Why Is This Spaceship So Beloved?

At the Wonderfest scale modeling convention, we got up close to an incredible collection of Space: 1999 Eagle Transporter models, representing this beloved spaceship in almost every conceivable scale. Collector Gordon Moriguchi walks us through the different versions of the ship and explains why its design still endures decades after the science-fiction show left the air.
Find more Space: 1999 models at / space1999propsandships
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Shot by Josh Self and edited by Norman Chan
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Intro bumper by Abe Dieckman
Thanks for watching!

[@thorin01]

The Eagle is my favorite ‘work-horse’ style spaceships. It’s layout, the framework, the swappable modules and the blocky design. It feels like a truck in space. Moonbase Alpha as whole was just a really cool set-up. Even today, the look of Space: 1999 holds up remarkably well. The FX work was top notch. Anderson’s world building was always just amazing. The in-world consistency of how things worked and how the fit within the world was probably some of the best out there. Once they set up rules for how things worked, they rarely broke and the few times they did there was in-world plausible reason. Odd ball piece of trivia. One of the early Millennium Falcon designs was rejected because it looked a little too much like an Eagle. That design evolved into the blockade runner.

[@MrHws5mp]

It's also the reason the Millennium Falcon got it's name: 1999 Eagle + 1 = Millennium Falcon

[@dunebasher1971]

@@MrHws5mp That's just fan speculation. Somebody thought that up after the fact; there's never been any confirmation from anybody actually involved in Star Wars.

[@wongjefx980]

The Eagles always got their butts kicked by the aliens though....

[@MrHws5mp]

@@dunebasher1971 True, although it's highly credible: where else did "Millennium Falcon" come from?

[@johndrake3472]

Nice call on “Truck in Space” - that’s… it!

[@RayneBlood]

its one of the few ships that actually look like it could be real.

[@jtjames79]

I still think Dynetics HLS, was a way better choice for the new NASA lunar lander.

[@mooferoo]

The Starfury from Babylon 5 was not only fantastic as a sci-fi ship, but also very realistic, to the point where NASA got in touch with the creator, interested in the design.

[@JohnWilliamNowak]

Yes; the only bit that feels "off" is having seperate vertical and horizontal engines.

[@barryjack3025]

The most believable design of the day… it was only 25 years in the future.

[@robgoodsight6216]

It looks something that we could build today...in theory...

[@Gorbyrev]

Part Apollo, part Sikorsky Skycrane, part utilitarian, part insectoid, the Eagle spaceship family was a triumph of future projection design. Alongside the work of Gerry Anderson the UK provided some of the most remarkable sci-fi vehicle design of the 60's and 70's.

[@vanessareneecharles7327]

YEEEEEEESSSSSSSS!!!! XOXOXOXO

[@timmooney7528]

It's hardware heritage includes the Thunderbird 2. Mission requirements are met by inserting the right module.

[@Gorbyrev]

@@timmooney7528 Another fabulous design.

[@merky6004]

A little bit Thunderbird 2 with the inter-changeable modules.

[@amightysailingman]

@@timmooney7528 Exactly. I'm sure that's how they came up with it, basically Gerry Anderson telling Brian Johnson to do a stripped down, steelpunk version of Thunderbird 2, adding Apollo-style engines and vernier thrusters.

[@bradleyboots687]

I was just old enough to fall in love with Sci-Fi space ships when Space 1999 came out but not old enough to understand bad acting and writing. Therefore I was absolutely crushed when the show was canceled. The Eagle still sits in the back of my mind as the one spaceship I'd love to find abandoned in the woods and fly off on my own adventures! Of all the shows that deserve a rewrite and new life, S1999 is it. Just don't change the Eagles.

[@Revenant483]

Yep same here, we are telling our age though :D

[@ListerDavid]

Why is it so loved? Because it’s the Eagle Transporter, it’s one of the greatest and what could be then most realistic industrial looking space ship of all times.

[@my3dviews]

I agree. It looks like it could actually fly. At least for 30 or 40 seconds until the fuel runs out. 😂

[@Eener1000]

@@my3dviews Well, to go full nerd and react seriously; In space or even on the moon, you don't need constant thrust to "fly" since you are in 0 or low gravity. You just need to fire a thruster for a short burst to throw yourself into a direction, to steer or to stop.

[@my3dviews]

@@Eener1000 True when in orbit or between planets or Earth and the moon, but not when flying over the moon. Then you do need constant downward thrust to fly, otherwise you fall toward the surface at 1/6th g acceleration. Apollo 11 only had about 30 seconds of fuel left in the descent stage before landing. Also, the Eagles were shown flying from Earth in the first episode, which would require a lot of fuel. Like the space shuttle with an external fuel tank and solid rocket boosters.

