After releasing kits of the Viper Mk II and Mk VII from the new version of Battlestar Galactica, Moebius Models has finally released the Viper Mk I from the 1970’s version of the television show. And, as an added bonus, it’s in scale with the prior Moebius kits and the classic Revell-Monogram kit.

Although this is a new kit, it does have quite a bit in common with the 30th Anniversary Issue of the Viper released by Revell-Monogram. And some of those similarities are not good ones.

The kit is cleanly molded in light gray styrene that is free from flash. The kit includes a full cockpit, pilot, and this time around we finally get landing gear! Clear inserts are included for the afterburners, so builders wishing to light their kits are able to do so easily.

Now, for the drawbacks. Many of the errors that were present on the Revell-Monogram have, in one form or another, been retained in this kit. The cockpit canopy does not open, but can be modified to be displayed in the opened configuration. However, the entire canopy is molded in rather brittle clear styrene, so you’re on your own.

Cockpit detailing is still minimal, and the floor pan has holes cut in it so the pilot’s legs will fit. Some careful fitting will be needed with the pilot figure, as the detailing is soft and the arms attach toward the back of the shoulders. Also, it is interesting to note that on the paint call-out chart for the pilot on page 7 of the instructions, they completely miss telling you the color for the pants (buff/tan) but include everything else. I don’t agree with their “deep yellow” notation for the helmet. It was tan with a gold crest.

I have read (but cannot document, because the review was purged from another website) that the engine sections (parts 18, 19 and 20) are shorter than they should be. They should be a little longer fore-to-aft, so the shortened sections give the aft end a stunted appearance.

Fin detailing for the intakes is decent, but it’s a little soft.

The landing gear, while nice, is molded as solid halves, with the wheels surrounded by plastic. If you want the wheels to appear as they did on the television show, careful drilling must be done to separate each wheel from the surrounding plastic. There is no detail inside the gear wells.

Finally, Moebius has included a clear stand that mounts into the underside of the Viper. Careful fitting must be done, or one of two things will happen. Either the flange on the stand will snap off inside the Viper, or you will pop some of the seams on the underside trying to slide the stand into position.

One very nice feature is that Moebius has included two different versions of the decals for the kit. The filming mock-up used wider stripes, while the shooting miniature used thinner ones. Both sets are provided.

Purists will not be happy with the model due to the shortcomings, but when it is completed and sitting on the shelf, it will be a good representation of a Viper Mk. I to display alongside its younger brothers. And, if you still have one of the old Revell-Monogram kits lying around, why not built it and use some alternate markings on it to represent a squadron from another Battlestar.

For those who want additional details, a photoetch set is available from Paragrafix.

http://www.paragrafix.biz/product_detail.asp?MainCat=Photoetch&SubCat=blank&PPartNum=PGX175

According to the box, the completed model is 11.75 inches in overall length.

Review by: Rich “Lonewolf” Dula

Entry created: June 27, 2014