Calvin emailed me and sent me pictures of a modeling project I've had the idea of for many years but never got around to doing it. Take the Icarus and meld it with the old AMT Strategic Space Command "Leif Ericson" galactic cruiser / AMT Star Trek "UFO MYSTERY SHIP" model as a complete vehicle. I even went as far as buying two junked UFO Mystery Ships off of Ebay (back before Round 2 reissued the kit) to start this project using the Larsen Models 3" Icarus but, alas, never got around to it. I may still try this project but one change I noted is that I intended to keep the "conning tower" of the original kit and turn it into some kind of dish antenna array (similar to the Discovery in the movie 2001). Well, Calvin apparently had the same idea that I did and unlike me, he actually did do this project. He also sent in a rather unique idea for how Milo, Cornelius and Zira managed to get their ship off the doomed Earth and back to modern times which I included beneath the pictures.

Calvin's theory on the ship that returns ...

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Hi, its me ... Calvin Sweet.

I think I figured it out! Have you ever wondered how in the blazes did Dr. Milo find Col. Taylor's ship the Icarus? Have you ever wondered how a Chimpanzee that talks and reasons could ever figure out how to fly such technology?

When Icarus crashed in the lake, ( the lake is in part of the forbidden zone) the Underdwellers ( those post apocalypse mutants) saw the crash with their minds because they ( in a weird way) patrol the forbidden zone looking for any threats. Well, since the mutants philosophy is " We don't kill our enemies ... we get our enemies to kill each other." They used one of their "trick illusions" and made Col Taylor and his crew believe the Icarus was sinking! Col Taylor tried every thing to save Icarus:

The mutants realized Col. Taylor was trying to escape so they compounded the illusion that the ships power was going to go out at this point. Col. Taylor believed this illusion and stopped his programming for emergency lift-off and instead used the last bit of power to:

The mutants finished this illusion by making it appear that the Icarus sank. ( notice that dodge and Taylor didn't bother to look, they believed by simply listening to the Icarus demise in the water.)

1. Made them believe that the discovery of plant life would lead them to water and food. ( the plants didn't exist, they were imaginary tools to lead the ANSA crew to the apes.)

2. lightning storms, falling rolling rocks, ground tremors ( again more illusion to hurry them to their deaths)

Off to the forbidden-zone goes Dr. Milo... and he finds the American flag, and before him (probably beached by now) is the floating spaceship Icarus. He explores the ships interior ( probably buried the late Stewart ) and realizes he must go back and tell Zira and Cornelious that Col Taylor was telling the truth and he might be able to find him for them ( get him back home).

The mutants have Col Taylor prisoner and they are keeping watch of the ape invasion. All concentration is on this invasion that the mutants don't bother to check or patrol the area of the spaceship site. When the mutants have Brent and Nova, they concentrate even more on them and the invasion that at this point the Icarus site is simply forgotten; all attention is on their human prisoners and the advancing ape army.

Dr. Milo lucks out and simply or accidently pushes the last button on the "takeoff sequence" that Col Taylor had programmed or almost activated. Dr. Milo doesn't know anything about such technology ...but he becomes proud and self-brags about his so-called ability to fly the Icarus:

2. There is NO WAY IN HELL Dr. Milo could understand or know how to use the technology of icarus computers NO WAY!

3. When Icarus blasted off into the heavens the first words out of Dr. Milo was "oh S***!" He and his friends were not intending to "blast off" it caught em by surprise and there were helpless to do anything about it.

4. To Zira and Cornelius and their perception.. it may have looked like Dr. Milo knew what he was doing. ( and they give their late comrade the benefit of the doubt.)