The Pioneering Work of Alan Terry
Part II - Past and Present Fans
By François O. Beaulieu

Three years ago, I wrote about the very first model kit of the Time Machine designed by Alan Terry. Since then, I have come across various build-ups of this pioneering kit by fans that, years ago had no other choice. But there is also another category of fan that – in spite of the current availability of more sophisticated kits - recognizes the collectable and vintage nature of the Alan Terry kit and rises to the challenge of making a unique build-up from its simple components.

The ATL kit does require quite a lot of work to make it look decent. Therefore builders of this kit have to be quite resourceful and imaginative when they decide to tackle it. This is why most build-ups of this kit look fairly different from one another…

Gary Carroll first saw The Time Machine at age seven when it first came out in 1960. It made quite an impression on young Gary.

A few years later, he got a special treat: His father had the unusual job of showing movies in towns that did not have a movie theatre. A venue would be found (a park, an auditorium, a club, etc) and his father would set up the projection equipment and show the movie. In 1963, his father booked The Time Machine. Gary not only got to see a special screening at home, but then got to watch it every night for the length of the showing ! Gary was so impressed that he went down to the basement and scratch-built his first model out of wood and heavy wire for the rails. As for the dish, it was a tin can lid !

Several years went by and, by 1988, nostalgia set in and Gary decided to place an ad in a trade paper called “The Big Reel”. This was a specialized paper catering to movie buffs. His ad was simply a request for movie memorabilia on The Time Machine. It only took a few weeks for him to receive a response from a dealer who was expecting stock of the just-released Alan Terry kit.

Thus, Gary holds the distinction of being one of the earliest builders of this kit. In fact, he is also one of the very first people to complete a build-up of the new Masterpiece 1:12 kit (click here)


Gary customized his build-up substantially. He made new railings, replaced the bulbs by glass ones, added brass tacks on the console and chair and a crystal from an earring at the tip of the lever. He then made a simple version of the Tantalus box in which to display it.

 

It’s unclear just when Jesse Malero completed his build-up but there is an effect of a warm patina on his model that makes it look like it’s a hundred years old !

 

Mark Harris made his build-up of the Alan Terry kit only three years ago, in 2004. He put a lot of effort into refining and finishing each part and added a lot of detailing - including new railings made out of brass. He then had his friend Vince Winskunas make a Tantalus especially for it. (Vince’s work will be the subject of an upcoming article.)

 

Bruce Horton is on a mission. He wants to honor the work of pioneer Alan Terry. Therefore, he exclusively makes build-ups from original vintage ATL kits that he finds. He only started in 2006 but has already built three to date and, for each, he creates an original diorama. The first diorama pictured here features a bookcase evoking the one in the movie where George took those enigmatic three books. The second one evokes George’s writing desk.

 

 

 

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