The MEV (Martian Excursion Vehicle) starts out life fabricated in 1/8th inch ABS plastic.

The main body fabricated in 1/8th inch ABS. The strengthening bulkheads can be seen here.

The rear fin housing was made in Jelutong wood and fitted to the rear motor section.

The beginning of the 2 lifting bodies. They were individually carved from Jelutong wood.

Lifting bodies and main body ready for primer painting. Note wing engines resting in place.

Panel lines were drawn on in biro then scribed into the model with a scalpel.

An essential part of the model, the weathering. Here the wing is very dirty indeed!

The nosecone starts out in perspex & wood. Its jets are in the vice in the background.

The nosecone was clad in chrome tape just the way the original model was done.

The tracks were made from a Tamiya tank kit. The only bit of kit-bashing on the model!

The canopy section that has windows in it is made in clear perspex, hear seen masked up.

The main central body boxed in ABS with deep scribe lines added like the original design.

The motor section being fitted to the main body was glued using Dichloromethane solvent.

Once carved, I cut away sections to house the engines and turned the pencil-like noses.

The wings were given 6 coats of primer and left to dry before being rubbed down.

Painted in "Kingfisher" blue, now the black & white wing lines were sprayed on.

Once the soot is rubbed off it catches in the panel lines, highlighting them in a realistic way.

Before being carved I check to see that the nosecone fits over the finished MEV.

A close-up showing the sleek finish of the nosecone achieved with chrome tape.

Another view showing the tracks down. They were on a plate that screwed to the underside.

The moulds used to press the canopy with the final pressing painted and sitting in place.

The rear motor section is a very complicated set of intakes again mostly made in ABS.

A bench load of bits! Various Sections of Zero X litter the benchtop.

The round nose sections were struck into the slots cut, and blended in with Isopon car filler.

Sections of Zero X after primer painting litter the workshop. Note wing engines in foreground.

The main model with all its colours applied. The whole model was sprayed in Halfords paint.

Particular attention was paid to weathering around the engines: where dirt would naturally lie.

Finished and ready to paint, the nosecone has its jets attached, and tip made in Perspex.

Virtually finished, the model sits on the bench, all its sections put together.

It was necessary to use self-tapping screws to attach the two Lifting Bodies.

The start of the main body, also made of ABS plastic, being aligned and fitted to the MEV.

Isopon car filler was used to fill in the joins and sanded down to blend sections together.

Here the rear round motor housings can be seen. These were turned in aluminium.

The 4 vertical tailplane wings were carved in Lime wood & sloted into the wings.

The main sections of Zero X are checked to see that they fit together correctly.

Here I am seen fitting the 16 wing engines, which were pre-painted before assembly.

Weathering was sealed on with clear lacquer, then the stripes were added with fine tape.

Once rubbed down the nosecone was sprayed aluminium. I now begin to add chrome tape.

The MEV with its exploration tracks attached for trundling over the Martian surface.

Finished at last! Martin with the completed Zero X.