RETRO ROCKET FLIES AGAIN - LUNA FROM THE MOVIE ‘DESTINATION MOON’

WE’VE FEATURED THE LUNA rocket from the 1950 movie Destination Moon before, but this new kit from Pegasus Hobbies assembles to make the tallest model yet. Luna comes in the accepted rocket scale of 1:144, so can be stood next to a Space Shuttle or Saturn V for comparison.

ROCKET REVISITED - REVELL SATURN V DATES BACK TO THE MOON MISSION DAYS, 46 YEARS AGO

THE 1:144 SCALE REVELL SATURN V is a reissue of a kit first produced by Monogram in 1968, released just as the giant rocket was making its first flights.

ANOTHER BLAST FROM THE PAST: ROUND 2 RE-RELEASE SOVIET-ERA VOSTOK SPACE LAUNCHER TO 1:100 SCALE

This is a 1:100 scale model of the classic Soviet A-Type launcher in its best-known Vostok version, as used to launch Yuri Gagarin, the first man in space, on April 4, 1961. This time, the MPC kit comes as a Round 2 re-release.

APOLLO SATURN V LAUNCH COMPLEX: MODEL MAKER BOXES CLEVER BY BUILDING WITH BOXES

At first glance, the giant 1:96 scale Saturn V launch complex built by John Ashton (above) looks as if it could be built from modern materials. But no, take a closer look, and you realise the construction is from an older period, the builder being someone who seems to like a lot of cornflakes, for he makes his models mostly out of cereal boxes.

NEW FOR 2012 - ‘MAN IN SPACE’ ROCKET FAMILY FROM AMT

Mat Irvine reports:

AMT originally became the best-known producer of model car kits, but in the mid-1960s, the company was also known for issuing the first Star Trek kits. And, as an adjunct to the science-fiction, AMT also moved to science fact, producing the first - and to date the only - kit of all five US manned space launchers prior to the Space Shuttle. And now, here they are back again.

1:144 SCALE APOLLO SATURN V COMING FROM BANDAI

Ready-built models get bigger and better, and Japanese company Bandai’s 1:144 scale Apollo Saturn V just has to be the largest space item ever produced. The ‘full-stack’ Saturn is due in March 2010, and should have all space enthusiasts reaching for their credit cards, though it’s fair to say that the cost will likely be in the wallet-shredding $500-550 USD (£300-330 GBP) price band. Still, for something like this specialist mixed-material item, who’s complaining about price - after all the new Airfix 1:24 Mosquito is north of £120 GBP ($200 USD).

So what does Bandai supply with this 768 mm (30.25 in) high Apollo, produced in cooperation with the Apollo Maniacs website? Firstly, all sections separate like the real thing, including the cylindrical interstages. The Lunar Module (LM) can be linked to or separated from the Command/Service Module (CSM). As for display, the stand is mirrored so you can inspect the detailed Rocketdyne F-1 engine cluster at the base. There’s also an optional lunar surface base for LM, US flag and astronaut figures. A third stand allows the separated rocket sections to be displayed horizontally.

This looks like it’ll be a landmark product, and one we’ll be fascinated to see in closeup when it’s released.

Thanks to Apollo Maniacs for the video.

Visit Apollo Maniacs here.

Amazon Japan is taking discount pre-orders here.

Hobby Link Japan also features the rocket here.

FIRST LIGHT - LOOKING AT NEW PARTS FOR THE AIRFIX SATURN V REISSUE

A MAT IRVINE REVIEW
About mid-August you should be able to buy the reissued Airfix Apollo Saturn V kit. You’ll immediately note that there is new box-art, showing the huge rocket heading for orbit. However, what may not be apparent is that this issue now has the upper - Apollo - sections corrected. All previous issues (and the kit was first issued 40 years ago, in 1969) have been incorrect.

It was wrong in two aspects. Firstly, the Service Module (SM) - the cylindrical part below the conical crew-carrying Command Module (CM) - was too thin. Consequently, this affected the Boost Protective Cover (BPC) that covered the CM at launch, and the Spacecraft Lunar Module Adaptor (SLA) that housed the Lunar Module (LM). The height of the SM was correct, but the diameter was too small.

