Truly Revolting

Publication: Airfix Magazine
Date: Apr. 1990
Author: Frank Reynolds
Page: 84
Language: English

Sevans Models' large scale TV monster reviewed

A CHANGE of modelling scene can be a remarkably refreshing experience, since most of us tend to adopt one particular theme and will often practice this for many years. The sheer diversity of modelling subjects should encourage modellers to take a look around and try the alternatives.

This was demonstrated most graphically when the opportunity came to review a science fiction subject, more so since it was a vacuform, a construction process that is often beyond the capabilities of an inexperienced modeller. In this case, it was found that the construction sequence was relatively simple and our subject is therefore worthy of consideration by anyone who has a number of intermediate projects already under their belts.

Davros, the evil Lord of the Daleks is the sort of subject that will create interest among family and friends, since he is so well known from the BBC television series Dr Who.

Sevans Models of Trowbridge have created an imaginative range of large scale kith. based on the Dr Who television theme including two versions of the Dalek, an Ice Warrior and a Cyberman.

NEW OPPORTUNITY

Davros was chosen as the review subject since he has humanoid characteristics and so provides the opportunity to practice painting techniques relating to heads and hands. This proved to be a novel opportunity for me to try new techniques as an interesting comparison with a normal modelling routine of aircraft and AFVs.

The Sevans kit is packed in a stout cardboard box with a full colour panel depicting a photograph of the finished article. The main components comprise six sheets of some of the most professionally-produced vacuform parts that I have ever seen, formed on thick plasti-card with even the most deeply drawn parts, at about one-and-a-half inches having no really thin areas. The vacuform components provide the main Dalek-chair and body halves. The head and hands are superbly cast resin parts with no trace of flash or air holes. There is a separately bagged group of minor parts comprising vacuform clear plastic panel covers, white metal head harness, printed stickers and a large sheet of chrome self-adhesive paper for decoration.

This is certainly one of the most complete kits of the cottage industry type that I have yet seen. It is accompanied by an excellently produced instruction sheet with a history of the subject and its application to the television series and a clear and concise illustrated, step-by-step guide to construction that extends to a chatty commentary on construction techniques. There is even advice on the sort of mistakes to avoid!

EASY TO BUILD

At 1:5 scale this produces a large model almost 12 inches tall. This has the advantage that there are very few fiddly small parts. Construction proved to be remarkably easy, especially in the light of the reputation for difficulty that vacuforms normally attract. Whilst this kit cannot be recommended to the total novice and we have some doubts as to the manufacturers' recommendation that it is suitable for ages ten to adult, most of the parts are square-edged and involve only simple straight line cuts, almost along the lines of simple cardboard models that school children make. So with a degree of thought and planning, aided by the excellent instructions, there is a good chance of producing a reasonable result — especially since designer Stuart Evans reminds us that the real thing had a rather worn and tatty finish.

The main disadvantage of this kit, to those on a limited budget, is its price, for at Swindon. It is certainly a novelty for a reviewer to be able to report the result of the construction of a kit as being truly revolting — just as Sevans Models surely intended.

The kit seems to have a reasonably wide distribution being available from a number of specialist outlets but if it is not stocked at a shop near you, Sevans Models can be contacted at PO Box 34, Trowbridge, Wilts BA14 8XY.

£21.95 this is not likely to be an impulse purchase. However, as an exercise in the unusual and judging from the comments that the review model has already created, it is worth saving up for.

The secondary disadvantage was totally unexpected. The evil Dalek Lord is such a hideous brute, a domestic ruling required that he be banised from the editorial home and now resides in the new editorial office in

Stage 1

Each vacuform part is scored around its edges with a fresh sharp scalpel blade. There is no need to cut right through the backing sheet but care should be taken to ensure a clean work bench and that the surface beneath is suitably protected with an off cut of plywood or hardboard or at the minimum a pad of newspaper.

Stage 2

Once scored, the parts can be separated from the backing sheet by holding firmly in both hands and using a twisting action to break the backing sheet away along the scored joint.

Stage 3

Separating the parts leaves a slightly rough joint around the edges of the components. This should be smoothed away by carefully rubbing the parts on a sheet of number 400 grade wet and dry paper, obtainable from any motorists DIY shop. The wet and dry should be taped to the work bench and a gentle sanding action used to ensure that not too much of the part is rubbed away. The instructions point out that the skirt panels are bevel jointed to one another so the long side joins must be sanded at an angle. It is worthwhile spending extra time at this stage to ensure that these bevelled joints are properly formed.

Stage 4

There are two removable side panels in the skirt. These must be opened up by repeatedly lightly scoring the outlines until the knife blade cuts right through. If the normal score and snap technique is used, the outer frame of the relevant skirt panels would be distorted. Sevans have devised a very simple latch for these covers using strips of off-cut plasticard.

Stage 5

The interior detailing is simple but effective. The vacuform panels have cut outs that are glazed with vacuform transparencies provided. These are simply backed with printed cut outs. The result is remarkably effective. Superglue or clear adhesive should be used to secure the transparencies. The cut outs can be fixed with tiny dabs of clear adhesive or even a simple strip of sellotape across the rear face.

