Revell Space Shuttle Orbiter 40th Anniversary (05673) 1:72

[Mike]

Space Shuttle Orbiter 40th Anniversary (05673)

1:72 Revell

 

 

The Space Shuttle is probably one of the most recognised air and space vehicles on this planet, so I won't go into raptures over its proud history, or the two tragic losses of ships and crew during its long and illustrious career.  This year marks the 40th Anniversary of the first flight of the first shuttle, the eventually ill-fated Colombia, on 12th April 1981, so it's not surprising to see that Revell have rereleased their large-scale kit again.

 

The Kit

The kit is one of Revell's own toolings from around the time that the first shuttles were bravely scything through the atmosphere into low earth orbit on a semi-regular basis.  It’s a product of the 80s, so don’t expect the latest moulding technology, but do expect large expanses of white styrene and some delicate raised tile patterns across the underside, and a mix of tiles and insulation blankets on the topsides and wings.  The Shuttle is pretty big, and covers a reasonably large area with its double-delta wings.  There is also an interior to the crew compartment, a basic payload bay interior with opening doors, and even a couple of figures to give it some human scale once you’ve finished building it.  The box is a large one, and is a top opener, with a fetching painting of the shuttle in orbit on the front.  Inside are 6 sprues of white plastic, one small sprue of clear parts, the instruction booklet and a set of decals.  This is a gift set variant, so comes with a pack of paints and a brush, although whether there’s enough of any colour in there to make it through the painting process?  Who knows?

 

 

There are two mouldings of this legendary space craft in this scale, and this one has some extra detail in the shape of raised lines of insulation tiles on the underside and the large "blankets" on the upper surfaces of the big delta wings.  Additional detail is present on the opening bay doors, flying (gliding?) surfaces, Reaction Control System (RCS) housings and the rear thruster bells.  Raised detail is also present on the rear bulkhead onto which the main engine bells attach, which is a welcome addition, as these looked very blank on the other tooling I have in my stash.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The crew cockpit is first to be constructed, with basic consoles and crew seats, which are improved by the addition of a comprehensive set of decals for the instruments – around 16 in total, which should give the impression of plenty of detail through the small windows of the flight deck.  This marks a significant improvement compared to earlier releases.  A crew member is provided to add to this area in a waving stance.  The fuselage halves have to be prepared before you can close it up, beginning with the two sets of windscreen glazing, which although they are crisp and clear, they’re not wholly accurate, as the window frames have a number of layers that are highly visible on the real thing.  A company called Accurate Model Parts produce a set that will build up the thickness necessary and make it look cool.  Just be aware that they’re an Australian product, and take a little effort to make up, but they’re worth it.  The nose gear bay and the front RCS panel are also fitted into the nose, and you’ve guessed it, someone has created a resin RCS panel and the so-called “beanie cap” that fits to the top of the cockpit.  Further back, the U-profiled cargo bay is put together with the two end-caps, and at the forward end is a piece of glazing for the overview window that allow the crew to keep an eye on the bay or their colleagues working outside in the vacuum of space.  With the rudder panel glued together, the fuselage can be joined around the cockpit, cargo bay and the pins of the rudder, then in quick succession, the fuselage is inserted into the lower wing between the two boxed-in main gear bays, with the two upper wings fitted over the top and slotting into the shaped fairing that is moulded into the fuselage.

 

 

 

The model looks very shuttle-like now, but still needs a lot of parts adding before it will pass muster.  At the rear, the elevator flap is glued together and inserted between two pegs in the rear of the fuselage, then the hole is covered up by the aft bulkhead, and joined by the RCS fairings.  Overhanging at the rear are two further RCS structures with the fine-control jets inside.  These are fitted together from three parts, plus a couple of small thruster bells next to the small(ish) bell that attaches to the rear bulkhead of the RCS box.  The three main engine bells are each made up from halves, and have big ribs running up their sides in concentric rings.  You can choose to work on the seams yourself, or pick up some aftermarket resin bells, which usually come with a full set of replacement parts.

 

The content of the shuttle bay are probably not all that accurate, but if you want to go crazy, yes you know it, RealSpace Models make a complete resin cargo bay, and even then you’ve got to create your own contents.  It’s probably a lot easier just to close up the doors!  If you elect not to, you make up a tubular European Space Agency (ESA) habitat module with a connecting corridor that has an exit in an inverted T-shaped upstanding section.  There is also a section of instrumentation with some boxes and lumps moulded into it, and to that is added a telescope-looking-thing (technical term) in a frame, with upstands and a clear lens.  In addition, a couple of small arms are installed into the equipment bay along with an old-skool video camera, presumably to check up on the space-spiders or space-lettuce that they were growing.  Those sections are inserted into the empty bay and secured with a set of pins and holes, then one side is lined by the manipulating Canadarm that the shuttle crews have used over the years to grab, handle and generally hold onto various experiments, other space craft, and even their own crew so they can work using both hands.  At the same time, the little waving crewman is inserted into the still-open crew compartment, and the bean-cap is made up with clear windows, another instrument panel with four more decals, then it is fitted over the cockpit and glued down if you wish.  This aspect of the kit seems to annoy modellers for some reason (possibly shape?), which explains why someone has made up a resin replacement.

