USCSS Nostromo

From the 1979 Science Fiction classic ALIEN. Directed by RIDLEY SCOTT and written by DAN O’BANNON and RONALD SHUSETT

The Nostromo is a longe range spaceship - United States Cargo Star Ship (USCSS) # 180286

The spaceship was designed by RON COBB and RIDLEY SCOTT and the main model was 12 feet long, and is incredibly detailed, coverd in hundreds of kit-bashed parts. It apparently required a forklift to move it around and in some shots of the ship landing on LV426, a black backdrop concealing the lifting apparatus can be seen. The model was made by Martin Bower and Bill Pearson under the supervision of Visual Effects Supervisor BRIAN JOHNSON. The Nostromo model went through many design iterations on its journey to the screen and was originally yellow, before it was repainted - at some expense - to the muted gray we see in the film.

The whole film has a very moody look and feel, with lots of dark shadows and dimly lit scenes. The colour palette lacks any vibrant colours, featuring whites, grays, browns and black and this all contributes to the dark, claustrophobic nature of the film.

The ship is 805 feet in length, so a 1/600th scale model would be a hefty 16 inches long. Optional parts for the landing gear would be a must along with the Narcissus lifeboat ship - maybe 1/2 inch in length?

Halcyon made special limited edition model kit (PVC and Injection moulded) in 1/960th scale. kit limited collectore

This picture depicts the Nostromo amid the storm as it descends to land on planet ‘LV426’ source of the distress signal

Designed by Ron Cobb and Ridley Scott