Michael Mackowski
Gilbert, Arizona
Michael’s been on a roll lately with Gemini capsules. He writes: “I realized I had not built a model of this since I was about 10,” he says. “Being a former McDonnell-Douglas employee and space history geek, I decided to do a series of Gemini versions using the old 1/48 scale Revell kit.
“This is an in-orbit version of Gemini VII, the most-photographed of the Gemini VIA-VII rendezvous mission of 1965. As this kit is based on a mockup, rather than the final flight configuration of the Gemini spacecraft, there are inaccuracies. Many, like the detailed pattern of the shingles on the capsule surface, are not correctable. Others can be fixed with a bit of effort. I used the correction kit from RealSpace Models. This provides accurate coves for the area in front of the windows, several detailed nose options, the horizon sensors, corrected thrusters, and a form for the thermal blanket that closes the adaptor section.
“I added several other details, including the three pop-up experiments in the retro adaptor section, the magnetometer boom in the rear, and strands of metal from the capsule separation system that were caught trailing behind the spacecraft. I also added some small antennas on the adaptor.
“The overall capsule color is Vallejo Model Air 71.055 black gray (schwarzgrau RLM 66). I chose this after testing several similar dark gray colors. Decals came from Space Model Systems and NewWare. Some white and red stripe decals came from the spares box. I modified the Revell kit stand with a more-robust pair of sleeved brass pieces.
“So I finally have a nice model of a spacecraft that sparked my imagination as a kid and had no small part in leading me into a career in the aerospace industry.”