Early SF, Cosmostrator

[Diderick A. den Bakker]

Too little attention has been paid on this forum to the absolutely superb designs (from the technical point of view, and from what I would call 'artistic imagination') by Jason Sutton. The Wally Wood spacecraft, the Buck Rogers space battle cruiser, the Tintin moon rocket and several others show top craftsmanship, and an obvious enjoyment in creating perfect models. Pictures can be seen on my website www.zeistbouwplaten.nl (page SF) and on my New Photo Collection on Flickr: Den Bakker's Photostream
The original 'Cosmostrator' appeared in a memorable SF film made in East Germany in 1972, 'First Spaceship on Venus' ('Der schweigende Stern'). There was a remake with George Clooney in 2002, which did not show the Cosmostrator. A mistake: a 'sexier' spaceship has never been visualised. Jason Sutton's rendition is perfect.
Sutton's designs are well kept secrets - they are very difficult to find. If visitors of this thread are interested, I will try to assist them.

The Cosmostrator has never been made available so far. When I came across a picture of it, I managed to find Mr Sutton on the internet. He was kind enough to send me the files - but there were no instructions, and the drawings were not quite finished: the silver model in the pictures was in fact his own test build, and no other copy has been built so far.

My first, and major problem: Mr Sutton likes working with beam compass cutters, to avoid unneccessary lines. So many of the curved lines which are inevitable in a space ship body are only indicated by a few points of reference. To put it mildly, I am not good at this technique - even the small Olfa cutter leaves me with egg shapes rather tha nice circles. In his other models like The Buck Rogers and the Tintin spaceships the coloured parts help solve this problem: the outlines are always clear enough to wield the scissors successfully. Not so for the Cosmostrator... So my first concern was to find a computer wizard to enter the outlines for me into Mr Sutton's original files.

Another problem: Mr Sutton's prototype was made of a lovely silver paper. No longer available anywhere... but at long last, I found a suitable aluminium paper. Good results with my HP laser printer; slightly too thin to my liking (130 grammes/m2, as compared with usual 160 to 180 grammes), but it reacts well to non-water based glue.

So: today I started on this model, 'to boldly glue where no man has glued before...'.

The first bit was easy: the main fuselage is standard for planes and spaceships. I have asked Mr Sutton for help with regard to the bottom element of the main body. In the menatime, I will work on the three pods.

Please do not expect daily instalments - this also depends on how much time Mr Sutton will have available for me!

[rmks2000]

Glad to see this started! What brand aluminum paper did you end up using?

[thorst]

Good joice of subject! I'm looking forward to see pictures!

[cgutzmer]

I hadnt seen that model before! I remember the tintin rocket but that one is really interesting too!
Thanks!
Chris

[Pem Tech]

You are correct, a sexier spaceship, there never was.....
Much appreciation for starting this thread.
The Cosmostrator has been said to reflect what spacecraft would look like if designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. A truly beautiful piece of work.

Where can one obtain this model?? It would fit right in with my Space Ark, Friede and other 50's style Silver Spaceships.

I may be incorrect but wasn't the 2002 movie with Clooney a remake of Solaris, not First Spaceship on Venus?

[Diderick A. den Bakker]

I am not surprised Chris had not seen this model before - I came across just one picture, two years ago, which turned out to be the only trace on the internet. Mr Sutton never finished the instructions, and has not launched the model on the web so far.
About the paper: it is produced by Apli Paper SA in Spain. Available here in Holland as Decadry Metallic Silver (strange name: it is really much more like aluminium). It comes in a package of 50 sheets at a reasonable price - ca. 16 USD. Size A4 (210x297 mm), 130 grammes/m2 (ca 50 lbs). I don't know if it is available in the USA, but I will be happy to assist if you want to order some.

Now back to the workspace.
I always use max. 1 mm card for parts that require laminating - then use a pair of stout curved nail scissors to cut out the round parts. More often than not, hardly any sandpapering is required: the excellent fit makes Mr Sutton's designs a joy to build.
Picture 1 shows my workbox - the only thing I forgot was the clear plastic school triangle which I always use instead of a steel ruler.
Pictures 2 and 3 speak for themselves. The aluminium paper handles quite easily; the construction of the main body is straightforward. I am expecting some difficulty with the tail part - a lot of detail there, but no instructions or sketch...

By the way: builders / photographers are beginning to react to my request for pictures. Please follow their good example! I have added several (Friede - Woman in the Moon, and Tintin with interior lighting) to my New Photo Collection Flickr: Den Bakker's Photostream

[Diderick A. den Bakker]

Originally Posted by Pem Tech

You are correct, a sexier spaceship, there never was.....

I may be incorrect but wasn't the 2002 movie with Clooney a remake of Solaris, not First Spaceship on Venus?

'Solaris' was written by Polish author Stanislav Lem in 1961. It was highly appreciated by lovers of literary SF, and is still regarded as a classic. Easily available, and a must to read - but don't expect space cowboys and shoot outs. It was first made into a TV movie by Russian State Television, titled 'Solaris'. The first movie version was produced in Eastern Germany in 1972, apparently to compete with 2001 Space Odyssey of 1968. It was called 'Der schweigende Planet' (literally 'The Silent planet'), in English 'First Spaceship on Venus'. The George Clooney remake (2002) was indeed called Solaris. Read the book first, then see the old movie.
(Sorry - I used to be a teacher after all...)

[Yale]

Originally Posted by Diderick A. den Bakker

(Sorry - I used to be a teacher after all...)

Don't appologize for your historical information. The older I become, the more I appreciate that the most significant part of history comes from ordinary people using their own creativity and ingenuity to make their lives a little better. It's fine to know about all the kings and queens and wars -- we must know these things for perspective -- but they do not have the same fascination for me that the little trivia stories do.

[Pem Tech]

Originally Posted by Yale

Don't appologize for your historical information. The older I become, the more I appreciate that the most significant part of history comes from ordinary people using their own creativity and ingenuity to make their lives a little better. It's fine to know about all the kings and queens and wars -- we must know these things for perspective -- but they do not have the same fascination for me that the little trivia stories do.

[chard774]

Sorry Diderick, but both the '68 telefilm and '72 theatrical releases of "Solaris" were released under the name "Solaris" in their English language releases, while "First Spaceship on Venus" a/k/a 'Der schweigende Planet' was the English language title of the Kurt Maetzig film of Stanisław Lem's "The Astronauts". LINK

While the Cosmostrator does appear in "First Spaceship on Venus", it does not appear in any version of "Solaris". The only spacecraft in "Solaris" is called "Athena". The '68 version of Solaris uses stock footage of am ICBM for it's one and only external shot of Athena. I'm pretty sure that the '72 version doesn't show the exterior of Athena at all; just interiors, with the only exterior shots of the station itself.

Yep, I'm a nerd.