International Scale Modeller

We've had an outbreak of submarine builds here on the forum. Along with this came a lot of references to 'The Hunt for Red October', a cracker of a cold war thriller in my opinion.

So if we were to organize a weekly movie night (which we're not ), what would you want to break out the popcorn for? And before you ALL go there, nothing smutty Gents!

Many of us are history buffs in some form or other and that informs our modelling choices so in line with that, what are the movies that dovetail into your interests?

If you're a cars and bikes kind of guy would you ask for Ford v Ferrari, or maybe Rush? Or maybe Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

And there's always Sci-Fi, need I say more.

With great power comes great responsibility. If you nominate a film, please explain why. Its all subjective. Movies are neither good nor bad, your opinion is your own. And feel free to comment on others' choices, jump on if you agree or say why if you dont.

I'll kick it off, one of my top 10.



Released in 1995, I thought it was brilliantly filmed and acted. The fact they shot a lot of it in zero G adds real authenticity to the visuals. Its faithful to what happened both from an event point of view but also from the technical side. And even though we know the outcome before hand, it is suspenseful right up to splashdown.

I thought the launch was a superb sequence after the director refused to use any stock NASA footage. CGI was only in its infancy and much of the launch uses traditional model shooting.

I also liked the way the movie is split between the events on the ground and in space, for me, its a movie where you cant help but roof for everyone. It makes you feel GOOD and the outcome is all the sweeter for it.

It was also a fantastic film to see at the cinema on the big screen!

It stoked my interest in the space race and I've lost count of how many times I have watched it and all the extras on the DVD.

Going back to submarines - ĥow about:


K19 - The Widowmaker. A true story - the film stays relatively faithful to what happened aboard the K19 when it had a reactor incident (it was a Hollywood version of a Soviet incident after all) and does, in my opinion capture the fear and tension felt by the crew most of whom would have viewed the reactor as the instrument of the devil as well as the tensions between the captain and his XO. Not to mention the side-effects suffered by those who had to go into the reactor space to repair the cooling system. You do get a sense of how the teams who had to go in after the first one, and saw how the radiation had affected them but went in anyway, felt. They had no Rad Suits, only NBC kit, which was about as much use as a wet paper bag.

RangerNeil wrote: ↑Thu Feb 19, 2026 12:37 am Going back to submarines - ĥow about:


K19 - The Widowmaker. A true story - the film stays relatively faithful to what happened aboard the K19 when it had a reactor incident (it was a Hollywood version of a Soviet incident after all) and does, in my opinion capture the fear and tension felt by the crew most of whom would have viewed the reactor as the instrument of the devil as well as the tensions between the captain and his XO. Not to mention the side-effects suffered by those who had to go into the reactor space to repair the cooling system. You do get a sense of how the teams who had to go in after the first one, and saw how the radiation had affected them but went in anyway, felt. They had no Rad Suits, only NBC kit, which was about as much use as a wet paper bag.

Ford & Neeson, you cant go wrong with those two. I remember the harrowing radiation scenes and the bravery of the crew. Gripping stuff.

Now we need someone to nominate Crimson Tide!

Two great movies already mentioned.

I seem to have unconsciously become a bit of a Tom Hanks fan over the years and really enjoy a lot of the movies he's been in: Apollo 13 as already mentioned, The Green Mile, Captain Phillips, Bridge of Spies, Sully and of course Shaving Ryan's Privates

I also like a lot of Liam Neeson's stuff and if you want a gangster type movie with a twist and plenty of dark humour give Cold Pursuit a try

Stokesy44 wrote: ↑Thu Feb 19, 2026 7:40 am

RangerNeil wrote: ↑Thu Feb 19, 2026 12:37 am Going back to submarines - ĥow about:


K19 - The Widowmaker. A true story - the film stays relatively faithful to what happened aboard the K19 when it had a reactor incident (it was a Hollywood version of a Soviet incident after all) and does, in my opinion capture the fear and tension felt by the crew most of whom would have viewed the reactor as the instrument of the devil as well as the tensions between the captain and his XO. Not to mention the side-effects suffered by those who had to go into the reactor space to repair the cooling system. You do get a sense of how the teams who had to go in after the first one, and saw how the radiation had affected them but went in anyway, felt. They had no Rad Suits, only NBC kit, which was about as much use as a wet paper bag.

