Moebius Models

The "Voyager"

Kit Number: 831

Reviewed by  Dick Montgomery, IPMS# 14003

MSRP: $24.99 (approx) Review kit graciously supplied by Moebius Models ( www.moebiusmodels.com ) Moebius Models is releasing kits formerly released and retailed by Aurora, and I, for one, am very excited about seeing these classic kits from days long gone being issued once again. The Voyager is based on a vehicle found in Saturday cartoons and loosely based on the movie, "Fantastic Voyage". The box art features a photo of an actual assembled model "flying" through a "science-themed" landscape. Inside the box one finds two "post cards". The first advertises some additional Moebius releases due in the first half of 2008. Those releases are the Seaview Sub, The Chariot from Lost in Space, Conan the Barbarian, the Invisible Man, and the Space Pod from Lost in Space. The other card features some publications available from CultTVMan. There are 35 pieces, well molded and with no appreciable flash and very few sink marks. One gets the basic shape of the craft and there is little in the way of molded detail on the fuselage and wings.

There is only one decal for the kit, that item being a name plate which is applied to the model display stand. The display stand is molded in clear plastic as are the "windscreen" and pilot's dome. The clear parts are, well, clear, and everything else is molded in white plastic. This model is a very easy kit to assemble and lots of fun! If you are an aficionado then there simply aren't any negative aspects of this kit. From start to finish this kit consumed about 120 minutes of actual hands-on modeling time. There is no need to speed much time on the aft cabin of the interior. It will not be visible. The forward cockpit, however, is fully visible through the windscreen and can be painted to bring out the molded detail. Seams are not much of an issue. The pieces fit well and those few gaps that are present can be filled with minimal effort and only a small amount of seam filler. There are a pair of mold release marks on the horizontal stabilizer that will need to be sanded out. There are also some small mold release marks on the floor of the upper pilot's cockpit. These marks definitely need to be removed. They will be visible through the canopy bubble. The only real issue is the vertical support for the flying horizontal stabilizer. The support consists of two pieces and a moderate amount of sanding will hide the seam along which these two pieces are joined. The other area that will require a bit of work is the area along the support where it slips into the "fuselage". No real problem, just a bit of putty and the seam will disappear. There is nothing left to do but apply the sole decal to the display stand and attach the Voyager to the stand. And there you have it. A very simple and easy kit to build, this kit is really a great kit for young beginners. For those of us that remember the original Aurora line of products this kit is a real blast from the past. While to price may seem to be rather a little high, this kit is highly recommended for its ease of assembly and nostalgia value.

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