WELCOME TO THE SCROLL-THROUGH MODEL EXHIBITS
Swipe through each collection of photos and click to expand and magnify.
EXHIBIT 1
Apollo 15 Lunar Roving Vehicle
One of the many projects Proach Models worked on was this 1/7 scale Apollo 15 Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV or "Lunar Rover), which was commissioned by Apollo 12 astronaut Alan Bean in 2013.
This model, which measures almost 18 inches in length, is built mostly from metal, resin-casted and ABS plastic parts. Every part which makes up this model, even the smallest parts right down to the double wishone suspension, were hand-crafted.....nothing on this model was printed nor available as an individual part purchased over the counter.
Even the fenders are hand-crafted and molded in fiberglass. Vinyl decals were used on the wheels to illustrate the inner wheel frame and the herringbone tread on all 4 wheels. The Apollo Archive site came in very handy for this project, along with the reams of information we had on the Lunar Rover in the Proach Models library.
Alan was a very accomplished artist who took moments of the Apollo Program and painted them on canvas, the result being a beautiful painting people can cherish for years to come.
This model of the rover was used by Alan as a massing model to “paint” moments of the Apollo 15 mission.
EXHIBIT 2
Surveyor III
Proach Models has built 2 Surveyor III models in this scale and both were built using the same types of materials and building techniques.
The one pictured here was built for a private collector. Its entire frame is made from brass which has been silver soldered and micro welded together. Most of its parts were resin cast. To give an idea of size, the distance between the 3 footpads were in excess of 18 inches, and the model was about a foot tall. All parts and accessories for both models were entirely hand-crafted as both models were built before 3D printing came into being.
The other Surveyor was built between 1999 and 2001 for Apollo 12 astronaut Alan Bean, who visited the real Surveyor III when he walked on the moon in November of 1969.
EXHIBIT 3
Apollo Saturn V
This is the king of rockets in our collection! Proach Models pulled out all the stops to build this incredibly detailed and authentic model of America’s Moon Rocket.
Standing almost 8 feet tall, this model includes all umbilical’s, personnel access doors and hatches, fuel vents, ullage motors, antennas plus a very detailed Boost Protective Cover over the Command Module, a well detailed Service Module and accurate vinyl markings throughout.
This model is built using cast acrylic tube for the basic tank structure, with custom-cast fiberglass and resin parts throughout. Included with the model is a custom black walnut base complete with nameplate and Apollo project logo.
You can still custom order a model just like this by going to our online SpaceModel Store. All orders made in the store are secure. Please allow 3-6 months for delivery. A re-useable shipping crate and shipping costs are extra.
EXHIBIT 4
Voyager Spacecraft
Proach Models built models of the Voyager spacecraft in 1/24 scale. Shown fully deployed this model spans an impressive 29 inches from the tip of the magnetometer boom to the opposite end of the spacecraft.
EXHIBIT 5
Saturn V/LUT and Launcher Deck
Not long after acquiring a complete set of drawings of the Saturn V Launch Umbilical tower and Launcher Deck, Proach Models was asked to develop a 1/144 scale model of this entire assembly, complete with a fully finished Saturn V model.
The complete tower, complete with the 9 swingarms and the launcher deck, was built from laser-cut acrylic. Stairways and railings were stock plastic, and the elevator shaft was a single rectangular acrylic rod painted and detailed by hand.
The launcher deck was detailed using strip plastic stock, stock railings and plastic piping. The deck stands were machined to shape and then molded and casted.
This model stood about 40 inches tall once complete.
EXHIBIT 6
Space Shuttle Stack
In 1998 I was fortunate enough to be at the Kennedy Space Center to watch the lift-off of STS-95, the mission which carried astronaut John Glenn into orbit for a bioscience mission which lasted just short of 10 days.
Notably different on this particular mission was the use of the original NASA "meatball" logo on a Space Shuttle orbiter (Discovery in this mission) It replaced the worm logotype that all orbiters had at the time. Shuttles Endeavour, Atlantis, and Columbia would follow in their respective missions of STS-88, STS-101, and STS-109 to carry the meatball logo. Space Shuttle orbiters Enterprise and Challenger didn't have this change as Enterprise became the property of The Smithsonian in 1985 and Challenger was destroyed in 1986.
Since watching the launch live and taking place in press conferences and a post launch party I decided that all orbiters I would build from then on would carry the name Discovery, unless a customer specified another orbiter of their choice.
In 1/48 scale a Space shuttle Stack would stand just over 4 feet tall, just over half the height of a 1/48 Saturn V.
EXHIBIT 7
1/72 Space Shuttle with Open Payload Bay
This model of the space shuttle Atlantis was custom built for a customer in Europe in 2018. The basic shell of the model was the 1/72 Monogram kit with an after-market, entire payload bay and detailed main engines furnished by Real Space Models.
The docking adapter, along with the tiny payload bay cameras and both remote manipulator arms, were scratch-built and added to the model. In fact, these arms were made to connect to form the extended arm which would be used to inspect the heatshield on the orbiter prior to its re-entry on the way home. This second arm, which was stowed on the starboard side of the payload bay, was added on all shuttle flights after the loss of Columbia in 2003 as inspections of the underbelly and other re-entry sensitive sections of the orbiter itself became a mandatory procedure.
The actual Atlantis (OV-104) was the fourth shuttle orbiter to be built and placed into service. Her first mission was STS-51-J, from October 3 to 7, 1985.
Atlantis flew 33 missions during her 26 years in service, and among the more memorable missions she flew the first American component of the International Space Station (ISS) into orbit in 1998, and also performed a Hubble Service mission, launched the Compton Gamma Xray Observatory, and was also the first shuttle to dock with the Russian Mir Space Station prior to the ISS. Atlantis embarked on its 33rd and final mission, also the final mission of a space shuttle, STS-135, on July 8, 2011.
Now retired, the real Atlantis is on permanent display at the Kennedy Space Center Visitors’ Center.
EXHIBIT 8
Chandra Xray Observatory
In 2002 Proach Models built 75 scale models of the Chandra Xray Observatory for the people at TRW (now Northrup Grumman) in California who worked on the actual spacecraft.
The Chandra X-ray Observatory is a powerful space telescope designed to observe the universe in X-rays, providing a unique perspective on high-energy phenomena. It is able to detect X-rays from a wide range of celestial objects, including exploded stars, galaxy clusters, and matter around black holes.
Launched into space aboard the space shuttle Columbia in July 1999, Chandra's high resolution allows astronomers to pinpoint X-ray sources with great precision, revealing details about the structure and evolution of the universe.
Built as a model in 1/48 scale, the model measured over 10 inches in length, and featured an opening aperture door, revealing Chandra’s High Resolution Mirror Assembly, along with rotating solar panels on each side.
This was a project which was photographed from the very beginning, and Proach Models is pleased to be able to share its development with you.
EXHIBIT 9
Alouette 1
Did you know that Canada was the first nation to build and launch a satellite after the USSR and the United States? It was September 29, 1962 that NASA launched Alouette 1 for Canada. Launched aboard a Thor Agena B rocket from Vandenberg AFB in California, Alouette 1 was to study Earth's ionosphere, which it did for 10 years before it was decommissioned.
This is a half-scale model of Alouette 1 Proach Models built for a museum in 2001. The main body of the model measured approximately 21 inches wide by 16 inches in height. A totally hand-crafted model, it was a tricky build due to its shape being multi-sided, as 3D printing was not available at the time of production.