1/72 Apollo Lunar Module

[Ventora3300]

The final category of kit that I believe the GB has not as yet covered is 'Space. (Nimrod54's excellent Angel Interceptor covers the 'TV and Film' category). Having really lost my senses this time, I put out a call in the 'Wanted' section to see if I could lay my hands on one of Airfix's Space kits, the smaller the better. My prayers were answered with the 1/72 Apollo Lunar Module from 1970.

 

Let's pause to drool over the 'Red Stripe' packaging and box art......

 

All the bits were there - someone has looked after this extremely well....

 

You even get an additional leaflet on the Apollo missions - this is excellent reading for me now, never mind when I was 10!

 

Instructions are comprehensive.

 

 

 

Wait a minute - it came with a small note! Yes, indeed, it was no lesser a person that 'our' Heather that got in touch with this kit which could have continued to 'appreciate' nicely ready for a bidding war but which she has generously passed on to me to build for this GB - Heather will let you know the background in due course.

 

No pressure then to make a good job of this one and finish in time - I am really looking forward to it!

[Brandy]

I still have all the original newspaper reports for the Apollo missions. Back when the Daily Fail was actually a not bad newspaper!

 

Ian

[BIG X]

WOW Mike - You are really going the extra mile here.

WELL DONE HEATHER - What a really nice gesture.

[Heather Kay]

I’m looking forward to seeing this made up.

 

It’s history is it came to me via a friend who donated a box of Triang train set bits and pieces. Knowing Best Beloved and I were railway modellers, he thought we might find a use for them. The train set stuff mostly ended up in landfill, as it was sadly past any use at all - the glories of cellulose acetate meant most of it had become very twisted and it was definitely not worth trying to rescue and had little or no collectible value.

 

Anyway, also in the box was the Lunar Module. I realised this did have some value, so I stored it safely. Space and sci-fi is not really my thing, though I do have a general interest in the subject. I’m one of those people that has to learn about all kinds of stuff. Not voracious, but I know enough on many subjects to be dangerous!

 

I might have ended up putting the LEM together myself. I hadn’t considered it for the group build, oddly. When Mike put his call out, the penny dropped. While I could have popped it up on an auction site and perhaps profited from a couple of nutty collectors starting a bidding war, I take the view that Airfix made these kits to be built, not stored on a shelf and saved in case they became worth a lot of money. If I had built it, I would have retained the box and paperwork as part of the display. 

 

I have been a custodian of the kit, and I am only too happy to pass it on to someone else to take pleasure in it. Mike and I agreed a price (just the postage), and now he has the fun of building the kit. 

[MarkSH]

Nice choice, I just about to do one for the Grumman GB so I'll be watching with interest.

[Rabbit Leader]

Well done Mike and Heather.... Geez!, looks like I've left myself a bit to do on the next build list update!! 

I've always fancied one of these and being a product of 1970 myself was thinking about throwing one together in the "Year I was born GB" for next year (if all things work out). I quite like all that space race stuff and the additional bonus material included would have been a real "Buzz" to find (poor pun intended) - within that lovely box. 

 

Definatley one to keep an eye on in the next few weeks, lovely choice. 

Cheers.. Dave

[TonyW]

Nice gesture there Heather.

 

I think it was an early Airfix Magazine article where it was recommended that the base provided be covered with cigarette ash!

[Rabbit Leader]

6 hours ago, TonyW said:

Nice gesture there Heather.

 

I think it was an early Airfix Magazine article where it was recommended that the base provided be covered with cigarette ash!

Probably something that could have been found in every room of the house back then, especially the kitchen!! 

 

Cheers.. Dave 

[Aeronut]

Anyone else remember buying chocolate bars just for the gold foil they were wrapped in so this kit could look like the one that went to the moon?

[zebra]

3 hours ago, TonyW said:

Nice gesture there Heather.

 

I think it was an early Airfix Magazine article where it was recommended that the base provided be covered with cigarette ash!

My first reaction to this was ‘good grief’. How times have changed? Which has me wondering whether kids still make ashtrays in pottery classes. I suspect they don’t.

 

as others have said, very nice gesture Heather.

[Lawzer]

As said above well done @Heather Kay - a very nice gesture! 👍

 

For some reason I was looking at the instructions to this kit on line a few weeks ago.

 

I wonder if it will be re-released (along with the saturn 5 kit) next year for the 50th anniversary?

[Ventora3300]

16 hours ago, MarkSH said:

Nice choice, I just about to do one for the Grumman GB so I'll be watching with interest.

Cheers, Mark. Reading the Instructions, I was very surprised to see that the manufacturer was Grumman, although it's an obvious progression for an aircraft manufacturer to be building spacecraft. I'll keep an eye out for your build.

