4D-Vision Saturn V Rocket Model 1:100 Scale 26117

I was looking for a large Saturn V display model for my office, and at a scale of 1:100 and 43 ½ inches tall this 4D Vision kit is among the largest production pieces available. I was not particularly excited about the “4D” cutaway aspect of the model, and only purchased it after confirming that it could be rotated to display with no cutaways visible. However, assembling this kit gave me such an appreciation for the internal structure of the Saturn V that that ended up being how I decided to display it. I tell you that you will not get the same “feel” for the structure of the Saturn V from any parts diagram, no matter how well drawn.I no longer have time to meticulously paint and assemble models, so this prepainted kit was ideal for me. I genuinely enjoyed the assembly process, which gave me a much better comprehension of the structure of this spacecraft than if it had arrived pre-assembled. It took me about five or six hours over two days to complete, but I’m a perfectionist and believe it would take a normal person two to three hours. Each step was a pleasure.Despite being billed as a snap-together kit, you will definitely need glue for some parts. I used Testors Super Glue and applied very small amounts to affix loose or very tiny parts in place. These included the small red brackets on the F-1 engines, the four fins (note that the correct order is A-B-C(clear)-D COUNTER-clockwise on the upright rocket), the white start tanks on the J-2 engines as well as the square gray engine bracket there, the helium spheres on the third stage, and a few other loose or small parts.Here are my additional modeling tips for this kit:--The parts diagram on the last page is very helpful for differentiating some of the similar parts such as the fuel tank bowls. I referred to it regularly during assembly.--Don’t install the clear plastic “4D” cutaway panels on the first stage until you have threaded the fuel pipes through the fuel tank walls.--Wait until you are done with everything else on the first stage before installing the four fins.The Lunar Module portion of this kit demands special mention. It is constructed of a different plastic, and has poorer build quality, fit, and painting than the rest of this model kit. This was the only part of the kit where a couple parts just did not fit and needed to be trimmed. Also, I had to trim the open ends of the lander legs back about 1/8 inch for proper fit on this mini-kit; the Command/Service Module would actually not fit in place above it until I did this. Note that the legs on this Lunar Module are fixed in the retracted position only, to fit inside the Saturn V. On a side note, further investigation revealed that the Lunar Module included here is actually a variant of the 4DMaster Lunar Lander 4D Puzzle kit (Lunar Lander 3D Puzzle). That kit is available only internationally and I ordered one to display “landed” beside my Saturn V. There is a matching 4DMaster Command Module 4D Puzzle kit which I also purchased (NOT the same as the Command Module included in this kit)(Skynet 4D three-dimensional puzzle puzzle 1/100 Apollo Command Module (japan import) by Aoshima). I ordered an additional 4DMaster Lunar Lander kit to display docked with the Command Module in lunar orbit insertion.Painting on this kit was overall good, though as others note there are some painting and structural inaccuracies (the instrument ring/unit is still corrugated for example). There is some minor overspray on Stage 1 and Stage 2, but it was noticeably poor only on Stage 3 just below the instrument unit. The three astronauts are also not painted with nearly as much detail as is shown on the box. However, packaging of the pieces and internal box security was excellent and I had no damaged (or missing) parts.View the photos to see how I displayed this kit horizontally atop an existing display cabinet. I made custom display stands from 4” wide Plexiglas that turned out looking quite nice with this kit. I would have made a one-piece stand if the Plexiglas sheet I had was long enough, but the two split stands work (and look) good enough.To conclude my review, I must say that any listed complaints are minor when the entire rocket is viewed as a whole. It is a very impressive showpiece. Even though you won’t paint this kit yourself, you will be extremely proud of it. I know I am!

First of all, this thing is big, much bigger than I anticipated. That could be good or bad, depending on where you plan to display it.Secondly, you will need some basic tools to assemble the model, namely glue and an exacto knife. A couple pieces, especially on the lander, had to be trimmed to fit together. That was the most frustrating part of the build. And there's no way this thing will stay together without gluing some pieces, especially some of the tiny parts.The instructions can be a little unclear, especially with some pieces that look very similar. The instructions are entirely wordless, pictures only.The model comes pre painted, and while I can see a few details that could use sprucing up, I'm happy with the paint job out of the box.I love the detail of the rocket interiors, and I especially love being able to separate the rocket stages and take out the lander. This is a great learning tool for showing exactly how the Saturn V made it to the moon and back.Note, due to it's size, it can feel a little unsteady on it's vertical display. However, there's no way to display it horizontally without permanently attaching at least everything from the command module on up. Just don't put it anywhere you might have children running around.I had this model wishlisted for over a year, waiting for it to be in stock again, and I'm glad I snatched it up when it became available. If you have any interest in space exploration and have the room to display it, I highly recommend this model.

Update: The SIVB (Third) stage has been corrected to remove the improper corrugated section. FameMasten even sent me a replacement part for my model so now it looks correct! 5 Stars for Customer Service!!!I recently purchased this model as I was intrigued by having a cut-away model of a Saturn V. I was rather impressed with the construction of the model and how it goes together. The engineering in the way the lunar lander goes together is brilliant. Though the model makes a nice showpiece and I'm glad of the purchase there are a few flaws in the model that made me deduct 2 stars from the review.1. Accuracy - The SIVB (third) stage of the Famemaster Saturn V is corrugated throughout its entire length instead of just on the top and bottom rings of the Original Saturn V. this is not as apparent on the cut-away side but is very noticeable on the solid side. This is a glaring error and would have been very easy to correct as the center piece of the SIVB is a separate piece. They could have easily remanufactured this piece as smooth instead of corrugated and fixed the problem. I'm tempted to write them and see if I could get a replacement piece that I could experiment on sanding down until its smooth.2. Painting Quality Control. Though the overall paint job on the model is pretty good there are some really back black over sprays on the black roll pattern markings. I was able to touch up the most glaring of them with some white paint but I'll really have to spend some time to clean it all up. I also had a command module which had been painted too heavily and had the paint sag in a ring about the base. This was combined with a ding in the shell where it had attached to the sprue. This was fixed with some putty, sanding and a new coat of paint but I feel I should not have had to do this work on $300 model.All in all this is a fair model of a Saturn V that really could be stunning if the manufacturer fixed the issue with the SIVB and had some better quality control on the painting of the model.