Ford & Neeson, you cant go wrong with those two. I remember the harrowing radiation scenes and the bravery of the crew. Gripping stuff.

Now we need someone to nominate Crimson Tide!

Or even "Das Boot"!!

Tomcat64 wrote: ↑Thu Feb 19, 2026 11:15 am Two great movies already mentioned.

I seem to have unconsciously become a bit of a Tom Hanks fan over the years and really enjoy a lot of the movies he's been in: Apollo 13 as already mentioned, The Green Mile, Captain Phillips, Bridge of Spies, Sully and of course Shaving Ryan's Privates

I also like a lot of Liam Neeson's stuff and if you want a gangster type movie with a twist and plenty of dark humour give Cold Pursuit a try

Big Tom Hanks fan myself. I'll have to do a recommendation on Saving Private Ryan (its real name!) because the movie had quite an effect on me, so much so I've found myself in France 4 times touring Normandy!

Hunt for Red October. One of Clancey's best.

Das Boot. For real claustrophobic atmosphere. Real twist at the end !

Fiction, but both enjoyable films to watch

I'm going to break away from the submarine and nautical theme and go with something like, "A Bridge too Far", or possibly one of these:

All quiet on the Western Front
Apollo 17
Band of Brothers

DRUMS01 wrote: ↑Tue Feb 24, 2026 2:57 pm I'm going to break away from the submarine and nautical theme and go with something like, "A Bridge too Far", or possibly one of these:

All quiet on the Western Front
Apollo 17
Band of Brothers

Apollo 17?? Did they get that far?

NoelSmith wrote: ↑Thu Feb 19, 2026 8:47 pm Hunt for Red October. One of Clancey's best.

Das Boot. For real claustrophobic atmosphere. Real twist at the end !

Fiction, but both enjoyable films to watch

I love Red October. Das Boot is is a real tour de force of just how scary it must have been to crew those WW2 subs. All the tension and claustrophobia, couped up in those conditions.

Oops, Apollo 13…. Silly me.

Actually Apollo 17 was the last moon landing.

DRUMS01 wrote: ↑Tue Feb 24, 2026 6:33 pm Oops, Apollo 13…. Silly me.

Actually Apollo 17 was the last moon landing.

I have to agree with all your choices. Apollo 13, a great movie and so accurate too. Nothing touches Band of Brothers although I thought The Pacific was very impressive too. The latest one, Masters of the Air was good but it could have been great. They tried to do too much with too few episodes.

I haven't seen the new version of All Quiet on the Western front but the reviews and exerts I have seen look really good.

I really like a Bridge Too Far, the last of the great ensemble films. The only issue I have with it is that it leaves so much out, particularly with the US Airborne divisions. Its also a bit anti-British to be honest. Still a good movie though.

Stokesy44 wrote: ↑Wed Feb 25, 2026 6:37 am

DRUMS01 wrote: ↑Tue Feb 24, 2026 6:33 pm Oops, Apollo 13…. Silly me.

Actually Apollo 17 was the last moon landing.

I have to agree with all your choices. Apollo 13, a great movie and so accurate too. Nothing touches Band of Brothers although I thought The Pacific was very impressive too. The latest one, Masters of the Air was good but it could have been great. They tried to do too much with too few episodes.

I haven't seen the new version of All Quiet on the Western front but the reviews and exerts I have seen look really good.

I really like a Bridge Too Far, the last of the great ensemble films. The only issue I have with it is that it leaves so much out, particularly with the US Airborne divisions. Its also a bit anti-British to be honest. Still a good movie though.

I took my father to see "A bridge too far" at the local odeon. He wasn't impressed - to the point about halfway through he was saying things like "that didn't happen" or "it didn't happen that way". Guy a couple of seats along from me turned and said to me thinking it was me saying it "how come you're such an expert" - dad leant around, gave him the stinkeye and snapped "because I was bl**dy well there".
In fairness once the film finished the guy apologised to dad.

