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


Review Author
Dan Mackay
Published on
February 5, 2014
Company
Brengun
MSRP
$15.00

After World War II US Army intelligence gathered data and components from the German Wasserfall program. Based on this information General Electric constructed the Hermes A1 rocket which was almost identical to the Wasserfall with the exception of the mid-body fins. Five Hermes A1 rockets were successfully launched at White Sands proving grounds between May 1950 and April 1951.

The Brengun Hermes A1 is molded in medium grey soft plastic with a small photo-etch fret. Flash is minimal the kit offers recessed panel lines however some of these panel lines are partially filled in and will require re-scribing. There is a slight pebbly texture to the plastic typical of many short run plastic kits; a session of sanding with fine sand paper fixes this issue. A couple of the trolley wheels have noticeable sink marks. There is a small decal sheet with markings for three of the test rockets. The instructions are clear and easy to follow.

Review Author
Dave Morrissette
Published on
January 15, 2014
Company
Pegasus Hobbies
Scale
1/32
MSRP
$39.95

The Terminator series of movies is iconic especially considering that 2014 is the 30th anniversary of the first movie. There haven't been many mainstream kits of the movies. Pegasus has started their releases with the Aerial Hunter killer tank from the 2nd Terminator movie. At the beginning of the movie, the rebels are being chased by Terminators, tanks and Aerial Hunter killers. Previously, this was only released in vinyl as far as I know.

Let me say up front that the challenge to this kit will be the painting. Looking at shots of the movie on the Internet, the Aerial Hunter Killer is colored somewhere between chrome and polished aluminum. For those with the funds, one of the original props is up for auctions (starting at a mere $47,000) but it gives a great view of the actual prop and can be found here and shows the colors well.

Review Author
Dave Koukol
Camden Koukol
Published on
January 3, 2014
Company
Polar Lights
Scale
1/1000
MSRP
$27.99

Overview

Continuing to leverage and proliferate the Star Trek brand, Round2 Models has released another episode-specific rendition of the original series (TOS) Enterprise, this time under the Polar Lights label in 1/1000 scale. Joining the AMT TOS Enterprise and its “The Tholian Web” offering is the “Space Seed” edition, featuring a newly-tooled 1/1000 scale SS Botany Bay.

Review Author
J.R. Sharp
Published on
December 22, 2013
Company
Polar Lights
Scale
1/1000
MSRP
$25.99

Introduction

Star Trek: Enterprise was the last TV show from the Star Trek franchise. Based around the first “Warp 5” craft, the show highlights humanity’s first steps outside our solar system. As with many other Star Trek shows, the NX-01 Enterprise, was the starring ship. The ship was obviously not what many trekkies were expecting. Silver and lacking many of the things that were commonplace in Star Trek, it never filled the void or the expectations of the legions of fans. After the series was cancelled after 4 seasons, Doug Drexler went back and refitted the NX-01 to a more transitional piece between Enterprise and the Original Series’ NCC-1701 we all know of.

Review Author
Charles Landrum
Published on
December 6, 2013
Company
Warbird Decals
Scale
1/144
MSRP
$22.99

For modelers building scale models of the Space Shuttle one of the more difficult challenges has been to replicate the thermal shielding on the spacecraft, whether the tiles or the blankets. In the smaller scales, this can be a real challenge and as a result one of the most sought after after-market sets has been thermal tile decals. Meteor Productions, in their Cutting Edge decal line, was the first company to offer tile decals. These deals proved extremely popular. That company has been gone for nearly 5 years and the decals have become very hard to find, usually commanding high prices. Enter Warbird Decals, a new company in the real space market. They have introduced a new line of thermal tile decals in the scales of 1/72, 1/100, and 1/144 to meet the ongoing demand.

