OK, I admit it: I was a fan of the 70s sci-fi series Space 1999. And I always thought that the their spaceships, the Eagle class, really looked the part – much more so than Gerry Anderson’s earlier designs, such as Fireball XL5 and the Thunderbirds. I even preferred the Eagle to Matt Jefferies’ original Enterprise. (Heresy!)
The Eagle looked as if it had been designed by a mechanical engineer rather than an artist. No swooping curves, bold colours, or mysteriously pulsing “warp coils”: the Eagle was a grey, utilitarian, tubular framework with a series of uncompromisingly functional modular assemblies bolted on. This utilitarian style soon appeared in other 1970s sci-fi films and series, exemplified by the U.S.S. Cygnus in Disney’s disastrous Black Hole, the Millennium Falcon in Star Wars, and Battlestar Galactica. It’s probably no coincidence that this was the period when the Pompidou Centre was being constructed in Paris, with all of the plumbing, pipework, cables and service ducts on the outside of the building. Be that as it may, I thought that the Eagle looked just right, as did the Hawk variant that appeared in one episode.
Over the years fans all over the world (but especially in Japan) have kept the Space 1999 series in syndication, and I see that it’s now out on DVD at (ouch) $199. I know, I know, it’s 48 episodes on 16 discs, but even so…. Anyway, an unexpected package arrived today from the BBC America shop: a detailed, foot long, diecast Eagle. Cool! And thanks….
(Yes, the transporter pod does snap out. And I see that a Rescue Eagle version is now available. Hmmmm…)
(Update: It seems that medical and freighter Eagles are on the way too…..)
