Uncle Martin's Spaceship from "My Favorite Martian" (1963-1966)

Scale: 1:40
Initial Release: 1992
Medium: Resin
Kit Rarity: 4

About the Design

Seen briefly in "My Favorite Martian's" September 1963 premiere episode --  and then making only rare appearances after that -- this one-man interplanetary spacecraft boasts a unique aerodynamic shape that stands in sharp contrast to the classic "flying saucer" designs so popular with fictional aliens during the mid-20th Century.  Part of this design approach was no doubt the result of the producers' dictate that the craft be large enough to carry an adult human, but small enough to fit into a conventional residential garage (where Bill Bixby's hapless Tim O'Hara hid the ship over the series' three-year run). A disc would have been too wide; this design -- perhaps inspired by a Jaguar E-Type -- has the footprint of a sports car.  The bottom of the filming miniature contains three hatchway doors, presumably  coverings for tripodal landing gear.  However, no landing gear were ever actually seen on the screen.

About the Kit

This is not so much a kit as a one-piece resin sculpture that required a bit of clean-up work -- particularly around the nose intake -- to make presentable. As with the original filming miniature, the kit did not come with landing gear.

This model was created by Jeff Penn of Porterville, Calif., and was the first of two such models he created for commercial release.

This model is an original issue.