The G.N.U. - "Les Pionniers de l'Espérance" - scale 1/24

Model of the silver G.N.U. mounted on its base with two figurines in front of a space-themed backdrop“No ! It's not a big light bulb ! Or a chandelier!”

Ink drawing of the G.N.U. with a spherical dome standing on the ground, with two figures approaching itThe Pioneers of Hope! The first French sci-fi comic! Their spaceship was called “L’Espérance” and was much larger. Later on, we meet the main couple—the two E.M.C. agents, Thanga and Maud—who travel the galaxy aboard the G.N.U. and carry out various missions (well, well... No, no, I didn’t say Valérian and Laureline...)...

In short, the spaceship is fun to build, not too complicated, and there are no model kits available for this comic—which is virtually unknown to the general public, except among a few longtime readers of *Pif Gadget*—though it’s worth noting that some of the stories were reissued a few years ago...

Pencil sketch of the three-armed G.N.U. with two pilot figures painted gray

A model was built on a 1:24 scale based on the comic book illustrations and two figures salvaged from the 007 Moonraker kit...

Transparent sphere and hemispheres, a gray tube, and a ruler placed on model surfacesFirst thing: find the materials... In the right size... A "light bulb" from a decorative plastic chandelier found at a big-box store, PVC plumbing pipes, ping-pong balls, plastic card...

Scale model of the G.N.U.'s cylindrical fuselage under construction, with technical drawingsThe cone-shaped body of the craft is made of plastic card. It is reinforced on the inside. Three holes are drilled for the future mounts...

Model of the G.N.U. under construction, gray tubes assembled according to a drawn planAssembly and verification of proper symmetry...

Gray prototype of the G.N.U. under construction, featuring a central cylindrical body and three tubular armsPing-pong balls are cut in half and attached to the ends...

A transparent plastic sheet marked with a felt-tip pen and a pencil, with two white circular pieces

Cutting out the base supports and installing the nozzle. It comes from a cappuccino capsule...

Model of the G.N.U. under construction, featuring nozzles, translucent parts, and a pencil on a work surfaceDrilling and installing the nozzle...

Model of the G.N.U. with a transparent sphere on a cylindrical base and metal arms, placed on a drawingGluing the plastic "light bulb" to the body...

Model of the G.N.U. spacecraft under construction, featuring a transparent sphere and hull on a cutting matSecuring the airlock using a plastic cylinder and a sheet of lead...

Front view of the G.N.U. spaceship model: gray sphere, red wings, and central ladder

 Making decorative fins out of plastic card. To scale...

 Model of the G.N.U. with a white sphere mounted on four legs, featuring gray and orange horizontal arms Model of the G.N.U. with a white spherical dome resting on four legs with orange wings

 Manufacturing the legs and their supports...

... The suspension systems are upgraded using the surplus box...

 

Painting

                     First coat of primer to reveal any defects...

Gray model of the G.N.U. spacecraft with a spherical hull, low-set wings, and antennas, front viewRetouching and finishing...

Gray model of the G.N.U. spacecraft with a spherical hull, wings, and access ladderThe painting—just like the ship itself—won't be complicated.

It is painted with acrylic paint. The shaded areas are done with Hobby Color's "Tire Black" (a very dark gray)...

Gray model of a G.N.U. spacecraft with a spherical hull, front view on a tripodNext up is Tamiya's "light blue" XF23...
  Ajout de blanc en halo pour éclaircir l'ensemble...

Gray model of the G.N.U. with a spherical hull, viewed from the front, showing the central ladder and side floatsApplying the decals...

Model of the gray, spherical G.N.U. with registration number T3171, mounted on three legs and placed on a dioramaModel of the G.N.U. with a spherical shell marked "EMC," resting on its tripod legs

 

The Setting

Two painted figurines wearing blue jumpsuits—a blonde woman and a man—against a black backgroundThe miniatures are painted with Winsor & Newton for the flesh tones and Humbrol for the rest of the uniform...

Model of the G.N.U. under construction on a wooden base, with white cardboard sheets marked with pencilA 57 cm x 52 cm plywood panel will serve as a base...

Framed model featuring a grid pattern with the blue inscription "LANG" and raised elementsExtruded polystyrene is used to create the runway, along with a few plastic sheets...

Model of the G.N.U. spacecraft, registration number T3171, with two pioneer figurines in frontPainting polystyrene with acrylic paint and plastic sheets with oil paint...

Textured white G.N.U. dome set against a black background, currently in productionThe background. To emphasize the "space-like" feel of the comic, a raised background will be created to enhance the scene. A piece of hardboard that has been coated with a layer of matte black...

Hand-painted model dome resembling a planet in shades of ochre and blue The planet is a plastic half-sphere—originally used as chocolate packaging—that has been painted with acrylic paint and coated with a layer of white primer...

Black space scene with a cloud of stars and cosmic matter near a dark planet

The galaxy and the stars are painted with acrylics...

A painted space scene depicting a planet, a galaxy, and stars against a black background...brush and airbrush...

Model of the spherical spacecraft G.N.U. T 3171 on a space diorama featuring two astronauts and a planet All in all, a completely original diorama—for just a few euros and a few hours of work...

Model of the G.N.U. T317 on an alien landscape, with two pioneers in the foreground and the spacecraft in the distance

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