I spent considerable time sanding & checking over the body shape as there were several little hidden areas which are not immediately noticeable. The main one being that, when viewed from above, the body starts to very gently curve in just in front of where the “shoulders” join. (see photo 11). Also in this photo you can see how the windows look once fixed in place.

 Once I’d got the main body looking correct, I gave it several good coats of grey primer & a thorough rub down. It’s worth noting that the flat anti-flare panel in front of the pilot’s windows is actually curved as it goes towards the outside edge. Also worth noting is there are only 4 runners on each side, not 5 as depicted on some models, & these are round in cross-section, not square or semi-circular. 

So, what to do next? Tackle the underside? Or do the Attitude Control Thruster housings, or “SHOULDERS” as I’ve decided to call them (& will do so for the rest of this article) as that’s what their shape suggests to me. Anyway, I opted for the “shoulders” & started out by cutting out 2 templates in card (photo 11). Once I’d got these right I went on to follow Keith’s idea and made a very thin card wrap-around with the cut outs in, to get their angles right. I knew, with Keith’s help, what the kit part was on the top of the “shoulders” recessed into the side of the tapered area. They’re parts numbered 81 & 82 from the “LIFELIKE” kit’s “Honest John” cut up & set into the top cut-out’s back edge.  Strangely, this piece seems to get left off some models altogether -which is odd as this is one piece that is clearly seen in the film in the shot looking down on the pilot’s cabin.

I then went on to build the 2 “Shoulders” in 3mm Perspex  (Photo 12 & 13) and filled in the various shaped boxed in sections, with their squared off thruster holes. I then gave the model another complete coat of grey primer (photo 14) so I could really see how the models were looking.

It’s worth noting that I did not actually stick the ”shoulders” to the model as by now it was already becoming obvious, from the weight of the model, that it would have to have rubber moulds taken off the main hull & have it cast in fibreglass to make it weigh somewhat less than a concrete paving stone!-something I had not intended to do at the outset.

Next I turned my attention to the underside, which seems to be the “Bane” of every model maker’s life when attempting the Moonbus. And this was where Keith became of special help. As those of you who have seen the film (about 100% of those reading this I suspect!) will know, there is a shot of the Moonbus as it flies overhead. Indeed, this is only one of two shots in the movie where the actual Moonbus model is being filmed, as opposed to a photo. (The other shot involving the actual model was when it landed).

 One of the things I’ve learnt about film models over many years, is that they almost always have a panel to allow for access to the inside. So it seemed only logical that the Moonbus would be no different. I reasoned there was only one place it could be put -on the underside. Could this be the way they got into the movie model? So Keith worked out (after about 100 hours of staring at photo after photo, of which he never seems to tire of!)  that this was indeed the case, as the shadows cast by this underside rim were in fact the access panel’s raised edges.  So by cross-referencing this rim with a really good screen-grab Keith managed to get as it flew over the camera, & the “Aurora” model kit plans, I drew up an underside plan based on these to the size of the model.

So having done the drawing, once again I traced it through onto 3mm Perspex where we’d agreed the underside access panel would be.  I then spent a couple of days building the criss-cross of spars we’d decided looked right in accordance with all the reference we had. So using EMA plastic square & oblong box-section I began work. (see photo 15 & 16). Once I’d got this right I then had to give each panel a rounded edge to blend one spar into another. So using a series of tubular, circular templates which I coated with release agent, I put a small amount of filler into each corner & pressed the relevant size of template into the corner. This was fun I thought as I rubbed off the excess filler leaving a satisfying curve from one spar to another! 78 filled curves later I felt as though I wanted to throw the whole thing at the wall! And I’m well aware some will say “Why didn’t you use a milling machine” The answer is I thought this would be easier…?!

I had already carved the front underside, as mentioned earlier but you can see in photo 16 that I’ve created a recess for the front foot by using blocks of wood for the sides and then a gap between the middle blocks. Once these were stuck in place I used my finger to put Isopon filler to round the corners & create the right look. Rubbing these down in that gap was one of the trickiest things to do on the model!

Now we come to the “fun” part; making the moulds! Now here’s where I admit to hating mould-making, but Keith loves it (?) so he took the model aside to start this very complicated proceedure, while I started work on the model’s feet, which are complicated, to say the least. (see photos 17,18 & 19)

Photo 19 shows the original master model on the right, in grey primer, & the fibreglass casting (TEN TIMES LIGHTER!) on the left in hi-build mustard colour filler!  And as you can also see in photo 19 the “Shoulders” have been put on. You can just make out on the white shoulders that they were cast with the kit parts in place to save time. Also cast separately was the box section bracing (photo 18) that would be stuck to a flat plate with a rim added around it to form the underside hatch. This was made so that it rested on a “lip” that ran all the way round the access hatch hole so that the underside panel could be screwed in place for easy access.

(photo 20) This photo also shows the underside detail, with the “AIRFIX” B29 bulkhead covering the underside mounting hole, & the small tubes, which on the original model was where the gas to blow up the dust were situated. There’s a kit part from the “LIFELIKE” “Atomic Cannon” in the very front recess, but other kit parts, some like little cut-off pyramids are from the…. (Well you work it out!) After all we’ve given most of it away!

Next came the tedious and time-consuming making of the 3 feet, each of which is made up of 3 chunky ski-like sections. I could explain the making of them in detail, but that would take a whole page! So I’ll simply say I made one foot out of wood and got Keith to cast all 18 in resin, 6 of which I had to cut slots in to take the angled ram. Next I made one upper foot box assembly (the piece that attaches to the model) (see photo 22) out of 2mm ABS plastic sheet & & got Keith to cast all 3 of these, to include a hole for a bolt to put through the thick central ring that houses the rubber grommet into which I had to put a powerful spring which gives the model a nice “bounce” as it comes into land!

 Then I turned a grommet in Perspex which Keith cast 3 of in black rubber. These covered the 3 springs (one in the centre of each central foot post) & the central bolt which held it all in place. Finally, I cut 18 short stainless steel 1/8^th inch thick rods, & 6 long 1/8^th inch rods out of the same diameter. These fitted into aluminium tubes I’d also turned & cut in aluminium on the lathe (And what a job that was!) Finally it was all fitted together with pins through where the rods moved to stop them coming out. (photos 21 & 22) Note: in photo 22 you can see some of the detailing used on the original model but, for some reason, not interpreted on other models. Also there’s kit detail on the tops of the feet & on the central main foot-plate, but I’m going to leave that up to you to spot!