Metal Earth Voyager Spacecraft 3D Metal Model Kit Fascinations

This is a nice little model that is 21cm long and can be spray painted using black, gold and white spray cans (and red for the infrared instrument if you like). I had problems benfing the insert tabs as they have no bending marks like the ones that help in round objects like the dish. It would be great if they make laser bending marks on tabs. To solve this it is best to first bend tabs once and straighten them again before inserting them in place. If you mistankingly bend a side in the wrong side and have to straighten and bend to the other direction the part will brake! So no mistakes are allowed. I used crazy glue and calcium bicarbonate to hold some parts in place as I was not able to bend those tabs.If one part falls on the floor, as it is so tiny, I used a magnet and scrolled it all over the floor until it catches it. I displayed model on top of a base that I found at a dollar store using a tiny magnet as it is metal.

This model was so much fun to make! The details are very accurate and it was a really cool research project to look at old photos of the real thing so that I could paint it accurately. It's not usual to paint these, but I saw a couple other reviewers do it and I am extremely satisfied with the results! Metal Earth models aren't for everyone but if you have the dexterity for it, and tweezers and a few other tools then it's a really cool project which doesn't take up much space.

The end result is well worth the time if you are patient, have the right tools, and have a passion for the design and purpose of the voyager spacecraft. The cylindrical parts are most challenging, as well as the very long and delegate bits. I've had soany people double-take and stop at my desk to look at it - well worth the time.

This model made me concerned about manufacturing defects. I have built many Medal Earth models and have always loved them, but this one was especially disappointing. The metal sheets I received were not the right size. On one of the final steps, it became clear the metal circle was entirely too large to fit. Extremely disappointed that I wasted hours all for one piece not to be the right size.

I have big hands—I can pretty easily palm a basketball to give you an idea—and I found this an exercise in frustration. It was challenging to bend the round cone into a cone shape and have it look right, but the worst part was trying to bend two half-cylinders and have them mate together by the antenna. Once the metal is out of shape, its very hard to get it to go back into the right shape. If you like a challenge, and are experienced with models, this might be a good hobby for you, but I think I'm not cut out for this. If you decide to pull the trigger anyway, you really need some good fine pliers and snips. Cool idea, just not for me.

Not sure how Metal Earth rate this model as "moderate" difficulty. Some of the pieces are absolutely tiny so this is definitely a challenging build. You will definitely need a small pair of needle-nosed pliers, some small nails or drill bits (for molding some pieces into circular shape), some tweezers and lots of light for this one. The model turned out very nicely, but if you are a beginner or not very experienced building these - avoid this model.

Very good product, once it's finished it looks awesome and very accurate. Needs patience in the building but definitely worth it.

Even for an experienced builder, tiny delicate parts are very difficult to construct. Small parts are easily lost. Not worth the hours of effort.