Metal EarthVoyager 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.

Looks a lot harder than it is but I also used the tools sold by Metal Earth. Also used magnets and hot glue to keep parts where they were meant to be until the assemblies were ready to be put together. It now sits on its own turntable. It draws attention.

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 model is a waste of money. The product is two thin metal sheets of which you must pop out each item. You need wire cutters to do this but, given the petite size of the items, and flimsy quality, pieces on the sheet easily bend as you try to get others out. Many of the microscopic pieces then require that you wrap them into a cylinder shape which is a feat in itself. Then, on many of the pieces you put a circular piece on the end of that which takes quite some time to get into place. While pushing the tabs into place on one of the larger circular pieces, the circular piece snapped making the item completely unusable now. If the pieces came ready to assemble, and were made of thicker metal, this product would be ok. As is, it essential goes from out of the box straight into the trash.

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.

don’t buy this on amazon, google “metal earth” and buy from innovatoys instead. amazon will ship faster but it doesn’t matter because your sheets will arrived bent and damaged.that being said, i love metal earth! not for kids though as they can be very finicky to assemble. great gift for a geeky teenager or a fun little weekend project for yourself. it takes a very particular type of person to assemble this, if you are easily flustered by details, stay away.i recommend having a pair of nail clippers on hand to remove parts from the sheet, as well as tweezers to bend and handle pieces. keep your working parts in a tray or container of some kind so you don’t lose them, trust me.all in all fun for the right person and great value for the price in my opinion.

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

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.