Convair Manned Lunar Reconnaissance Vehicle (1958)

Scale: 1/100
Initial Release: 1958
Medium: Styrene
Kit Rarity: 5

About the Design

This utilitarian spacecraft design was the work of Krafft Ehricke, the German-born aerospace engineer whose concepts closely paralleled those of his fellow countryman, Dr. Wernher Von Braun. To be assembled from spent booster parts -- an idea widely favored by first-generation spacecraft designers -- the Lunar Reconnaissance Vehicle was a fully powered spacecraft, one capable of leaving Earth's orbit. Its mission: To chart the lunar surface in preparation for a manned moon landing (A mission identical to that of Disney's RM-1 Moon Rocket, also found in this section).

About the Kit

This was one of three Krafft Ehricke concept kits Strombecker released in the late 1950s, companion pieces to their earlier Disney "Man in Space" collection. Although Glencoe Models had planned to re-release this classic Strombecker kit in the 1990s, it never happened. Today, original copies show up occasionally on Ebay, fetching premium prices.  

This model was built from the original 1958 issue.