THEM! II

thingiverse

#THEM! I ##Chilling Terror in the Frigid Antarctic Rising temperatures on the Antarctic ice shelf had brought forth a prehistoric jungle from its long frozen slumber, emerging after countless millennia encased in icy suspension. Seizing this historic opportunity, scientists from around the world organized an unprecedented mass expedition to this newly discovered land. Led by renowned paleo-entomologist Professor April Foole, the team arrived at this groundbreaking site in early spring 1960. After mere minutes of intense exploration, the group made a stunning discovery: it was a creature unlike anything previously documented in the fossil record. Using the innovative polystyrene radio-isotope dating technique, scientists quickly determined that the creature was at least several bazillion years old and astonishingly still alive! Recognizing the immense scientific value of this find, Professor Foole hastily organized an impromptu news conference to be broadcast worldwide. She had barely uttered those famous six words, "This is a load of pupae," when the sound of helicopters drowned out the newscast, obscuring 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. It would later be revealed that Colonel Arness was the commanding officer of the USAF Groom Lake facility. With an imposing exercise of marshal law, Colonel Arness rapidly cordoned off the area and seized the newly discovered creature. As quickly as he had arrived, he departed with his fleet of helicopters. Mysteriously, the aircraft ferrying the scientists from the prehistoric jungle in Antarctica vanished into a snowstorm, never to be seen or heard from again. This information would have remained unknown to the public if it weren't for the diligent discovery of a discarded government file folder by legendary crypto-zoologist Richard Fortean Times-Smythe. Mr. Times-Smythe released this file to the media on April 1st, 2020. Inside this remarkable dossier was a blurry photograph of one (or possibly more) of the creatures from Antarctica confiscated by Colonel Arness. Across this photograph is a red-inked stamped label bearing the declaration: "THEM!" ###Crafting a Model Monster To build your own THEM!, you'll 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 World War II; however, some modelers claim this kit is a mythical device best suited for use in "what-if," 1946 false history scenarios. This Takom kit is remarkably easy to build—completing the model can be achieved in one day. Unfortunately, this model kit comes with a hefty price tag of around $40.00, available for purchase from the Scale Hobbyist Web site at: http://www.scalehobbyist.com All 3D parts supplied with this model can be printed on any printer with a minimum build bed size of 160mm square. As shown in the attached photographs, the donor Takom plastic model kit was assembled according to the provided instructions. The 3D-printed parts were then attached to the assembled donor model in a manner that reasonably creates a believable creature from another world. There is no "right" way to build this monster model; please use your creativity to craft a convincing creature that would make Professor April Foole proud. Enjoy.