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    ALL THINGS ANSA AND ICARUS
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Reviewing the available items related to the space flight technology of the POTA films

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Since so much of the POTA series deals with time warps and what happens when you arrive in a time not your own, wouldn't it be nice to have a guide to when you are (you'll eventually find out where you are if you just follow the beach line).  Well, Rich Handley has taken care of you.

Rich Handley has written an epic 322 page timeline compendium for the Apes series.

322 pages!  I did say "epic" didn't I?

Retail is $29.95 and well worth it for POTA fans. 

You can read reviews as well as buy this book direct from

Hasslein Books

 When you order one, tell him that ANSANAUT sent you.

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Super small crashed Icarus miniature.

This model is available direct from the manufacturer and can be built up quite nicely.  Cost for this model is $20 USD which includes the ship pictured above but no decals or display base.  However, the price does include shipping and fondling in the US.  If you would like to purchase this model, contact Dean.

Here is a link to a buildup of a diorama that Dean built featuring this particular model.

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Sideshow Collectibles 12" Astronaut Brent figure

Astronaut Brent
Beneath the Planet of the Apes 12 inch action figure
(Item No. 7509)

The Astronaut Brent Figure Features:

* Over 30 points of articulation

* Authentic cloth fabric space suit featuring ANSA patch, Brent name patch and U.S. flag patch, suit top and bottom, tank top shirt, and boots

* Other accessories being announced at a later date

* Sideshow Collectible's signature three-piece display stand with the Beneath the Planet of the Apes logo imprinted on the surface.

"Sent on a rescue mission to retrieve his colleague, Astronaut Brent finds himself on the strange yet familiar planet surface amongst a society of intelligent apes and a race of powerful telepathic mutants who are on the verge of war. With the help of Nova, Brent discovers his long missing friend Taylor in an underground fortress, held in captivity like a savage under the mental control of the jailer. The only way to free his friend is to fight him - but is death is the only possible solution?"

Here is a link.

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Forbidden Zone Astronaut Taylor - Sideshow Exclusive
Planet of the Apes 12 inch Figures
(Item No. 75031)

  

12 inch Figure
Limited Edition of 500
Est. to ship 4th Quarter 2004
Your Price: US $45.00

Description:

On a planet where apes talk and walk like men, and men are primitive animals, an astronaut from Earth, Taylor, crash lands and is captured by gorilla soldiers. Thinking he is just another primitive human, Taylor is imprisoned and left in the care of two chimps, Cornelius and Zira. It's soon discovered that Taylor, unlike the other humans, can talk. Taylor is brought before Dr. Zaius, an orangutan, who fears the talking human could bring the downfall of the ape civilization, on the Planet of the Apes!

Taylor has over 30 points of articulation for full range of motion. He comes with a Astronaut backpack with removable gun and pick, as well as a 12 inch 'Planet of the Apes' figure stand.

The Sideshow Exclusive - Astronaut Taylor - Forbidden Zone figure includes a bearded Taylor portrait, astronaut tank top, and dirt deco on the Astronaut uniform.  Figure is limited to only 500 copies!  Pre-order NOW!

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ICARUS and DAEDALUS COMMAND CAPSULE BLUEPRINTS

JACKILL, long known for high quality blueprints of Star Trek ships has now introduced TWO sets of Icarus blueprints; the Icarus (Taylor's ship) and the Daedalus (3 seater, Virdon's ship).  Each set of blueprints retails for $8.00 USD plus shipping and fondling and can be ordered from the website.  Each set of blueprints includes four, 11x17 inch sheets showing all angles of the Icarus / Daedalus command capsules as well as interior layout, cross sections, and even a speculation on what the entire ship looked like.  The Icarus blueprints are based off of Jim Key's reference material so those who could never get a copy of Jim's work in the article he wrote, now is your chance!  JACKILL was kind enough to send me a copy of each of these blueprints and I think that anyone who is looking for information on this ship needs to add these blueprints to their collection.  Thanks, Eric!

