Scale Plastic & Rail

1/144 International Space Station (ISS)

1/144 International Space Station (ISS)
Revell of Germany
Catalogue # 04841
RRP £39.99

This was an unexpected and pleasant surprise when I received my review samples from Revell of Germany. Apart from the recent Space Shuttle from the same, this is only the second ‘space’ kit I have seen in about 30 years. I must have lived a sheltered life.

Hang on! This is supposed to be a 1/144, so why is the box so big and fairly heavy? I had absolutely no idea the size of this subject until this arrived, and I have to say that this will be quite a project to build, and certainly not a quick build. This kit comes in a large box with a superb and very inspirational art work on the lid. Some very good colour images around the edge show the completed model on its display stand. Thank you Revell for a proper ‘top opener’ box too, but in hindsight, a typical ‘end opener’ box wouldn’t have supported the kits weight.

Upon opening the box, we are faced with a white cardboard box containing two identical sprues of silver plastic; a bag containing the very large display stand with moulded ‘Earth’ upper hemisphere and a sprue of white plastic; a VERY large bag containing 2 silver sprues and one white, and another large bag containing 3 sprues of medium-dark blue plastic. Another smaller bag is nestling in the box too, and this contains various long and short tubes, both square and circular, of polished aluminium rod, for supporting the various assemblies which make up the ISS.

In total, 183 parts comprise this kit, as well as a surprisingly small decal sheet containing the logos from the individual countries which supplied the ISS modules. The A4 instruction manual is a goliath. It is a 24 page epic, with the usual black and white drawn instructional steps, clearly presented, and containing 59 stages!

Where do we start?

The ISS, as stated, comprises of different modules all interlocked and woven in between a network of large solar panelled plates. It is a very impressive sight and will look impressive with this kit, especially when you see the dimensions: 74.5cm long x 50.0cm width and an incredible 40.6cm depth. Yes, you will need some serious shelf space to display this kit.

Looking at the part sprues, this model was originally produced in 2000, and stated as Revell AG (Germany). The reason I mention this is that I was a little unsure of the kits pedigree, having seen it described in an old internet article as ‘Revell-Monogram’.

It is very difficult to assess this kit like I would normally, as I simply am not familiar with the ISS. With this in mind, my review of the overall parts breakdown will be one of general observation.

Perusing the total of 9 sprues, a small quantity of flash is visible, and this is more often than not on the silver sprues. I have seen this before with silver plastic and it must be something to do with the qualities of the plastic which causes this. Having said that, all of these parts are very well moulded, albeit with the detail being a little softer than the other coloured sprues. There are a number of ejector pin marks too. Some will need filling, but some of the ones which would have been more awkward are ‘positive’ marks and will simply need sanding down to remove totally.

 

With regard to ‘panel line’ detail, it’s very difficult for me to ascertain what would be correct or incorrect, but what there is either very finely engraved or raised. There is no issue in my eyes with any of this particular detail. As said, the rendering of both types of panel line is very fine in most cases.

This is quite odd, but now I’ll move to the white sprues. The quality of these is perhaps a little sharper, or it may just be the swirly silver which makes the others look a little softer. There are 2 white sprues within this kit, and they seem to comprise parts for the plethora of small individual modules which would dock with the ISS. Moulding and detail is very good, and even includes some very well represented Astronauts (or Cosmonauts, if you are Russian).

The blue sprues contain something I can identify, namely the solar wings and other associated parts. These parts seem flash free mostly, and with a few ejector pin marks on some surfaces. With the size of these parts, this really couldn’t have been avoided, and they aren’t too bad, so shouldn’t take long to remove.

Mentioned earlier was the display stand. This is a large single piece measuring about 20cm x 30cm, with positioned holes in which to mount the aforementioned polished aluminium mounting rods. The detail on the ‘Earth’ element is very delicate and will need some delft painting skills and some patience to complete properly.

The decal sheet is quite small, but beautifully printed in perfect register, again in Italy. Revell seem to have a very good working formula here, whether that company is Cartograf or not. Some of the international Space Agency logos are designed to adorn the base.

The 24 page A4 instruction manual, is very clear to follow and everything is well illustrated and should present no problems in construction. Yes, 59 stages!

So what do we think?

This is actually a very nice model kit which I consider to be realistically priced, and if time is taken to properly remove the many joint lines which this model inevitably has, and provided it is painted sympathetically, will produce an amazing looking replica. The photos on the box side are testimony to that, so use those as your finishing reference! Recommended.

Overall 8/10

Many thanks to Revell of Germany for the review sample. This models RRP is £39.99, but check your local shop/online retailer for their own pricing. Wonderland Models stock this model in the UK for £35.99.