RangerNeil wrote: ↑Wed Feb 25, 2026 9:19 am
I took my father to see "A bridge too far" at the local odeon. He wasn't impressed - to the point about halfway through he was saying things like "that didn't happen" or "it didn't happen that way". Guy a couple of seats along from me turned and said to me thinking it was me saying it "how come you're such an expert" - dad leant around, gave him the stinkeye and snapped "because I was bl**dy well there".
In fairness once the film finished the guy apologised to dad.

That must have been a sweet moment!

As Monty Python said, And now for something completely different.

Since Sci-Fi is a recognised stream for modelling, its time to tackle the big questions. First up:



My thoughts.

The best Star Wars film

One of the best sequels ever made

One of the best films ever made

That's my opinion, let the games begin......

Yes, sci fi. A few classics to begin with

The Fifth Element

John Carpenters The Thing

Blade Runner

Rouge One

Independence Day

Just off the top of my head......

cor wrote: ↑Fri Feb 27, 2026 2:17 am Yes, sci fi. A few classics to begin with

The Fifth Element

John Carpenters The Thing

Blade Runner

Rouge One

Independence Day

Just off the top of my head......

Wow, that's quite a selection! Great movies although I've never actually seen The Thing. Seen plenty about it, just never watched it. Good to see Rogue One getting a mention too. Definitely the best of the new SW movies by far.

And what about Blade Runner 2049? I thought it was a great sequel, despite it not doing well on release. Critics loved it but audiences just didn't turn up.

Showing the age here - but - what about the classic sci-fi film 2001 A Space Oddysey??

RangerNeil wrote: ↑Fri Feb 27, 2026 9:23 pm Showing the age here - but - what about the classic sci-fi film 2001 A Space Oddysey??

I've seen so many clips of it but I dont think I have ever sat down and watched it properly. it seems a bit forced to me, a bit po-faced. That might be because I'm familiar with it without having had the experience of watching it. Its almost universally respected so I'm obviously wrong!

Stokesy44 wrote: ↑Fri Feb 27, 2026 1:33 pm

cor wrote: ↑Fri Feb 27, 2026 2:17 am Yes, sci fi. A few classics to begin with

The Fifth Element

John Carpenters The Thing

Blade Runner

Rouge One

Independence Day

Just off the top of my head......

Wow, that's quite a selection! Great movies although I've never actually seen The Thing. Seen plenty about it, just never watched it. Good to see Rogue One getting a mention too. Definitely the best of the new SW movies by far.

And what about Blade Runner 2049? I thought it was a great sequel, despite it not doing well on release. Critics loved it but audiences just didn't turn up.

You gotta see the thing. Classic.

Also check out They Live. Great John Carpenter social commentary.

Br 2049 was ok, but not really a great movie imho

cor wrote: ↑Sat Feb 28, 2026 8:00 am
You gotta see the thing. Classic.

Also check out They Live. Great John Carpenter social commentary.

Br 2049 was ok, but not really a great movie imho

Yeah, I reckon The Thing is on my watchlist. I haven't seen much from John Carpenter although I really enjoyed Starman.

As for the Blade Runner sequel, its all about opinion at the end of the day. One of my mates is a big fan of the new Dune films. I've seen them but they left me cold, I could appreciate the quality but I just couldn't get into it. It was still nice to go to the cinema though. You cant beat the big screen at the end of the day.

Stokesy44 wrote: ↑Sat Feb 28, 2026 8:25 am

cor wrote: ↑Sat Feb 28, 2026 8:00 am
You gotta see the thing. Classic.

Also check out They Live. Great John Carpenter social commentary.

Br 2049 was ok, but not really a great movie imho

Yeah, I reckon The Thing is on my watchlist. I haven't seen much from John Carpenter although I really enjoyed Starman.

As for the Blade Runner sequel, its all about opinion at the end of the day. One of my mates is a big fan of the new Dune films. I've seen them but they left me cold, I could appreciate the quality but I just couldn't get into it. It was still nice to go to the cinema though. You cant beat the big screen at the end of the day.

Dune bored me.
The Thing and They Live are very different to Starman.