 

16 hours ago, Rabbit Leader said:

Well done Mike and Heather.... Geez!, looks like I've left myself a bit to do on the next build list update!! 

I've always fancied one of these and being a product of 1970 myself was thinking about throwing one together in the "Year I was born GB" for next year (if all things work out). I quite like all that space race stuff and the additional bonus material included would have been a real "Buzz" to find (poor pun intended) - within that lovely box. 

 

Yes, Dave, Heather has come up trumps on this one. This will be a new experience and I hope I call all the pieces by their correct names. The research will be as interesting as the build.

 

16 hours ago, TonyW said:

Nice gesture there Heather.

 

I think it was an early Airfix Magazine article where it was recommended that the base provided be covered with cigarette ash!

 Thanks, Tony - this build just got more frightening! My brain has kicked into gear and we do burn our 'confidential' paperwork in our wood  burning stove and the ash from that is very fine and white.....Didn't also BigX use a spray lacquer of some sorts to hold down grit on his diorama...?

 

15 hours ago, Aeronut said:

Anyone else remember buying chocolate bars just for the gold foil they were wrapped in so this kit could look like the one that went to the moon?

No, Aeronut,  but I'll buy chocolate on any pretext! I'll need some hints on how to make it stick to the kit parts, though. I did see another kit build and saw the gold colour used on some parts - need to find some reference pictures.

 

 

[Planebuilder62]

Hi there

I found Future was very good for glueing gold leaf to the LEM that I built. PVA glue is also a good try.

 

Good luck

 

Regards Toby

[TonyW]

In my box of scenic stuff I have a tin full of the remains of a barbecue fire. Ash and little gritty bits and suchlike. You never know when the tin might come in handy!

[Smudge]

Great pictures of all the parts and instructions etc, very nostalgic.

 

I built this one as a nipper, made a right hash of it, and got glue absolutely everywhere. I have another in the stash, hopefully I will do a better job next time. The box is a bit squashed up and tatty, not as nice as this one. 

[Jeepboy]

...in the days when chocolate came in proper wrapping, the gold foil from a few bars of Bournville dark chocolate was ideal for the base of the module.....and the added bonus of decent pre-takeover chocolate.  Happy innocent days of youth! 

[Ventora3300]

At long last we have lift off with the Lunar Exploration Module - got the diorama base together and built up the legs - you can see they have the Grumman heritage - think Wildcat undercarriage. I'll fit the legs to the module rocket section once the gold foil is fitted (still to decide which chocolate I'm going to buy). The leg bases are not glued to the ends of the legs and still adjust on their ball sockets.

Started to get the upper section of the module together by fitting the positioning rocket outlets but I'll need to paint in the area of the two 'windows' before I can fit them and close up this upper section. (The kit came with three sets of windows so a few spares here). Good old Airfix - we have a seam to fill/sand here and most of these small parts need a trim/sand before fitting.

I made up the lunar surface antenna and I was convinced the dish was not a good fit until I looked at the box art and realised that most of the support rod comes through the dish to represent the centre antenna. 

I'll get as much as I can assembled then hopefully spend the time on detailed painting to break the monotony of the white surfaces.

 

 

[Rabbit Leader]

I was hoping to see this one take shape Mike, it looks to be a lovely little kit and is well set off by that period boxart (which I sure hope you keep). 

 

This will no doubt get another production run next year as part of the Moon Landing 50th anniversary. I kinda reckon with all the euphoria that this will generate a ‘Space Race’ GB would probably get up for around then? 

 

Cheers.. Dave 

[Lawzer]

On 19/09/2018 at 13:14, Rabbit Leader said:

I was hoping to see this one take shape Mike, it looks to be a lovely little kit and is well set off by that period boxart (which I sure hope you keep). 

 

This will no doubt get another production run next year as part of the Moon Landing 50th anniversary. I kinda reckon with all the euphoria that this will generate a ‘Space Race’ GB would probably get up for around then? 

 

Cheers.. Dave 

Here's hoping!

 

I know someone who has an original 1978 airfix boxing space shuttle (i think it may still even be sealed) sitting in a spare room in her house....

 

Oh wait - it won't be a vintage Airfix GB will it.....😁

Edited September 25, 2018 by Lawzer

[Ventora3300]

Managed to extract some paper ash from the stove and sneaked off to apply it to the lunar base - Future floor polish painted on, avoiding the nameplate and feet positions, then a liberal sprinkling. I tapped off the excess then sprayed on a matt acrylic varnish (a la Big X landscapes inc.). The astronaut footprints in the base will be 'exposed' later.

 

 

The Ferrero Rocher chocolates are an expensive habit but the gold paper is just what we need for the lower part of the Lunar Module - just the right wrinkly texture. Stuck it on with PVA then trimmed back when dry.

