Winter Rocketry Diversions....Page Three
New.....Information on every Spacecraft and X-Plane Model ever produced is available here! This includes flying models.
This 1/96 scale model of the Saturn V is a kit from Revell. Several versions have been produced of this model. This is the Revell-Germany version of the 25th aniversary of the Apollo 11 landing. Expect to pay $80 to $125 on eBay for this kit which is about four feet tall when assembled. I chose to display it like the real Saturn V is displayed at the KSC in Florida so all the engine detail would be visible. Note the window just below the Command-Service module which shows the engine nozzle and LEM. This model is a lot of work, but the finished model is well worth the effort.
The Apollo Astronaut on the moon is a detailed and easy to build model. Because of the large size, (about 10" tall) the model is also easy to paint. I found this one at a hobby shop, and they are often available on eBay. Expect to pay about $15.00 to $25 when you locate one.
The Jupiter-C with Explorer-1 kit from Glencoe Models is not to hard to find with prices from around $10 to $15. At 1/48 scale, it is a rather large model standing about 16" high. This is the kit I modified to build my 1/48 scale Mercury Redstone. I was so impressed by the kit, I decided to purchase another and build it as the Jupiter-C. Assembly and painting are not to hard, and the result is an impressive model. I did a little research on the Explorer project (late 1950's) and was surprised to learn that AP was used in the 2nd third and 4th stages which were powered by solid rocket motors.
The Revell Lunar Spacecraft kit was originally made in the mid 60's a few years before any Apollo had ever been launched. This is a basic model of the block-1 command and service modules. It was the block-2 which flew to the moon (see the Apollo model on page one).
Assembly is easy, and you can do as much painting as you desire. I have seen many photos which do not seem to agree on the colors, so I painted my model based on my favorite photo's.
This model is expensive but usually available on eBay if you have patience. It was re released in the 80's as a "History Makers" kit (my model), and again in the 90's as a "25th Aniversary" kit. The original 60's kit seems to be the easyiest to obtain.
The Saturn 1B is the 1/200 scale model currently sold with four other boosters used for manned space flight. The pad and tower were built from scratch with Evergreen styrene plastic. Two large sheets 2x4 ft. .020 and .030 thick were cut into strips from .02 to .10 wide using a commercial paper cutter. Each piece was hand cut, and assembled using about a dozen photo's of pad-34 as a guide. I would estimate about 40 hours went into the project. There is a new company who will be offering models of this type, but prices range from about $250 to $500! The total investment for this project was about $17.00.