[@garryiglesias4074]

@@Eener1000 «you are in 0 or low gravity» Full Nerd ?? Are you kidding ? The only "0" gravity situation is FREE FALL... An orbit is a free fall... And an orbit is not a "travel trajectory". To navigate, AND to "fly over" any body, you need thrust... Read Newton again.

[@WorksOnMyComputer]

@@my3dviews That's why it had strings attached. Safety first. :)

[@jamesbridges1107]

It is such a classic ship. The design just works-it really looks like it could be built and used.

[@jeromethiel4323]

Space 1999 was a pretty good sci-fi show, back in the day. Plus the ships from the show were pretty close to the reality of the time.

[@wwrye929]

I think if the wanted to the could make them I don't think would be able land and take off from earth from moon low gravity plant can for transport what think that wat the where use in tv show

[@PabloCoronel70]

The show was really amazing in the 70s, I had a die-cast eagle (about 10cm long) and played a lot with it.

[@CDP1861]

@@PabloCoronel70 Ha! I have one right now, 3D printed on my 3D printer and Full 86 cm long. I wanted to go for the full 44 inches of the original studio models, but the guy who uploaded the 3D files to the internet had scaled down the parts without mentioning it. And that was only one of the many problems with these files. I had to edit or even redesign many parts from scratch. And I have no passenger or cargo module yet. The original part basically was one big and heavy brick, on top of having many errors in the 3D data that would ruin any attempt to print it. A complete redesign probably is less work. But full 44 inches is really a huge model. Just look at the big one in the Video. I'm glad that mine turned out to be a little smaller. If the full 44 inches are 1/24 scale, than 86 cm are something near 1/32. Good enough and less time to print all parts and of course it also needs less material and weighs less.

[@PabloCoronel70]

@@CDP1861 Awesome!

[@allendean9807]

When we were kids, we had Star Trek reruns, and THIS show. So we loved what we got, and some of those episodes were incredible

[@Donnie64inPa]

Same here, turning 60 this year but fond of this and Star Trek Original series

[@escomag]

I am not a collector, but the Eagle was an iconic representation of space sci-fi. Beautiful collection.

[@Munakas-wq3gp]

I had an eagle toy as a kid. It had a detachable cargo bay with a tow mechanism to lift it up. Back then TV was very limited and I probably saw only a couple of episodes of 1999 so I still don't understand how I got the eagle as a christmas present...

[@ToddsCornerScifiPropsShips]

Thank you Norm and Adam for showing off our display of the eagles. Wonderful interview and Gordon did a great job. Space 1999 Props & Ships is our labor of love for us and many of our members.

[@davidhirsch9963]

Good job guys!

[@allannewell2089]

You guys do an amazing job, thank you!!

[@johntowers1213]

The Eagles are such an iconic craft they managed to hit that sweet spot of a craft that actually looked like it could exist in our reality and function as intended..

[@2011Kestrel]

Definitely one of my favourite sci-fi ships of all time. The design still is both futuristic and believable after all these years. I could easily see Eagles (or something looking very much like them) flying around the moon and in space in our future.

[@LupusSolitus]

Thanks for covering this, Norm. The Eagle is so iconic. I wish we could bring the Space: 1999 show, or some future date equivalent back. An updated setting would be a great vehicle (pun intended) for engaging sci-fi storytelling.

[@robdotcom71]

I'd love to see Blakes 7 make a return.....

[@michaelboldys3330]

Big Finish are doing awesome audio adventures from the Andersonverses.

[@my3dviews]

Ya, I'm surprised that a movie was never made. It would have an instant fanbase to fill the theatres. I would go see it. Especially if it is in 3d. 😎 😂

[@KainzMusic]

While an updated version of Space: 1999 (Space: 2099?) or Blake's 7 would be amazing to see, I fear either would get the big Hollywood treatment and thus ruin the franchises by turning them into cash cows rather than respect the original material. I lived in the UK while both series were on the air and I love them!

[@patrickhennessy510]

It was a good series. However Martin Landau and his wife Barbara Bain ruined it. They were both prima Donna's.

[@metajock]

My favorite spaceship of all time. It was the first "realistic" spaceship concept to hit TV.

[@davidmccarthy6061]

I loved Space 1999, as well as the other short lived show UFO. I think those two shows along with Lost in Space reruns launched me into SciFi.

