Real Space entries falling

I tried!  I was the other guy!

John

It can't be lack of kits. Dragon has recently issued a line of state of the art Gemini and Apollo spacecraft kits. Other companies cover so many others. Revell has re issued nearly all the classic US Space stuff in their inventory. The selection has never been better. But yes, real space is hardly in the news nowadays, and without that popular imagination exposure, interest wains. Viking was 40 years ago! Skylab and Apollo/Soyuz also... The last manned lunar landing even longer before... It's tragic in my mind how mankind's greatest achievement- humans on another celestial body non peaceful scientific exploration has been allowed to wither. Yes other fabulous achievement has been done- with robots. But a manned space program inspires all to achieve greater things in science and industry. Rekindle that flame, and I bet we will see more real space.

There are some nice unmanned kits out there, like the New Horizons model from RealSpace models. Personally, I'd love to see models of Boeing's new manned Spaceliner capsule, and SpaceX's cargo Dragon and manned Dragon. Imagine making a diorama of one of the Falcon 9 landing attempts on the barge!

The number of real space entries in the few shows I've attended over the last 3 years could be counted on both hands.  More SciFi than Real Space.  Perhaps Don remembers a time when they were more numerous, but I would have to go back to the 1970s to find the last Real Space model I built.

Ever consider running a Space Group Build, Don?

GAF

The number of real space entries in the few shows I've attended over the last 3 years could be counted on both hands.  More SciFi than Real Space.  Perhaps Don remembers a time when they were more numerous, but I would have to go back to the 1970s to find the last Real Space model I built.

Ever consider running a Space Group Build, Don?

 

Boy, with the limited activity I see these days, it would be a small group.  I suppose when manned space activities pick up, and more publicity, things may pick up.  Seems like the press doesn't say much about unmanned launches these days unless they blow up.

stikpusher

It can't be lack of kits. Dragon has recently issued a line of state of the art Gemini and Apollo spacecraft kits. Other companies cover so many others. Revell has re issued nearly all the classic US Space stuff in their inventory. The selection has never been better. But yes, real space is hardly in the news nowadays, and without that popular imagination exposure, interest wains. Viking was 40 years ago! Skylab and Apollo/Soyuz also... The last manned lunar landing even longer before... It's tragic in my mind how mankind's greatest achievement- humans on another celestial body non peaceful scientific exploration has been allowed to wither. Yes other fabulous achievement has been done- with robots. But a manned space program inspires all to achieve greater things in science and industry. Rekindle that flame, and I bet we will see more real space.

 

It doesn't help that whenever there IS space news in the news,the online comments section always has posts by that very small but very vocal minority of seriously delusional idiots who claim that mankind's greatest achievement was filmed on a soundstage. Unfortunately those comments do have an impact on the public perception of space . I perfectly understand why Buzz Aldrin face punched one of those morons when they got all up in his face. Which is why I feel we desperately need a moonbase, and one that doesn't speak Mandarin. Sorry I know this is a little off track but I really bothers me how space is perceived today.

Yeah, once upon a time the delusional and the insane only had access to payphones and letter writing materials... Its always fun to working the 911 lines and get calls from the psych ward of county.... Now they have the Internet!

There is still a lot of activity in unmanned launches, though.  Most of my building in real space last few years is unmanned stuff.  I think though that unmanned space just does not have the impact of manned space, however.

Agree. Even in my day (late 50's-60's) the unmanned flights were kinda meh....

And that's with the recent spectacular flyby of Pluto by New Horizons last summer.

Well, there are a couple of subjects I think would be kind of neat in plastic, like the Soviet Buran and N-1 moon rocket.  There are resin kits of many space subjects, but plastic would have greater appeal.  If only Zvezda or some other company would do serious kits of the above in 1/144 scale.  I'd love high quality plastic kits of lifting bodies like the M2F2, X-24A/B, and the Soviet MiG 105-11 Epos.  A Dyna-Soar in plastic would be fun too.