 

 

 

The bay doors have slightly chunky toy-like hinges, and separate parts to represent the solar panels that provide the vehicle with electric power while it is in space.  The two doors are clipped in place using the flexibility of the plastic, and they can be left loose if you wish, leaving an antenna at full-width across the bay.  If you wish to close the doors, that part should be cut down to 65mm to ensure it doesn’t foul the closure.  Another figure in a space suit making a wide, expansive gesture with their left hand is included to be placed anywhere you like, really.

 

To depict your model in-flight, simply cut off the tabs to the main gear bay doors, and fit them flush with the lower skin.  To have your model ground-side, you should build up the three A-frame gear legs, which each have two wheels on their axles, plus a retraction jack for each one, and the unaltered bay doors for the mains, plus two more for the nose gear.

 

 

Markings

The shuttle flew in the usual white on top and black on the bottom, right?  Sort of.  The different types of insulation that were used on the upper surface varied very slightly between white tiles of a similar type fitted underneath, and large insulation sheets, or batting.  The batting was used where heat dissipation and strength wasn’t critical, and you can see roughly where those were by inspecting the raised panel lines on the model.  The black high-temperature tiles around the upper hot-spots changed now and again, so if you’re intent on getting it 100% you need to check your references thoroughly.  The leading edges of the wings had very strong but brittle grey panels, one of which was breached during launch to later cause the Columbia disaster on reentry, and then the rest of the underside and wrap-around areas are fitted with black high-temperature tiles that discolour to a streaky grey shade over time, and differences are seen due to replacements glued in place amongst the remaining tiles during maintenance sessions.  Some companies have produced tile decals for these models, and I’m lucky to have a few sets that makes creating the look a lot easier than painting or actually creating tiles of your own.

 

 

 

From the box you can build either Endeavour, Discovery or Atlantis, and there are a large number of drawings to help you achieve the correct look, and assist you with the tricky black areas around the cockpit, RCS thrusters at the front and rear.  There are also a number of surface details represented by decals, a ton of instrument decals for the cockpit, the NASA Meatballs, an ESA logo or two, and a number of US flags to help you along.  The rudder should be painted black initially, and is covered by a full set of surface decals that will leave the correct black parts visible afterwards.

 

Could you paint the whole model topside black, then white, and after it’s dry, could you gently buff the model until the black shows through on the top?  Could the opposite be done for the underside?  Spray grey through a mesh over a black undercoat? Cut individual tiles out of thin sheet from original plans and go insane? There are a lot of options out there to paint the model your way, so have at it!

 

 

Conclusion

It’s an old kit, but as we’re unlikely to get a new one any time soon, it’s about the best we’re going to get for the foreseeable future.  There is a good quantity of detail included, a really nice decal sheet, and those raised tile lines. It will still require care during the build process however, as it is a big kit made of large and sometimes flexible parts.  Take it slow and steady however, and you will end up with an excellent replica of this awe-inspiring part of space exploration history.  If you’re going to go crazy and super-detail it, there are a great deal of options open to you.  Get your wallet ready!

 

Highly recommended.

 

Currently, Revell are unable to ship to the UK from their online shop due to recent changes in import regulations, but there are many shops stocking their products where you can pick up the kits either in the flesh or online.

 

Revell model kits are available from all good toy and model retailers. For further information visit

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[saturnapollo]

I was thinking of getting one to replace my very old version, especially for the updated decal sheet.

 

However from the image you posted there are no grey worm decals for Columbia and pre meatball scheme or even the USA logo for the wing.

 

Keith

[GordonD]

One of the great things about being a pedant (Hi, Enzo!) is that it's never too late to submit a correction. Those things on the inside of the payload bay doors are not solar panels but radiators to dispel excess heat. The Orbiter used fuel cells to generate electrical power.

[cmatthewbacon]

I didn't spot this before. The correct position for the spacelab module, if you use it, is at the rear of cargo bay (CoG issues when landing). Fortunately, your local hardware shop has electrical conduit exactly the right size to fabricate longer connectors:

 

 

best,

M.