Fascinations Metal Earth Apollo CSM with LM 3D Metal Model Kit

EXTREME caution when buying these types of sets. You need to be very aware of how these work. I managed to get it together with a pair of tweezers and nail clippers. It looks spectacular when done, but so many of the reviews claim these are too difficult or break easily. That should be common sense since the whole idea behind these are bending thin sheet metal into precise shapes, but I guess a lot of people are missing that common sense. If you’ve done one of these before, I highly recommend this one! It was my first metal earth kit and I went into it knowing it would be difficult, but I powered through it and then got about 4-5 more of the space themed ones. These kits look awesome and while they are definitely fragile, they look like high-quality strong desk decorations.

Another great kit from Metal Earth. I'm going to review this item in detail. First, they are not easy to build but the reward when finished is great. I have built many of these and they require patience and the right tools. If you don't have the right tools, you will get frustrated and give up. So what are the right tools. For me, they are magnifying eyeglasses (a must), needle nose FLAT pliers with serrated teeth. If you get the ones without serrated teeth, the pliers will not grab the metal correctly and will slide. The pliers must also be very thin. Next tool, cutting pliers - the micro ones are very sharp so that you can cut the pieces off the sheets without damaging or causing burs. I also use an old radio antenna because it has different size tubes that I use to 'round' the pieces that need rounding. An LED work light is really useful. I don't use the paper instructions, instead I use my desktop computer and download the instructions and work in front of my computer. The reason, you can enlarge the instructions to see details better. I also download the 3D view of the completed model to reference how it should look. You can download both at the Fascinations Metal Earth website. And finally, take one step at a time, study the image on the instructions for that step and when completed, move to next step. Plastic models are fun but don't compare to these metal miniatures.

Think twice before you put parts D-9 on the model when the instructions tell you to. At least on the first set of (2), there is no reason to mount them when you still have work to do on the body. The D-9 parts are extremely small and sensitive. You will bump them and bend them while working on other parts. The instructions this manufacturer provides have me wondering if they intend these things to be part model and part puzzle (wait till you go looking for the second part A-1 and find only an empty hole where you took the first one! Don’t worry, check in the C sheet). It’s an ok model, and I admit these things are great to keep fingers occupied. The extremely fine, sensitive parts combined with marginal instructions at times, can make it frustrating. I’m no shill, but let me tell you get the special tools kit. There’s a few items in there that are invaluable.

Elegant model with stunning details! It looks really great once fully assembled. In my opinion this is one of the best (if not the best) model made by metal earth. I first noticed it at the air and space museum giftshop which has many different finished models on display and this one really stands out. It is significantly larger and more detailed than the others. The length is about the same as a regular pen (not large for a model but much larger than most of the others). Also, the golden colored plates give it a better look. I knew it would take a long time to build, but it made such a great impression that after a few days I finally decided to buy it on amazon. This is my 2nd metal earth model. Thanks to my experience with the first model (a jet plane which is smaller and simpler), I find the instructions quite easy to follow. But if this is your first try of such metal model, it may take some extra effort to get used to. It is NOT a model for kids and the right tools (clipper, needle nosed plier, tweezer) are absolutely necessary. Took me about 8 hours to finish - with some tricky parts I was quite sloppy and it would have taken longer if I wanted to get all the details just right. But the finished product makes all the time and efforts so worthwhile. Now all I need is a matching large moon globe lamp to really make it shine......

This was my first Metal Model kit, and probably not the best choice to start with. This model is small and I have fat fingers. The great thing about it is if you take your time and be patient, it will go together fairly easily. The biggest issues I ran into were simply trying to hold it while bending the tabs. You can't use a lot of pressure. Other issue is pay attention to the E (etched) and NE (non etched) orientations. The model they have on their web site has the thrusters backwards. Also pay attention to the blue dots (bend) and triangles (twist) when connecting the tabs. All in all I spent a few hours a day over 4 days. It was great practice for patience, light touch and finger dexterity, and mental orientation. Definately would be easier with very small wire cutters to detach the pieces (I used a very sharp exacto knife and a small tap hammer - wish I had the snips) and a good pair of tweezers to bend the tabs. The finished product is exactly what I was looking for, abet a little smaller than I had hoped, but it was very rewarding to build.

This product would be amazing if it were only larger. At the scale it’s been printed, it’s extremely difficult to work with and the piece broke apart immediately. Additionally, the instructions are sometimes not very clear, leaving you to make mistakes that ruin the build.

Very challenging but worth the effort. The larger pieces that need to be folded into intricate shapes are very fragile and can break apart along fold lines so be sure to bend very carefully. The instructions are also a bit frustrating because they don’t provide enough detail on how to fold and what the final piece should look like. The other Metal Earth models I’ve built had way better instructions. Despite this I still enjoyed building it and am happy with my end result (even though it’s a bit messy).

I bought these to work with a friend as a weekend fun project. Both of us were pretty experienced with puzzles, but new to 3D metal models. We figured out how to put things together after making a couple of little mistakes. But we were following the instructions as shown and observed that the order was incorrect in a couple of points and had to redo the parts. If you are an experienced modeler, you would easily figure it out two steps ahead. So if you are absolutely new to this, start off with a simpler model and learn how to manipulate parts, plan assemblies and work on them delicately. If you are experienced, go ahead and have fun. The final result is gorgeous and highly rewarding!

Montado es una pasada de bonito. Montón de detalles.

Très beau cadeau 🚀 Cette maquette 3D Apollo a fait vraiment plaisir à la personne qui l’a reçue, elle en était ravie 👍 Le rendu final est très réussi, avec un résultat visuel vraiment sympa une fois montée 😊 Un cadeau original qui fait son effet, je recommande sans hésiter ✨

Bellissimo modello, kit ben realizzato. Istruzioni dettagliate e montaggio laborioso ma non difficile

This is not a toy. This is a superbly engineered kit. Not only it is designed to the highest standards but its execution is also of very high quality. Pieces go together as they should and there is never a problem with the fit. It is intricate but highly satisfactory if you follow the assembly sequence. I made two errors, minor, and I know that were I to do it again it would be near flawless, I am a surgeon in real life, all my career I have trained my hands for accuracy and three dimensional space orientation. Still I found this kit enjoyably challenging. The end result is small in size but rather inspiring. I built it as part of a display I am mounting to celebrate this great accomplishment 50th anniversary. It will do just fine, but it is not a toy, not meant to be handled and it is small like a Faberge egg, a jewel. I am not a modeler, It is unlikely I will have the time to built an other kit, but this one was fun. I am told this is the most difficult of the Metal Hearth kit, do not worry, you can do it, just take your time, get a pair of sharp and pointed cutters, get MAGNIFICATION. If the eyes can see it the hands can follow. Best of luck, have fun.

Produto com material extremamente frágil. São placas de metal finas com as quais é necessário cortar, dobrar e encaixar. A montagem, por isso, é difícil. Na primeira peça que dobrei ela quebrou. Não sei se vai ser possível reparar. Vou tentar quando me animar novamente. Tem vídeo no YouTube com o passo a passo, mas alertando para a dificuldade e fragilidade das peças.