"Space: 1999" - 50th Anniversary Studio Rebuild of the Eagle Transporter

[@Bananaskin101]

imo the best space vessel in SciFi TV ever, great job

[@deLimitedProductions]

It really is. Brian Johnson should be forever proud.

[@johnwang9914]

If propellant wasn't an issue. Without a re-entry heat shield and a shape with a blunt end, the transport would have to use thrust instead of aero braking to reduce the orbital velocity to acceptable levels before entering the atmosphere. It would be like using a Saturn V worth of fuel to re-enter. They also had the Eagle transport launching from the ground on Earth and other planets into orbit and that again would be like using another Saturn V worth of fuel. The rest of the concept is just fine with the swappable cargo/passenger modules etc. It's just the lack of propellant which required some suspension of disbelief. Note, they tried to explain this by saying the rocket engines were nuclear but even there, a lot more propellant would be needed. Now maybe had they some means of using the atmosphere as propellant while in the atmosphere much as the UK Sabre engine proposed for the HOTOL project. Now an matter/antimatter engine could just heat what limited propellant they had to ever higher temperatures instead of having more propellant (the water torch ship concept) so had they said it operated on antimatter then the design might've been possible by our current understanding of physics (except for what materials and cooling system could withstand that heat but that would be a problem that might be solvable).

[@jaminoes_]

You mean "wessel"

[@davideyres955]

I think the Liberator from Blake’s 7 was a great model as well.

[@cosworth6nut]

The Eagle just looks the part. It is a gorgeous ship - if only it could be real. The model looks amazing and as mentioned in the video, very difficult to build. Space:1999 was way ahead of its time.

[@theronaissance]

When I saw the Eagle box on Christmas morning in the late 1970s, I couldn't believe it! I played with it long after I should have! Such a cool, practical craft.

[@DragoDellaTorre]

I still have two boxed dinky toys: the green passengers and the blue transport Eagle. Those colors are chosen by dinky toys for a unknown reason.

[@Dre9872]

This is probably the earliest show I remember watching as a kid. Have loved SciFi ever since.

[@theranch4426]

Space 1999 had the BEST theme music ever for a sci-fi tv show! Nice touch with the “Disco Funk” background music as you describe the build.

[@monsvillerailways5736]

Awesome. Such an iconic ship, it's fantastic to see her given some new life. Great work Team. 👍

[@OhTheNormanity]

50th anniversary in 2025? That's making me feel old! Used to have a Eagle to play with as a kid. Loved the show!

[@boing615]

Everything about this show was iconic, the Eagles the stun guns, the communicators, the costumes (flares not withstanding) even the 2 theme tunes were amazing. I'm astounded it looked this good 4 years before Star Wars existed and yet still only got 2 series.

[@dwellyn]

That was due to the very ugly divorce between the Andersons. Also, bringing in an American producer for the second season, who tried to Americanize it, was bad enough, but it was Fred Freiberger, who was know for ending science-fiction shows in one season. He was known as the "Showkiller." He also produced the final season of Star Trek and the final season of the Six Million Dollar Man.

[@JoelGrant-ie4ly]

While vacationing during the summer of 1975 I caught an episode of the American TV show the Mike Douglas Show. Martin Landua and Barbara Bain were promoting their new show Space:1999. The TV audience was able to see clips from the show and the costumes. I was hooked even before the series began!

[@CannonRanger1]

Fantastic work! I so wish I still had my Eagle toy from when I was a kid. It was huge.

[@davidrice5433]

I had the 3- foot long Eagle too. Aaand it was eventually given away by my Mother, along with my younger sister's original Star Wars Death Star playset and Millennium Falcon plus all-original figures.

[@gerry-p9x]

I built 5. Of the MPC. MODEL KITS BOY WERE THEY KOOL😊😊

[@johnbower7452]

I think part of the attraction with the Eagle was that it looked believable; the kind of ship we might build as a go-between to and from a Moonbase.