Here is a sneak peak at what you get for your hard earned money.

You may find these items at JACKILL's website.  Tell him that Ansanaut sent you.

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Wilco Models produces a 1/48 scale Icarus model starting 1/1/2004.  This looks to be a highly detailed model which includes a complete interior as well.

The finished Wilco Models "Icarus" with stand.

The top view of the Wilco Models' "Icarus"

Interior pieces, notice the hibernation chambers, crew stations, bulkhead door, and crew seats.  The overhead lights and padding also look somewhat detailed.  This looks a lot like the blueprints originally produced by Jim Burns as it apparently includes small engine nozzles for both the front canards as well as the rear area, even though the vehicle in the movies lacked these and having a single nozzle / direction of thrust causes its own set of problems.

Exterior shot

I have contacted Wilco Models and hopefully will have more information and perhaps some new pictures of this item for you.  The kit is a resin cast and has a length of ten and three quarters inches (27.3cm).  Price is just $40.00 USD ($52.00 CAN) and includes original box art, water slide decal sheet, and full interior.

The price puts it at a very competitive ranking among the models of this spacecraft that are available (slim and none), and since it is a 'complete' spacecraft with an interior in a readily available figure scale (1/48), my money says this is a much better kit to buy than the Skyhook Models kit which is half of a ship, shaved off at an angle, and with no other details than what you see on the surface.  Go for it!

You may order one of these models direct from Wilco Models.  Please send a check or money order (Payable to WILCO Models) for $40.00 (USD) plus $5.00 shipping and fondling to US and Canada orders (overseas orders to Europe add $15.00 for shipping).

The mailing address is to order this fine kit is:

WILCO Models
2826 Russell Avenue
Abilene, TX 79605

Tell Wilco Models that ANSANAUT sent you.

01/16/06- Note- I found a buildup of this kit that combines it with a very Michael Walker style base with the Wilco Models "Icarus".  The whole thing is designed not only to show the full interior, but also to rest in a natural water looking base in order to recreate the scenes from the first move.  The site takes some time to load for dialup users so be warned.  The Wilco Models' "Icarus" buildup is the last and final item on that page and it takes a long time to load.  Still, it's worth the wait.  Nice!

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KENNEDY SHIPYARDS "ICARUS" BLUEPRINTS

Kennedy Shipyards has a new website.  Check it out!

Kennedy Shipyards offers a set of complete blueprints for this ship, from the "Icarus" command module (full interior plans) to the crew support module down to the surface to orbit booster.   While rare and hard to find, these blueprints do occasionally turn up on Ebay or sometimes can be purchased directly from Kennedy Shipyards.

These are not 'official' blueprints, rather they are merely very good fan art and like the work of all artists here, they are interpretive renditions of what might have been and open for discussion.  Interesting stuff to be sure, and another take on what this mysterious spacecraft / starship 'might' have been like.  Retail is $20 or more, plus shipping and fondling.  If you are a fan of this ship, then this is another item you should add to your collection.  If anything, it will give you food for thought and perhaps will inspire you to do your own version.

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Larson Designs 3" "Icarus": The World's Smallest Icarus model

Weighing in at what can't be much more than an ounce, this resin cast model of the famous spacecraft is produced by Chris Larson.  The three inch (yes, 3 inches!!) in length model appears right but at this size, detail is sparse if at all.  The model is molded with two rear thruster nozzles and the main hatch as seen in the movie.  Detail beyond that is up to you and a very small brush matched with a slow, steady hand.

The model comes shipped in a plastic bag with a simple display tag.  There are no decals.

You may order this kit directly from the producer, each kit is $10.00 USD plus $5.00 USD shipping and fondling in the US.  Inquire directly about orders for Canada or overseas.

You may order one of these "mini-models" by going to the LD website, Mini Model Madness.