[@dogwalker666]

Space 1999 was the second series of UFO, But the American studios forced the change.

[@krane15]

A half generation apart actually. Lost in Space was the first, even before Star Trek which borrow from a few of its episodes.

[@RideAcrossTheRiver]

We had _Starlost_ in Canada as well!

[@michaelripley4528]

Recall so much! I was just a little boy🥰This was the first seed for a lifetime passion for space and science-fiction💯 Was the highlight of the week - I was allowed to Watch the serie, though it was after my bedtime😃 We was glued to the screen!

[@onthedeckproductions3845]

I love this show, this ship but also the host’s genuine curiosity and enthusiasm for what he learns about the model here. 👏

[@MrDanoman812]

I did the texturing on the SCOTT K. paper model version, named the Danoman Eagle. I think it can still be found on the card model sites if anyone is interested in printing one and building it. It comes out really pretty good if you take your time with it. I'd always wanted to do one since i was a little kid watching the show. It was an honor to do actually. If it's not around, i'll get it back up and posted again if there's enough interest in it. Just print and build... easy and looks great finished! :) I still have the originals on file i believe.

[@bartoszopka]

For Polish kids of the 1980s it is also quite iconic, as the exact same model just differently painted was used in Polish educational TV series "Przybysze z Matplanety" (that can be loosely translated as Travellers from the Mathplanet). It was about two "aliens" Sigma and Pi traveling space (in the repainted Eagle) having various math related adventures. So while I never heard about Space 1999 since today, the ship is definitely iconic for me as well.

[@almagill]

Thank you for that bit of info! "Przybysze z Matplanety" is, of course, on YT and the 'Eagle' can be seen clearly at 1.33 kzbin.info/www/bejne/ooS6n4SCiNudbs0

[@mikeuk666]

Wow

[@WorksOnMyComputer]

Never knew that. It looks like the Dinky toy Eagle was used.

[@Px4164]

@@WorksOnMyComputer indeed it was, they needed realistic prop for the series and probably bought something in toystore because looked so convincing :)

[@almagill]

@@WorksOnMyComputer that was a great toy :)

[@drewlovelyhell4892]

I grew up with Star Wars, Terrahawks, and other extreme sci-fi vehicles. But the Eagle was the realistic ship that represented actual space travel. For a long time I thought Space 1999 was part of the same franchise as 2001: A Space Odyssey. (Which sould be seen as a compliment)

[@my3dviews]

I remember thinking that the spaceships in Silent Running were similar to the ones in 2001: A Space Odyssey. Which as it turns out, they kind of were, since Douglas Trumbull worked on both, and even used the special effects of the planet Saturn, that was originally meant for 2001, before the destination was changed to Jupiter. Which is the main difference between the movie and the book. But, the Space 1999 Eagle was always my favourite spaceship. I even have a diecast model of it. :-)

[@NeoMorphUK]

The Eagle Transporter, the Eagle Freighter, the Hawk Freighter and the various other spacecraft were craft that could actually function around the moon. I think the reason the Starfield craft look so similar to the Eagle Transporter is because form follows function. Four fuel pods that house the landing gear and the RCS thrusters and VTOL landing/takeoff thrusters, the central transport pod, the front cockpit module, the main engine housing at the rear… they all make sense. That’s why the Eagle Transporter is still loved to this day.

[@bellissimo4520]

Well the Space 1999 Eagle ship was designed by Brian Johnson who had also worked on 2001. The realism is no coincidence.

[@joshpayne4015]

We loved Space 1999 when we were kids growing up in the 70's. And now as an adult I have enjoyed going back and watching season 1 (it got a little weird after that!).

[@davidf2281]

Man I can't wait until 1999, everything is going to be so cool!

[@mikeh4245]

Always loved the Eagle, it was my favorite part of watching the series. Still have the 2.5' toy that was released in 1976.

[@marchills4131]

Very interesting subject and a real throwback to my childhood, so thank you! A couple of production suggestions. Shoot more B-roll footage of the subject display from different angles and edit some of that into the interview rather than sticking to just one single camera angle. The videographer and the interviewer were clearly getting in each other's way at several points during the interview, which detracted from the overall effectiveness and enjoyability. Cutting to close ups and different angles of particular scale models, specific details and concept art as they were being talked about by Moriguchi is an easy, effective way to add visual variety and topical context to these types of videos.