[@TheRealStructurer]

One of my favourite spacecrafts. It has aged very well and look so utilitarian and futuristic at the same time. Thanks for sharing 👍🏼

[@jumpstar9000]

What a great job. Amazing!! I had a few of the Dinky EAGLE toys as a kid. The one that could lower the radioactive containers was always fun!

[@mrock828]

I used to have the 1999 Eagle space ship toy. I loved that thing!

[@gregbanks5624]

Me too. I had this in 1976 as a 6 year old. This and Star Trek was such a big thing. And then '77 and that Star Wars movie commercial came out...We live in good times!

[@Edmund_Mallory_Hardgrove]

I had a big plastic Eagle I got for Christmas when I was a kid, sadly it was lost in a move. But I still have a couple of the small metal Dinky versions my grandmother bought me. One is the transport version and the other is the nuclear waste module transport version. I don't know why Dinky did this but they painted the transport version green, with a white passenger module. But the nuclear waste carrier came white, with the detachable nuclear was section, and these yellow detachable nuclear waste containers.

[@mrock828]

@@Edmund_Mallory_Hardgrove that's cool. I got the big eagle for Christmas too and made C3po and r2d2 frequent flyers in the middle compartment! LOL. 👍

[@eagletransporter1999]

Superb piece of work !!!

[@deLimitedProductions]

Thank you for watching, Jorge!

[@ralphreinhardt6020]

Very cool, as a 58 year old O.G. fan. I whole heartedly appreciate this very much. 😎👍

[@PatriceBoivin]

I agree about the Viper. The old Battlestar Galactica technology had its charm. The actors were good as well.

[@jpofgwynedd3878]

The most impressive aspect of the Eagle is that despite not having massive fuel tanks, it still LOOKS feasible; so feasible, in fact, that I'm astonished no one has tried to actually MAKE a real one.

[@deLimitedProductions]

It really does. Much of the Eagle's charm is that the design looks and feels like it's grounded in reality. This side of her personality jumps out long before one can peel away the technical layers to discover that she's hardly believable even in sci-fi!

[@jpofgwynedd3878]

@@deLimitedProductions A similar thing happened with the overall designs in 2001: A Space Odyssey. Many waffle on about how great Kubrick was, what a story, etc... yet the movie was NEVER hailed for any of that: it was how realistic the interiors were - hell, even when Frank Poole's watching the news during a meal break, he does it on a tablet... AND IT'S IN PORTRAIT MODE!

[@BenoitLamarche]

The center of gravity would be a problem, the propulsion section would be heavier than the command section IMHO.

[@curmudgeonextraordinaire1884]

Feasible for the low gravity, no atmosphere environment of the moon. However it would never work anywhere else.

[@AudioGuyBrian]

They did. It is a Chinook helicopter

[@aguage99]

Thanks for the great video explaining the work done during these last months. I think it is a very accurate work! Yes, the problem of the size of the eagle and the relationship with the human dimensions is not easy to solve especially for the cockpit. Congratulations!

[@chrischeshire6528]

According to Nick Tate the interior of the command module when first built was in scale, but the lead cameraman complained that it was too small and too tight to photograph the crew, so it had to be enlarged.

[@marksaunderson3042]

When I was a kid in primary school someone had a toy eagle. With interchangeable cargo pod. It was so, to my 7 year old self, so amazing.

[@jeffos8724]

Well done.

[@themercer4972]

Some great work there. The Eagle was a fantastic craft. I wish they would reboot Space 1999.

[@PatriceBoivin]

I was disappointed when there wasn't even a movie released in 1999. A missed opportunity.