Secondly, the Service Module had the wrong radiator pattern. It showed a Block I pattern, which was correct for uncrewed flights, but all manned flights used a Block II SM, with a different radiator pattern. Airfix was not the only company guilty of this - Saturn V rocket kits from Monogram, Revell and AMT also had the Block I pattern.

The only kit from a mainstream manufacturer, (as against a ‘garage’ or specialist), with the Block II was the 1:32 scale Monogram Command Service Module (CSM). This has been recently reissued by both Revell US and Revell Germany - see SMN’s previous post on this subject.

But now you can add the Airfix kit to the ‘got it almost right’ list, even if corrections have waited until the 40th anniversary of Apollo 11. There are nine newly-tooled parts: the SM is new, and this has entailed new bulkheads, SLA and BPC. Just one niggle though - the Command Module has not been re-tooled, so its diameter is still too small, but frankly, you can’t see it anyway when the BPC is in place.

The pictures show the attractive new box-art (top), the assembled rocket (middle) and note here that the original rectangular base has returned. The bottom picture shows the new-tool Apollo parts (far right) compared to the old.

Visit Airfix here.

APOLLO 11 - TAMIYA 1:70 SCALE RE-RELEASE

This Tamiya rerelease has an excellent IWOOT factor, apart from its rather exotic 1:70 scale. Still, it can sit next to a bunch of 1:72 scale models without too many misgivings.

The kit is unusual for including the Lunar Module’s Saturn V container section, and things get better - the Command/Service Module has a swing-out section that reveals neat interior detail, there are two display bases, and gold foil is included for the LM’s insulation blanket. The LM itself separates into two sections, allowing the Ascent Stage to be docked with the Command Module.

Two astronaut figures - Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin - and a US flag complete the mini-diorama lunar surface. Very nice too, Tamiya - it’s just a pity this very complete model hasn’t been available for so long.

40TH ANNIVERSARY APOLLO - ONE SMALL STEP, EIGHT REVELL KITS

To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission and the first manned landing, both Revell names have reissued some of their classic space kits – and here ‘both Revell names’ refers to the fact that the two divisions, while sharing the same name, are actually separate companies. Revell-Monogram in the USA is owned by Hobbico, whereas Revell-Germany is, in effect, owned by itself. 

Revell-Germany has reissued five kits -

1  1:96 scale giant Saturn V launcher. At almost four feet tall, this is still the largest plastic kit of a ‘space’ subject ever produced. (Though there are larger flying Saturn V models.)

2  The Apollo Command and Service Module (CSM) and Lunar Module (LM) from the Saturn V, issued as a standalone kit.

3  1:32 scale Apollo Command-Service Module, with interior. This is the only mainstream kit to have the correct ‘Block II’ radiator pattern for the Service Module, and was originally a Monogram kit.

4  1:48 scale Apollo Lunar Module. This is an old kit and is really a model of the ‘boiler plate’ mock-up, but it still has a certain charm, and does demonstrate the folding legs of the Descent Stage.

5  1:8 scale Apollo astronaut on the Moon. This last item is the rarest of these five kits - the only previous reissue was in the Selected Subjects Program, SSP Phase 11, Summer 1995. Oddly though, the kit is now scaled at 1:8, whereas the original issue was 1:7. However, neither figure is exactly accurate as - if we assume it is meant to be Neil Armstrong - the scale works out to nearer 1:7.5.


Revell-US - still just about ‘Revell-Monogram’ - has reissued just three kits, each tied into ‘Buzz Aldrin Rocket Hero’ sponsorship. These are all Monogram originals, but now carry the Revell logo and each includes a replica of the olive branch ‘Peace Pin’, left on the Lunar surface.

1 1:48 scale ‘First Lunar Landing’ is the most accurate of all Lunar Module kits made by the mainstream model companies. The nicest part of the kit is that you get a diorama base with a ‘shadow’ of the LM built in, figures of Neil and Buzz, plus all six pieces of equipment carried to the Moon by Apollo 11.

