Rocketship Luna from "Destination Moon" (1950)
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Scale: N/A
Initial Release: 1980s Medium: Resin Kit Rarity: 4 |
About the Design
Purportedly, science-fiction novelist and "Destination Moon" screenplay co-writer Robert Heinlein originally wanted his Luna moon rocket to be a scientifically plausible multi-stage vehicle. But his producers nixed the idea, doubting the general public's ability to grasp such an "esoteric" concept. Instead, they opted for this classic single-stage "winged ogive" design created by Ernst Fegte based on an earlier concept developed by the film's science advisor, celebrated space artist Chesley Bonestall. Based heavily on Germany's V-2 rocket, the result was the first of the classic 50's-era "rocketships," its influence subsequently felt in everything from TV spaceships like the Orbit Jet from "Rocky Jones - Space Ranger" to the Hugo Award trophy, first bestowed on science-fiction writers in 1953.
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About the Kit
The Luna was one of the first resin sci-fi kits produced by Lunar Models in the mid-1980s. Early versions came with the rocket only. Subsequent releases included an exterior ladder and cratered lunar base.
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