XSL-01 Moon Ship Glider (1957)

Scale: 1/96
Initial Release: 1958
Medium: Styrene
Kit Rarity: 5

About the Design

Revell's "Moon Ship" was actually the upper stage of the 1957 XSL-01 released as a separate kit. The design was a throwback to the romantic "winged bullet" aesthetics of the 1930's and 1940's, albeit it with a more technically plausible interior.

Designed to make a powered horizontal atmospheric re-entry, the craft was equipped with a retractable skid in lieu of landing gear.

About the Kit

Release in 1957 along with the larger XSL-0, the "Moon Ship" was the first mass market model kit to feature separate U.S. and foreign box art (see below). The kit disappeared from shelves for nearly a decade before reappearing again as part of the funky 1969 "Space Pursuit" set that also featured the out-of-production Convair Space Shuttle. It was re-released again with original 1957 box art in 2021.

This model was built from the 1969 "Space Pursuit" set and is marked with custom-printed reproductions of the original 1957 decals.