[@FarrellMcGovern]

Of course Space 1999 was influenced by 2001...the same person worked on both, Brian Johnson! One influence on the Eagle Transporterl design was the Sikorsky S-64 Skycrane (Civilian)/Sikorsky CH-54 Tarhe (Military) . Like the Eagle, the Skycrane had an outside structure that allowed you to use interchangeable cargo pods that attached to the central spine of the vehicle. Growing up I had one of each...which was very cool looking!

[@timmooney7528]

I think the Thunderbird 2 was also inspiration.

[@WorksOnMyComputer]

@@timmooney7528For sure, although the Skycrane was operational in 1962, so it could well have influenced the Thunderbirds too.

[@krane15]

All the space shows are influenced and borrow from one another. Everything after Star Trek borrowed from it shields, which were popularized by the show, although they didn't invent it. Lost in Space had a force field before that (Erwin Allen). But a decade before that a force field was was used in the film "Forbidden Planet" (1956).

[@timmooney7528]

@@krane15 Adding to what you wrote, the Martian ships in War of the Worlds had some sort of energy shields/ barriers

[@EmptyPocketsCarl]

YES!!! As a kid this just blew my kind! Now I can appreciate why, it’s such a natural design progression from today to tomorrow aesthetically. I built every model from this show I could get my hands on!!

[@jm9371]

I am old enough to remember watching this series in the 1970's. I had a metal Eagle as a kid and kinda miss it!

[@Murdo2112]

Did you have the one with the regular module in the middle, or the one that had a couple of freight containers, like oil drums, hanging under the framework that ran along the top?

[@saintelmo5590]

You could digitally insert the Eagle into 2001: A Space Odyssey, and it would not seem at all out of place. I love the Eagle transporter.

[@robertpearson8798]

Yeah, there’s a reason for that.

[@jaxbigcat2889]

Good memories with this show. I even got the Eagle transporter for Christmas one year. What a great design for a spacecraft. This also makes me think of the tv series Salvage 1 with Andy Griffith which came out a couple of years later.

[@danriley5848]

I loved this show and was a huge fan of the ship as well it's so iconic.

[@whatever1618]

I love models and visual effects. I am so glad there is someone out there creating a collection of Space: 1999 Eagles.

[@Calamity_Jack]

I built the original kit of this way back in the 70s and loved it. (However, I think it fell victim to "moviemaking" - firecrackers + a Super 8 camera.) Cut to last year, I picked up the 14" version of Eagle 1 and spent a good amount of time detailing it and painting it as the "emergency rescue" variant (red stripes on the middle pod). I loved the ship then and still love it today! Thanks for covering this, Norm!

[@CapnBlackJackHonour]

In 5th grade summer school I took an astronomy class. Thinking it was going to be a simple class teaching stuff I already knew, and schoolyard telescope viewing parties. The teacher turned out to be a former NASA engineer. One of the projects he worked on was the rocket engine for the DYNA-SOAR prototype shuttle. Knowing this, I brought in my MPC model kit of Eagle 1. And asked him what he thought. He said for a tv show, science fiction design, that it was actually pretty solid as a design. And said that with a few design changes to thruster placement etc, it would be a solid basis for a design that could work on the moon. I loved that class, and nearly won a very expensive telescope based on getting three perfect scores on his tests. Got two perfects and a 98! Consolation prize was a trip to Palomar Observatory for a day. And it wasn’t a simple class, one of the things he taught us 5th graders and tested us on, was the proton proton fusion chain. The world needs more teachers like Mr Welch.

[@RideAcrossTheRiver]

Thanks for that! What a great guy to meet as a kid. And stellar nuclear fusion in solar-mas stars ... big stuff for 11-year-olds!

[@DrakeAurum]

A really great concept of a practical-looking modular space vehicle.

[@Rorschach.]

I have 6 of the 12" Eagle fleet mounted on my wall. A truly wonderful ship.

[@daveroush4896]

Its a truly plausible design. I remember the series. Loved it.

[@kurtstype7468]

I was 5 or 6 when I first saw this show - I loved it - I had a SPACE 1999 Eagle toy with the Command module that you could undock and mate with the AFT Engines and I really regret not knowing what happened to that toy - It was a blast to play with. Iconic show - thanks for keeping memories alive!

[@KensToys74]

I love the ship design. It immediately registers to my imagination what a realistic generational vessel would look like.

[@grumpyrocker]

The Eagle has always been my favourite sci-fi ship, even more so than the Millennium Falcon.

[@lykeromeo3213]

It is because without doubt the most realistic of ALL sci-fi ships.

[@krane15]

Actually, that would be the USOS Seaview.