Here's a great one
Strange Days. Reiphe Fiennes and Angela Bassett. Cyberpunk

To appreciate the Dune movies you really need to have read the books first. Otherwise much will not make sense. So much has to be left out for the films. Like LotR - Peter Jackson had to break that into 3 seperate films, each nearly 3 hours long and still missed parts of the book out..
The new Dunes miss out the back story of the great houses, spend too much time on the Bene Gesserit back story at the expense of the Fedaykeen and why House Atrides and House Harkonnen hate each other and so forth. And theres virtually no explanation of why the spice Melange is so valuable. Special effects are good though!

RangerNeil wrote: ↑Mon Mar 02, 2026 7:01 pm To appreciate the Dune movies you really need to have read the books first. Otherwise much will not make sense. So much has to be left out for the films. Like LotR - Peter Jackson had to break that into 3 seperate films, each nearly 3 hours long and still missed parts of the book out..
The new Dunes miss out the back story of the great houses, spend too much time on the Bene Gesserit back story at the expense of the Fedaykeen and why House Atrides and House Harkonnen hate each other and so forth. And theres virtually no explanation of why the spice Melange is so valuable. Special effects are good though!

When LOTR came out I avoided the books and put my faith in the Director. The films stand by themselves and while I understand a lot was left out, its the people writing the adapted screenplay's job to make a coherent movie people who have not read the books can still enjoy. I actually prefer the extended versions as I feel they really add to the movies.

No one is infallible though. I thought Jackson completely dropped the ball with the Hobbit films. No way that little book has enough for nearly 10 hours worth of film. Absolute hubris. And what they did with the frame settings made my eyes bleed

Stokesy44 wrote: ↑Tue Mar 03, 2026 5:48 pm

RangerNeil wrote: ↑Mon Mar 02, 2026 7:01 pm To appreciate the Dune movies you really need to have read the books first. Otherwise much will not make sense. So much has to be left out for the films. Like LotR - Peter Jackson had to break that into 3 seperate films, each nearly 3 hours long and still missed parts of the book out..
The new Dunes miss out the back story of the great houses, spend too much time on the Bene Gesserit back story at the expense of the Fedaykeen and why House Atrides and House Harkonnen hate each other and so forth. And theres virtually no explanation of why the spice Melange is so valuable. Special effects are good though!

When LOTR came out I avoided the books and put my faith in the Director. The films stand by themselves and while I understand a lot was left out, its the people writing the adapted screenplay's job to make a coherent movie people who have not read the books can still enjoy. I actually prefer the extended versions as I feel they really add to the movies.

No one is infallible though. I thought Jackson completely dropped the ball with the Hobbit films. No way that little book has enough for nearly 10 hours worth of film. Absolute hubris. And what they did with the frame settings made my eyes bleed

The LotR book followed me around the world - it was read and re-read at every opportunity. On one rather memorable occassion the officer i/c the patrol rather sarcastically asked if it would be too much trouble to put the book away and start returning fire. Can't think what he was so upset about....
The LotR films do flow - and flow well, if you haven't read the books. If you have read them the ending of film 3 is a complete cods. In the book Saruman and Wormtongue have taken over the Shire and were despoiling it so the returning Hobbits had to fight those two and restore the Shire. Frodo then goes to the Grey Havens.
The first two films the deletion of scenes is virtually invisible.

The Hobbit - different story - parts were removed and the jump between scenes was very noticeable. And don't get me started on the addition of the Tauriel character - even if she was rather tasty looking. For me the best part of the Hobbit was the sequence in the mines of Moriah. And, of course, the scenes where Smaug bites the dust - or lake water....

I can remember seeing Disney's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea in the cinema way back when I was still at school.
Having watched it a few times since I still feel that is the best film based on that particular Jules Verne novel.
James Mason's enigmatic portrayal of Captain Nemo has not been surpassed in my opinion.
On TV a couple of years ago Around the World in 80 Days was serialised in BBC TC with David Tennant playing Phineas Fogg. In the very last episode after completing his journey he was sat in the Reform Club reading a newspaper article and remarked about reports in it about a sea monster attacking shipping in the Pacific. Was this a subtle hint about a new 20.000 Leagues series to come I wonder ?

Recently my daughter bought me an omnibus book with all of Jules Verne's novels in it. Great reads considering when written.
I also have another omnibus book with all of H.G. Wells' works in it.