Apollo 11 Spacecraft and Interior (Revell 03703)
| in storage |
|---|
Apollo 11 Spacecraft and Interior (Revell 03703) |
 |
| location: |
|
in storage 1970 |
A 1:32 plastic kit of the Apollo 11 Spacecraft and Interior (Command and Service Module, "CSM"), made by Revell, kit number 03703.
As well as the normal exterior detailing, the kit has a detailed interior for the astronaut capsule, some interior details for a segment of the cylindrical support vehicle, and a transparent segment of the capsule and support vehicle to show the interior detailing.
According to the Scalemates site, the model originally dates from 1970, and hasn't obviously been changed since, except for the changes in box design, and perhaps the included paints and glue that came with our one. A slight quirk of the packaging is that the box lists this as a "Category 5" difficulty kit, while the manual lists it as a "Category 4"
Alternative and customisation options
The model can either be built as a "prestige" piece that allows an expert modeller to show off the extent of their skills in finishing the interiors, with the 1:32 scale allowing a degree of customised detail that wouldn't normally be possible, or the clear sections of shell can be painted over, giving a much easier model to build.
Separate Capsule and Support Vehicle==
A particularly nice aspect of the kit is the fact that the command module is completely separate from the rest of the kit, which can be built as a single integrated unit, or as two separate units, so this is a nice way of getting a satisfyingly large 1:32 model of the command capsule.
The base of the capsule has three prongs, that allow it to stand stable on a flat surface, and which also mate with three holes in the support module. If the two pieces are going to be built as two separate models, the three prongs can be cut off.
Third-party options
Because the kit is so large, and has been around for so long, and doesn't have any obvious competitors in this scale, third-party enhancement kits are available that build on the basic kit and improve the detailing.
None of the interior instrumentation s moulded onto the plastic, the panels being blank until you add the supplied stickers, the quality of which is not hugely impressive (perhaps unsurprising, given the kit's 1970 heritage!). Third-party etched brass and etched metal kits can supply incredibly detailed impressions of banks of switches, controls and dials for the capsule interior, additional precision detailing for the support model interior cutaway section, and enhanced exterior detailing for both ... although one does run the risk, if one is not careful, of making a model that is too cluttered and more aggressively detailed-looking than the original.
The third-party detailing kits obviously tend to assume that you haven't already built the model, and that you'll be painting them and incorporating them as part of the build.
Aluminium cladding
Th original spacecraft had an almost mirror-finish gleam to the upper surface of the capsule, and a duller silver-grey for the command module.
A very confident (or very experienced) modeller could try cladding the conical surface of the module with aluminium baking foil, shiny-side-out, lightly glued with a thin film of PVA, and pressed tightly against the surface so that the detailing appears embossed on the foil surface. This is unlikely to work perfectly first-time: it's suggested that the brave modeller practices without glue, aborts their mission at the first sign of cladding trouble, and peels the foil off again and washes off the (water-based) PVA before it sets, before considering trying again. If you are going down this path, it is worth practicing foil-cladding other kits (without glue). Cladding the Command Module would need to be done before adding handles, and the foil would probably need to be cut out to accommodate larger raised features. Cutting the foil also probably demands some practice, as aluminium baking fail has a tendency to tear rather then cut when a sharp blade is stroked across it.
