Dream come true for model maker whose work will feature in new British sci-fi film Infinite Worlds

Richard Dixon with one if the sets he has built to complement his photography and, inset, with one of the models he created for Infinite Worlds movie

When he was ten, Richard Dixon wanted to work in movies – not acting but creatively behind the scenes.

And at the age of 67, when many would be thinking about winding down their careers, Poulton man Richard has found himself making models and tiny figurines to be filmed using some of the latest sci-fi movie technology.

Richard, who works as a photographer, has landed the role of production designer for the space miniatures in a new British flick called Infinite Worlds by film maker Simon Cox.

With one of his latest models for the movie Infinite Worlds

He first became interested in photography when he was a boy. His grandfather was a keen photographer and his encouragement underpinned a career which has seen him work in the ever-evolving toy industry.

Through the years he has photographed to promote big names such as Action Man, Bratz, GI Joe, Transformers, and Power Rangers.

To make his pictures come to life, he would create his own background sets, which led to a proficiency in model making.

Filming for the movie is underway at studios in the West Midlands and Richard has already put together one of the main models – a spacecraft named Montana.

He said: “I used old school modelling techniques and it took around three weeks to build one of the largest models. It’s three to four feet long and I built it using a wooden framework and plastic sheeting. Then the finer details were added to it.” Richard recalled his ambition all those years ago when his dream was to make movies. He said: “I remember watching a movie at the Odeon Cinema in Blackpool when I was 10. “I said to myself that one day I would make movies. I went to secondary school and tried to get into the industry then but I was a boy from up north, the opportunities weren’t there in those days.”

The Gazette actually played a small part in Richard’s success.

“I worked for a time in the civil service until I landed a weekend job working in children’s comics.

“My first toy pictures were published in The Gazette and they gained the attention of the toy industry.”

Richard’s models will be filmed using motion control and state-of-the-art computer graphic imagery techniques. To pull it all together, the creators will use big screen technology, similar to that used in Disney’s Mandalorian.