Jump to content

Revell Apollo 11 Astronaut


Recommended Posts

Well i bought this as i had recently started the 50th Anniversary model of the Saturn V rocket also from Revell, thought i could plod along with this while the parts for the other are drying / gluing.  Only a simple model with just 24 parts so all down to the painting and finish really to make it look decent or so i thought......WRONG. This has to be the worst model i have ever encountered, the moulding is truly awful and not one single part fits together. The main astronaut ( we shall call him Neil form now on ) only consist`s of 10 parts yet it has taken me almost 3 hours to dry assemble. In the end i have had to clamp everything with elastic bands, and i mean lots of elastic bands and then shave all the edges to try and make them fit as best i can. Some parts were even the wrong shape as can be seen on the foot and the back pack looks like 2 pieces from different models lol. This has driven me mad and i`m sure i`m missing a finger as a result, i`m now going to completely dis-assemble Neil so i can sand all the edges best i can then attempt to glue him and leave him to set before i start filling the massive gaps. All been well once dried and filled i can start with the painting.....watch this space ( see what i did there ).

 

Leg Torso Pack Body

 

Edited by Ollie30
  • Like 6
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, they WERE knocked out as fast as they could to sell astronaut models...

 

I have one of the Revell First Space walk kits and you are quite right, the fit is awful.

Still nothing that a little putty and a lot of sanding won't fix.

 

Oh and some extra detail.

..and fresh decals, good paint, a decent base...

Welcome back to 1971!

 

Still, it DOES look a bit like Neil.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I used a lot of fillers on mine and there was lots of harsh filing but I got something decent out of it

Apollo%2011%20Astronaut%2C%2001s-M.jpg

 

Apollo%2011%20Astronaut%2C%2003s-M.jpg

 

A filler most useful on this kit is 'plastic soup

For this you dissolve waste plastic in liquid glue until its a gloopy mess.

Apply this along the joins before assembly, then squeeze the parts together and the soup will fill the gaps and also stick the parts together.

Downside of plastic soup is if you make it with too much glue it takes ages to harden - like many days or a week . . . . or two weeks. . . . 

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

What a nightmare that was, spent all weekend filling and sanding. in the end i had to use diamond files to flatten the seams then add detail back into the suit, just a few more passes with the 400 wet & Dry and he`s ready for the paint booth.

 

20200127_103004

 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ok so Neil's been in the paint booth, decided on a mix of grey white and white for the suit as i`ve never seen an Astronaut who looks like he`s just passed the DAZ door step challenge. Once the details and shadows have been picked out i think it will look OK, still not happy with some of the seams so he will be going back in after some more fine sanding. The moon diorama was painted using 3 shades of grey and the plaque will be picked out in brass then aged with a dark wash. Now to the shop to buy some rolo`s......

 

20200127_123850

 

20200127_123901

 

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

All Done, enjoyed the build even though it did my head in at times. Stole the foil idea from another builder and applied copper bands to the leg then rubbed it with a dark wash to kill the shine a bit. Added 2 extra oxygen supply hoses to the right side as the model only comes with 2 on the left, tried to add detail to make it look interesting like chrome studs and chrome couplings as well as some off white shading to pockets and folds to make them stand out a bit more. Really pleased with the face as i always struggle painting faces, they always look petrified with fear or have an expression which makes them look high lol. Left the camera off the chest as i thought it looked odd when positioned on.

 

20200201_133750

 

  • Like 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...