The Ranger is a single-stage-to-orbit (SSTO) reconnaissance spacecraft built and used by NASA. Two Rangers were part of the Endurance mission, named Ranger 1 and Ranger 2. Twelve additional Rangers were also built launched for the Lazarus missions ten years prior. Unlike its distant predecessor, the Space Shuttle, the Ranger uses a novel aerodynamic control system that relies on RCS thrusters and electrically powered air jets to provide pitch, yaw, and roll control.
Interstellar Ranger from Moebius Models
More info on the Interstellar Ranger here.
Some of these images are from FX Guide, take a look at their nice article on the miniatures created for the Interstellar movie.
- 1/72 Scale
- Based on CGI files from the motion picture.
- Over 10″ long once assembled.
- Precision-tooled landing gear.
- Detailed fuselage and rear hatch.
- Bonus 1/144 scale Ranger Launch Module included
- MSRP: $34.99 [USD]
Although it might seem like something overlooked by Sci-Fi modelers, a good Sci-Fi vehicle design is always welcome to our community. That’s exactly true to Moebius 1/72 scale Ranger from the Interstellar motion picture. As with the Sci-Fi flicks of yesteryear, the Ranger too features a simple yet functional and not overly engineered design which for my personal taste, is a winning formula. When I received this kit, I was giving the finishing touches to Hasbro’s Millenium Falcon conversion amongst other kits I’m currently working on for review.
The Moebius Interstellar Ranger kit is as simple as the vehicle itself. The fit is superb, almost in a Snap-Tite way. It does come completely molded in white with no flash whatsoever. There is some mold lines mostly visible on the landing gear but as a full production, this could slightly vary from sample to sample. It is not a big deal, I just think that is being worth being mentioned. As with regular aircraft model kits, I do fix mold lines on landing gear by gently scraping and evening out the part and to give it a seamless look and clean any leftover imperfection(s), I brush Tamiya Ultra-Thin cement where the mold line used to be.
The model is around 10” inches long when finished and the only part that will require some filling is the very front of the ship. There is nothing wrong with this area. Just a natural line after the bottom and lower hull are snapped together, it will require the same attention a regular aircraft model kit would. The kit has no interior detail and the windows are to be painted in black. I would only imagine that including the intricate interior detail this particular ship features in the movie, would definitely skyrocket the kit’s price.
Looking at the full-scale filming prop of the Ranger we can notice that the window frames are very near to be flush with the fuselage. On the kit, this area is represented slightly raised. You can either take care of this with an old fashioned sanding stick and elbow grease, or you can get the nice Photo-etched detail set currently offered by our folks at ParaGrafix. Frankly, this aspect didn’t bother me that much but if you want a real down to the rivet miniature, you can order the set from Paragrafix.
Painting the Interstellar Ranger was an easy task. First, I made my own window masks with Tamiya masking tape on the bare plastic using a fresh #11 exacto blade. Those masks were removed to airbrush Tamiya XF-1 Flat Black. Over the flat black, I sprayed some Testors DullCote to have that flat black get more grip on the plastic. Then I proceeded to apply my mask one by one on the windows. Following this, I pre-shaded the entire ship along the receded lines with more Tamiya Flat Black. Once finished, I painted the entire model with Tamiya XF-2 Flat White. Over that white, I masked then and painted the front and retro-thrusters areas. Atmospheric entry marks were achieved with pastels in different shades of gray. The instructions call for all black landing gear. Looking at the full-size prop below, they are actually white.
This was a very fun build and I like the Ranger model kit as much as I like the movie.
Highly Recommended!
PS,
In case you wonder about those 1/144 scale Rangers provided with this kit, well, Moebius was very thoughtful if you ask me. You can use those 1/144 Rangers on top of the 1/144 Apollo Saturn V Plastic Model [Kit ID: 80-4909] from Revell.
My sincere thanks to Moebius Models for the review sample.
Pictures of the lifesize filming prop Ranger from Interstellar.
