Planet Express Ship Model Kit by Skyhook Models

[on:]

I contacted Skyhook Models and asked them if they would consider putting their Planet Express Model Kit back in production and hopefully with a new accurate mold this time. They informed me that they have just put the previous model kit back in production. I have now asked them whether they will consider releasing a revised accurate model in the future. Still hoping for a positive reply.

Of course I would really prefer a completed model rather than a model kit, as my skills with building kits are really lacking.

But for now this is good news for fans who always wanted to buy this model kit. In the past some have paid over $100 for this on eBay.

http://www.skyhookmodels.com/order-planet_express.htm

$59.95 USD (includes shipping to US, Canada, and Mexico)
$69.95 USD (includes International shipping)




http://www.starshipmodeler.com/other/jl_pre_express.htm
Review with photos.

http://www.hobbytalk.com/bbs1/showthread.php?t=141230
Discussion with progress and completed model pics, including a comparison pic with the more accurate Moore model of the ship.

http://www.hobbytalk.com/bbs1/showthread.php?t=222399
Another thread with a different shade of green used for the model kit.

Previous threads discussing the Planet Express ship (both Moore and Model kit)
http://www.peelified.com/index.php?topic=16440.0 (2008)
http://www.peelified.com/Futurama-Forum-7/Topic-21643-0-Where_can_I_get_a_Planet.html (2011)

[Reply #1 on:]

Wow, thanks for all the info Vivek! I know there are people around here who have been looking for these, I'm sure they will appreciate it!

It looks very awesome I must say. The Moore model is so tiny, this is a nice alternative and it's around the same price (actually recently I've seen the Moore listed at $74.99, but I doubt they sold it).

[Reply #2 on:]

Nice, does anyone have a picture of a completed version of this model next to say the Toynami and/or Kidrobot figures?

The website says the model's 10 inches long, but I'd just be curious to see what it looks like in the background behind the figures.

[Reply #3 on:]

I really hope they do a redesign.  The only thing that stopped me from buying it was the fact that it is wildly inaccurate.

[Reply #4 on:]

I kind of doubt it. Molding it again would be expensive, and essentially starting from scratch. And they look like a small company.

[Reply #5 on:]

it looks like a different ship. did the designers even watch the show?

[Reply #6 on:]

Here's one apparently someone custom builds - must be turning quite the profit on it...

[Reply #7 on:]

The bow looks kinda wrong-y on that one, otherwise it'd be a wonderful display piece.

I think that a wooden model would really need a reference mocked up in a 3D program and then outputted on a 3D printer, so that the artist could get a better feel for how the ship actually looks. That bow... it's just not right. More minor nitpicks are that the dorsal fin seems too chunky (might just be the photo angle, and the cannon on top seems a little too large. Just a little. Not much.

Otherwise it really is a fantastic model. The colours are great, and I like the shine. But at that level of accuracy (ie: with me being able to nitpick at all), I don't think it's worth the asking price.

They have a Millenium Falcon for the same price - it's the same story. I have various nitpicks with it, despite it being a nice model. There are some nice planes, and a couple of nice Star Wars and Star Trek ships, but not all of them are very detailed... I'd think hard before parting with that kind of money for those models.

That said, the nitpicks that I have are very minor, really. If you've got the money, they'll probably look nice in your display case.

[Reply #8 on:]

That godawful compound curve on the ship's underbite is probably the reason why there aren't any better models around. It looks like a complete bitch to get right.

[Reply #9 on:]

The official keyring gets it pretty much right. The curve, that is. The body of the ship looks a little elongated. The fins are awful. The cannon is... well. See for yourself.



The bow curve is pretty much the only part of the model that was nailed by the manufacturer.

[Reply #10 on:]

The cannon is not canon?

[Reply #11 on:]

ba dum tish