I thought the towering war machines from Steven Spielberg’s 2005 movie “War of the Worlds” über cool from the moment they appeared: lanky, undeniably alien, and terrifying as they stalked the Earth vaporizing or snatching humans. I was thrilled when Pegasus announced plans to kit the tripod — and I was not disappointed.
Molded in light gray plastic, the kit is typical of Pegasus’ other science-fiction offerings and strikes a good balance between detail and ease of construction. Pegasus says the model is based on CGI illustrations used to render the machines in the movie. The parts represent the vehicle very well, with a mix of fine and deep engraved panel lines.
There are clear parts for the lenses on the … umm … headlights, and the carapace of the head is molded in smoke-tinted clear. These parts will make lighting the machine easier.
Pegasus included optional parts to build the tripod with the claw-like death ray arms deployed, or with eight serpentine tentacles and collection baskets. The latter are molded in clear plastic with raised lines for the frame.
A large base emblazoned with the “War of the Worlds” logo over a destroyed street rounds out the kit.
Most parts fit perfectly, needing only a few passes with sandpaper to clean up seams. I did need just a little super glue to eliminate seams between the halves of the upper legs.
I left the major components — head, neck, body, and legs — separate for painting.
The instructions call for the tripod to be painted gray overall, but after repeated viewings of the movie, I thought muted metallic shades were more appropriate. After priming with Vallejo black primer, I airbrushed Testors Metalizer magnesium over the subassemblies, following with a layer of Metalizer sealer to protect the delicate finish for masking. I masked about half the tripod’s panels with Tamiya tape, then airbrushed Metalizer dark anodized gray.
To give the edge of the head the right inner glow, I sprayed a mix of Tamiya clear red and clear blue inside the part. Then I sprayed Testors chrome silver, heaviest toward the peak of the clear cutouts and feathered to the edge. Short of lighting the head, it gives a good impression of the head’s glow.
I painted the base with a mix of Polly Scale and Italeri acrylics.
A couple of 1/144 scale or even N-scale figures added to the base would give an even better sense of the tripod’s immense scale.
This was the most complex Pegasus kit I’ve built, but it went together well and makes a great addition to my science fiction collection. Despite the gangly appearance of the movie’s tripod, the dramatically posed model is sturdy and solid on its “feet.” The kit lends itself to inventive finishing and would be even more impressive with onboard lighting added.
