Scale: None given

Parts: 18 resin, white metal and wire.

Instructions: 1 hand-drawn page, with paint callouts.

Decals: None

Molding Quality: 7 - slightly better than is typical for Comet

Detail: 6 - adequate but not exciting

Accuracy: N/A - looks like a walker to me.

MSRP: $60 USD, available from Comet (UK) and Monsters in Motion (USA)

Overall Rating: 7 - expensive, but cool looking.

^ The rest of the bits.

^ Instructions, such as they are.

What You Get

This kit is based on a 1976 musical adaptation of the book by Englishman Jeff Wayne. It's typical of Comet's products - from the nondescript box and packaging (newspaper, for heaven's sake - don't you have styrofoam peanuts in the UK?) to the lackluster casting, and right down to the xeroxed distruction sheet.

The body and feet are made of a hard, white resin which looks a lot like Por-a-kast. The feet are from one piece molds and have quite a bit of flash at the bottom to sand off. The body is actually a cut above the usual Comet resin, with only a small mold seam running around it, and just a handfull of pits and bubbles. The white metal legs are more representative of this manufacturer, with muddy detail and quite a bit of flash. Several wire bits round out the components, including three with a bit of resin molded around them. Missing are any representation of the tentacles these machiens carried ... or was that the Harvesters?

The instruction sheet is as basic as they come, just drawings and text written by hand on one side of ordinary typing paper. They are adequate, however, and include some sparse painting notes. No decals are provided (not that any are needed).

Assembly & Finish

Assembly appears straightforward, and not particularly tough. A good deal of time will no doubt be necessary to clean up the legs, but otherwise, the parts should be ready to use. Joins are mostly by butting two pieces together, with pins or indentations to aid in locating them and provide some strength. In other words, it's a typical garage kit.

The painting notes call for a silver or white body, with black details and green "eyes". I'll probably try for a metallic bronze body, and try to make this look more insect-like.

Conclusions