[@BenoitLamarche]

I would too, but... I really would like to reimagine Space:1999 for grown-ups. In the grown-up version, there would be an accurate (and current) representation of engineering, physics, chemistry, and biology. It can be done. Science becomes a significant character in the storyline. Both the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica and The Expanse, while taking great liberties, also took advantage of actual engineering and science to enhance the plot. It was fun to watch. The "1999" would not refer to the year, obviously. In this re-imagined version, the Eagle would never fly in an atmosphere, or venture too far from the moon. As represented, the Eagle is a "better" version of the 2001 Moon Bus. I'd like the inside set of the Eagle to match its external proportions. And make these black rectangles on the pod actual windows! No anti-gravity or acceleration compensation. No force fields.

[@cerberes]

@@BenoitLamarcheYeah, Slap on some Raptor 4 engines and away we go.

[@themercer4972]

@@BenoitLamarche The big problem, from a plot point of view is, How to move the moon from one exciting new story setting to another? There would have to be some malfunctioning jump drive or other fictional gizmo. or we would have a very realistic show with the moon just wandering around our solar system on a eccentric orbit. Anyhow, you are quite right, the Eagle would not be very good for atmosphere use, but makes a fine moon bus.

[@BenoitLamarche]

@@themercer4972 Right. It would have to be some other sort of interplanetary vehicle, which could at least land on a planet with an atmosphere.

[@timothyosullivan6079]

wonderful work. Looks great!!

[@guillermodiego819]

Absolutely gorgeous!! Top notch work!

[@deLimitedProductions]

Thank you very much!

[@sfoeric]

I remember in the 70s as a kid growing up in the SF Bay Area, there was a catalog chain store called Best that sold Space 1999 toys. Always wanted an Eagle.

[@fuzzblightyear145]

had an actual metal one as a kid. played with it to destruction. the idea of "keeping it in the box" just didnt exist then

[@ak1ranger]

As a kid I had the giant plastic eagle toy that you could assemble in several different configurations. I'm sure it came from the Sears Christmas catalog. I had it until the mid 90s when my Dad moved and trashed all my OG Star Wars toys as well as the huge Eagle. That thing was so cool! I would often play with the Eagle and the Buck Rogers Star Fighter together since they were of similar scale, I think!

[@stargazeronesixseven]

😮🙏 Why would anybody trashed STARWARS & Space 1999 action figurines or crafts from the 1970s & 1980s! They're so hard to find nowadays! Luckily we still can find websites that sells these fan favourites! Thank You So Much for sharing! 🙏🌷🌿🌍✌💜🕊🇬🇧🇺🇸

[@XianHu]

Beautiful work on the model! Also, I had this (0:47) as a kid, and I loved it.

[@richtheobald4390]

Thanks for showing the landing gear retract. It always annoyed me when I was a kid that my toy eagles never could even though it was obvious that they should

[@sw-ww4bb]

I love the eagle, ever since the 70's.. i only struggle with how it flies and maneuvers in an atmosphere!

[@ptonpc]

The Eagle will always be a beautiful 'ugly duckling' Very nice work :)

[@deLimitedProductions]

Well said.

[@robgoodsight6216]

Just brilliant!!!

[@brianmontgomery1619]

Great job man.

[@everettumphrey]

Very nice work. This model even on the show worked for me as a spaceship that one could see in real life.

[@cpnscarlet]

Landing pads were extended in the episode "Dragon's Domain" for the scene where Tony Cellini takes an Eagle back to the Ultra probe but leaves the passenger module behind so he can face the "dragon" alone. Also it should be noted that there is also a scene where he jettisons the Eagle's command module and docks it to the Ultra probe - excellent model effects.

[@davewills148]

Very nice indeed, like many, brings back those heady days as a teen, some great shows around then, and Space 1999 was on of the best. 3d print has brought about a new found interest in many of these wonderful shows. Also a few companies are now remaking many of the Star Trek hand-helds like the tricorders/Phasers, expensive highly detailed models. Adam Savage features many of them on his toutube channel. Kudos

[@fw1421]

I watched Barbara Bain all my early life. She was on so many good shows like Mission Impossible.

[@rodfleck]

Really an incredible effort and I loved this show.

