'˜It's like Star Trek under sea'

Sci-fi fan Richard Dixon has not gone for half measures in creating his own action adventure series online.
Richard Dixon with one of the sets for his Seastar 5 sci fi model adventure series.Richard Dixon with one of the sets for his Seastar 5 sci fi model adventure series.
Richard Dixon with one of the sets for his Seastar 5 sci fi model adventure series.

Using scaled-down sets and backdrops not dissimilar to something from a Hollywood studio, he also employs a cast of model figures specially imported from the Far East.

The result is Seastar 5, a sci-fi comic strip which follows the crew of a giant supersonic submarine who come into conflict with an under-sea alien race plotting to take over the earth.

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Richard, 63, of Skipton Avenue, Poulton, spent 30 years as an advertising photographer for the toy industry, and that has helped him to pull all the stops out for his creation.

Character on a posterCharacter on a poster
Character on a poster

He has so far written and shot six episodes of the adventure, available to follow on Richard’s website.

Each is framed in the style of a classic adventure comic strip, but created by using state-of-the art cameras to capture the models on the futuristic sets.

And it seems to be paying off in terms of his online audience - over the past two years he says it has pulled in 51,000 viewers.

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A seventh episode is due to appear shortly - and next year there are plans to get the series literally moving on YouTube using a stop-motion method.

Character on a posterCharacter on a poster
Character on a poster

Richard, a married dad-of one, said: “The whole sets are put together at my home and at a warehouse in Poulton.

“I suppose it’s a bit like Star Trek, under the sea.

“I originally planned it as a kind of showcase to advertise my services as a freelance advertising photographer, but it has taken on a life of its own.

“I think it shows what’s possible with a slim budget.”