SITE CONTENTS Front Page Resource Links The Evolution VINTAGE 1930s+ Buster Crabbe Vintage Collectibles Daisy Pistols VINTAGE 1979/81 Small Figures Large Figures Vehicles Misc Collectibles Arcade Collectibles Media Collectibles TV Props Pg 01 TV Props Pg 02 TV Props Pg 03 REVIEWS & INFO TV Show Info The Technology Space Vampire Thunder Fighter Behind The Scenes Gil Gerard Erin Gray Felix Silla Thom Christopher Pamela Hensley Tim O'Connor Wilfrid Hyde White GALLERY'S Publicity Photos Black & White High-Res Captures DOWNLOAD'S Videos Wallpapers Buck Rogers in the 25th Century - A Media and Collectible Resource, 1928-2005 Prop Review - Inside the Thunder Fighter We recognize and know it as a Star-Fighter, but to the prop builders this full size replica was simply known as the "Thunder Fighter". What remains of the original prop is in poor condition, its the result of many creative minds working together to produce an amazing ship.. The full scale studio mock up is built mostly of plywood with various metal components, inside its hull are connecting hoses which direct steam to various points and other hydraulic lines used to slide back the heavy metal cockpit widow. The Thunder Fighter was built using a unique construction method, normally such a complex shape would be somewhat expensive to sculpt and cast so the studio craftsmen came up with a simple and cheaper solution. First they constructed the parts as flat panels and then cast them in rubber, with the flexible panels they were easily glued into place. The exhaust ports feature long detailed plates which extended from the front of the nozzle to the rear, so incorporating this technique meant they could avoid complex molds and expensive tooling. At first it was built as a two seater fighter but later in the series a second forward fuselage was built which featured four seats, this allowed the film makers to use the ship for different shots. The interior of the ship was complete with full instrumentation, although the exterior of the ship is actually smaller than it should be because the audience has no real means of assessing the true scale of things, objects always appear larger on film than they do in real life. The Universal art department proved that it was capable of turning out first-class work that was both original and within budget. Like most TV spacecraft the Thunder Fighter was built as two craft, one is a miniature used for special effects purposes and the other is full scale. When it comes to full size props the Thunder Fighter is one of the best ever made in its time as it was constructed with an unbelievable level of quality. With a realistic cockpit design it included a functioning roll back canopy, a fully upholstered seat complete with four point restraining harnesses and a very realistic instrument panel complete with labeling. There's not much left of the original cockpit now, these images show the deterioration of the fighter sitting helplessly on a lonely lot, its very sad to see it like this. Parts are falling away and missing, no doubt bits have been taken as mementos, this is the last cry of a truly awesome ship.. A couple of nice images which shows the front end landing gear, plus one of the rear exhaust ports, you can clearly see the deterioration. For more information and images visit the web address below.. Images and information courtesy of the following website: http://www.cloudster.com/Sets&Vehicles/Thunderfighter/BuckRogers.htm Original screen Images of the Thunder Fighter in Action.. A couple of shots of Buck climbing into the cockpit.. Two views of the seating arrangement, you can see twiki in the rear seat.. The joy control stick, you always get a view of this with any major combat.. The image below shows the thunder preparing for a blue screen or sky shot.. All "Buck Rogers" related media including images, video and characters etc are owned by the original author's or copyright holders. This website is neither sponsored or endorsed by the above mentioned nor does it affiliate with any other divisions thereof. Contact Webmaster : buckrogers_nz@yahoo.com.au Viewed best at 1024x768 with Internet Explorer AFFILIATE SITES