[@lykeromeo3213]

@@krane15 NO WAY IN HELL!! A SUB WITH A GLASS WINDOW?!?! A FLYING SUB WITH NO VISIBLE MEANS OF AERIAL PROPULSION OR CONTROL THAT JUST NOSEDIVES INTO THE OCEAN WITH A GLASS WINDOW!?!? COME ON MAN!!

[@TheHorzabora]

Like everyone else says, it looks like NASA might decide to deploy it today as a lunar transporter. It has convincing engine and RCS positioning, it’s just… well designed. And while very few people today have actually watched Space 1999, it holds a position as one of *the* classic early colour TV science fiction shows.

[@thomassicard3733]

I thoroughly enjoyed the series, back in the day! I would like to see all of it again.

[@allannewell2089]

It is all on youtube!!

[@jublywubly]

About a year and a half ago, I bought a DVD boxed set of Space 1999, only for an ultimate collector's edition to come out on Blu-Ray just a couple of months later.

[@drewlovelyhell4892]

D'oh!

[@dunebasher1971]

The show has been out on Blu-ray for almost 10 years. That collectors' edition was just a repack of what was already available.

[@davidangel-blair9358]

Wow!!! Blow my mind! I can't believe all the different sizes of Eagles! I've always been a fan of Space:1999. Norm needs to watch some episodes.

[@stephenpratt2902]

I have a die cast one of these that I brought years ago , with the detachable load with barrels and magnet winch/crane , still love it

[@UnclePengy]

I liked that the ship looked like something that could have evolved from the Apollo aesthetic.

[@RandomGreymane]

No Dinky toy? As a kid I was conned out of the very expensive Eagle toy and it took me decades and not a few $$ to replace it with the exact same model. Regardless these are all fantastic!

[@TStark-vj2wo]

Yes the Dinky toy version! I recently found the one my brother had. It has been added to my list of models to clean up.

[@jamesmacdonald1918]

I still have my dinky version actually bought it before the show started in the UK so I didn’t know what it was. I just like the look of it.

[@TheBeerDolt]

I feel this so much. I too was that 9 year old watching this show and felt it was iconic. Wish I could find it to watch again!

[@marpintado]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/hZS2i62rjtZnl5o kzbin.info/www/bejne/mom3eaOjhd2XbpI

[@Booger414]

As a kid, my brother had a die cast one with a magnet and winch that could pick up cargo boxes or other things.

[@Gorbyrev]

With sprung legs on the landing pads? Great toy.

[@jimking8342]

Yes! Made by Dinky. It came with six tiny barrels of radioactive waste

[@jbsmith966]

those Eagles, are one of the sci-fi space ships that we could build right now with existing technology. Not for atmospheric flight obviously but more like a flight to the space station to the moon flight

[@joehughes5177]

I'm not sure but I believe they had a ground takeoff setup like the largest model, with extra boosters and extra fuel tanks. Cargo pod might have been swapped also.

[@Doubledeepfried]

Had one of those eagles as a kid. Played with it for years ~35 years ago. This video opened a memory I didn't know I haf.

[@fyrchmyrddin1937]

I always had a fondness for the Hawk "fighter" version of the Eagle. I believe it only appeared in a single episode, though.

[@RideAcrossTheRiver]

Ah yes, the Mark IX Hawk ... and the Superswift.

[@eaglechawks3933]

The other one they did that I really liked was the "Hawk" from War Games. They made a few model kits of it but I was never able to get one as a kid.

[@chuth2768]

The thing I love about the Eagle is that it's got a kind of rugged, practical look and feel that contrasts with how 'clean' and minimalist the aesthetic of the rest of the show is, and how weird the aliens and ethereal many of the aliens were.

[@thomasowens5824]

Loved space 1999 and such a brilliant ship.

[@engineeredlifeform]

One of my childhood regrets, is that I never got an Eagle Transporter. I do still have my Dinky Thunderbird 2, and SHADO Interceptor though. I loved the Gerry Anderson stuff back in the 70s, so visionary.

[@a.j.e4349]

The Eagle is so iconic even Lucas fully respected it!

[@73whitezz]

I had 1 of these when I was a kid, was my absolute favourite toy for years. I put it through many space battles! loved it.

[@Uncle_T]

Because it's an amazing and practical design that actually looks like it could do what it's supposed to do. It's just awesome! :)

[@emgee44]

Loved this show growing up, I had the toy version by Dinky which was the cargo version with 4 radioactive barrels which could be winched up/down. Not sure if such a version was in the show but I loved it all the same. 😊

[@russbaxter1806]

I've still got my cargo die-cast (as well as the standard one), though I never worked out why the manufacturer made the cockpit and side pods blue (or green for the standard one) as they were always white in the show. The cargo model did appear in the first episode, although it wasn't quite the same design. Instead of the barrels being held within the central module like the die-cast, in the program the whole module was filled with the winch gear and the barrels were held on the cable below the Eagle (like you get with helicopters carrying cargo beneath them).

