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:

• Welcome!
• An Introduction to Real Space Modeling
• A Judging Guide for Space and Science Fiction Models
• The History of Space Modeling in IPMS USA
• A Retrospective View of IPMS USA Space Categories (by Kevin Atkins)
• The V-2 Caper
• A Remarkable Time (by Sven “The Ninfinger” Knudson)
• The Future As It Was… (by Mat Irvine)
• Examples of Scratch-building
• Ranger
• Surveyor
• Skylab
• Viking Mars Lander
• SEV-2 Rock Hopper
• Luna 9
• Curiosity (Mars Science Laboratory)
• Cardstock Modeling
• Accurizing Revell’s Astronaut with MMU (by Slade Fiero)
• Landsat 4 and Solar Max
• The Ariane Rocket (by Mike Idacavage)
• The Revell 1/144 Ariane 4 (by Joe Suszynski)
• Delta Clipper – Experimental
• Orbital’s L-1011 and Pegasus
• X-30
• Kit Reviews
• Ceji / Revell 1-144 Space Operations Center
• Wave 1/63000 Space Settlement
• Hasegawa 1/48 Unmanned Space Probe Voyager

The space in miniature series currently is composed of eight-volumes plus two Technical Reports (Skylab and Mir). If you have any passing interest in modeling real space, this is certainly a good place to start. Highly Recommended!

My thanks to space in miniature and IPMS/USA for the chance to review this great book.

Highly recommended!