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SIDESHOW COLLECTIBLES announces new 12" Taylor Astronaut figure   

From: "James"
To: <ansanaut@gmail.com>
Subject: New Planet of the Apes figures
Sent: Fri, 20 Feb 2004

Hello!

I'm assuming by now that someone has mentioned this to you, but just in case you hadn't heard, Sideshow Toys announced at Toy Fair that they are going to be releasing a set of 1/6 scale Planet of the Apes figures, including figures of Cornelius, Zira, Dr. Zaius, a Gorilla Soldier, and of great interest to ANSA fans like myself, Taylor in his spacesuit. The images I've seen of the figures look fantastic, far better than the Hasbro figures from a few years back. If you want to see images of the entire line, they can be found on the Sideshow Toys site at:

http://www.sideshowtoy.com/cgi-bin/category.cgi?category=tf04

They're due out late in the year, a November/December timeframe, with a suggested retail price of $40.00 per figure. They'll probably be sold at places like Suncoast (Right next to Sideshow's other figures, Hogan's Heroes, Twilight Zone, Get Smart, James Bond, and the like), but you'll probably be able to find them for a bit less if you shop around online.

Just wanted to make sure you knew!

Sincerely yours,

James Long
 

Thanks, James!  And here's the low down on the figure(s).

Taylor - Astronaut
Planet of the Apes 12 inch Figures
(Item No. 7503)

12 inch Figure
Limited Edition TBD
Pre-Order Today!
Est. to ship Nov/Dec 2004
Your Price: US $40.00

Description:

PROTOTYPE SHOWN - Details are subject to change.

On a planet where apes talk and walk like men, and men are primitive animals, an astronaut from Earth, Taylor, crash lands and is captured by gorilla soldiers. Thinking he is just another primitive human, Taylor is imprisoned and left in the care of two chimps, Cornelius and Zira. It's soon discovered that Taylor, unlike the other humans, can talk. Taylor is brought before Dr. Zaius, an orangutan, who fears the talking human could bring the downfall of the ape civilization, on the Planet of the Apes!

Taylor, featuring the likeness of Charlton Heston, has over 30 points of articulation for full range of motion. He comes with a Astronaut backpack with removable gun and pick, as well as a 12 inch 'Planet of the Apes' figure stand.

Sculpted by Mat Falls
Product Type: 12 inch Figure
Product Size: 12" (304mm)
Product Weight: 3.00 lbs (1.30 Kg)
* Product size and weight are approximate values.
Please Note: Pre-ordered items are only charged to credit card accounts upon shipping.

Nice !

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MEDICOM announces new figures and a possible US distributorship.

MILO and CORNELIUS "APE-O-NAUT" figures from MEDICOM

ZIRA "APE-O-NAUT" and TAYLOR (ANSA) figures from MEDICOM

Three more shots of the Medicom "Ape-O-Naut" figures, and a new figure coming soon; Colonel George Taylor!
Let the figure bashing begin.  Anyone for making a diorama with the full suited astronauts with packs and gear?  You could always remove the Taylor figure's head and put it on a suited figure's body and create another figure!  The possibilities for kitbashing these figures are going to be immense.

I believe that price will be from $6 to $12 or more each, depending on location.  They are available from DIAMOND COMICS and other distributors.

ANSANAUT verdict:  Excellent quality, and with a strong aspect for kitbashing.   Get the Taylor (ANSA) and put the figure's head on a spacesuit to create a different figure which we never saw.  Strap on the backpack and you have an expedition ready Taylor.  Get the Nova figure, add her head to the spacesuit figure, and you get a Nova which Taylor might have brought back from the future on his return trip.  Or color Nova's hair blonde, and create a Stewart figure.  Figure kitbashing is a hot topic now, and the imagination is the limit.  I am still waiting on my four figures to arrive at my hobby shop.  I will review them in further detail when I receive my examples.