[@Didymus20X6]

I had a Space 1999 toy when I was a kid. I don't remember a single episode of that show, but I loved that toy.

[@Gamer1st1]

Great show, great effects, and the best theme song.

[@ETHRON1]

I was 11 in 75 and GLUED to the TV every week...for every episode. I even had a die-cast metal version of the sidearm...wish I had it today...

[@alanwasserman8176]

Like Gordan, I watched Space 1999 when the moon blasted out of Earth's Orbit September 13,1999 on my birthday and Barbra Baines birthday lol,, it was fun to watch to bad only 2 seasons

[@otterpoet]

Still rue the day my childhood Eagle got lost in transit/moving. Was my prized possession. An iconic ship for an iconic show - and definitely a formative part of my childhood.

[@IRONHEAD12701]

Outstanding! I loved ❤ Space: 1999. I too was 9 years old when it first came out in 1975 as well as my friends. Star Trek was my favorite show, then UFO, another British tv show (supposedly taking place in 1980). By the time Star Wars hit the screen, I was totally blown away by the visual effects and new story line. Thanks for sharing this wonderful video post, best of luck 🍀to you and yours.❤

[@GenVirtu]

I loved Space:1999 as a kid. The Eagles just looked so cool.

[@saintuk70]

As a kid, built the Airfix kits, had the models, had the annuals and, of course, watched the tv series here in the UK. Loved it. The Eagle is just so iconic.

[@madjoe8622]

For once, that was a space ship that looked believable. I think it's the first "franchise" toy I got (1979). Yeah I got that even before Star wars toys.

[@MichaelCarroll]

Still one of my all-time favourite spaceships!

[@jon-paulfilkins7820]

To be honest, the TV series, was a product of its time... Monster of the week, occasional mystery mixed in. Every now and then they had an episode that showed promise of being more. Only to fall back into the pattern next week. Season 2 got daft. However some of the tech, the communicators, and the Eagle Transporter, iconic and had a look and feel that felt just around the corner.

[@murasaki848]

You're not wrong, but I will caveat that UFO and Space:1999 Season 1 are among the few shows that, at least for me personally, I can go back and watch. I compare them to titles like Logan's Run, Quark, etc, which were just scrape-your-face-off bad. Even Battlestar Galactica, which I adored back then when I was in 8th grade, I simply can't stand for how bad it was. Let's face it: for all the terrible, low budget decisions, the Brits kept T.V. sci-fi alive until Star Trek TNG, around Season 3, brought back halfway decent scripts, themes, and especially acting.

[@Mirpurmad]

I coved this model. space 1999 used to scare me and excite me at the same time. I saw it first time back in 1982. I loved drawing and building the the iconic Eagle craft.

[@RobRoss]

When I was a kid this was one of the space toys I always dreamed of having but never got. It still makes me smile to this day!

[@michaelboldys3330]

And there are awesome audiobook adventures keeping the spirit of adventure alive!

[@dalliance36]

I am a child of the 70's and when I was a kid I used to have a toy Eagle one and I even had a toy gun that fired little plastic discs that was based on the gun used in the show ....thanks for the trip down memory lane .

[@jonmarx7882]

The Eagle was always one of my favorite spacecraft because it looked plausible. I remember having the Airfix model of it when I was young; sadly that's long gone (as has my youth!).

[@TheKulu42]

I love the Eagle, and I loved all the other Space:1999 ships. The odd, self-aware Gwent ship is a classic in my mind along with all the 'bad guys' ships. I loved the Hawk fighter ship and was always sorry that Moonbase Alpha didn't have any. This oversight was rectified in at least one of the comic books.

[@PATRIK67KALLBACK]

Space 1999 was my favourite show when I was a kid in the 1970's, and the Eagle was how I pictured how a space craft should look like.

[@michaelpipkin9942]

I miss building models so much. An airbrushed Mig-29 was my crowning jewel. And my B-17. Also the YF-23. And the Aurora.

