Glencoe Retriever Rocket

Ah, this was a fun one. This is the Glencoe reissue of the old Strombecker "Lunar Reconnaissance Ship." It was apparently retasked by Glencoe because now it's the "Retriever Rocket", but either way, it's the same kit. In principle it consists of the top stage of the Strombecker "Three Stage Rocket" equipped with external fuel tanks and with a nuclear reactor in the nose stinger (I think the silver part is the nuclear reactor, and the red cone is part of the radiation shielding system). I like the contradiction between the rocket's pointy and aerodynamic shape and the decidedly non-aerodynamic chunkiness of the external fuel tanks. It can either be cool or it can cause nagging existential confusion; it's your choice.

It is great fun to build. The styrene used in this kit was very flexible and rubbery, so much so that I could twist the fuselage halves through 180 degrees without any sign of distress at all. Since the fuel tanks are external, the interior is almost entirely devoted to crew quarters, but little can be seen through the portholes so I didn't bother adding anything to the interior. I did find a complete and fully painted Tornado cockpit assembly in my junk box and glued it in under the windscreen, but hardly any of it can be seen, even up close (the windscreen is not very clear and doesn't fit very well either; experts may wish to chuck it entirely).

The rocket engine and fuel and oxidizer pipes are nicely done. Less nicely done is the steerable communications antenna. At least that's what I guess it is, the copper-colored thing atop the whole works. It would look much better as a photoetched part, but then again, the original Strombecker kit didn't feature PE, did it? I departed from the instructions by painting the "bottle suit" on the bottom airlock blue, something I shouldn't have done, but I've learned a lesson for next time, yes?

I painted the tanks in a mishmash of colors, mostly "desert mustard" and slate blue, the theory being that in a busy depot, crews would replace damaged tanks without paying much attention to their paint schemes (and I further presumed that the paint represented varying makes of tank insulation). The whole fuel tank assembly looks like trouble during the early stages of assembly, but once you get the tanks installed on the rings and the rings installed on the fuselage, it turns out to be surprisingly robust. Not robust, mind you, but not nearly as flimsy as one might think. The modern decals work well, but I wish there were more of them.

I love these old blast-from-the-past kits!