This is the second volume of this magazine I have read since they changed to a quarterly format and I do like the amount of detail crammed into it. This issue is made up of 13 articles focusing on kit builds, scratchbuilds, and other fun stuff, so let’s get to it.

The first two builds are Bat-related kits by Polar Lights. These are the 1/25th scale Batboat from the old TV series and the 1/32nd scale Batmobile from the same show. These are basic, no frills builds resulting in two smart-looking vehicles.

Next up is a new kit from Pegasus of Uncle Martin and his Spaceship. For those of you too young to remember, this is based on the My Favorite Martian TV show. This starts with some history regarding the kit development and behind the scenes info from the show. This is followed by a full build of the kit. The 1/18th scale kit builds up nicely and includes a figure of Uncle Martin which has a very good resemblance to actor Ray Walston.

The H.IIB Launch Vehicle by Aoshima is a great little kit. When mounted on the display base provided in the kit, the model measures just shy of 6 inches in height. The display base has a small footprint, measuring about 2 inches by 4 inches. The completed project will not consume much volume in your model display case.

While the space required for display of the H-II is very small, the eye appeal of the finished model is quite large. The color scheme is dramatic, as is the shape of the vehicle and payload shroud.

The H-II features four SRBs attached to the main rocket body, with a payload shroud topping off the full stack. The rocket nozzles are molded as single pieces while the SRBs, payload shroud, and main rocket body are molded in “right/left” halves.

These models are from an Anime series originally called “Sentō Yōsei Yukikaze” which appeared in Japan as a direct-to-video production. It was produced by Gonzo and Bandai Visual (now, there’s a familiar name!). The videos won awards in Japan for best animation in 2003 and 2006. An English version of the video is available.

The premise of the story is that Earth will be invaded in the mid 21st Century by an alien force called JAM, through an interdimensional portal which comes out near Antarctica. The UN puts together a secret force which pushes the invasion back through the portal. The UN force then follows JAM through the portal to its home world, which is called Fairy. The battle continues on Fairy using several aircraft with some real upgrades from what we see in the early 21st Century. More information can be found at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yukikaze_(anime).

The Parts

Airfix has upgraded their original Apollo Saturn V kit (1991) to a Saturn V Skylab Launch vehicle with the additional of a new sprue. This new sprue provides the parts needed to represent the Saturn V in its Skylab launch configuration. The lab, itself, is not provided in the kit beyond the basic cylinder which make up the lab components that could be seen by the viewer during the rollout and launch of the Skylab mission.

This release also provides the CSM launch shield and escape tower, as well as a LEM. These are the old, original parts and even though there are some “scale” issues with the CSM it allows one to build a decent Apollo Saturn V from the parts contained in the Skylab kit.

On July 21, 1969 the Apollo II astronauts landed on the moon fulfilling President Kennedy’s pledge to land a man on the moon before the decade was complete. Project Apollo was a massive federal program that sparked new technologies, new ideas, new rocket designs and engines that led to this event. Five more flights to the moon resulted in landings that furthered our understanding of that satellite and confirmed new theories on its origins. Apollo captured the imagination of that generation and ones that came after of what could happen when a nation set goals and achieved them.