A 1/2 inch thick piece of Perspex was used to make the removable top of the shuttle. Here it is seen partially detailed. We were very selective with the kit parts and we also used a great deal of brass etch for fine detail.

With the top of the model removed, Bill fiddles with the "guts" of the model! There was a 1 inch thick steel box-section frame inside the model that allowed it to be fitted on to a rig for flying sequences.

Bill adds fine detailing to one of the shuttle's feet. They were made entirely of metal with very heavy duty springs to support the model -which would end up weighing about 40 Ibs (20 kilos!)

 Here I am spraying the fine panel detailing on to the completed model. The only thing missing at this stage are the 4 bell-jet housings which were added later at the studio.

The basis of the shuttle was a Perspex box with brass "flaps". Here it is seen before any detailing was added.

Here I am fitting the top to the shuttle

 The 4 completed feet with very fine detailing added. We used the "Airfix" kit of HMS Belfast a great deal as it was a relatively cheap kit which we needed in order to obtain a repetition of the same parts for each foot.

 of the brass parts around the jet engine support flaps. These had to be made in brass in order to withstand the cold from the nitrogen jets!

Very fine detailing can be seen on this communications scanner being added to the top of the Shuttle.

Close-up shots of the shuttle with the fine detailing much in evidence. We had a special brass etch piece done for the cargo pods which can be seen clustered together in groups in middle photo.

Me working on the almost completed model. Initially we sprayed it grey, but later, at the studio, a light dusting of khaki was sprayed over it. I think everyone was sick of grey spacecraft!

This photo shows the end leg very well. In the film there is a shot where this foot fills the entire cinema screen. It was only 5 inches square so you can imagine how carefull we had to be with the detail!

Two "smug" model makers! Bill and I pose with the finished model before delivery to Pinewood.

These photos, taken by the film "stills" photographer show the shuttle being filmed coming in to land on the platform. The jets were created using liquid nitrogen, hence the need for the jets to be made of steel!

The landing platform for the shuttle was approx 5 feet square and is seen here during filming on the stage at Pinewood.

Photos taken during filming show the number of people needed to film a sequence like the shuttle landing!

Here I am working on one of the two giant greenhouses which formed part of the refinery. You can see the very important reference material pinned to the wall in the background!

A studio technician clears frozen nitrogen from around the jets! They kept getting frozen up like this and had to be cleaned out after each "take".

Sections of the refinery waiting to be fitted in place. We usually made completed sections and painted them before fitting them onto the main model. Once again the important reference material is clearly visible in the background!

These shots show the landing pad in varying stages of construction. It was built mostly of 1/2 inch thick Perspex with fibreglass support legs.  Fine detailing on this section came mostly from the "Hornby" railway kit of "Inclined Piers" which we also used heavily on the platform in "Alien"

Above and below: -These photos show the different sections of the refinery in varying stages of construction. We rellied very heavily on kit parts to detail the huge areas we had to cover in a very short time. In particular "Airfix" railway assesory kits, like the Turntable, the Water Tower, and the Girder bridge.

Below:- You may also spot, parts from the R2D2 kit! His legs in particular were especially good for detailing!

 Legs made from EMA tube are much in evidence in this photo. However, we also had to make several sections in brass to withstand the rigours of filming.

The refinery stands completed on the model landscape of Jupiter's moon Io on the stage at Pinewood Studios. Studio model maker Roy Scott (who made the models for "Memphis Belle") gives some idea of the size of the model as he is over 6 feet tall!

Another photo of the completed Refinery, This time with all its lights switched on. The model had over 5 kilometres of fibre optic cable incorporated into it! (Although who counted it I don't know!)

This is the little piece of refinery Bill and I made to show the films Director Peter Hyams, how much detail we could put into a small model. It was on the strength of this model that we got the job to do the work on the film.

The shuttle-or what's left of it - arrives at my studios in a very sorry state indeed!

I start to sort out the bits to see if there's a chance of rebuilding the shuttle model!

The steel bell jet housings are after being buffed up on a motorised wire buffing wheel. Being made of steel they had gone very rusty in the 15 years since the model was built.