[@jasonrackawack9369]

Same here miss it.....life gets in the way of too many fun things when your a responsible adult sometimes....think I might try changing that and having a little fun again if I can😉👍

[@TStark-vj2wo]

Simply said, no reason you can't get back into it. I did during covid as a way to disconnect from the world for a bit. As an adult I'm paying much more attention to the quality of the builds/paint job. I'll argue that I get more out of it than I did as a kid. But yes life as an adult gets in the way - I have a couple 'in-processes' models that I haven't touched in months (and a pile of kits in the closet). Hopefully as things might be quieting down a little for me now, I can get back to my Star Trek - Expanse mashup model.

[@jasonrackawack9369]

@@TStark-vj2wo having a 2 year old and a job with long hours screws up having any "me time" for hobbies right now....I will get back to it eventually, hopefully my kid will love makjng stuff as much as me and we can do it together as he gets older.

[@paulcoverdale8312]

These ships are the ones we grew up with. The Eagels from Space 1999, along with Thunderbirds an UFO, was mine. Being 56 I still enjoy seeing these❤❤❤❤

[@CluelessDadGamer]

love that ship, really takes me back to my childhood

[@MattMcIrvin]

As you'd expect from a Gerry and Sylvia Anderson show, the miniature effects were easily the best thing about it by a mile (the sets and costumes were also pretty good, at least in the first season).

[@r12e5p]

I loved to draw the Eagle and moonscapes from Space 1999 when I was a kid. Then in 1977 it was X-Wings , Vipers, TIE Fighters, and Ceylon Raiders.

[@Wildcard120]

An excellent collection. One of the few series that has not received a reboot tragically.

[@michaeldy3157]

So expensive. Even then ..hugely expensive.

[@Wildcard120]

@@michaeldy3157 Perhaps but after seeing the Battlestar Galactica remake I think they could pull it off

[@bigbaddave777]

I've always loved the design of the Eagle's, as has been noted many times in the comments, it always looked like it was something that could be reality at some point!

[@Elwaves2925]

It's definitely one of my favourites. It doesn't have the 'home' feeling of something like Serenity, or the patched together feel of the Millennium Falcon but it doesn't need it. To me I like it because it looks real, as if it could genuinely exist at some point in our time. It's a ship for work, to do jobs with and the replacable compartments were a smart thing to add to the design.

[@CDP1861]

Really? The models did not look 'patched together' enough? The models indeed had to be patched up after filming some scenes. They even deliberately made those patches visible to make them look used and repaired. They never looked as snow white and new as the models in this video. Crashing an Eagle seemed to be the Commander's favorite sport, only to find his equal in his chief pilot. Only all the 'redshirts' (all pilots had red suits) tried that only once and were very dead afterwards.

[@Elwaves2925]

@@CDP1861 I never once mentioned the models or them being patched together. My comment has nothing to do with the state of them during filming or the models themselves. You've completely missed the context. They did like crashing them a lot though. Makes you wonder how many they truly had at Moonbase, seeing as they had no way to replenish them or the stock parts.

[@CDP1861]

@@Elwaves2925 I read it the way that you thought they did not look used and worn enough. If there is one thing that can models and CGI look bad, then it's making your models look too perfect.

[@Elwaves2925]

@@CDP1861 Unfortuately no, that's not the way I was looking at it. For one, I wasn't looking at them as models but as in-universe ships as if they were real because that's how most of the other comments I'd read were treating them. I could have made that clearer, so that's on me, but it's why I never mentioned models once and called them ships. Secondly, it's not that they don't look worn or used enough (as a ship not a model), I like the Eagle because they aren't worn and used, it's the contrast against something like the Falcon and Serenity. The Eagle was primarily military and scientific and that appealed to me. If I want a home, I'll go with Serenity but if I need a job doing, I'd pick an Eagle. Yes, sometimes looking perfect can be a detractor but thankfully I don't think the Eagle falls into that trap. I mean, you can see it's framework all over the outside for one thing, something that's usually hidden. Also, having re-read my previous comment, apologies if it came off a little abrasive in my first paragraph. It wasn't my intention. 🙂

[@CDP1861]

@@Elwaves2925 I'm building an Eagle and obviously have been thinking of it as a cloud of 3D printed parts for too long. The original files were probably not intended to be printed at all, so I had to redesign many parts from scratch, worry about how to make everything hold together and how to paint and weather it to make it look good. But where did the little kid go who slpapped models together, maybe smudged some paint on it and then just wanted to 'fly' it?

[@wtflolomg]

I still recall, as a young kid, asking my grandfather to buy a magazine I saw at the drug store, "Starlog" Issue #7, because it had Eagle blueprints in the centerfold. The cover featured a cool shot of another spacecraft, for some movie I had not heard of before... Star Wars. As a lifelong model builder, I've built several of the old MPC Eagle kits, and the Hawk, as well. Of course, there were some pretty good toys as well. I scratch built a lot of Sci-fi models back then, with sheet styrene and plexi, and warping whatever plastic leftovers I could. I wish I could go back in time and give myself the wonderful 3D Printers I have now!

