Posts: 74 From: Market Harborough, Leicestershire, UK Registered: Jun 2018
posted 07-11-2020 11:08 AM
I've just completed a Revell 1:144 Saturn V and really enjoyed it as my first model. Looking to add Mercury and Gemini models of the same scale and came across RealSpace Models, who make kits. Has anyone used them before?
Any feedback on the quality? Also, is resin harder to use than plastic kits? I'm very new to all of this!
Planetary Member
Posts: 25 From: Huntington Beach, CA, USA Registered: May 2013
posted 07-11-2020 01:19 PM
There's a huge difference between working with a resin kit and a plastic one. Resin kits often have better, more defined fine details but the flip side is there's often more flash, tabs and air bubbles that require cutting, sanding, filling, etc. And in working with resin, you should wear protection to prevent fine resin dust due to sanding, etc from getting inhaled and on your skin. You will use primarily Cyanoacrylate or "super glue" to assemble a resin kit and you need to be aware of specific types of paint (mostly acrylic) to paint a resin kit with as lacquer paints may not dry properly directly on a resin surface without a non-lacquer primer and remain "tacky" to the touch indefinitely.
Once you get up to speed working a resin kit, you'll probably find the medium very rewarding — certainly the range of subjects will open up for you.
Regarding RealSpace kits, I've bought numerous kits and the Apollo/Saturn blueprints (highly recommended, by the way) from them going back almost 15 years — never had an issue with service or kit quality. They are definitely still up and running, they've just released a 1/24 scale Lunar Orbiter kit in the past week. As with every business these days, response and shipping times may be slower compared to pre-Covid times so some patience will be needed.
There is a very basic explanation of tackling a resin kit on the RealSpace page under "Building Tips."
Here's a few more basic tutorials on working with resin kits:
Posts: 1904 From: United States Registered: May 2000
posted 07-11-2020 02:05 PM
RealSpace Models is top-notch, the best in the resin kit business in my opinion.
RSM and the other "garage kit" businesses started because many of the Revell and other brand-name styrene kits are simply not accurate (Airfix has the best Saturn kits, after they finally redid some of the details in 2009). You might want to get the RSM Apollo 1/144 to replace the top of the Revell kit.
I have built a lot of their 1/144 US rockets and they look great.
robtheblue Member
Posts: 74 From: Market Harborough, Leicestershire, UK Registered: Jun 2018
posted 07-11-2020 03:15 PM
Thanks for all the info guys. After reading that I'm not sure I'm ready for a resin kit.
Are there any decent plastic kits available for Mercury Redstone/Atlas and Gemini Titan in 1:144 scale? I can't find anything online.
Ben Member
Posts: 1904 From: United States Registered: May 2000
posted 07-11-2020 03:56 PM
For what it's worth, RealSpace Models' 1/144 Redstone, Atlas and Titan are among the easiest kits, good ones to start with. The Redstone is really just a tube and capsule. See these previews which have photos of the parts:
posted 07-12-2020 07:06 AM
I've bought several RealSpace kits from Glenn, including my very first resin kit. He's a great guy and I enthusiastically recommend his kits. And I see he's just come out with a Lunar Orbiter, something I've wanted for years!
If you are serious about modeling and want anything off the beaten path, you'll eventually end up working with resin kits or conversion parts. Note that working with resin is quite different from working with a regular styrene kit. Read up on how to clean, sand, join, and paint the parts. As noted earlier, starting with a simple rocket like the Gemini-Titan is a great way to learn about resin. Glenn's started substituting printed 3D pieces for parts that were difficult to cast, but working with printed parts is a lot like working with resin.
jgoldader Member
Posts: 22 From: Registered: May 2011
posted 07-12-2020 04:30 PM
Rob, I know resin can seem intimidating at first. It’s not actually scary stuff— I’ve even made a few molds and castings myself, in addition to building many resin kits. But it’s different. And if you want a nice big collection of 1/144 launch vehicles, you’ll need to do resin. You should give one of Glenn’s simpler kits a try.
From memory, in styrene in 1/144, there’s the Saturn I and V (there was a Skylab option available from Airfix) and shuttle (with and without the ET and SRBs) and a shuttle w/747. You can scare up one or two older Russian boosters, Vostok and maybe a couple others, from Airfix and Apex... and there was a newly tooled Buran (orbiter only, not with the Energiya launcher) that came out maybe last year.
There was also a nice little prepainted styrene kit of a Soyuz on a transport rail car that came out a year or two ago, which you might still be able to find at reasonable prices. It’s marked 1/144 but I believe it’s actually a little smaller.
robtheblue Member
Posts: 74 From: Market Harborough, Leicestershire, UK Registered: Jun 2018
posted 07-17-2020 05:29 AM
Thanks for all the opinions and advice. I have taken the plunge and ordered three RealSpace Models from Andromeda in Germany (as Glenn recommended) as the shipping costs are a bit cheaper to the UK.
Hopefully I won't make too much of a mess of them!
mjmackowski Member
Posts: 10 From: Gilbert, AZ USA Registered: Dec 2010
posted 07-21-2020 05:36 PM
I just finished building the RealSpace Models 1/48 Apollo CSM, and I have posted some videos on it here. Hope you find it helpful. I also have a book series on building space models at spaceinminiature.com.