Reviews of products for scale space and science fiction vehicle models.


Review Author
Gino Dykstra
Published on
April 5, 2016
Company
Moebius Models
Scale
1/350
MSRP
$54.99

Before I begin, one quick confession: I never watched this show much when it first came out. It was in direct competition with the original Star Trek and as a kid, I only go so much time in front of the idiot box.

That being said, what we have here is one fascinating vehicle. Featured in the second episode of Lost in Space, it was part of a real attempt at science fiction story telling before the gradual descent into satire. It’s in 1/350th scale, which makes both it and the Jupiter included in the same scale as the series of large-scale Enterprise kits currently available. For that matter, you could have the Jupiter docked on an aircraft carrier deck.

Review Author
Frank Landrus
Published on
March 31, 2016
Company
Moebius Models
Scale
1/32
MSRP
$29.99

Background

This is the latest release from Moebius Models based on the Battlestar Galactica series aired on SyFy. It is their first in the SD (Super-Deformed) series, sometimes referred to as an ‘egg plane’ version of the Viper Mark 2. Please keep in mind, that at roughly 1/32, this kit is much larger than your standard ‘egg plane’. The kit is designed as a snap together model and comes with both water slide decals and stickers.

Review Author
Phil Peterson
Published on
March 20, 2016
Company
Moebius Models
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$34.99

Interstellar came out in 2014 and was a decent movie about team of explorers who travel through a wormhole looking to find a new world to ensure humanity's survival. The ship the stars used was the Transgalactic Survey Craft, Ranger which was launched on top of a secret Saturn V rocket.

Moebius recently released a 72nd scale kit of the Ranger based on the full scale prop, miniatures and CGI files used in the movie. As 72nd is my preferred scale, I was interested. The kit has 42 parts molded in white plastic which include 38 for the 72nd scale ship and 4 bonus parts to make the top of the Saturn launch vehicle with 2 Rangers. The parts for this should fit either the Airfix or Revell 1/144th scale rockets.

Review Author
Phil Peterson
Published on
February 14, 2016
Company
Moebius Models
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$34.99

When they revamped Battlestar Galactica in 2003 they revamped many of the ships including the Viper fighters. They were retiring the Mk II as the new Mk VII was in service. Unfortunately, the Cylons had a way to disrupt the newer fighters rendering them powerless so the Mk II fighters had to be brought back into service to carry the fight. Later in the series the Mk VIIs were able to rejoin their earlier cousins and combat the Cylon tyranny.

Moebius brought out very nicely detailed 1/32nd scale kits of both Viper versions as well as the new Cylon Raider but these kits didn’t really fit in with my collection of 72nd scale fighters so I was very excited to see them release new kits of all 3 of these fighters in my scale and to make things better, you get 2 kits in each box. This review focus’ on the newest kit, the Viper Mark VIIs.

Review Author
Allan Murrell
Published on
February 6, 2016
Company
Rinaldi Studio Press
MSRP
$25.00

I have several of the Rinaldis Tank Art books and they are great guide books so I was looking forward to this one on the Industria Mechanika Fichten Foo’s Fantastical Fish Shaped Submarine. I love the Industria Mechanika products and all things Steam Punk/ Diesel Punk.

Unlike the standard Tank Art book format and size this book is small and compact only 6.5” x 7.5”, which is a great way to show it’s for a single subject. I love this concept and look forward to more of these from Rinaldi. Even the look and feel of the paper in the book gives it a vintage feel!

As soon as I open the book I was impressed. This book has all the great methods and style that Rinaldi has put into the great Tank Art books. The graphics are perfect and enhance the whole enjoyment of the book.

Review Author
Brent Bristow
Published on
February 6, 2016
Company
Moebius Models
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$34.99

Ron Moore’s reimagined Battlestar Galactica series has been a hit with sci-fi fans for over a decade. As with any series that takes place in space, the ships are just as important as any of the characters. The Cylon Raiders seen in this series are interesting because the ships are characters! Rather than being piloted by humanoid shaped Cylons, as seen in the 1970’s series, the new Raiders are, themselves, Cylons. The 1/32 scale Raider offered by Moebius has been very popular with modelers over the last couple of years, and now, Moebius is offering a 2-pack of these ships in 1/72 scale.

The Kit

The kit includes 2 complete Raiders, each of which has 11 parts, and 2 clear bases that consist of 2 parts each. Each ship and base is on its own individual sprue, which makes finding the parts, and keeping them separated easy. I was happy to see that all of the panel lines are recessed rather than raised. No decals are included, or needed, with this kit.

Review Author
Ben Guenther
Published on
February 3, 2020
Company
Horizon Models
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$34.95

America's first manned space program was best summed up by Deputy Administrator, Hugh L. Dryden in the foreword to the book, Project Mercury: A Chronology (NASA SP-4001) where he wrote “ Project Mercury is now history In its short span of four years, eight months, and one week as the Nation's first manned space flight program, Mercury earned a unique place in the annals of science and technology. The culmination of decades of investigation and application of aerodynamics, rocket propulsion, celestial mechanics, aerospace medicine, and electronics, Project Mercury took man beyond the atmosphere into space orbit and confirmed the potential for man's mobility in his universe. It remains for Projects Gemini and Apollo to demonstrate that potential.” There are many fine books on Project Mercury, you can use your computer's search function to find them or go to your local library.

Review Author
Bill O'Malley
Published on
February 3, 2020
Company
Hasegawa
Scale
1/20
MSRP
$61.35

This is another excellent kit in the Hasegawa Machinen Krieger series. The kit is not too difficult to assemble, so beginners can enjoy the modeling experience. More advanced modelers will enjoy building another unique machine in this series, and the creativity allowed in finishing and weathering the machine.

Background

The Maschinen Krieger Story (excerpted from Wikipedia)

A nuclear World War IV in 2807 kills most of Earth's population and renders the planet uninhabitable. Fifty-two years after the war, an interstellar union called the Galactic Federation repopulates the planet and sends colonists to the surface.

Review Author
Phil Peterson
Published on
September 7, 2015
Company
Moebius Models
Scale
1/350
MSRP
$39.99

Back in 1978 I was one of many in the TV room in Langford Hall at Montana State University waiting for a new TV series that was trying to capitalize on a surprisingly successful Space Opera that had opened the previous year. That TV show was Battlestar Galactica and while it only lasted one season it gave us new ships which Monogram released as models.

Fast forward to 2003 (skipping that thing in 1980) and we got a new, gritty miniseries with a new take on the old show. This one was a hit and lead to a regular series running from 2004 through 2009.

Book Author(s)
Michael Mackowski
Review Author
Frank Landrus
Published on
August 29, 2015
Company
Space in Miniature
MSRP
$12.00

Mike Mackowski has released a revised version of SIM #1.1 - The New Scale Spacecraft Primer. It is available in both hard copy and a color PDF digital version. Mackowski has retained some fourteen pages from the original edition with some of the older material having been updated, notably the Ariane, Mars Lander, and the Space Operations Center review. The remaining twenty-four pages are new or recycled from some of his old IPMS Journal columns (The View From Space City).

Since the original was published in 1990, this new version is essentially celebrating the 25th anniversary of the initiation of the SIM series. Notable new content includes the scratch-built Curiosity Mars rover that Mike took first in category at the 2014 Nationals. Also included are articles on updating the Revell Astronaut with MMU and the DC-X.

The Chapters include: