MER Model For Your Desk Options

[Bob Shaw]

I saw on my online bank statement today that Modelenium has charged my account for the MER model - so that must mean that it has been released!  Just in time for Christmas!!!!

Excellent - they told me last week that the manufacturer had still not released it!

Damn, now for a six-month wait (snailmail, not orbital dynamics) until it enters the atmosphere - hope it's a hole in one in my letterbox!

Bob Shaw

[Guest_PhilCo126_*]

The other model was by ' Code-3 ' models and had a small base simulating some Martian terrain ...
The large LEGO model is nice but the PanMast is way to small, You should have 2 boxes to get a larger PanMast
Talking about LEGO, there was a huge MER model, made of 90000 bricks:
http://www.planetarysociety.org/mars/image...2_2000x1521.jpg

If someone gets this new model... Please post some images of this model!
Best regards,
Philip

[Bob Shaw]

There's also a rather nice little 1/32 scale die-cast, produced by a Spanish company - I've picked up a couple on eBay for about $10 each. They're significantly smaller than the other models, being only about 3" across. They *don't* come with a base, but a little DIY soon fixed the omission (note the blueberries!).

If anyone out there cares to modify the Hot Wheels JPL MPL/MCO/DS2 set then there's the prospect of a reasonably accurate, though oddly coloured, Phoenix lander too. Having said that, these are sufficiently rare to find that I'd not really want to take a scalpel to one myself!

Bob Shaw

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[Reckless]

Hi all

Modelenium say's my rover will be dispatched today or tomorrow.

Reckless

[lyford]

...then there's the prospect of a reasonably accurate, though oddly coloured, Phoenix lander too.

Speaking of oddly colored (pardon my Americanized spelling ), the burger chain Carl's Jr. gave away a horrible plastic model of the MER with one of their kids meals last year. It is bright yellow with royal blue solar panels - I think they went with whatever color was cheapest.... Still it did grace my desk for quite a while, even though the burger it came with was drier than Melas Chasma.

NASA press release

Of course, if an alternate explanation for Meridiani takes hold, I wonder what will happen to the other NASA-FAST FOOD convergence?

[mars loon]

I should have looked in this thread sooner

This Lego model is FANTASTIC !! :
A loons dream. Required for all UMSF addicts

make EVERY effort to get it.



BUT be prepared. there are "billyuns and billyuns" of pieces. I built this over a week or so at Christmas 2003, when it appeared in toy stores just before Spirits landing

Besides my own amusement, I use this in public outreach. Ands the kids and adults LOVE it.

It is a very good but not perfect replica and has enough MOVING parts to entice all UMSF addicts. I can't image life without it

Yes the Mast is to small but

1. The pancam rotates: via knob at back, and you can see a smile in it too !!

2. The mast is springloaded almost like the real one, and can be easily raised and lowered

3. The HGA rotates via knob

4. The RAT swivels via knob

5. The solar panels fold over and up into a pyramid that can be locked in place

6. The front and back wheels can be easily turned (via knob) to simulate all manner of driving: back and forth, circles, etc

7. The electronics box even looks complicated and is complicated to build.

It is certain to provide limitless entertainment

Its great for simulating all sorts of actions

look here for more details on the moving parts




you can see the smile in this image which was widely distributed after the landing, and notice the wheels turned


see the electronics box detail here


Its hard to find in stores, but check ebay as stated above

Lego also had a smaller version that includes a Detla 2 rocket


The new one looks pretty. Does it do anything?

enough lunacy for now

[Bob Shaw]

Speaking of oddly colored (pardon my Americanized spelling ), the burger chain Carl's Jr. gave away a horrible plastic model of the MER with one of their kids meals last year.  It is bright yellow with royal blue solar panels - I think they went with whatever color was cheapest.... Still it did grace my desk for quite a while, even though the burger it came with was drier than Melas Chasma.

NASA press release

Now *that* is an UGLY toy!

I expect the Konami chaps will produce a swathe of new spacecraft sometime, and that MER and even some obscure craft will be featured.

Roll on!

Bob Shaw

[Bob Shaw]

The 1/18 die-cast of the MER is now in my hands, and it's a gem! This is bound to be one of the most collectable bits of spaceflight memorabilia ever, and is sufficiently cheap to make it quite acceptable to buy one as a 'keeper' rather than risking the vagaries of display. It's as good, in it's own way, as the Dragon Apollo astronaut.

What wasn't obvious in advance was that the lander stage is also included (hence the huge box the the thing arrives in)! Oh, and when you unpack it all, you'll need a long and fairly fine cross-head screwdriver to get the transit plug off of the base of the MER (it's nicely packed, and the best efforts of Postman Pat should do the whole thing no damage at all. I hope!).

The rover itself has a moving arm, pancam, mast and HGA, plus folding solar panels. The attention to detail is slightly variable - for example, the solar panel surfaces are not differentiated from the panel they sit on, except by texture, but some of the decals are superb. There's not just the JPL and NASA logos, but also the Columbia memorial plaque and - believe it or not - the gnomon has the correct message printed on it in miniscule letters (I used a jeweller's loupe to read them, they're that small).

I'll post photos tomorrow, when there's some natural light.

Bob Shaw

[lyford]

Bob - did you get this one?

Can't wait to see! Though I worry about the shipping cost to the Estados Unidos......

[Bill Harris]

That sounds like a wonderful toy, Bob.

One of my hobbies is building R/C model airplanes, some scale and built from drawings and photos. An idea that I've been tossing around is building a 1/8- or 1/5 scale Rover based on available drawings and photos. Going that route, one can put in as much detail as one can tolerate. And conceivably, the model Rover could be have actual solar cells on the deck, be remote-controllable and have functional cameras. The glitch is that CalTech considers the design "proprietary" and scalable CAD dwgs are unavailable, so I'll have to use generic "pdf" drawings and photos.

--Bill

[paxdan]

USPTO no. D487,715 for drawings of the MER design.

[Bob Shaw]

USPTO no. D487,715 for drawings of the MER design.

You might also try USPTO D488.093 - both numbers are embossed on the rear solar panel of the die-cast!

Bob Shaw

[paxdan]

You might also try USPTO D488.093 - both numbers are embossed on the rear solar panel of the die-cast!

Bob Shaw

Allready have it bookmarked

[Bill Harris]

Works like a charm! My 'puter uses Quicktime to view the USPO TIFFs (but won't let me Save them), but there is a special plugin available at the site to 'view full page drawings'. Now to start squirreling away "as-built" images, there are a lot of wire looms, brackets and thingamabobs on the Rovers.

Thanks...

--Bill

[dot.dk]

What wasn't obvious in advance was that the lander stage is also included (hence the huge box the the thing arrives in)!  Oh, and when you unpack it all, you'll need a long and fairly fine cross-head screwdriver to get the transit plug off of the base of the MER (it's nicely packed, and the best efforts of Postman Pat should do the whole thing no damage at all. I hope!).

I'll post photos tomorrow, when there's some natural light.

Bob Shaw

That sure sounds great Bob! Can't wait to get mine now!

So it is the rover including the lander tetrahedron? With petals and all? Do they fold up?

Can't wait for your pics