Mike J.
Master Member
The USS Sulaco from Aliens is available in few forms. Halcyon issued a kit in conjunction with the film's release, then reissued it in 1992 for Alien 3. The same kit was later reissued by Aoshima in 2004 in Japan. Besides that, there was a larger garage kit around some years ago, a Micro Machines 'vehicle', and this Konami pre-painted model.
Given the choices for Sulaco fans, this is about as inexpensive as it gets. A few years ago, Konami made some 'trading kits' from Alien & Aliens. They were released in Japan only. Unfortunately, the Sulaco is one of the 'rare' items. I scored mine for about $16 US on eBay (just under $20 with shipping).
Like I said, the model is prepainted and comes in only 3 parts: antenna array, engine area and the main hull. Assembled length is just under 5 inches.
It has a grayish-blue base coat, and lightly airbrushed shading / weathering in brown, black and silver. "USS Sulaco" is on both sides of the lower front end (not a waterslide decal - probably pad printed). The lettering is reasonably crisp & clean.
The separate sub-assemblies are connected to the main hull by simple male / female plugs, which are keyed to prevent incorrect assembly. They simply push-fit into place. I chose to shave some material off of my parts with an X-Acto to ensure a tight fit to the hull and provide a clean surface for a little MEK-based glue to secure them in place. The model appears to be made out of PVC, ABS and / or polystyrene.
Detail is good, given the scale and budget. Some of the finer details are not film accurate. The turrets do not appear to rotate. A simple, unmarked black plastic stand is included.
I'm satisfied with it. A light black wash would bring out the panel lines - I may do that. It's small enough to fit on a desk or shelf and detailed enough for display.
-Mike
Given the choices for Sulaco fans, this is about as inexpensive as it gets. A few years ago, Konami made some 'trading kits' from Alien & Aliens. They were released in Japan only. Unfortunately, the Sulaco is one of the 'rare' items. I scored mine for about $16 US on eBay (just under $20 with shipping).
Like I said, the model is prepainted and comes in only 3 parts: antenna array, engine area and the main hull. Assembled length is just under 5 inches.
It has a grayish-blue base coat, and lightly airbrushed shading / weathering in brown, black and silver. "USS Sulaco" is on both sides of the lower front end (not a waterslide decal - probably pad printed). The lettering is reasonably crisp & clean.
The separate sub-assemblies are connected to the main hull by simple male / female plugs, which are keyed to prevent incorrect assembly. They simply push-fit into place. I chose to shave some material off of my parts with an X-Acto to ensure a tight fit to the hull and provide a clean surface for a little MEK-based glue to secure them in place. The model appears to be made out of PVC, ABS and / or polystyrene.
Detail is good, given the scale and budget. Some of the finer details are not film accurate. The turrets do not appear to rotate. A simple, unmarked black plastic stand is included.
I'm satisfied with it. A light black wash would bring out the panel lines - I may do that. It's small enough to fit on a desk or shelf and detailed enough for display.
-Mike
just kidding-don't hang me FM fans!
