Mobius 2001 Space Clipper in 1/72 due early 2022

[Electric Indigo]

They wanted to make sure you catch all the detail from the other corner of the room...

[Kallisti]

On 10/25/2022 at 7:23 PM, Jeddahbill said:

  No Pan Am decals.

 

 

That is not in the least bit surprising, the current owners of the Pan Am IP want silly amounts of money for licencing!

Edited October 27, 2022 by Kallisti

[Dark Knight]

On 10/25/2022 at 1:23 PM, Jeddahbill said:

Just had a look at the production kit parts on the HobbyTalk forum.  A little disappointed, it appears that Moebius could have done better and produced a really superb kit with just a little more effort.

 

Panel details on the fuselage are very pronounced and looks awkward.  Exhaust area is smooth, no strip details included.  No flight crew or passengers figures included.  No landing gear included which would have been great as it can be a problem to display such a large model on a stand.  No Pan Am decals.

 

The two wrap around strips on the fuselage behind the hatch as seen on the preproduction images are still there - I have yet to see these on any photos of the filming model.  Not sure why they included these, but they will be difficult to remove.  I included these on my 44" build a few years ago to hide a large part seam and later Larsons Designs oddly added them also to their 1/72 resin kit mastered by Alfred Wong.  Have yet to see these anywhere else.

 

Interior parts look very good and the wings appear to be correct, but may have some overly thick panel details.  With some work to correct the surface detail flaws and the addition of figures, decals and lighting this kit can probably look fantastic.

 

Bill

So now if you want to be screen accurate you've go to shave those 2 strips, arrghh, this is what happens when people copy off other peoples work, has anyone produced some unlicensed pan am decals yet?

[Jeddahbill]

3 hours ago, Dark Knight said:

So now if you want to be screen accurate you've go to shave those 2 strips, arrghh, this is what happens when people copy off other peoples work, has anyone produced some unlicensed pan am decals yet?

HDAmodelworx has a nice set of decals for this kit.  Includes cockpit and passenger cabin decals along with several exterior details.

 

Despite my reservations about the kit accuracy, I went ahead and ordered one along with decals.  Should arrive tomorrow.  I will post some images when the package arrives.

 

Bill

[Jeddahbill]

Here is the link for the HDAmodelworx decal set.  I used their decals on my 1/144 scale Discovery XD-1 build and they were excellent.

 

https://hdamodelworx.com/SPACE-CLIPPER-DECAL-SET-with-Hull-Markings-Interior-and-kit-replacements-for-the-large-scale-Moebius-Models-172-Scale-Plastic-Model-kit_p_1120.html

 

Regards,

Bill

[Jeddahbill]

Greetings!

Received the Moebius 1/72 Space Clipper Orion today along with decals from HDAmodelworx.  After quickly going through the parts it looks to be a very good kit.  Not great, but very good.  Perhaps a bit more attention to detail and Moebius could have had a truly great kit.

Parts appear well formed with crisp detail and no flash - fit unknown at this point.   Pan Am markings are absent from the kit, but are available from aftermarket sources.  Unfortunately no flight crew or passenger figures are included.  No landing gear included, but a large clear display stand is provided.  Some small details seen on the filming model are absent and other details not seen on the filming model have been strangely added to the kit.  Clear wing tip and landing lights are included, but all of the clear parts are a bit distorted especially the cockpit windscreen.  Interior parts are really nicely done and there is room for lighting both the flight deck and passenger cabin.  Probably not too difficult to light the wing tip and landing lights.  Two extra passenger seats included.   The thin strips in the engine exhaust area are absent, but these should not be difficult to add.  A few errors in the instructions, in particular the section on decals.  No painting guide provided for the interior.  The HDAmodelworx decals include the Pan Am marking and many interior details for the flight deck and passenger cabin.

I like this kit.  It has some flaws and is lacking a few details, but it should look great out of the box and even better with aftermarket details that are certain to appear soon.  I am certainly no expert on this subject, hopefully those more familiar with the Orion can provide a better review of this kit. 

Bill

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 1, 2022 by Jeddahbill

[Jeddahbill]

More images.

 

 

 

 

[Kallisti]

I've put my pre-order in with Jumblies, will need to get those aftermarket decals as well...

[Ngantek]

Looks great, I'm looking forward to seeing your build. I wonder when the long promised 1/350 one is coming...

[Jeddahbill]

4 hours ago, Ngantek said:

Looks great, I'm looking forward to seeing your build. I wonder when the long promised 1/350 one is coming...

Many thanks!  The 1/350 version just became available, have a look online.

 

Bill

[Ngantek]

22 minutes ago, Jeddahbill said:

Many thanks!  The 1/350 version just became available, have a look online.

 

Bill

Ahh great. I might wait to see if any make it to Telford. 1/350 is about all my house (and wallet!) can manage!

[Jeddahbill]

Had a better look at the parts earlier today.  The interior does not appear to be 1/72, closer to 1/90 or 1/100 scale.   Tested various 1/72 scale figures, all far too large.  1/100 scale train passenger figures fit nicely and look good in the seats.  Interior parts fit well in the fuselage and there is room for lighting except perhaps the flight deck overhead which has a very small space for lighting.  

 

Bill

[Jeddahbill]

Perhaps some nice things in the works for the Orion.  Image from Paragrafix.

 

 

 

[Kallisti]

I got the kit at Telford - it looks lovely, really looking forward to building it!

[Jeddahbill]

I have decided to place the Space Clipper kit in storage for now until I can decide how to proceed.   A closer look at the parts and how they fit revealed many issues, some requiring much work to correct.  Also, I want to see what the aftermarket companies will offer for this kit.  Disappointed with Moebius on this kit.

