To simulate violent turbulence in one particular shot, the photographing DP was shaken by two technicians with live power tools! The main miniature was created at 1/36th scale, with larger-scale sections for particular shots, such as the deployment of the air-brakes.Ĭheck out the link directly below for much more background on the Hunter-Gratzner, in our lengthy chat about the model with model-maker Ian Hunter himself. The internal steel spine was modular, to allow for the separation of sections required in the script.įor the atmospheric entry, UV paint was applied to sections of the model to provide animators with a hook for the atmospheric drag on the craft. The nine-foot miniature weighed approximately 270 pounds, with a steel structure and largely custom-moulded detailing. The model itself was designed by Matthew Gratzner and built by himself and working partner Ian Hunter for Hunter/Gratzner Industries Inc (now New Deal Studios.
#SPACESHIP DESIGNS SERIES#
The ship itself is in the long-and-narrow class arguably invented (for the movies at least) with the Discovery in 2001: A Space Odyssey, with substantial boosters at the back, navigation module in the vanguard and a series of modular and very commercial-looking cargo sections, which ultimately threaten to become ballast during the chaotic descent, even though there are people in them… The side-panelling is torn off as the doomed ship cruises at terrifying speed over the planet’s surface, ready to meet an even worse fate. The cargo spacecraft Hunter-Gratzner makes performs a dazzling reversal of Apollo-era dynamics, shedding entire sections of its fuselage and propulsion systems in order to become light enough to survive a headlong crash through the planet’s atmosphere. The opening of David Twohy’s tense sci-fi thriller, where marooned astronauts find themselves fighting a very nasty indigenous breed on a hostile planet, begins with a truly exciting crash sequence that’s really nailed home by the lack of score. If you’re curious about the original space-adventurer, you can watch (or download) Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe (1941) quite legally via the Internet Archive.ħ2: The Hunter-Gratzner – Pitch Black (2000) | RETURN TO INDEX There’s a nice resin model from Herb Deeks a desk-model occasionally available on eBay and for CGI buffs, a mesh for Google Sketchup. There doesn’t seem to be a huge amount available in terms of replicas and kits. Director Mike Nichols took the same approach in his cult 1980 remake of the serial, where ex-NASA scientist Zarkov’s vessel is rather more toned-down than its 1930s forebear. The original ship in Alex Raymond’s 1934 strip was a little more sober, perhaps to distinguish it from the outlandish, fin-bestrewn styling of Mongo’s various kingdoms. But if you like art deco (which I do), this is bound to be a favourite. It’s basically a bullet-shaped, drag-resistant projectile with four spoilers and two aft stabilising fins, all apparently powered by some 50p sparklers. In the absence of more detailed information I can only credit Ralph Berger, art director on the hugely popular RKO cine-serial Flash Gordon (1936), with the delightfully wacky art-deco stylings of Dr. Zarkov rocket ship – Flash Gordon (1936) | RETURN TO INDEX Info: Fictional Life | IMDB | Mateen Greenway recreation |ħ4: BTA fighter – Enemy Mine (1985) | RETURN TO INDEXħ3: Dr. Happily the Friede has actually flown since, several times. Consulting rocket scientist Hermann Oberth had originally intended to build an actual working rocket miniature for Lang, but was constrained by budget and schedule.
The first successful V2 launch from the rocket research facility at Verein für Raumschiffahrt bore the logo of the Friede from Woman In The Moon. The film was very popular with Wernher von Braun and his associates, who would ultimately take America to the moon with very similar methods (even if they wisely chose not to launch the Apollo missions from under the sea, as with the Friede).
Even thirty years later, Hollywood was still stuck on the ‘single stage’ ship when depicting space travel. Not only is the rocket in Fritz Lang’s precocious space outing a beautiful example of Art Deco sci-fi before the bulbous curves of Flash Gordon took over, but it’s also an amazing foreshadowing of the ‘staged’ separation that would ultimately take man into space (you can see a video clip of that sequence here).
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