Stage 6

The two interior panels were simply painted dark grey and a brush load of medium brown paint flicked over the surface detail in order to highlight it.

Stage 7

Construction of the chair now commences. The top and bottom panels have usefully large joining faces to enable the various skirt panels to be fixed. Initially, the rear panel is held against the edge of the base and the joint flooded with liquid cement. The top panel can now be carefully positioned and the upper joint similarly completed. The instructions give very clear advice on the alignment of the parts at this important stage. It is worthwhile taking extra care here since any major misalignment of the joints will distort the whole chair assembly.

Stage 8

The remaining panels are now added progressively in opposite pairs around the sides of the chair working from the rear to the front. Care should be taken to ensure that the top panel is not allowed to droop downward during this process. Each side panel was sellotaped at its top and bottom edge to keep the joint firm and liquid cement run down the vertical joints as work progressed. At the half way stage, the interior detail panels can be fixed whilst there is still plenty of room to work inside the chair.

Stage 9

The last two skirt panels, at the front, proved to be the trickiest to fit. Inevitably, there were slight discrepancies in each joint at the panelling progressed from rear to front and it was found that the last two panels were slightly too wide and needed a little extra sanding. At this point, your reviewer discovered his own mistake in not bevelling the edges of the skirt panels enough. This resulted in rather large gape appearing down the edges of the individual panels, which should in fact be fairly neat corners. However, this provides a demonstration of repair and recover techniques. The gaps were filled with lengths of plastic rod and plenty of liquic cement flooded into the joints. This is best carried out after the chair assembly it allowed to dry out overnight.

Stage 10

Whilst the chair is drying, the head and hand can be painted. There is a separate section on the instruction sheet dealing with six straightforward steps in painting. The resin components are initially completely covered in a base colour of matt khaki into which a little matt flesh colour is mixed and whilst this is still wet, dabs of scarlet paint are worked into the area of the cheeks, eyebrows and ears.

Stage 11

The front and rear halves of the body are rubbed down, joined with liquid cement and the joints given a little attention with filler and wet and dry paper as required.

Stage 11

The body is painted and shaded in a mixture of blacks and greys according to the kit instructions. The hand is painted in similar fashion to the head and the two resin parts jointed to the body with epoxy resin. Any small gaps around the neck and wrist joints can be filled and the paintwork touched in.

Stage 13

The dashboard around the top of the chair builds up easily and the main areas pre-painted before the glazing is secured with clear adhesive.

Stage 14

The front of the dashboard is finished in chrome self-adhesive paper, cut around a template from the material supplied.

Stage 15

White metal and plastic switch levers are attached with superglue.

Stage 16

Demonstrates the most basic rule of modelling — there are no rules. The chair could have been finished in basic black with the silver hemispheres picked out in normal brush-painted silver. I decided to experiment by applying a brushed coat of SnJ spray metal, which is designed for use with airbrushes. The basic liquid material requires constant stirring to keep the silver particles mixed, but with persistence it is possible to build up four thin coats at 15 minute intervals. After a further 15 minutes, it is dry and ready for polishing.

Stage 17

SnJ provide a separate bottle of silver polishing powder that is applied with a soft rag or tissue and the results are quite remarkable. The more you polish, the brighter it becomes. The product is expensive at around £6.00 but a little goes a long way. The process is also rather messy and the powder gets everywhere so must be used with care.

Stage 18

The chair's base colour of black is carefully painted in around the hemispheres. Another advantage of the SnJ silver is that it can be painted over once dry, but make sure that all traces of that all-seeking powder are cleaned away first or you will find tiny flecks of unexpected silver in the black — as I did, so some further touching-in was required.

Stage 19

The creature's head harness is added from the white metal and wire components supplied. These required a minimum of cleaning up with a file and are secured to pre-drilled holes with superglue.

Stage 20

The trickiest part of construction came with the backrest, since this part has to be curved to fit over the figure's shoulders. Taking great care not to cut right through, a series of grooves were scored across the inner face of the shoulder flaps.

Stage 21

The progress of the grooves should be checked until a sufficient curve can be induced with light finger pressure.

Stage 22

The backrest is cemented directly to a moulded flat plate on the back of the figure and left to dry overnight in the upright position. Two small rectangles of scrap plastic card are cemented to the shoulders at the same time.

Stage 23

The joining faces of the shoulder flaps and the card rectangles are roughened with sandpaper, coated with a dab of epoxy resin and the flaps pulled into a smooth curve and secured with sellotape. Again an overnight drying period is recommended.

Stage 24

The final tasks are cutting out the back rest trim from the chrome sheet, carefully smoothing it into place and cementing the body to the shelf on the chair. Tiny wires are superglued in place between the central eye, neck and ears. These can be formed by wrapping fuse wire around a paintbrush or file handle although the kit instructions suggest stripping wire filament from electrical cables.

The author's completed model.

Truly Revolting

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