[@KaijuBiologist]

One of my favourite toys when i was a kid. That large one makes me drool.

[@Wandering_Bear]

The hallmark of the 1970's was to experiment with new ideas. The Eagle was a great example. The designer actually thought this through and put some love into it rather than just recycling the same old ideas we seem to do today, or worse just asking an AI to generate some random ship. The utility of the Eagle idea, with the insect-like command section, swappable configurations for different missions, and needed details like cargo storage, fire extinguishers, and work areas on-board were outstandingly developed. I also loved the ability to use one Eagle to recover the damaged sections of another.

[@PeterDalling]

The late lamented Eaglemoss made nice Eagle replicas, I have the Laboratory variant. Space 1999 & UFO, happy days.

[@nigratruo]

Space 1999 was actually very well done: Look at how cool the design of the weapons were, how they fit so well into a hand and the little communicators that were also keys, very similar to what we use smartphones now. The layout of the whole moonbase was also pretty nice, the landing bays, how the eagles got stored underground and the transport tubes look pretty amazing and alien in the purple light and then the eagles, there was some serious engineering thinking that went into it.

[@clubtepes2046]

Love the Eagle and Gordon is a super, super nice and gracious guy.

[@infoscholar5221]

I always loved the Eagle, because, as a 12 year old kid watching the series, it seemed so...possible. It had a believable look and level of technology. I met Martin Landau at a con, many years later, and told him how much I loved '1999. He grabbed my arm, and said, "Kid, (I was in my Forties) I'm glad one of us remembers that show." Ernest Borgnine, who was chilling out nearby, burst out laughing.

[@thompsonterry4804]

I was just discovering science fiction the year or so before Space: 1999 aired. Distant future (Star Trek, Captain Scarlet) tech brought closer to our reality at the time this seemed only a few steps past SkyLab. Having also seen Gerry Anderson’s Doppelgänger and UFO, Space 1999 was a logical evolution to capture my imagination. Great collection of Eagles, Gordon M! Enjoying this segment.

[@freeman-1776]

I had a full scale toy version of the Eagle 1 when I was a kid. That thing was built tuff too. It was no model it was as tuff as tonka toys. I could crash it into the bushes and it would never break. I was the envy of the neighborhood. Some time after Star Wars came out. I was already ahead of the curve. Thanks for the memories.

[@TheGeekPub]

I liked space 1999 because other than the moon spinning out of orbit and being a space ship, most of the tech was pretty close to realistic. The Eagle was basically a space lory (space big rig) for transporting people and cargo. Due to budget they rarely showed other configurations but you can find all kinds of concept art from the show on the web showing what they intended the eagle variations to look like and operate as. I'd love to see a modern remake of this series without the horrid ghosts and goblins stuff.

[@dogwalker666]

The American studios forced that part to the story because they claimed the American audience didn't want them on earth.

[@TheGeekPub]

@@dogwalker666 I've watched the special features for the show. They were insistent that the show not take place on Earth (good thing). I don't remember any mention of them requiring the moon to leave orbit.

[@dogwalker666]

@@TheGeekPub it was Gerry Anderson's idea, To get the show made, Basically an afterthought that made the series, kzbin.info/www/bejne/sGjbY5ehaJx6nsk

[@gillesjacques1022]

I love the eagles, have a few of them in my collection, as I am a fan of the show as I watched it as a kid. The eagle was so multipurpose, fighter, hauler, science vessel it did it all. It may not look fancy, but that's what I love about it, it got the job done.

[@BionicRusty]

I have a 70’s Corgi, Eagle. One of my prized, childhood possessions 💚

[@liontuga155]

Thanks for covering this, Norm. I loved Space: 1999. I would really like to have this nice half a metre model I saw on Amazon, not too expensive, on display on my game room, but my girlfriend rolls her eyes every time I bring it up...

[@upandaljm]

It's popularity is due to the fact that it was on a beloved children show for the middle children of generation. X. I love it because it reminds me of Saturday mornings and the thought that a future less terrible than one we have. Also, it looks pretty cool.

[@dunebasher1971]

Space:1999 wasn't a children's show. It might have ended up scheduled in timeslots associated with kids' TV, but it was intended for adults, to be shown in primetime - which is where it premiered in both the UK and USA.