 

Bill

[Space Ranger]

5 hours ago, Jeddahbill said:

I have decided to place the Space Clipper kit in storage for now until I can decide how to proceed.   A closer look at the parts and how they fit revealed many issues, some requiring much work to correct.  Also, I want to see what the aftermarket companies will offer for this kit.  Disappointed with Moebius on this kit.

 

Bill

Exactly my thoughts as well.

[GordonD]

What specifically is wrong with this kit?

[Jeddahbill]

On 1/26/2023 at 6:42 AM, GordonD said:

What specifically is wrong with this kit?

Hello Gordon,

 

The kit unfortunately has some glaring issues which are very disappointing considering it is a new tool and the abundance of information currently available on the filming model.  My overall impression is that Moebius squandered the opportunity to produce a truly excellent kit.  Specific flaws include:

 

• There are two prominent raised strips on the fuselage just behind the hatch where the leading edge of the wing meets the fuselage.  These do not appear on the filming model.  Several years ago I added these strips to my build of the 1/48 scale Atomic City Orion so as to hide a very nasty seam in the resin parts.  I believe that Alfred Wong copied these from my build when he mastered the 1/72 Orion for Larson Designs.  Moebius then copied the strips from my build and/or the Larson Designs kit.  Removing these strips is not an easy task.
• Engine exhaust area is smooth in the kit.  This area should have narrow strips or channels as seen on the studio models.
• Almost all of the raised panels are far too thick. 
• Parts seam along top of fuselage is just horrible.
• Panels between the passenger windows lack detail visible on filming models.
• Clear parts are poorly formed, very much like bottle glass.
• There appears to be a wide gap between the assembled passenger cabin and the inside of the fuselage which results in an noticeable void when looking through the windows.
• Instructions are sloppy and confusing with elements copied from the smaller Orion kit, especially section on decals.
• Perhaps the fuselage contour is too rounded?  The filming model appears to flatten a bit more at the top.  I am not certain, but the studio model photos seem to show a different fuselage profile shape.  Maybe not very noticeable, but it would be nearly impossible to correct on the kit.

I expected better from Moebius.  Far too many issues for the price of the kit.

 

Regards,

Bill

 

 

[SallysDad]

1 hour ago, Jeddahbill said:

Hello Gordon,

 

The kit unfortunately has some glaring issues which are very disappointing considering it is a new tool and the abundance of information currently available on the filming model.  My overall impression is that Moebius squandered the opportunity to produce a truly excellent kit.  Specific flaws include:

 

• There are two prominent raised strips on the fuselage just behind the hatch where the leading edge of the wing meets the fuselage.  These do not appear on the filming model.  Several years ago I added these strips to my build of the 1/48 scale Atomic City Orion so as to hide a very nasty seam in the resin parts.  I believe that Alfred Wong copied these from my build when he mastered the 1/72 Orion for Larson Designs.  Moebius then copied the strips from my build and/or the Larson Designs kit.  Removing these strips is not an easy task.
• Engine exhaust area is smooth in the kit.  This area should have narrow strips or channels as seen on the studio models.
• Almost all of the raised panels are far too thick. 
• Parts seam along top of fuselage is just horrible.
• Panels between the passenger windows lack detail visible on filming models.
• Clear parts are poorly formed, very much like bottle glass.
• There appears to be a wide gap between the assembled passenger cabin and the inside of the fuselage which results in an noticeable void when looking through the windows.
• Instructions are sloppy and confusing with elements copied from the smaller Orion kit, especially section on decals.
• Perhaps the fuselage contour is too rounded?  The filming model appears to flatten a bit more at the top.  I am not certain, but the studio model photos seem to show a different fuselage profile shape.  Maybe not very noticeable, but it would be nearly impossible to correct on the kit.

I expected better from Moebius.  Far too many issues for the price of the kit.

 

Regards,

Bill

 

 

Thanks, Bill, for your effort. 

Yes, it is very disappointing. And you are right, they could have done a much better job on it with all the references. There is even a 4K BR of the movie now, with better detail (The detail might even be better than what I saw in the theatre). I agree, for the money, a big disappointment. I know wheel wells/landing gear did not exist in the movie, but that is something I prefer to include with a kit.

 

Yours,

Randolph

[GordonD]

Thanks for the in-depth reply. Given that my stack includes both the Aries 1B and the EVA pod I won't be going out of my way to get an Orion too!

[Jeddahbill]

On 1/27/2023 at 11:43 AM, SallysDad said:

Thanks, Bill, for your effort. 

Yes, it is very disappointing. And you are right, they could have done a much better job on it with all the references. There is even a 4K BR of the movie now, with better detail (The detail might even be better than what I saw in the theatre). I agree, for the money, a big disappointment. I know wheel wells/landing gear did not exist in the movie, but that is something I prefer to include with a kit.

 

Yours,

Randolph

Good point on the landing gear, I forgot to mention this earlier.  A kit this size should include these parts as an option to the display stand.  I realize landing gear were never seen on the filming model, but I still believe they should be included.

Many thanks Randolph for mentioning this item.

Regards,

Bill

3 hours ago, GordonD said:

Thanks for the in-depth reply. Given that my stack includes both the Aries 1B and the EVA pod I won't be going out of my way to get an Orion too!

The Aries 1B, EVA Pod and Discovery XD-1 kits from Moebius are really much better than the Orion.  I have decided to place the Orion into storage for now.  Perhaps some of the problems with the kit will be corrected with aftermarket items.

Regards,

Bill