[@ateleskier7066]

Hands up if you went to Selfridges (London) at Christmas in 1975 to see Space 1999 at one of their then famous annual themed displays? Great memories.

[@robemail2]

Scrolling, saw this.. ya cool idea, good memories… scr.. nope stuck here - amazing work

[@philoshaughnessy906]

Looks fantastic. Well done.

[@deLimitedProductions]

Thank you for watching!

[@PaulShanley]

1:48 Brilliant framing!

[@iana6713]

Now that is impressive! I like how you sorted out the cockpit conundrum - even as a child watching the show, I noticed that certain dimensions didn't line up.

[@paulgrooveside2803]

This is fantastic!

[@kriswingert1662]

@3:00, Season 1, Dragon's Domain featured the passenger landing feet being deployed when it was left on the pad when Tony left it set to keep Koenig from going with him to the space ship graveyard. Allen then landed on the pad to pick them up ( just the same sequence run backwards ).

[@bennyhilla2558]

very nice

[@vincenolan5033]

Impressive video. I always thought the cockpit looked out of shape with the rest of the Eagle. And I agree with the landing legs. They should've rose into the legs. Too bad the reboot never got off the ground.

[@deLimitedProductions]

Thanks for watching, Vince!

[@Zeus-rg9mu]

The eagle inspired a generation. I love the rebuild.

[@AJFisherDesign]

Beautiful build. Your attention to detail is impressive. Your “cockpit conundrum” about conflicts in scale & configuration is familiar to me and seems to have been common in Hollywood productions. While building custom scale models of both the Star Wars UT-60D U-Wing from Rogue One and the family house from The Waltons I came to realise the interiors depicted on screen were larger than the exteriors shown. Upon reflection this makes a sort of sense; the creators of these stories are primarily interested in storytelling. Choices are made mostly to reflect story & budget not continuity although that is important. Thanks for an entertaining and informative video!

[@deLimitedProductions]

Thank you. We run into these hull-to-interior scaling losses often in Star Trek as well, but Trek was generally careful about the *shapes* of its filming sets. This was the first time I felt I was literally trying to fit a square peg into a round hole.

[@rorythomas9469]

The size of a set, particularly pre digital is often dictated by lighting and cameras. That forces a minimum size. If it’s a 4 walls set, then it needs to be big enough to get the camera, lighting rig and crew in as well.

[@wilsonst6044]

When space1999, battlestar galactica, Buck Rogers in the 25th century. Feel so inspired back then.

[@soylentgreen6667]

I still have that eagle in the box .

[@johnmanderson2060]

Fantastic job ! Bravo 👏🏻

[@_Mentat]

Swappable modules were quite _avant guard_ back then. Hand-held video phones with "air drop" to a big screen was prophetic. But the pilot's visibility was dire - massive bulkhead dead center, field of view about 45 degrees!

[@conservativemike3768]

The mid-century set design of the era is still awesome.

[@stevevanzandt6784]

Way cool spaceships ❤

[@ploppysonofploppy6066]

Such fine work, achieved so quickly. Bravo. I have mixed memories over this show. The moon couldn't just blast off, without destruction of the earth, and voyages to other worlds would take 10s of millennia. But that's not what sci fi should be about really. I was reminded of it when I read Carl Sagan's "Pale Blue Dot". He hypothesised mans first exploration of interstellar place by establishing self sufficient colonies on asteroids, then nudging them outwards, toward a distant star. A voyage would take 10,000 years or more the descendants of the voyagers may not be human by the time they reached their destination. Could be great sci fi though!

[@deLimitedProductions]

Thanks! Still trying to process how 14 weeks is "so quickly." I guess time really is relative!

[@ploppysonofploppy6066]

@@deLimitedProductions "Time is an illusion", - Albert Einstein. "Lunchtime doubly so", - Douglas Adams.

