Reader reviews of a kit featured on Starship Modeler.

Starship Modeler - The complete information source for modelers who build sci-fi, fantasy and real space subjects

Your Two Cents: Martian War Machine

The following are reader's opinions of the Martian War Machine made by Comet Miniatures.

Reviewer   John Hartley
Date Reviewed   Jun 26, 2002
Overall Rating       Not good at all. You really have to want it bad.
Comments First of all I have a confession to make - I actually still own an original Jeff Wayne "War of the Worlds" double album on vinyl (I thought it was pretty cool when I was a teenager OK?). This includes a picture book depicting various scenes of the Martian invasion and which supposedly forms the basis for this kit.

I guess whoever mastered the kit wasn't as sad as me, since there are a number of areas which are way off the depiction in the booklet.

The worst problem is that the eyes are way too small and too high on the head - this gives you a cute little harvest spider rather than a menacing arachnid look - go drill them out and nick two marbles off your kids.

The heat ray should be a telescopic tube - I won't tell you what the blob in the box reminds me of!

The rear leg attaches under the fantail - not through it.

Pods on the lower body to which the side leg supports attach should have an indented circular intake on the forward face (out with the drill again)

Legs themselves are not too bad representations once you've cleaned them up (say two to three weeks work)

Feet - totally wrong - you are expected to use a resin "Y" shaped foot. In fact these should be large flat discs with one large hinge connection to the leg.

Finally, you are going to need lots of experience in soldering,drilling and pinning parts together. Comet would have you "superglue" this kit together - not a hope given the structure of this kit, you'll end up tossing it against the wall in frustration or worse still watching it realistically collapse on the competition table. You are going to need solid robust joints - good luck.

Apart from some minor rescribing required on the bodywork that's all the gripes I have! I'll send you some photo's if I ever get around to building this thing - then again - I might just go and listen to the album instead!


Would like to add a review of this kit? If so, please click here.

Go back up | Starship Modeler Home | Site Map | Feedback

This page copyright © 2000 Starship Modeler™. Last updated on 9 May 2007.