homey Medallion.

 

[cobywan]

<div class='quotetop'>(Hand Solo @ Jul 3 2006, 06:47 PM) [snapback]1273274[/snapback]</div>

...and Twiki looks like a walking/talking phallus wearing one big ass Homey Medallion.
[/b]

I keep asking "How in the depths of Hades did Twiki get allowed on bradcast television?" That's just SICK.

I'm sure his head was meant to look like cousin Oliver's haircut...but COME ON.

 

[Kuhn Global]

OMG....LOL.... this brings back memories of glue globs.

I am glad you're getting some use out of that kit...finally.

I think I still have one in it's original box. Sheeesh... memories...

 

[Hand Solo]

^ You know...the cockpit tub is about the only area that was 'fused' like that. The rest of the bird came apart pretty well.

Man...if you could have seen a couple of my old AMT Enterprises from the late 70's... ( I had a blue one that I must have used half a tube of Testors Orange scent 'non-toxic' on....)...

I think we've ALL been thru that 'Bigger the Blob, the Better the Job' school of model assembly.

<div class='quotetop'>(cobywan @ Jul 3 2006, 11:08 AM) [snapback]1273292[/snapback]</div>

I keep asking "How in the depths of Hades did Twiki get allowed on bradcast television?" That's just SICK.

I'm sure his head was meant to look like cousin Oliver's haircut...but COME ON.
[/b]

And in the pilot...he was freezing his 'ball bearings' off.

Ok, Glen Larson...your mind was in the gutter. Lines about Ardalla's ( Pam Hensley ) 'horns'...yeah....

 

[cobywan]

The first and only time I used the orange oil based Testors cement was on the Draconian Marauder kit. Funny how many people can share the same kinds of memories.

 

[Hand Solo]

Back then all we had to work with was what was at the local Ben Franklin's or the Kmarts in the larger towns.

We 'old timers' were building kits with 'Stone Knives and Bear Skins'.

The stuff we have now? Incredible.

 

[Lynn TXP 0369]

Cool bird.. Love to see how it comes out.

I've got a untouched boxed but opened Monogram that I was going to do at some point, but I doubt I'll ever build her now and I'll more then likey unload it.

I'm dying to get a SS version of this one.

They're out there, they just don't come up FS too often, but I want an SS one.

Lynn

 

[Hand Solo]

^ I think it's easily one of the best fictional fightercraft ever.

Heck....it's the original Ralph McQuarrie concept for the Colonial Viper. Then they went with what is now the most famous design.

I'm glad that it saw the light of day as the Earth Forces fightercraft. Definitely a better fit for that series' look.

 

[OhioAstromech]

<div class='quotetop'>(Hand Solo @ Jul 5 2006, 08:28 PM) [snapback]1274862[/snapback]</div>

^ I think it's easily one of the best fictional fightercraft ever.

Heck....it's the original Ralph McQuarrie concept for the Colonial Viper. Then they went with what is now the most famous design.

I'm glad that it saw the light of day as the Earth Forces fightercraft. Definitely a better fit for that series' look.
[/b]

I like this design too as well as the Hawk Ship.
Both designs could have been used in todays sci-fi television programming.
Out of all the BR spacecraft this one was the best.
Too bad the acting in BR wasn't as good as the props.

 

[Hand Solo]

<div class='quotetop'></div>

Too bad the acting in BR wasn't as good as the props.[/b]

The Network suits wanted safe, family campiness for the time slot. If Buck Rogers ( as well as Galactica ) could have relied on non-dumbed-down-for-Kiddie-Hour plots and acting....especially later on in their runs, they might have fared better and lasted longer than they did.

We'll never know.