[@JimWood28]

@@ploppysonofploppy6066 42

[@grahamrich3368]

WOW!! Very impressed!! 👏👏

[@TheShornak]

Your size at 30m is very close to what I felt the length of the ship would be based on the side doors and the height of most men on the show. You mentioned the articulated legs on the passenger module. They were shown extended in a couple episodes but the most clear was Season 1 Dragon's Domain, probably one of the best epeisodes. The Pilor Tony Cellini takes off leading the Passenger module behind. You don't see them moving, it's just they are extended out when he takes off. Your 3d CGI Model is beautiful and what is in my opinion a very good representation.

[@deLimitedProductions]

I've never met you, but I can tell you're a person who cares about details, too! Thanks for watching :)

[@brianmcguinness9642]

This model looks really nice. Space: 1999 had some pretty bad science but the technology was beautiful and generally looked pretty realistic. The Eagle's fuel tanks were way too small for a ship that was supposed to take off from an Earthlike world (consider how big the Saturn V was, for example) but the modular design, with a replaceable center section, was a cool idea. I wonder if this was inspired by the similar design of Thunderbird 2.

[@civwar7955]

2:51 The passenger pod "landing pads" were used in Dragon's Domain.

[@craigw.scribner6490]

Fantastic job! Thanks!

[@AudioGuyBrian]

So cool that for a 1999 space ship they used PVC pipe glued together in sections for the backbone frame.

[@deLimitedProductions]

It was brass piping on the 44" filming model.

[@alby3388]

Stupendo!

[@Echowhiskeyone]

Building the Command Module is easy, once your solve the interior. This has bugged me as a kid in 1975. Glad you solved it, within reason.

[@jlvfr]

*_Still_* one of the best looking SF ships, certainly top 5 realistic ones.

[@robertjames5401]

Brilliant I like it

[@angrymandalorian8496]

I’m 61 years old, I loved this show. My parents worked for Sears and got great discounts. I had a lot of the toys. Don’t know whatever happened to them.

[@keithscott1926]

My dad worked for Sears part-time as a special delivery guy.

[@JimWood28]

We copy. (Staggering work, thank you)

[@B.B.Digital_Forest]

I'm impressed you used Lightwave. Some things don't die.

[@nothing_controversial]

I had a Matchbox Eagle freighter. I drew it freehand for my school art project. The only thing I didn't like about the Eagles it that it seems like they didn't have very good visibility through the cockpit.

[@mmooney6860]

was a vert good show maya was my fav

[@Write_Charlie]

I bloody love that orange living room! Is it really yours? I've been thinking of '1970s-ing' my living room. Feel very inspired now! 🕺🕺🕺

[@MRRice-wz3bv]

Good designs.

[@Venture_Fanatic]

The first Season was the best one.

[@keithscott1926]

Space:1999 was a great SiFi show. I had a EAGLE TRANSPORT model l put together.

[@Jayteeef]

This series is screaming for a reboot, ala BSG!

[@neveser]

I still have the eagle I got for Christmas. It's a little worn...

[@leokimvideo]

Yep the TV series Eagle cockpit was more like The Tardis

[@Whalewraith]

Never seen an answer to this. On the beak the 2 upper black triangles were basically viewing ports. What on earth (apart from looking good) was the point of those cut outs below which would presumably be at knee height. Always bugged me. Great ship

[@deLimitedProductions]

I think the "looking good" (really, aesthetic symmetry) *was* the point. It's rather obvious from the set designs that there was some disconnect between what Johnson was doing and what Anderson was doing. That disconnect may have been explicit and okay for both of them.

[@Whalewraith]

@@deLimitedProductions like the travel tube?, the outside and the inside really don't match up.

[@gucumatzmusic7286]

En una tienda camino a Miami encontré el "Eagle" solo que en color verde, lloré, pataleé y no me lo compraron, que lo podían conseguir en Chetumal más barato, llevo cincuenta años esperando el "Eagle" que nunca llegó

[@stevevanzandt6784]

❤❤❤

[@Kr0N05]

If they want to unload heavy equipment on the Moon or Mars they will need something with the general layout of the Eagle , minus the aerodynamic nose :) A cargo section, behind the front cab, that you can drop off anywhere.

