Well, needless to say that when the kit arrived, all my other projects went on hold! The first step was removing the carriers, and this was accomplished rather quickly with my razor saw and sanding sticks. Assembly was very straightforward with upper and lower halves of the torso, and the left arm being assembled prior to painting. Also at this time I attached the leg pocket to the figure’s right leg just above the boot. All parts were shot with a light coat of primer, and then sprayed overall Model Master flat white. Once dry, a wash of Model Master Dark Gull Gray was applied, and the figure was dry brushed with flat white to bring out the shadows. Hey, the moon has a LOT of sun!

 Once all this was dry, the gloves and overboots were painted with Model Master RLM 66 Schwarzgrau. This color approximates the color of the Chromel-R metal cloth they were covered with. The Lunar Galoshes and fingertips of the gloves were picked out in Model Master Medium Gray. The visor of the helmet was painted using Testors gloss black, and the upper plastic shell of the helmet was left in unwashed flat white.

 Assembly then continued with attaching the PLSS, and making sure the inlet and outlet hoses were properly in line. No problem there, as EVA Models has done a fantastic job with their parts breakdown! The saluting right arm was then attached. While the figure was drying, I painted the base in my home made “Moon Scheme”, of Gunship Gray, and then lightening it with varying shades of Gunze Sea Gray. Once painted, a hole was drilled in the base for the flagpole.

  When I first looked at the decal sheet, I almost went into shock! Not only were the flags and NASA patches done faithfully, but the mission patches, Commander’s stripes and checklist details were incredible! Add to that a reflection of Earth to be put in the visor, and “That’s a winner!” (To quote the late great Jack Buck!)  The only difficulty I encountered was the NASA patch on the right arm. The decal doesn’t want to lay down properly due to the extreme bend caused by the salute. A bit of Solvaset took care of that, and I pressed on with no other major difficulties. After the decals dried overnight, a coat of Model Master flat was sprayed over all, and the visor was treated to two coats of Gunze clear smoke to restore the shine, and to tone down the Earth’s reflection.

 Final assembly consisted of picking out the Velcro patches on the suit with light gray, and the inlet and outlet ports on the chest with red and blue respectively. The watch was painted with flat black, and the suit pressure gauge on the right sleeve again with blue. At this time I also added the antenna to the backpack.

 The flag pole had a horizontal stiffener bar, which I added using a small piece of metal stock from my spares box, and the flag was attached with no difficulties. Once the pole and the astronaut were super glued into place on the base, I used a light coat of black pastel to show the lunar dust adhering to the suit. The geologist’s hammer, and emergency air lanyards were then added, and the mission was complete!

 The Cernan kit is one of the finest figures I have ever built, and my awkward descriptions don’t even begin to show just how great a kit this is! Construction and painting is a breeze, and with moderate effort this will be a beautiful addition to your collection. I have since constructed the Harrison Schmitt figure, and am straining at the bit to get my hands on Extra Vehicular Models kits of the Lunar Rover and Alan Sheppard’s famous lunar golf shot! Guess I’d better get a new display case!

  APOLLO: The epic journey to the moon  by David West Reynolds

  APOLLO: by Alan Bean and Andrew Chaikin

 The Last Man on the Moon by Eugene Cernan and Don Davis

 National Geographic videotape For All Mankind

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