For a peek in the box and quick history of the show, please follow this link to the preview.

CONSTRUCTION

 I picked up this kit because I needed a break for a number of more involved projects and decided that I would do as little “extra” work as possible.  This meant that I would leave the lower half of the spacecraft in its unpainted, dark green color.

 I painted the top of the spacecraft lime green (including the interior rim), then masked off and painted the “dash board” top light blue.  I put the tail fin halves together, puttied the seam, then painted it lime green as well. 

 I painted the seats medium brown (they should actually be light tan, but I gave the Jetson family a leather upgrade), added the family and control stick, then trapped the interior between the two saucer halves.  The snap-fit here was super nice and the resulting demarcation line between the two colors disguises the join.  After adding the tail fin to the dome, I twisted the dome into place and started on the bottom of the spacecraft.

COLORS AND MARKINGS

 Since I wasn’t going to paint the bottom half of the saucer, I had to live with seams on the left and right propulsion units, but I tried to minimize these by careful sanding and scraping before adding them and the exhaust pipes to the spacecraft.  I elected not to used the exhaust smoke pieces as they look like a cluster of clear grapes and would only draw the viewer’s attention away from the top half of the vehicle and the family itself.

 The spaceship has no landing gear, so displaying it on the stand is the logical choice.  The stand is clear, three-piece affair that looks nice, but may not sturdy enough to support the vehicle long-term.  If you give this kit to your kids to build, be prepared for the tears when the stand breaks.  On the other hand, strengthening the stand by adding strip styrene would be a fairly simple affair. 

CONCLUSIONS

  All in all this is a neat little kit that anyone can build.  The scale looks to be about 1/24 (George is 3” tall), so it would fit right in with your stock car collection.  (I wonder how it would do at Daytona….)  The Jetsons are a popular subject and I have received a number of favorable comments about the finished model.  The pre-painted family is a nice bonus and makes this a great kit for either the first-time or casual builder.  Highly recommended!

Scott Wirz

April 2004