Cygnus from Disney's "The Black Hole" (1979)

Scale: 1:4225
Initial Release: 1979
Medium: Styrene
Kit Rarity: 5

About the Design

The brainchild of Dr. Hans Reinhardt (played by Maximilian Schell), the "Cygnus" was a massive, mile-long interstellar exploration vessel with a crew of several hundred. Looking like a flying "Crystal Palace," the design had a decidedly Victorian flavor, this intended to reflect the Capt. Nemo-like sensibilities of its creator. 

Oddly, in the 1979 movie "The Black Hole," the "Cygnus" is supposed to be an old, obsolete spacecraft whereas the "Palomino" -- the tiny circular craft visible nestled in the model's bow docking port -- is supposed to be the "state-of-the-art" starship. This is tantamount to suggesting that a Soviet Vostok capsule is technologically superior to the Starship Enterprise.

About the Kit

Released shortly after the December 1979 premiere of "The Black Hole," (the Walt Disney Studio's first PG-rated film!), MPC's "Cygnus" is a huge, impressive, highly detailed model that requires great patience on the part of its builder/painter. Sadly, the model is not truly "screen accurate," as it lacks an entire main body section, making it about 20% shorter that its movie counterpart.

Today, the Cygnus is a highly coveted kit, commanding top dollar on the collector's market.

This kit is an original issue.