The Continuity Guide
Eagle Guide
by Martin Willey

Eagle Aspects

The large Eagle models had windows in the command module with out of scale Gemini astronauts within: this was rarely seen except for a dim red glow sometimes visible (eg Death's Other Dominion, The Metamorph, Year 2 opening titles). Several episodes featured live action astronauts seen in the command module windows: Breakaway (including one curious shot in the This Episode sequence showing SFX director Nick Allder), Black Sun (Ryan's & Alan's Eagles), Another Time, Another Place, Voyager's Return, End Of Eternity & The Last Sunset.

The main booster engines were rarely seen firing in Year 1. In Breakaway a shot in the This Episode sequence shows an Eagle with red glowing engines. In Black Sun the engines were animated. In Missing Link only, baffles are seen inside the engine bells. In Year 2 freon gas was used in the same way as for the vertical rockets during launches (The Metamorph, A Matter Of Balance, Brian The Brain, The Seance Spectre and The Dorcons).

In The Metamorph the model for Eagle 1 has a ring around the base of the engine nozzles. This was copied onto the model for Eagle 2 from The Bringers Of Wonder part 1 onwards, and Eagle 3 around the same time.

Massed Eagles in space were sometimes used in evacuation scenes: Guardian Of Piri showed a shot of 5 Eagles rising over the base, also used in War Games, The A B Chrysalis, Brian The Brain and The Seance Spectre. Guardian Of Piri also featured a shot of 11 Eagles flying to the Moon. Brian The Brain features 11 Eagles by the Moon (a shot repeated in The A B Chrysalis). The Seance Spectre shows two different shots of ten Eagles in space, one including the Moon.