Revell 04736 Space Shuttle Discovery

I really enjoyed putting this model kit together. This was the first kit I put together since 2011 so it’s been a while. Luckily everything went better than okay. If you’re lucky, you can make it to where the fuel tank and SRBs can be removed from the shuttle and put them back together. I used a piece of the landing gear as an attachment for the space shuttle to the fuel tank which allows for easy removal. So remember, if you want the SRBs, Fuel Tank, and shuttle to all be able to separate, don’t use glue. The SRBs have hooks that go into the Fuel tank and you can create a way where the Fuel Tank can be removed easily from the shuttle. Just study my pictures to see what I did. Other than that, the graphics suck at being placed on the model but that’s just every model kit. I love this kit, so glad I bought this than a $700 lego space shuttle. Oh, last thing, the cargo bay can open up but I didn’t take a photo of it. Just another cool thing this model can do. Highly recommend to buy!

I built this model over Christmas break. I'm 51. Loved models as a kid. I looked all over for a good shuttle model. I purchased another model before I got this one, but took it back...glad I did. This model of the shuttle goes together well, typical Revell quality. Some model building experience is definitely needed if you want it to turn out really nice. I used 5 colors of paint, and typical plastic model cement (not included). Spray paint works best for the larger pieces. The many decals were very detailed...I used all of them. The decal color bands around the booster rockets add a great look. The detail is very good, and the instructions were excellent. The shuttle/main tank assembly rests vertically on the base, and is removeable. There are a couple options available depending on what you want to ultimately display (shuttle only, shuttle with wheels down or up, etc.). The shuttle bay doors open/close, if you want. It's just the right size, not small, but not huge...stands about 17.5 in tall when complete. I had fun building it. Would make a great father/son project. I definitely recommend.

Exactly as advertised, it was a wonderful gift!

Nice kit but you really have to sit down and prioritize in what sequence you will paint various components on the orbiter. You should be skilled at small detail masking and airbrushing. A lot of the detailing is left to a massive water slide decal sheet. Which ones you use depends on the "era" of orbiter you are wishing to model. Note that some of these decals can be quite unwieldy to apply, and the adhesive quality seems not that good...several of the decals were still mobile 24 hr after application or in the process of falling off. Get them all on quickly and then apply clear coat judiciously!

Nice kit! Not sure about the coordination of their paint and the decals. Ended up airbrushing instead of using some of the decals. Black Velcro strap in the pic is to hold the orbiter to the stack as I didn’t glue them to all separate display.

Not well designed, plastic on shuttle to thin, and parts don't line up very well.

This was a very detailed model. Note that details for striping and much of the markings detail including windows, nose cone of shuttle, etc. are provided with the decals. I started painting striping to get as much of the painting done early only to find out that the pin striping around even the solid booster rockets was provided as decals. Those gave a cleaner look as I didn’t always have surgeon capable hands. You’ll love the finished product. Be careful handling the fuselage doors as the pin swivel hinges are delicate.

This was a monster to build, one of the biggest models that I've ever put together. In the end with the shuttle standing on the launch pad it stands about a foot high, maybe a little over. I love the fact that in the decals they include the decals to make any shuttle that you wish to (Atlantis, Discovery, even Enterprise) and that was a huge draw for me. If you take the time to get very detailed with this model, including the paint scheme, you will come out with a very accurate replica of a space shuttle and launch pad. For anyone who loves space/the space program, I would highly recommend this model to them.