THEM! II

thingiverse

#THEM! II ##Hot Terror in the Cold Antarctic Rising temps on the Antarctic ice shelf had caused a prehistoric jungle to emerge from countless millennia encased in frozen suspension. Seizing this historic opportunity, scientists from around the world chartered an en masse expedition to this newfound land. Led by world-renowned paleo-entomologist, Professor April Foole, the group arrived at this unprecedented site in early spring 1960. After less than three minutes of intense exploration, the group had made a startling discovery. It was a creature, but unlike anything that had hitherto been cited in the fossil record. In a hasty application of the newly acquired polystyrene radio-isotope dating technique, the scientists learned that the creature was at least several bazillion years old. Furthermore, it appeared to be alive! Realizing the immense scientific value of this discovery, the Professor organized an impromptu news conference that would be televised throughout the world. She had no sooner uttered those famous six words, “This is a load of pupae,” when the sound of helicopters drowned out the newscast and blurred the televised images. “I’m Colonel James Arness and I’m taking control of this area,” boomed the voice from a loudspeaker attached to one of the helicopters. Later, it would be revealed that Colonel Arness was the commanding officer of the USAF Groom Lake facility. In an imposing flexion of marshal law, Colonel Arness quickly cordoned off the area and confiscated the newly discovered creature. Then, as quickly as he had arrived, he was gone with his fleet of helicopters. Mysteriously, the aircraft ferrying the scientists out of the prehistoric jungle in Antarctica disappeared in a snow storm...never to seen or heard from, again. None of this information would be known to the public without the diligent discovery of a discarded government file folder that was found in a dumpster by legendary crypto-zoologist, Richard Fortean Times-Smythe. Mr. Times-Smythe released this file to the media on 1 April 2020. Inside this remarkable dossier there was a blurry photograph of what appeared to be one (are there more!!) of the creatures from Antarctica that was confiscated by Colonel Arness. Across this photograph is a red-inked stamped label bearing the declaration: “THEM!” ###The Making of a Model Monster In order to build your own THEM!, you will need a plastic model donor kit. The kit used in this monster model is a Takom *Krupp Raumer S* 1:35 scale (#2053) kit. Ironically, this plastic model kit depicts a prototype land mine-clearing vehicle built by the Germans near the end of the Second World War, however, some modelers claim this kit is a mythical device that is best suited for use in “what-if,” 1946 false history scenarios. This Takom kit is very easy to build--the complete model can be built in one day. Unfortunately, this is a ridiculously expensive model kit. The best discounted price for buying one is around $40.00. This price is available for purchase from the Scale Hobbyist Web site at: http://www.scalehobbyist.com All of the 3D parts supplied with this model can be printed on any printer with a minimum 160mm-square build bed. As shown in the attached photographs, the donor Takom plastic model kit was assembled according to the supplied instructions. The 3D-printed parts were then attached to the assembled donor model in a manner that would reasonably create a believable creature from another world. There is no “right” way to build this monster model. Please use your creativity to build your own convincing creature--one that would make Professor April Foole proud. Enjoy.