THE CLUBHOUSE

Here's the first paint job, courtesy of Andrew Fenwick-Walpole.







Monarch let us all know today that the Fly is on the boat and will soon be in North America. I don't know specifically when the kits will be available, but I think we can at least put them on this year's Christmas wish lists.

Michael Berglund sculpted the Fly for Monarch. He's also been working on preparing the Moon Suit for production and he sculpted Konga.

Some months back, Michael got in touch with me about my own business, Escape Hatch Hobbies, and suggested we coordinate our efforts. Not being a fool, I jumped at the opportunity.

Replacement part sets are Escape Hatch's bread and butter, and so naturally Michael and I have been talking for months about possible parts sets for the Fly. It's Michael's sculpture, he has the digital files, so he was able to get a head start. The first of them, which we've hinted at in the past, is in production now, to be made available in a few weeks.





The Return of the Fly set will be entirely 3D printed, in part because the head on this guy could not be traditionally molded and cast. The detail is freaking insane! See all those pointy bits on his head? No way you could decently pour those in a rubber mold.

The set also includes a replacement foot and name plate. Get on the mailing list at escapehatchhobbies.com to be among the first notified when the set goes on the market.

It will be quickly, perhaps immediately followed by a second set that's taking shape right now in Escape Hatch's print farm. And then a third ... and a fourth ...

Ooooo!
Cool idea!

Wow! Incredible!

Love it.

Kicking this outta the park, Shippie! Kudo's!

Glad you like it, fellas. And thanks, Buc, for putting it on the site!

Wow! This looks super cool! I do own the old Fly movies on DVD, but haven't watched them in years. Is the head on the new Monarch kit true to the first movie? And is this new replacement head true to the second movie? Todd, the head on this thing is the bomb! Love it!

I'd say the new head is very faithful to Return of the Fly. Printing it allows including all those spikes as part of the head, as opposed to dozens of splinters to be glued on one by one.

As for the styrene head ... well, it looks an awful lot like the movie Fly to me.

Well, I'm torn. This new head looks way more far-out, cooler than the kit head. I might just have to pop this one on the new kit and let it rip as "The Fly" Part I, LOL. It's too fly-ish and monstrous to pass up. BTW, got your Metaluna Mutant clapboard the other day in the mail. Looks awesome - one of my models for this winter.

Great sculpt. How does the plastic take paint?

Resin prints take paint just like resin kits.
I've painted several at this point, and there really is no difference.

Added photos of Andrew Fenwick-Walpole's paint job.

Wow! Love the paint apps.
Any word on the actual kit yet?

All I know for sure is that the kit is very, very close. I think packing the parts and instructions into boxes has been completed. Heck, for all I know they're loaded on the trucks.

But I have been reminded in the last year and a half that it's a mistake to expect them before they're in hand. Who knows what might happen between Monarch's warehouse in Canada and distributors in the United States?

Quite some talent. Well done !