Pegasus Hobbies 1/72 Apollo 27 Rocket Kit First Look
By Michael Benolkin
| Date of Review | January 2010 | Manufacturer | Pegasus Hobbies |
|---|---|---|---|
| Subject | Apollo 27 Rocket | Scale | 1/72 |
| Kit Number | 9101 | Primary Media | Styrene |
| Pros | Fun kit reflecting where we might have gone with the Apollo program | Cons | Nothing noted |
| Skill Level | Basic | MSRP (USD) | $17.99 |
First Look
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As described in the kit instructions:
"Blast off into the unknown and explore the farthest reaches of the Cosmos with the new Apollo 27 Rocket! Designed to safely transport its two man crew to wherever their mission takes them, it also provides them with an all around view which was never available to the other astronauts who traveled before them. Hyper-dynamo-tension rocket engines give the Apollo 27 an acceleration that staggers the mind, and yet completely protects the crew from the massive amounts of G's that would normally crush them! Mars is just a hop away now!"
Pegasus Hobbies had several interesting kit prototypes on display at the 2008 iHobbyExpo reflecting their entrance into the budget-minded science-fiction hobby market. This particular subject of the 'Apollo 27' is an interesting caricature of what spaceflight might have looked like had we continued to push manned spaceflight beyond Earth's orbit.
The kit is molded in white styrene and presented on two parts trees, plus a single clear styrene part for the bubble canopy.
The strut-mounted booster engines look like stylized von Braun V-1/A-4 bodies without their fins. Even the main fuselage has the curved lines of the V-1/A-4 rocket with the exception of the distinctive bubble canopy and the main engine nozzle which looks similar to an F-16's afterburner nozzle.
As you could imagine, assembly of this model is going to be easy and relatively quick. Where the magic will happen is how much effort you put into the paint job to bring out the details.
A set of waterslide decals are provided that are reminiscent of the Apollo Saturn V markings, which matches up with the black and white colors depicted on the box art to stylize the appearance of Apollo 27 to resemble the old Saturn launch vehicle.
This kit looked like it might be a fun build-up project when I spotted it at iHobbyExpo and I'm certainly not disappointed with the kit now that it is on the street. With an MSRP of under $18.00 USD, Pegasus Hobbies continues its tradition of providing interesting subjects at a budget price!
My sincere thanks to Pegasus Hobbies for this review sample!