Metal Earth Apollo Lunar Module 3D Metal Model Kit Fascinations

Out of 8 models I've build this one is probably as hard if not harder than the Model T. The biggest problem with this is the order they have you install some of the items, the thrusters for one are so tiny and fragile - for them to have you install them right off the bat then have to work around building the rest of the structure without knocking these out was a challenge. There were many other components too that I ended up installing toward the end to avoid bending/braking. The biggest challenge though for this was it has you right away bend the shape of the major section, this wouldn't be a problem except in order to install the other panels you have to open this back up. I ended up opening and closing this so much that the panel actually snapped off, fortunately with all the tabs twisted in the end you could never tell this broke.It is an amazing model and I highly recommend this to anyone with patience, I do stay study the instructions first and ask yourself - is this step adding a small prone piece, if so can it be added later, and before I bend this will this inhibit me from adding another part without having to reopen it. If you do decide to do this I would also highly recommend buying Xuron 450BN Bent Nose Plier, 5 Inch Long Reach Needle Nose Pliers Jeweler Hand Tool, and Hakko CHP-170 Micro Soft Wire Cutter, 1.5mm Stand-off, Flush Cut, 2.5mm Hardened Carbon Steel Construction, 21-Degree Angled Jaw, 8mm Jaw Length, 16 G. These tools made it that much easier to bend the tabs in the smallest places.One more note on these is when bending a part for a wheel or to be round, use a nail, pen, Sharpie, highlighter, etc to use to bend the metal around, this will help keep the parts in the round form. My first model I did, the Model T I didn't think about this and the wheels didn't turn out as well as they could've.This model probably took me about 10 hours (I could be exaggerating here but it seemed like it), some of the other models such as the 747 took 45 minutes.

These models are a lot of fun! This actually was my first metal earth, and turned out amazing. Very fun to build, but this is probably not their easiest model and can be challenging to your patience. Especially if you don't have all the necessary tools that makes this process a bit easier.I wouldn't recommend this for kids! Teenagers yes, but not kids!Additional notes:- Beautiful model, very detailed.- It is a small model and some pieces are very fragile.- Be prepared because you may cut yourself! Pieces are very sharp and some are tiny.- If you don't have their tools, that's fine, but you may need to find the right ones around your house, small pliers, tweezers, etc to shape and mold the pieces.- Use a lamp or do it in a very bright setting, your eyes will need it.I'm on my quest to decide what's going to be my next model :).

I received mine (The LM) from Amazon today. It's *not* packaged like some of the other Metal Earth/Works kits I've seen in retail outlets like Barnes and Nobel bookstores which are packaged in nice small white boxes.This Lunar Module is in an odd scale, probably about 1/110 - 1/115 and stands about 2 1/2 inches tall when complete. It's a bit smaller in scale than any of the various Revell, Aoshima or Heller 1/96 - 1/100 LM plastic model kits. Completed, it will look exactly like the digital illustrations for the product. The Ascent and Descent stages are separate but designed to be permanently attached to each other. Obviously, there's some major details that aren't quite right (the windows are way too small, the thrusters too big, etc) and the fact it's a photoetch kit means some things like the tubes that comprise the landing gear are flat pieces that can't be rolled into proper tubes or cylinders but for the size and especially price, it's quite nice looking when completed.The really good news is that it looks to be exactly the same scale as the rudimentary toy-like LM included in the (supposedly 1/100) 4D Puzzle cutaway Saturn V. With a little work and some scratch-(re)building some of the tiny fiddly details, adding gold foil to the Descent Stage and painting (I'd leave the Ascent Stage unpainted steel because it looks cool except the black patterns and some white antenna to paint), it would likely make a vastly superior replacement LM for the 4D display for a bargain price (about 13 bucks).This kit's parts come on two small stainless steel metal sheets packaged in a slim paper package with two sheets of wordless instructions much like a small photoetch detail kit for trains or military model subjects. The kit requires above average skill with small, delicate photoetch/metal kits. Small needle nose pliers, a hard sharp hobby knife and some women's cuticle snips are the most important tools needed to cut the parts from the sheets and fold them. Assembly takes some patience and skill with tiny, delicate metal parts and it really helps if you are familiar with the subject beforehand. I would not recommend this kit for young kids and it is possible to cut your fingertips on small, sharp edges of some parts during assembly.All parts are held together by very tiny tabs and you really need to think through the assembly beforehand or you will get stuck trying to bend a few tabs in areas not even small tweezers will get to. The wordless instructions are good for identifying parts but you have to guess at times how certain parts form into a complex shape. The hardest part is rolling the little thrusters into cones - basically I used tiny medical forceps and tediously wrapped and formed each thruster around a steel pen tip. I didn't do any part modifications aside from using thin rod for the main landing gear legs in the "folded" position as the photoetch leg parts are flat pieces and way to short (although my scratch built legs are too long, lol!).My goal was to build it quickly, more as an experiment and an evening's fun than anything else. For my build up, I gold foiled the Descent Stage and painted the patterns on the Ascent Stage flat black with a brush as well as the two antenna dishes flat white. Because of the way the Descent Stage body goes together (top, left and right side of the body, two pieces for the bottom) I didn't even need glue to secure the foil to the parts, just bent the excess over backsides of the parts and putting the parts together holds the foil in place. I substituted thin brass rod for the main landing gear legs and bent the relevant parts to display the LM in it's pre-flight configuration to fit inside the 4D Fame Master Saturn V.It's a fun little diversion and I'll buy a few more as I think some parts might be usable to accurize similar scale plastic LM kits.

What a wonderful little build! It can be difficult at times, but the tools from the same company really do help!

IF, you can get this model together, and IF somehow you got a kit with accurately cut pieces, you MIGHT be able to have a nice looking lander. That's only IF you can deal with terrible instructions that are in that CHEAP, STUPID, UNDETAILED pictograph format like IKEA has with their furniture. This kit in particular has way too many small, intricate parts that need to be very carefully bent and very carefully put together for that type of format. Furniture, sometimes okay, model kits, hell no. I had to stop on this thing 1/3 of the way through because one of the stamped parts thought it was time to crack and become useless, much like the "directions" contained in the kit. If you need practice on your anger management skills, I highly recommend this kit, otherwise, I'd find a nice Monogram or Revell Lunar Lander kit, which is what I plan to do next. What a waste of cash!!!!!