SPACE IN MINIATURE

Baby Boomers will immediately recognize this design as the classic Moon Lander by vaunted science fiction illustrator Chesley Bonestall. Bonestall's post-WWII designs graced magazine covers, science articles, high school murals, and kids' lunchboxes for more than 20 years, and this particular design found its way into numerous venues, including doubling as the "Martian Rocket" in the infamous sci-fi disaster SANTA CLAUS CONQUERS THE MARTIANS (1964), starring Pia Zadora.

But I digress…

This is the passenger version of the Bonestall Moon Lander; a second variation was intended purely for cargo. Bonestall's concept, worked out in tandem with space flight visionary Werner von Braun, was that a fleet of such vessels would be built in Earth orbit, then sent en masse for an "assault on the moon."

I dubbed this particular craft "The Spirit of '76," retro-projecting America's first lunar landing would take place in that glorious Bicentennial Year.

ABOUT THE MODEL

This is a kitbash that required five -- count 'em, five -- Lindberg/Glencoe "Lunar Landers" to supply the large spherical fuel tanks, the small spherical fuel tanks, the cylindrical fuel tanks on the landing chassis, and the rocket nozzles (24 in all.) The Glencoe kits also supplied the solar energy collector, the solar energy and communications antenna support arms, the landing chassis framework, and the little radar dishes that here double as landing pads.

Another Glencoe kit - the "Retriever Rocket" - was my source for the cylindrical fuel tanks which, in tandem, now form the Moon Lander's central fuselage. The communications dish also is from the Retriever Rocket kit.

The landing legs, supports, central landing chassis, and all the support framing was made from various sizes of sheet and tubular styrene that was cut, heated, and bent to specifications. Strip styrene was used for further detailing, including the piping around the rocket nozzles.

The red and blue cylinders are made from thin sheet styrene with plastic "happy birthday" balloons I found in the cake decorating section of my local Michael's for the end caps. (It took me a good week to find the proper size and material for these caps.)

The entire ship was painted in basic Testor's Flat White, the radar dish is Testor's Gunmetal Metallic, and the side cylinders are basic Testor's Red and Blue. The hand detailing is mostly flat steel. Decals - including a great "Spirit of '76" decal -- are from various sources.

CONCLUSION

Since I was a kid - back when Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth - I had wanted to build a kit of this classic '50s design. I was already in the process of assembling the materials for my own "kitbash" when Starship Modeler announced its 2001 contest. This gave me the impetus to finally fulfill my lifelong dream. I hope it brings back pleasant memories.

Image: Another side view, showing the tanks

Image: Close-up of the command module, showing the "Spirit" emblem