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KUBRICK "Escape from the Planet of the Apes"

figure playset

While not really a 'model', this is a forthcoming set of 'action figures' in the popular "KUBRICK" line of toys by Media-Com.  This is their "Escape from the Planet of the Apes" edition set, one of which is "Zira, Milo, Cornelius, and Icarus Spaceship".  Yes, even Kubrick is calling the spacecraft "Icarus"...  You'll notice that the ape-o-nauts have interchangeable helmets and that this "Icarus" has what looks like nozzles on the 'wings' and 'canards' of the "Icarus", very similar to Jim Key's artwork.  Did they copy him or did he copy them?  Strange, since only Jim Key and KUBRICK have any "Icarus" spacecraft with some sort of exhaust nozzles on them, and both have them in the exact same places.  The figures are poseable to the extent that their heads turn, their arms rotate through a complete circle, and the legs move forward or back.   The helmets are interchangeable with the heads, and to switch to the full spacesuit version of the figures, you must slowly pull the heads of the figures off and replace them with the helmet heads.  The visors raise up to reveal the ape-o-nauts underneath.

Here is the detail of the super deformed "Icarus" included in this set.  Icarus is about four inches long, give or take, and very detailed for its size.  Mine came in the silver tone displayed above.  I have yet to see a black one.  This 'baby Icarus' can be painted and detailed quite nicely, as evidenced by Peter Flessas in his version seen on the modeling page.

My example set me back $15 at a local hobby shop.  You may find this set at most hobby shops that also carry comic related materials, as well as online.

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SFMA Science Fiction Modelmaking Associates
Vacu-formed ANSA SPACECRAFT Model

This is the first of the 'commercial' kits that I found when searching the Internet.  It has to be the worst choice you could purchase if you are just starting out in models or if the only models you have ever built were commercial products such as Monogram or Revell that came in a shrink wrapped box.

The six piece vacu-form kit is designed to be 'cut' from the 'sprue' and then carefully cemented together.  You only get one chance with this kit, make a wrong incision, and you'll ruin the kit.  Not very forgiving...   This kit apparently comes with enough parts to build one of two versions of the Icarus, judging by the aft hatches included.  It includes enough parts to build either an Icarus with twin engine nozzles (the upper hatch assembly and the two round things between the hatch pieces) or a sealed off rear hatch which would (arguably) connect to a much larger whole or vessel (the lower hatch piece).

Interesting... just by looking at the 'molds' above, I can see where the next kit comes from.  Someone else already got the idea to use this vacu-form kit as a rough resin mold to pour a resin Icarus and sell it as a 'new' or different kit.  Yeah, that is pretty easy to spot.  Look at the whole Icarus above and picture it as a large mold, and especially notice that the rear hatch on the bottom is the same in *this* vacu-form kit as the resin kit pictured below.  Sneaky.   I noticed that only after a few days of looking at both kits.  So, this vacu-form kit is where the next kit comes from.  Strange that two 'amateur' kits would have the exact same design rear hatch, and notice the hatch on the Monsters in Motion kit below.  It is completely different. 

This model shows up sometimes on Ebay under the seller name of NEW EYE STUDIOS, if you are interested and you can find it.  The price varies depending on the auction.   Expect the model to start out about $19.99 and progress forward in price.

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( Unknown producer ) amateur quality 2 piece resin cast ICARUS model

The image above came from an Ebay ad that I purchased the kit from back in 2000.  It seems to be the "standard" selling image for this kit as far as I can tell, even though it does not show much detail.

This is the second of the available kits that I found while searching the Internet.  It is a very poorly made two piece resin model which you can find on Ebay every now and then.  Simply do a search on "Planet Of The Apes Spaceship" and this waste of perfectly good resin should pop up if it is available, which is every few months.  A little less than 6" long (way smaller than 1/72, maybe 1/80 or even 1/100) and filled with air bubbles, waves, and other signs of a quick and dirty, very badly made garage kit.  No consistency, very little fit and finish, and poor quality throughout, the details are almost non-existent, and the rear hatch and rear of the ship are going to take some SERIOUS work to match up correctly.  The air bubbles are going to take a lot of filling and the whole ship has a 'wave' to it that is going to take some major sanding and TLC just to remove, if it can be removed at all without altering the basic profile of the ship, more like a permanent 'bow' to the design on top, arcing upwards.