Review Author
Mark Aldrich
Published on
December 6, 2013
Company
Aoshima
MSRP
$25.99

Thunderbirds are GO!!!!! For those of my generation, that was a great call tag! For the younger crowd, I am sure they have still heard about International Rescue. Gerry and Sylvia Anderson created one of the greatest series ever to be broadcast! There were only two 50 episode seasons created. However, those two seasons spawned two movies and tons of different merchandising items to include plastic and die-cast models. Bandai, Imex and Aoshima are the ones I can remember. I have seen several others over the years adding their twist to the old classic which just proves the greatness of the original models used in the series.

Aoshima’s website is not super user friendly but as near as I can tell they offer at least 12 different Thunderbird models. Six are part of their MINI series and six in their other line. The mole has currently two different versions in their inventory. One of the kits is in 1/72 and I believe is a copy of the older Imex kit and this other MINI mole.

Review Author
Matthew Cottrell
Published on
November 21, 2013
Company
Dragon Models
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$52.95

Spacecraft History

Perhaps unknown to many, the Apollo program was planned as a series of methodical steps, leading up to the first landing on the Moon. Each mission type, labeled A-J, built on the success of the previous steps towards the initial goal of a G-Mission, landing a man on the Moon, achieved by Apollo 11, and then moving on to further goals, culminating in the J-Missions, which saw a 3 day stay on the Moon and the use of the Lunar Rover. Apollo 17, crewed by Eugene Cernan, Ronald Evans, and Harrison Schmitt (a Geologist), was the third and final J-Mission, after Apollo 15 and 16, and was the last manned mission to the Moon.

Book Author(s)
David Baker
Review Author
Dick Montgomery
Published on
February 3, 2020
Company
Quayside Publishing Group
MSRP
$28.00

Those of us of a certain age remember April 13, 1970, as a “worst nightmare come to reality” day. On that day the crew of Apollo 13 radioed those famous words, “Houston, we’ve had a problem.” The mission ended with the successful and safe return of the astronauts, and gave the world an iconic moment revealing just how dangerous space flight can be.

The author of Apollo 13 Owner’s Workshop Manual is Dr. David Baker, who worked for NASA during the Gemini, Apollo, and Shuttle programs. Dr. Baker was part of the team within Houston Mission Control throughout the Apollo 13 mission and, therefore, speaks with a considerable authority. He has written more than 80 books on spaceflight technology, and this is his fourth Haynes manual, following the NASA Mars Rover Manual, International Space Station Manual and NASA Space Shuttle Manual.

Review Author
Pablo Bauleo
Published on
October 9, 2013
Company
Warbird Decals
Scale
1/100
MSRP
$29.95

Warbird Decals is known for its aircraft decal line, and now it is making new strides into real space subjects.

Upon opening the ziplock bag, you find two letter-size decal sheets which includes lower surfaces and upper surface/rudder tiles, and one single page with a 4-view drawing of the Space Shuttle with a decal map. The decal sheets provide extra decals, but the instructions do not tell you what for (more on this later).

I built the Tamiya Space Shuttle a few years back. You can find a review of the kit at http://web.ipmsusa3.org/content/space-shuttle-atlantis. It is a nice kit, but certainly has room for improvement, mainly due to the lack of tile detail in the lower surfaces.

These decals are very glossy and conformed to the surface perfectly, without needing to use any decal solution. They were easy to move around for good alignment, too.

Review Author
Mike Kellner
Published on
October 7, 2013
Company
Dragon Models
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$154.99

A direct descendant of the German V-2, NASA's Saturn V rocket was – and still is – the most powerful rocket in the world. It was developed over a period of seventeen years, with its final name and design being accepted in 1963.

Apollo 11, the subject of this Dragon kit, was in some peoples’ estimation the greatest achievement of mankind. The mission itself was the fifth in the Apollo program and the second with an all-veteran crew. Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin comprised the crew, and Apollo 11’s LEM landed on the moon on July 20th, 1969. The first to step on the moon was Neil Armstrong who said, "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.. The command module is currently located in the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum.

Today there are three Saturn V’s which survive, one in Huntsville, Alabama, the second at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, and the third at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.