Buy 1/72 Apollo II Saturn V1/72 Apollo II Saturn V Product Description:
- This is a plastic model kit. Assembly and painting is required.
- Paint and glue is NOT included.
- Contains parts to build one model.
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The DML Saturn V Model Rocket Kit
By D. C. Shoemaker
Called Nova while under theoretical discussion in the late `50s, Wernher von Braun called the rocket Saturn because it was the next planet after Jupiter, the name of his previous rocket, an IRBM initially developed for the Army and handed over to the Air Force when the Army was relieved of responsibility for large rockets.As the biggest, heaviest and most powerful rocket ever produced, the original Saturn V stood 110.6m high and had a diameter of 10.1m. The Saturn V was the heavy lifter for NASA's Apollo program between 1967 and 1973. Able to launch a 45-ton payload into space beyond Low Earth Orbit, no Saturn V ever failed. Three remain, one at Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral FL, one at Marshall Space Flight Center (the former Redstone Arsenal, home of von Braun's Army Ballistic Missile Agency) in Huntsville AL and one at Johnson Space Center at Houston TX.In the years since Apollo 8 captured the world's attention, there have been several plastic model kits of the Saturn V rocket. First to market was Monogram's 1/144th scale version, in January 1969 for about $4.00. A rush job, they took shortcuts with the engines, especially the J-2s on the second stage that were present only in their lower halves below the S-II heat shield. Interestingly, they got the third stage J-2 engine right, so the problem was likely the early drawings they worked from. They did provid a boost protective cover, often omitted. With decent decals and a base, it made up into a nice model for the time.Revell followed a few months later with an impressive 1/96th scale model using a unique method of making the boosters, pre-painted sheet plastic with molded ends to keep the proper shape. This made it almost impossible to paint the large tanks on the model if the builder so wished. Engines were better than Monogram's, but no boost protective cover. The odd scale derived from Revell's already existing Apollo CSM and LM models, included with the Saturn kit. These were unfortunately based on prototype drawings and were seriously inaccurate, but had the virtue of reducing development time and cost. At almost four feet tall, it made a striking model for $12.00, but costs at least $55.00 for corrected resin F-1 engines and CSM from RealSpace, and probably $125.00 for a comprehensive upgrade set from NewWare. An expensive proposition for an old kit, especially in light of the new DML model.Next came Airfix with their 1/144th scale kit. Coming last, it was overall the most accurate of the three, but at the original price of $10.00, more than twice the cost of Monogram's model. Despite the typically poor decals of the time, it still made up into a nice looking model, better in all respects except cost than Monogram's, and more accurate than Revell's.Along the way, others companies offered kits. The only ones worth mentioning are AMT's in 1/200th scale. The Saturn came in two forms, as part of a set with a Mercury-Redstone, a Gemini-Titan and a Saturn IB and as a stand-alone kit. Too small to be seriously considered, it was nevertheless reasonably accurate for its size, but lacked the boost protective cover. I have not included the Estes 1/100th scale flying Saturn V, which looked good as a completed static model but lacked the component detail.All of these are still available in one form or another, with Monogram's kit about $40.00, Airfix's at around $50.00, and Revell's at about $100.00 and up (if you can find one.) Replacement decals for all three kits can be found on the Internet in the fifteen to thirty-dollar range, and they greatly improve the models. I've given the price information, such as it is, to illustrate that the next kit on the list is more of a bargain than you might at first think.DML now gives us a 1/72nd scale kit based, in the same way as Revell, on their earlier Apollo CSM/LM kits, which in turn are based on their line of pre-built die-cast display models. The kit represents by far the most accurate Saturn V model, far superior to Revell's. Perfectionists will still need to add a few missing details like the EVA light missing from the Command Module, and you may want to add the Radio Thermal Generator to the LM descent stage, depending on how much you choose to make visible. At almost five feet tall, it cannot fail to impress. Nor can the price, $160.00 retail, or about $120.00 on the street. The original assembled display model retails for about $369.00, and are somewhat hard to find.The kit contains the components of their earlier 1/72nd scale Apollo 10 kit, including the Launch Escape System and boost protective cover, a clear adapter section to show the LM if desired, and the full CSM. Sadly missing are the etched brass Service Module antenna dishes, but depending on how the finished model is displayed, this will not be noticed. Stages can be fixed together, left separate, or disassembled for examination, as desired. All the visible detail is reproduced on the three rocket stages, although some modelers may want to drill out and replace the molded-on S-4B helium tanks with spheres. The kit comes with accurate decals for Apollo 11 and a stable circular base with an aluminum support tube to allow it to be freestanding on the floor, about the only place it will fit; even the average mantelpiece will likely not be long enough to display it JSC-style. The Saturn V F-1 engines are usually shown "bare," and the Dragon kit follows this standard. For flight they were foil-wrapped to help control the heat load from the other engines. You're on your own for this, but the size of the engines makes it easier than before.In summary, a spectacular model of the gratest rocket ever built. No space enthusiast should miss out on this one, and not that costly for what you get. Highly recommended.
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