No one single manufacturer makes this kit.  I believe a bunch of people took the vacuform mold and poured resin into it to create this "kit."  Even the best of these kits is not very good and if you pay over $10 for one, you're getting seriously shafted.  Everytime I find one on Ebay, it has a different packing layout.  Some come in a nicely done box, others are simply bagged (and resin hitting resin in a plastic bag during a lot of mail shipping results in broken pieces when it arrives at your home).

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SKYHOOK MODELS SUBMERGED "ICARUS" RESIN MODEL

SKYHOOK MODELS produces a excellent two piece resin model kit of the ANSA spacecraft, recreating one of the most famous and easily recognized scenes in the whole movie.  The kit retails for about $40 on average, plus shipping and fondling.  While the spacecraft itself is extremely detailed, the base is somewhat bland and rather lackluster.  This model was the inspiration for Jan Rukr's own scratch built  paper model.  Michael Walker also has taken this model and done many excellent things with it.  If you are looking for a quality model of the ANSA spacecraft, one which will attract attention and one which has the potential for lots of detail, then I would suggest buying this version.

ANSANAUT verdict:  With a little work, it is perhaps the best model at the best price.

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For a review of the Skyhook Model's "Icarus" model shown above and
the Monsters In Motion "Icarus" model shown below, follow this link.

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Monsters in Motion has this excellent 1/35 scale model of the "Icarus" available for a very pricey $100 or so (the price fluctuates up to $140 and down to $100 depending on their mood).  It does, however, have a full interior, removable rear 'hatch' and several other features.  The main advantage of this model is the SCALE of the model, at 1/35th scale, this will let you create dioramas using many popular military figures (such as those from Tamayia and Dragon) as well as some of the EVA models 1/35th scale astronauts.  The model includes decals, and yet another 'water' base, but unlike the above kit, this Icarus is 'complete' whereas the SKYHOOK MODELS kit above ends where you see the rear of the ship.

This is the largest commercially available model of the ANSA spacecraft, though Jim Key says that his company, CUSTOM REPLICAS, may offer an even larger kit in the future.  Expect the price to match the quality and the detail.

ANSANAUT verdict:  Kind of pricey, but leads to some wonderful modeling options using an array of readily available 1/35 scale military figures and a wide range of scratchbuilding.  If you can afford it (and specialty kits aren't cheap), get it.

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HASBRO 12" COLONEL GEORGE TAYLOR
SIGNATURE SERIES COLLECTORS FIGURE

Photo courtesy of Mark Longmire

This is a limited production, limited edition large scale action figure in the same genre as the full size G.I. Joe figures.  The Signature Series included Colonel Taylor, as well as some of the apes, but Taylor was the only ANSA astronaut in the collection.  The Signature Series was circa 1999 and examples of Taylor can be found in discount toy stores, at conventions, and of course, in online auctions.  Original list price was $29.99, but I purchased mine at K B TOY LIQUIDATORS for the paltry sum of just $9.99.  Colonel Taylor is shipped in a large, clear plastic protective tube which can be used as a storage container.   The top of the tube is removed and serves as a base for the action stand which the figure is mounted on, twisting the top rotates the figure on the base.  Colonel Taylor's clothes are real cloth, with appropriate insignias.  There is the ANSA logo on the right breast, with a TAYLOR nametag above that, and an American flag on the right shoulder.  The straps of the backpack are white cloth, the boots are rubber with the 'zipper' painted down the front.  Velcro holds the tunic together in lie of real snaps or similar fasteners.  The figure stands on a molded base and is multi-poseable.  Standard accessories include an ANSA silver survival backpack (as seen in the movie) and what appears to be a 1970's era G.I. Joe .45 automatic pistol.

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Questions or comments?

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