2  1:144 scale Saturn V launcher. This is the same scale as the Airfix kit, and is of course also a standard ‘airliners’ scale. Unfortunately, this time it has some wrongly-printed decals. The ‘USA’ and ‘United States’ for the S-1C and S-II stages are printed in black, instead of the correct red. It is very unlikely that Revell will be making corrected decals, but aftermarket sets, containing all these marking and many more besides,  can be obtained from Rick Sternbach’s Space Model Systems, or Tomas Kladiva’s New Ware. The decal error also applies to the ‘USA’ for the third, S-IVB, stage, but as these were not actually used on the manned launchers, the wrong colour here is a bit irrelevant.

3 1:32 scale Apollo Command-Service Module (CSM). This is the only kit shared by both companies, although, as pointed out in the ‘All That Glisters’ post, the European issue does not have the Command Module either gold lacquered, or even chrome plated, while this American issue does.

You can visit Revell-US here, and Revell-Germany here.

Space Model Systems is here, and New Ware is here.

Mat Irvine

APOLLO MOON LANDING ANNIVERSARY COMING SOON

We’re only a few weeks away from the 40th anniversary of the first Moon landing on July 23, 1969, so if you’re up for making a remembrance model, then now could be the time to get started.

Among the best kits available at present are Revell’s reissues, labelled under the series title, ‘Buzz Aldrin Rocket Hero’. The 1:48 scale Lunar Module and 1:32 scale Apollo capsule are both well-produced, and highly recommendable, as is the 1:144 Saturn V.

When it comes to finishing, for that extra sparkle, it’s worth taking a trip to a museum that has some real-life Moonflight memorabilia on hand - there’s nothing like reproducing details that you’ve actually seen, photographed, maybe even measured, to sprinkle magic dust on a model.

An Apollo capsule (top pictures) is on display at the London Science Museum, so for any Brit model fan, it’s a good excuse to make a visit. Also at the Science Museum is a space gallery, with fascinating stuff on show.

You can also see a model of a British Interplanetary Society (BIS) space capsule study (bottom picture), conceived long before Apollo was even a twinkle in Wernher von Braun’s eye. The BIS is a highly regarded organization that has been on the leading edge of space activities since it was set up in 1933.

Revell space kits are widely available; you can see the range at Revell’s site here.

The BIS can be viewed here, and the London Science Museum is here.

Model Saturn 5 launch: Steve Eves success!

This is a short YouTube vid made by 'nerys71', showing the moment of liftoff for rocketeer Steve Eves' 1:10 scale Saturn V. Launch, ascent, parachute deployment all went perfectly. The first stage even landed vertically on its fins!

There's a longer video at Rocketry Planet, which shows the entire flight, including touchdown.

Well done Steve!

Revell Apollo model rockets

If a Steve Eves giant rocket is not quite your thing, then Revell has a tasty range of Apollo-era plastic kits to tempt you. Three of them are shown here. You can find them at Revell’s site under the 'Buzz Aldrin Rocket Hero' banner.

Countdown to launch the world’s biggest model rocket

If all goes well, this coming Saturday 25 April will mark the launch of the world’s biggest model rocket, in Maryland, USA, where rocketeer Steve Eves has built a huge 1:10 scale Apollo Saturn V. It stands some 11 m (36 ft) tall, and is powered by no less than nine motors, which should thrust the craft more than 1 km (3-4000 ft) into the air. Then the rocket will separate into various sections, which should float down safely under individual parachutes.

The giant model hasn't come cheap. Builder Steve has taken about 1500 hours on the rocket and spent some $25,000 USD (£17,000 GBP), though various sponsors have also chipped in with time, money, and talent. If the launch at Higgs Farm succeeds, Steve will have earned himself a place in the history books for flying the biggest model rocket ever made. Good luck from all of us at SMN, Steve!

You can find out more at Rocketry Planet.