Alien Attacker

from "Independence Day" (1996)

Scale: 1:72
Initial Release: 1996
Medium: Polystyrene
Kit Rarity: 3

About the Design

Bearing an uncanny similarity to "Battlestar Galactica"'s Cylon Raider, the "Attacker" was the principal tactical fighter used by the unnamed aliens in the 1996 invasion-from-space megahit "Independence Day."  Flown by a single alien pilot, the craft was armed with deadly lasers and was capable of both atmospheric and space flight.  Its oddly textured exterior was supposed to suggest bio-mechanical origins.

This particular model was dubbed the "Captured" Alien Attacker because, like the "Roswell" ship featured in the movie itself, it featured both an underwing alien zap gun and cylindrical launch tube for the American nuclear-tipped rocket used by the human infiltrators to destroy the alien mothership from within.

About the Kit

Unlike Revell, Monogram or Aurora, the Lindberg Line has never been known from its TV or movie tie-ins.  It was therefore quite a surprise to the modeling community when it won the license to produce kits for "ID4."  The award turned out to be a good one.  This "Captured Alien Attacker" was an excellent kit, completely accurate, well-sized and bristling with external detail.  It even featured a display stand that perfectly mimicked the three-armed stand seen in the movie.

Produced in large numbers, this kit remains readily available on the collector's market and even appears regularly in some retailers' discount bins.

This model was built from an original issue.