Daedalus Mars Lander

from "Mars" (2016-2018)

Scale: 1/288
Initial Release: 2021
Medium: Resin
Height: 8.25 inches (20.96 cm)
Kit Rarity: 2

About the Design

Produced for the National Geographic TV network and subsequently broadcast on the Netflix streaming service, "Mars" was a "hard science" look at the rigors and challenges of colonizing the Red Planet. Shifting from the present day to the 2030s, the show intercut interviews with real aerospace scientists and entrepreneurs such as Neil deGrasse Tyson and Elon Musk with a long-form fictionalize narrative that followed Earth's first crewed foray to Mars and ultimate colonization.

In the series, the first crewed Mars landing was achieved by the spaceship Daedalus, a single-stage Ascent/Descent vehicle "as tall as a 14-story building." Although the Daedalus was designed to serve as the crew's main habitat for the first year (while a suitable subterranean colony site could be scouted), problems upon landing forced the astronauts to abandon their vehicle soon after touchdown.

About the Kit

This 1:288 resin model kit was released in mid-2021. The CAD model was designed by Scott Lower, the decals designed by JBOT.