The Atlas-Agena was an American expendable launch system derived from the SM-65 Atlas missile. It was a member of the Atlas family of rockets, and was launched 109 times between 1960 and 1978. It was used to launch the first five Mariner uncrewed probes to the planets Venus and Mars, and the Ranger and Lunar Orbiter uncrewed probes to the Moon. The upper stage was also used as an uncrewed orbital target vehicle for the Gemini crewed spacecraft to practice rendezvous and docking. However, the launch vehicle family was originally developed for the Air Force and most of its launches were classified DoD payloads.

The Atlas-Agena was a two-and-a-half-stage rocket, with a stage-and-a-half Atlas missile as the first stage, and an RM-81 Agena second stage. Initially, Atlas D missiles, redesignated as the LV-3, were used as the first stage. These were later replaced by the standardized Atlas SLV-3, and its derivatives, the SLV-3A and B. The final Atlas-Agena launch used an Atlas E/F.

This kit is just as superbly molded as their previous offerings. In fact, this is their initial release of the Atlas missile with an additional sprue for the upper stage Agena. Though you'd have to scrounge decals, all the bits for the standard ICBM are included in the kit.

The kit is not very parts intensive, but you do have to do some work on it. For instance, you need to open holes in the body of the rocket for the various external bits before you do anything. There are also holes that need opening in the lower section where the nozzles fit. Once the body sections are glued together, then the fairings and fuel vent pipes can be installed along with some very thin external piping. There is a note that some of the decals will go under this piping so all of this needs to be painted prior to attaching these bits.

The upper Agena section is in two halves. If doing the shorter ADTA, a piece from the middle will need to be removed. For this reason, I'm sure most will build the longer ATV version as shown on the box art. The rocket nozzles are in two pieces and you will make three of these. Note that the center nozzle has additional detail that the outer ones do not have. A display stand is included and I would highly recommend putting weight in this as it would make the whole display a lot more steady.

A large decal sheet with a small addendum sheet is included and provides the necessary markings for both variants. A painting guide of sorts is on the back of the box with decal placement information provided with the instructions. The decals are nicely done and should provide no issues.

Unfortunately for enthusiasts, as of this date, Horizon Models has gone out of business. I bought this kit as part of their close-out sale as I did not have it in my stash. However, they can still be found from various vendors if one still wishes to build one.  

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlas-Agena

February 2025

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