Lindberg 1/96 U.S. Moon Ship Kit First Look

By Michael Benolkin

First Look

Years before President John F. Kennedy declared in 1961 the U.S. goal to send man to the moon, scientists and engineers had been developing concepts for what such a spacecraft might look like. Some of these concepts made it into model kit form and such is the case with this U.S. Moon Ship kit. First released in 1958, this kit has been issued in various boxings over these decades. When Round 2 Models acquired the molds for the Lindberg Line, here is one of the first kits they've released.

Molded in white styrene, this kit is presented on two parts trees plus the two main tank assembly halves and a tree of transparent red parts. The kit consists of 41 parts and the molds are in surprisingly good condition for their age.

The surface detailing on the tanks and crew capsule is finely molded raised rivets and panel lines. This might best be sanded smooth before any filling and painting. The four main struts that form the exoskeleton and landing gear have lightening holes molded in place which was impressive for 1958.

The five rocket motors are mounted to the bottom of the vehicle in a prophetic array that we'd later see on the first stage of the Saturn V nearly a decade later. The engines as well as the nine port holes on the crew capsule are molded in clear red which are novel but I dread the thought of LED lighting in one of these.

The kit assembly is straightforward and won't take very long at 41 parts. To see this kit built-up, check out our quick-build here.

If you want something different to add to your spaceflight shelf, this is definitely old school and will provide a nice retro look between your V1 and your Space Shuttle.

My sincere thanks to Round2 Models for this review sample