Escape from Beneath the Planet of the Apes

This is my first attempt at scale modelling since I was a teen. My old pal John P gave me this kit a few years ago. I have quite a backlog of model kits, which I have acquired over the years, sitting in a cupboard waiting for the day when I would 'have the time'.

If you read my earliest posts you would know that I'm a bit of a Planet of the Apes fan. So I thought it would be fab to kick start my rekindled modelling interests by giving this kit a go.



The first thing that struck me about this model, after the initial wave of nostalgia, was how inaccurate it was. I can forgive this when you take into account it was originally produced in the seventies. The surface details were one thing, but the 'far-out' paint scheme recommended by the instructions were positively drug-induced bizarre.

Original box art

I had seen this kit finished with the cover art paint scheme at a local hobby and model show. I thought it was a real shame that the same care and attention to detail that was shown to a lot of the military models there didn't extend to the sci-fi kits. So I thought I would download a ton of reference and try to stick as closely as possible to the movie/TV series colours.

Original look of the kit

The base that the figure comes with I thought lacked a certain amount of detail. I love the production design of the second Apes film 'Beneath'. I wanted to convey the twisted/melted feel given to the environment of a nuclear war ravaged New York.


My darling wife let me buy a brand spanking new airbrush to add to my arsenal of modelling tools. I put it to use base coating the figure and then 'dusting' it with a bunch of different colours to blend it all in. A small paintbrush was used for details and the gorilla's face.


I used foam fill from a can to create the melted rock as well as girders from a train accessories kit to simulate bent steel. I added the hand painted subway sign to help sell the location of the diorama.


Overall I was pretty happy with the little fella. It sure was good fun putting him together!