This was a one-off commission for my 40th birthday. The back end was based on some sketches I'd supplied, which were very loosely based on the Land of the Giants Spindrift. I tried to make the rear all curved and sleek, yet be in harmony with the front that is all straight lines and angles. I still like it, but I acknowledge it's best to just not know what the back end looked like. Everyone has their own idea, and every idea is equally valid, which is kind of what makes Planet of the Apes so endearing.

When the 2001 Burton misfire was released, I was contacted by a UK TV channel that wanted to do a piece on Planet of the Apes and wanted some memorabilia to display in the background. They were quite persuasive and promised me premiere tickets. I sent them this and a few other things that they had collected. They returned it the next day with the gold nose cone snapped off, and I never did see those tickets.

This is a lovely little kit from Skyhook models that features a superb razor-sharp cast of Taylor's sinking ship. It is supplied with a very thin, resin textured base for the water that I mounted on top of another wooded base for protection. This was an early experiment with using a clear resin for a see-through effect on the water, which looked okay, but after all these years has now started to discolour. A sheet of waterslide decals for the flags, writing, and stripes all finishes of this little gem of a model very nicely.

Skyhook also produced a Brent version of the ship from Beneath the Planet of the Apes using the same casting, but with additional parts for the burned and wrecked fuselage. That kit can be purchased from Skyhook models.

I've included a couple of images to show how the makers intended the kit to be built, and originally, I did assemble it that way, but to me it just didn't feel right. The kit was designed with a lift away top that showed the details inside the ship, but they were so wildly inaccurate (no sleep chambers), I didn't even bother. So I assembled the whole thing without the gimmicks, and then, heart in mouth, I took a hacksaw to the back of the ship and cut it away so it would sit at the angle we all know and love. Bubbles and froth were made with putty which also helped to hide my butchery. The Lake Powell is somewhat impressionistic, but I kinda like it. I've seen build ups of this version as the maker intended, and I've never regretted my decisions one bit.