Damnation Alley LANDMASTER Model Review (pic heavy)

[kalebdaark]

Good Afternoon all,

Today we're going to take a look at the resin LANDMASTER model from Monsters in Motion.   But first a little background and ground rules:  The Landmaster was an actual real-life vehicle featured in the 1977 competitor-to-star-wars flick Damnation Alley, and later in commercials, TV shows, etc.

This vehicle is NOT the same survival RV featured in the kid's TV series ARK II (although that too was a real custom-built vehicle), nor is it any of the MARS vehicles from The Morrow Project.  MP likely took it's inspiration from the Landmaster.  So the ground rule here is:  I don't want to hear any back and forth about which is which. 

If you're just a tad younger than myself (and you likely are - in fact most are), you may not know anything about the Landmaster itself.   Not to worry- rather than asking your dad, this video "7 Minutes of Awesomeness" on YouTube will give you the movie highlights without any of the cheese of watching the whole flick yourself.   Although I would recommend it if you want a good laugh at the paper-thin plot and cheesy dialogue.   



So.....on to the model review!



It purports itself to be 1/35 scale, but if you put a 1/35 figure up to it you'll bust out laughing.   It is roughly 28mm.   Ish.   Maybe kinda sorta. On a good day and if you squint really hard at it from a cockeyed angle.   I've put some 28mm minis next to it so you can judge the scale.

Here are some additional detail shots of the various parts.  I've added some small dollhouse hinges and a secondary rear door section so the "open" door angle was mostly correct.





And the front...



And the top:



So....what to say about this model?   It's nice to have it for gaming purposes but building it?   I hated the D[arn] thing.   Multiple gaps in the main body sections.  Poorly-cast bubbly detail parts with lots of flash to cut away.  Or rather, more like carve away.   Endless sanding, putty work, filing, etc etc.  Days and days of frustration, wasted time, and possibly even injury will be yours if you get this one.   I was so disappointed with the wheels that I substituted more detailed wheels from a star wars toy.   No mid-center articulation and not even any simulated cloth for that area.  Just a badly-executed garage kit.

And it's also "the only game in town" so to speak if you want a Landmaster for your post-apocalyptic games.

It would be much better if a die-cast company would just get the licensing and make one in the right scale, or if some model company would do the same and just make a real model in 1/48th scale.  Any model companies out there haunting these boards listening?    Helllooooo……?   

Anyhow, hope this helps you out a bit.   And if  you want the ARK II, shapeways makes one but it's expensive and I don't know what it's like.   Maybe if I win some money in the lotto I'll spring for one and write it up here.

Enjoy!




 

[Dr Mathias]

Thanks for the info and review, I sure liked Damnation Alley when I was a kid. So much so that I included voracious roaches in my homebrew RPG 'After Apocalypse' which I wrote when I was about 13 years old

[Ultravanillasmurf]

Certainly an interesting vehicle. Thank you for persevering with it (so we do not ^__^).

[uti long smile]

Brilliant stuff!

[mrgrigson]

You're apparently not the only one with strong (and not so positive) opinions on this piece:

[Grimjack]

Brilliant stuff!

We could make a better one, Uti! Come on, let's do it!

[Bullshott]

Nice work.

BTW - the film is a rework of the book of the same name by Roger Zelazny

[Bruiser]

strange that after I read this, the movie was on AMC or TCM at 4 AM EST. Yes I did stay up to watch. Age has not it any better, then again it was the seventies.

[Daeothar]

Nice work; you sure know how to polish a turd

Interestingly, I was made aware of this movie through a sideways remark op another forum yesterday. It sparked my interest, so just last night, I watched it on Youtube (it's completely on there, and don't worry; I used a Chromecast to watch it on my TV ).

And of course the first thing I wondered about (besides the ridiculous plot and special effects), was how gameable this would be.

I decided very.

All it requires is the vehicle, two or three males, a female and maybe a boy, plus some giant scorpions, a swarm of cockroaches and a few irradiated hillbillies. Oh, plus a desert table with some modern ruins, obviously.

The next obvious question then was: has this been done before, and a LAF search for 'Damnation Alley' yielded this thread as its first result. Now, I'm not looking for yet another project, but it's nice to know it would at least be possible.

I had actually been pondering how difficult it would be to convert a BRDM or BTR-60 into this thing, with Lego balloon tires, using plasticard to make the rest, but hey: there's already a kit out there!

And I'm just a sucker for sanding and filing, so that would not throw me off. But looking at the kit, it's certainly obvious what it's supposed to be, and  it's instantly recognisable, but the dimensions are pretty way off, even taking the scale difference into consideration. I mean; that cockpit door? It's small for 28mm, let alone 1/35!

Still; if I were nuts enough to take up this particular glove, I would probably try to get hold of this kit.

But let's be real; why would I? The film is pretty bad, with dire special effects, wooden acting, and a predictable and shallow plot. Plus: who actually knows about it? Fun fact; this was supposed to be 20th Century Fox's big scifi release in 1977. The other one, which they did not have much faith in, was called Star Wars...

[Wachaza]

Fun fact; this was supposed to be 20th Century Fox's big scifi release in 1977. The other one, which they did not have much faith in, was called Star Wars...

I can remember looking forward to the film as I'd read the book...

[roadskare63]

It might be a crappy resin casting.....BUT it's SUCH a COOL vehicle!!...I remember the movie too....and STILL love to set back and watch it on some Saturday nights ...sci-fi double feature with Night of the Comet 
But all that aside....hey, if it is to be used in a game, it's gonna get weathered, used and abused, so a little filling in of the gaps, some paint and VOILA!!
Thanks for showing us kalebdaark...very nice job of it!!
Cheers,
Carl

[Storm Wolf]

Its a cool vehicle to be sure. In fact i am sure i saw it make brief appearances in the 70's tv series of Buck Rodgers and Battlestar Galactica but i am not a 100% sure on this 

Glen