Gunstar from "The Last Starfighter" (1984)

Scale: 1:144
Initial Release: 2012
Medium: Resin
Kit Rarity: 3

About the Design

Designed by legendary visualist Ron Cobb, the Gunstar was the first motion picture spacecraft to be rendered in full CGI. Because the ship existed purely on a computer chip, size was not a consideration. It could be as big as its mission required.

(Most movie and TV starfighters are relatively small so a full-sized mockup can easily fit on a soundstage -- and be built for a price.)

Laid out to take full-advantage of zero-G, the Gunstar boasts a multitude of thrusters that allow it to turn rapidly on any axis.Its ultimate weapon, the dreaded "Death Blossom." requires the ship to spin on all three axes simultaneously to shoot in as many directions as rapidly as possible.

This is a two-man spacecraft fighter. The pilot or "Starfighter" sits up front, the navigator above and behind, much in the manner of an Apache helicopter. The Gunstar takes off and lands vertically.

About the Kit

This model is a 1:144 version of the 1:72 Gunstar kit released earlier in 2012 by Black Sun. Both kits were designed in CAD by Chris Corke and cast by BLAP! Models. This kit was somewhat simplified to keep costs down. For example, the larger version's full cockpit was eschewed in favor of a solid cockpit canopy.

This kit was released by Fantastic Plastic Models in September 2012.