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"Polaris II" from "The Space Explorers" (1957) |
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Coming October 2008! |
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Retail Price: TBD |
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For More Information Contact: FantasticPlast@aol.com |
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| ABOUT THE DESIGN: | ABOUT THE MODEL: | |
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Inspired by the launch of the
Sputnik satellite earlier that year, 1957's "The Space
Explorers" was a mulit-part educational/motivational series that
followed the adventurers of young Jim Perry as -- with the help of Professor Nordheim and his crew -- he searched the cosmos for his father,
commander of the missing spaceship Polaris I. Aboard the Polaris' sister
ship, Polaris II, Jim (and viewers) were exposed to the vast wonders of our
solar system and educated on the potential of manned space flight. "The Space Explorers" was a co-production of New York's Hayden Planetarium, producer William Clayton and director Fred Ladd. Cobbled together from various film clips and original animation, the multi-part package was syndicated to local children's programs throughout North America. It played regularly in local markets for nearly 10 years, inspiring a sequel, "The New Adventures of the Space Explorers," in 1961. The centerpiece of both series was the Polaris II, a classic "winged bullet" that was actually a live-action miniature taken from the little-seen 1939 German "propaganda" film "Weltraumschiff 1 Startlet" ("Spaceship 1 Launches.") Resembling a rocket-powered zeppelin, the Polaris miniature was duplicated by the producers for additional SPFX footage, although this newer model was somewhat shorter and stockier than the original German design. It is this latter American configuration that has been duplicated for Fantastic Plastic Models. |
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