Reviews of products for scale space and science fiction vehicle models.
Fans of the original Star Trek series will recall such classic episodes as The Galileo Seven, where one of the Enterprise’s shuttlecraft, the Galileo, and her (7) crew members are trapped on an alien planet and are being attacked by mysterious hairy beasts with weak pole-throwing abilities….
Doll and Hobby GA is a specialized hobby distributor focusing on science fiction, fantasy, and comic related model kits. They carry the latest releases from Moebius Models, Round 2 (AMT, Polar Lights, MPC, Lindberg) and more. They focus on subjects like Star Trek, 2001, Space 1999, classic monsters, and comic book heroes. Their warehouse is located in Lawrenceville, GA, just east of Atlanta. Owned by Steve Iverson who purchased the company from Frank and Joanne Winspur in 2018. Steve Iverson might also be familiar since he also owns CultTVman’s Sci-Fi Modeling.
Their first kit was the Land of the Giants Snake Diorama that was originally released by Aurora in 1968. This release featured new box art and a two sided backdrop to display the completed model. Their second release was the Lost in Space Cylops and the Chariot Diorama that Aurora released in 1966. Future releases will include ex-Aurora kits The Hunchback of Notre Dame and The Guillotine.
Richard Marmo’s latest installment in his “The Marmo Method Model Building Guide” series is booklet # 14, Building The 1/96 Scale Atlantis Moon Ship. These booklets are a great reference for scale modelers of any experience level. I would like to thank Mr. Marmo and Scale Publications for providing a copy for this review.
Revell released the XSL-01, 3-stage rocket kit in 1957 and later in the same year, released just the 3rd stage, the Moon Ship as a stand-alone kit. Both were highly successful kits of the day. In 2021, Atlantis re-released the Moon Ship under their brand but it’s the same tooling and kit as the 1957 version.
In October of 2021, Mr. Marmo published this booklet to describe the materials, tools and techniques he used as he went through the processes of building, finishing and displaying the Atlantis kit.
Cozmic Scale Models is a UK- based, passionate maker of high-quality resin model kits, diorama accessory items and other assorted paraphernalia for all things Sci-Fi. Many of their items are designed specifically with either Battlestar Galactica or Star Trek in mind.
A number of these accessory items are 3-D printed which seems to be the case with this 1/32nd scale compressed gas bottle and trolley. The gas trolley and handle are in an off-white resin and both items exhibit excellent detail. These two parts can be assembled with only minimal clean-up of the resin bits. Do exercise some caution when removing the handle from the casting sprue, as it is delicate. The handle is pose-able as the mounting holes are cast into the base of the gas bottle. Nice touch!
If you are reading this review I am guessing you know what Deep Space Nine was and the Defiant but just in case, the Defiant was a prototype vessel designed for Star Fleet to battle the Borg. If you need more detail there is plenty on the web. The Polar Lights kit continues their series of 1/1000th scale snap-together Star Trek universe ships. The kit has 27 parts including 13 in clear plastic and their normal 3 part stand. It also includes a plethora of decals to cover the panel colors so you don’t have to paint much other than the base color.
As a hard-core Star Trek aficionado as well as modeler, this is a model I’ve been waiting literally decades to see. The classic Enterprise’s Galileo shuttle appeared in a number of episodes, and was always a fan favorite simply because it brought starship technology down to a human level. Round 2 has seen fit to finally release their long awaited Star Trek shuttle, and it’s been more than a little interesting examining and building it.
The TR-3E Triangular UFO kit by Atlantis Models has been around for a number of years and has become of staple of the sci-fi modeler’s stash. The design of the kit, which is based upon numerous reported sightings of UFOs, provides flexibility for the modeler to create their own unique take. This reissue is true to the original release.
The kit consists of five parts, which are the upper and lower halves of the ship and three pieces for the landing gear. The details are crisp and well defined. The parts are molded in a silver plastic, so the kit could be built and displayed without paint, if desired.
John Boyes was born in Edinburgh in 1947. Educated at Rugby School, he qualified as a chartered accountant in 1972 and thereafter pursued a career in the motor industry until his retirement in 2005. He has had a lifelong interest in the history of missiles and published his first book, Project Emily: Thor IRBM and the RAF, in 2008. John followed with Thor Ballistic Missile: The United States and the United Kingdom in Partnership in 2015. He is the treasurer of the Royal Air Force Historical Society and financial controller of the Bomber Command Association, responsible for the financial management of its memorial in London. He has given a number of lectures on Thor and regularly contributed to the British Nuclear History meetings at Charterhouse. He is married and lives in West Wickham, Kent.
Mike Mackowski has made something of a name for himself by his relentless pursuit of All Things Real Space in Miniature. This, his ninth publication along these lines, continues the saga as he delves into a number of models both real and speculative regarding the infamous Gemini space program from the 1960’s.
Be aware that ordering the kit direct from Horizon will entail a postage fee. Horizon is located in Australia. Also note that Horizon is offering reduced pricing for their other 1/72nd scale spacecraft kits.
The kit instructions can be downloaded at https://www.horizon-models.com/172-redstone-launcher
Horizon Models has, in the last few years, has established itself as a source of superior models of launch vehicles for both unmanned and manned space flight.
The Redstone Launcher will be my third Horizon model and hopefully, it will not be my last. This, kit, however, is the final release in the Redstone series according to Tony Radosevic, the Managing Director or Horizon Models.
