ARA Press

The Saucer Fleet

by  Jack Hagerty and Jon Rogers

Reviewed By  Dave Morrissette, IPMS# 33653

MSRP: $49.95 ISBN: 978-1894959704 Website: www.arapress.com Hmmm. Quick review? Buy this book now! Recently released from ARA Press, "The Saucer Fleet" is a comprehensive look at the history, mythology, background and effect that flying saucers had on the world and especially the movie industry. . Let's look at the segments/list of chapters: The Coming of the Fleet. The Day the Earth Stood Still. Twin Earths. War of the Worlds. iThis Island Earth. Forbidden Planet. Earth vs. The Flying Saucers. Disneyland Flying Saucers. Lost in Space. The Invaders. The book starts as far back as WWI with the interest in flying saucers and traces the history clear through the saucer scare of the 1950's. It includes snippets on the 1913 Lee-Richards Flying Saucer Monoplane, the Flying Flapjack US Navy plane, articles dealing with sightings, even Frisbees, and the start of the craze and its effect on movies with "The Thing from Another World".

Each one of the sections is generally separated into the history of the movie, the actors/actresses involved, the story and the vehicle/saucer. Here is where the books really shines for SciFi modelers. Each section is richly illustrated with the information on the saucers, sizes, whether things made sense and almost everything anyone would wasn't to know about the craft involved. Let's take a look at the one section - Lost in Space. Almost everyone my age knows the Jupiter II.. I didn't know that it was originally the Gemini! Also, between the shows pilot and the show itself, several changes were made. These are detailed in drawing, with sizes, descriptions and color shots showing the differences. The drawings also have scale where applicable and references like showing the B9 robot next to the Jupiter II. Also are included are questions about how they could get so much stuff (like the Chariot, Space Pod and all the rest) in a space of the given size. Obviously, this is conjecture based on the fact it is a TV show but it shows the level of detail the authors have gone too. They also provide a epilogue about where the production models are today. Did you know that the prop Martian ships from "War of the Worlds" were given to a Boy Scout troop to sell for scrap metal! Also included is a section for modelers showing what kits are available for each Saucer including mainstream kits like the C57D (Forbidden planet) from Polar Lights to all sorts of garage kits of the other saucers. One thing that was unexpected in this book was the section on the Disney Flying Saucers. This isn't a movie but an actual ride similar to bumper cars that floated on a cushion of air. It capitalized on the saucer craze and had some really neat innovative ideas for operation. A full detail of how it worked and the design of the saucers is also included. I cannot say enough about this book. For the historian, movie buff or modeler, it is both a great read and invaluable resource. It is most highly recommended. My thanks to Jack Hagerty and ARA Press for the review sample. To really make this a phenomenal book, ARA Press is offering IPMS members (and readers of the website), a 15% discount off of anything in their store by typing the code "IPMS-R" into the box at checkout. Their web site is www.arapress.com. Tell them the IPMS sent you!