XSL-01 Moonship Glider (1957)
Production Run: 2011-13
About the Design
The XSL-01 (Experimental Space Laboratory Number 1) was designed in the mid-1950s by aerospace engineer Ellwyn E. Angle. Formerly associated with the Bell X-1 and X-5 projects, Angle was working for a new spaceflight startup company, Systems Laboratory Corporation (SLC) in Sherman Oaks, California, when he was put in contact with Revell Models in nearby Venice, Ca., which was interested in original designs for its expanding line of space-related model kits.
Angle conceived a multi-stage launch system topped off with a three man atomic-powered glider/lander that would touch down vertically on the moon and then land like a conventional airplane upon its return to Earth. The XSL-01 enjoyed its one and only release in 1957; lost molds reportedly prevented it from ever being reissued. The Moon Ship glider was released separately in 1957, and again in 1969 as part of the funky "Space Pursuit" set. |
About the Model
This is Fantastic Plastic's recreation of the classic Ellwyn E. Angle Moon Ship glider design. Unlike the original Revell kit, this is a simple, solid-cast model with no interior. However, scaled in 1:72, it is significantly larger than Revell's original 1:96 version. The decal design again recreates but upsizes the 1957 original.
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