Why was that surface gold in colour anyway?

 

Put some white around the window frames to allow the transparencies to go in next and getting on with painting some of the 'aluminium' surfaces. The top section is only placed in on the moment - I don't think I'll glue it in so that I can have it as a 'working feature'.

 

 

[Rabbit Leader]

Nice progress Mike, save a chocky for me! I reckon I’ll pick up one of these the first moment I see one. I also believe there’s a new movie called ‘First Man’ about to hit the screens in the next month or so - more motivation to open the wallet and splurge on Airfix goodies again. 

 

Cheers.. Dave 

[Jeepboy]

Ferror Rocher!!!  Obviously bought purely for the gold foil and the contents within will be discarded as superfluous to the build.   Good call following the demise of proper Bournville wrapping (and chocolate!).

 

I really enjoyed making this kit as a teenager and it looked a real showpiece too.  I remember spending ages painting the earth on the astronauts visor and varnishing it.....a great kit. 

 

"It's looking good" - bleeeep!

Edited October 12, 2018 by Mike
Removing unnecessary photo quote.

[Foxbat]

18 hours ago, Ventora3300 said:

The Ferrero Rocher chocolates are an expensive habit but the gold paper is just what we need for the lower part of the Lunar Module - just the right wrinkly texture. Stuck it on with PVA then trimmed back when dry.

Why was that surface gold in colour anyway?

Great build, brings back some memories of my own version back in the dim and distant.

 

The gold colour was incidental (or accidental, I'm not sure which). It just happened to be the colour of the metallic coating they used, See here for more than you ever knew you didn't want to know  Space Blanket

 

Andy

[Ventora3300]

59 minutes ago, Rabbit Leader said:

Nice progress Mike, save a chocky for me! I reckon I’ll pick up one of these the first moment I see one. I also believe there’s a new movie called ‘First Man’ about to hit the screens in the next month or so - more motivation to open the wallet and splurge on Airfix goodies again. 

 

Cheers.. Dave 

Thanks Dave, and as part of a bit of the research, I came across interview material from Neil Armstrong and 'Buzz' Aldrin' and recordings of the first landing. I'll look forward to seeing the new Movie too - the rest of the family might also be interested this time!

58 minutes ago, Jeepboy said:

Ferror Rocher!!!  Obviously bought purely for the gold foil and the contents within will be discarded as superfluous to the build.   Good call following the demise of proper Bournville wrapping (and chocolate!).

 

I really enjoyed making this kit as a teenager and it looked a real showpiece too.  I remember spending ages painting the earth on the astronauts visor and varnishing it.....a great kit. 

 

"It's looking good" - bleeeep!

Thanks Jeepboy - aha...that's a great idea for a reflection on the visor - 'Buzz' Aldrin said in an interview that the colours which stood out against the blankness of the moon's surface were the 'orange', black and white colour scheme of the Module and the blue of the Earth in the sky above his head - needed to crane his neck upwards which was difficult in the bulky space helmet. If I am really lucky then there will be a 'decal' available....

18 minutes ago, Foxbat said:

Great build, brings back some memories of my own version back in the dim and distant.

 

The gold colour was incidental (or accidental, I'm not sure which). It just happened to be the colour of the metallic coating they used, See here for more than you ever knew you didn't want to know  Space Blanket

 

Andy

Thanks Andy, that's a first class piece of information and it makes sense now why the gold colour is also present on the top surfaces of the Module's circular feet - to stop them burning away when the main motor is being fired to slow descent. 

[Ventora3300]

The mission to the Moon is still on track....courtesy of another build session in the back seat of the car during lunchhour! Got the windows mounted in the module and the top section closed up. Yes, there was a seam to fill and sand back - this is Airfix after all!

All the positioning rockets got mounted plus comms dishes and other various antennae  sub-assembled. The Astronauts got their backpacks and the experimental stations built up. In a separate session, the legs were spray painted silver and more gold foil added to the top surfaces of the feet before attaching to the base - still drying hence why it has assumed the 'dead bug' position.

The main rocket nozzle was painted dark grey and I'll do the inside black with scorch marks up the outside of the nozzle - a bit of 'weathering'?

 

 

What are all these bits? The Instructions have no text so no clues there. I came across some diagrams...

 

 

Popped all the various antennae on and mounted the top section onto the motor base - just placed at the moment because of course it separated for lift off from the Moon for the return to the Command Module.

 

 

I was reading up and there was an explosive guillotine between the two sections which cut the connecting cables just as the lift-off / ascent motor fired.

 

 

So, all the kit parts are assembled now, just the detailed painting to do. I'm going to start by spraying the top section in white in preparation for picking out all the details.

Edited October 5, 2018 by Ventora3300