GreenStrawberry 1/350 Star Explorers Kit First Look
By Michael Benolkin
| Date of Review | June 2018 | Manufacturer | GreenStrawberry |
|---|---|---|---|
| Subject | Star Explorers Kit | Scale | 1/350 |
| Kit Number | DP05 | Primary Media | Resin, Photo-Etch |
| Pros | Nice kit | Cons | See text |
| Skill Level | Experienced | MSRP (USD) | $40.95 w/free shipping |
First Look
GreenStrawberry is an interesting aftermarket company based in the Czech Republic that produces primarily detail sets for science fiction kits as well as kits of their own. This release is a beautiful spacecraft inspired by the science fiction movies from the 1950s.
Many of those early concepts were based upon the V-2 rocket which continued to fly from White Sands Missile Range after World War 2 as the US began to reverse-engineer German rocketry and build on that technology for the future. Unlike the V-2, science fiction movie rockets would usually take off into space and later return to land on their tails, a concept called SSTO (Single Stage to Orbit) which is still not yet possible. McDonnell Douglas test-flew the Delta Clipper (DC-X) which indeed could take-off and land vertically, but the program terminated before it could fly into orbit and return. Others explored the technology until Elon Musk and Space-X were able to launch the Falcon and Falcon Heavy into space and return the first stage to the launch site. While the Falcons are engineering marvels, they still don't have SSTO, which is what the science fiction rockets of the 1950s could routinely do. While the Falcons do reach space, they are still multi-stage rockets, and the returning first stages never reach orbital velocity.
This Star Explorers kit is a beautiful kit consisting of the main rocket fuselage, three fins, three separate control surfaces, and the main rocket engine. These are all cast in gray resin with no bubbles and feature some nice detailing. This kit also consists of a fret of photo-etched parts which include a boarding ladder, cargo carts generator cart, engine details, and an optional entry hatch.
Assembly will be very straightforward once the casting blocks are removed and the mating surfaces matched-up. Much of the fun of this kit will be to create a retro-futuristic paint scheme or simply use the pattern depicted on the box art.
If you want an interesting subject for your model shelf or contest table, try this beauty out!
This kit is available from HobbyZone USA with free shipping.
My sincere thanks to HobbyZone USA for this review sample!