[@dale3852]

Nice 🇬🇧 ❤

[@noneya3635]

Wow Barbara Bain has aged but she looks the same. Healthy life style right there.

[@PWingert1966]

Next a 1:1 model for the Rooftop landing pad!

[@deLimitedProductions]

Okay, but whose rooftop?! 😅

[@followyourbliss101]

the way you describe the difficulty in rendering it sounds like making a real life model wouldn't have been any harder. My best friend got me the eagle as a bday present many moons ago. I don't have it any more, but it did get a lot of play - which is what it was meant for. sold off what i had left prob 20+ years ago.

[@davidcollishaw2771]

Had the battlestar viper and raider toys. no missiles just a bit that popped out with a click had toy eagles as well, the whole concept and structure they created was way ahead.

[@BenoitLamarche]

Very nicely done. Especially bringing some much needed sanity to the command module interior (however the spaceship graveyard had some wonderful ideas). How did you reconcile the bottom rocket nozzles and the (purported) rocket machinery behind (on top) of them? Any ideas? How about the doors in corridors between the center and crew modules? The corridors too narrow to accommodate the doors when opened. I can't wait to see the interior when fully done, and build an actual physical prop. What is the source of Barbera Bain inteview?

[@RodgerDodger196]

I CAUGHT THE END OF WHAT LOOKED LIKE A MINI MOVIE OF THE SET OF I THOUGHT :SPACE 1999 on JOHNNY CARSON -so I’ve always wondered if that WAS A MINI MOVIE?! Or a Retelling?? Or a more Elaborate version of Space 1999! I guess I’ll never know!!

[@Tbonyandsteak]

Imagine thats what they imagined space exploration would be, 25 years in the future in 1974

[@MyLateralThawts]

I’m betting at the 100th anniversary of the show, some actual fans working and living on the future Moonbase Alpha will be building their own working model, primarily using 3D printing.

[@sahhull]

I had the die cast toy of the Eagle... It was stolen when the house was robbed a few years ago.... Its almost like they knew what was there and where to find it.

[@bubbalo3388]

This is one of the best designed sci-fi spacecraft. It made sense and also maybe if it was real it could be pretty close to a realistic possibility. It is the real world equivalent of a Sikorsky S-64 Skycrane. The most ridiculously designed spacecraft and makes no sense designs I think are from Star Wars.

[@radagastaddams3703]

just as much as an icon as the USS Enterprise. I hated Space 1999 as a kid because it very unsettling in places..like Brian Blessed melting & that man burnt by the reactor...but I adore the Eagle..it's one of the few sci-fi spaceships so based in realism it would make perfect sense for us to build them today. They even thought of using the crew compartment as a detachable lifeboat..great design..

[@tomnakzy]

The Eagle Transporter's command module is quite different in appearance and interior. If the exterior settings were prioritized, not only would the cockpit be very narrow, communication between the main and co-pilots would be poor, and above all, visibility to the left and right would be very limited. It would be interesting to see a remake, but unfortunately I don't think I'll be able to see it in my lifetime.

[@grahamlane1313]

I did have a space 1999 egale transporter as kid

[@KujoTV]

It is great to see LightWave 3D is still out there. I use to dance with that program. Oh and the Eagle looks great. Even as a kid I had problems with the exterior and interior of the command module. Are you going to do the Strike Eagle?

[@RT-eb6vo]

Sorry, I just need to nip off and watch a replay of the Professionals intro. Great music!

[@gl3nnium]

Although UFO was a far better show space 1999 did have some great vehicle designs

[@luizmattos9031]

The beste movie sci-fi. Will wich go back with more news movie?

[@justinbarkby3580]

I would so love if you sold the STL files so I can 3D print this.