THIS IS A WORK-IN-PROGRESS.  STAY TUNED AS WE COMPLETE THIS FEATURE.  ACCOMPANYING IT IS THE BIGGEST PROJECT WE HAVE EVER DONE!  DON'T MISS OUT!

By Bill Engar

CLASSIFIED MISSION BRIEF:  AFTER NEARLY HALF A CENTURY, A MODELERS' MOST-WANTED-SUBJECT APPEARS IN STYRENE PLASTIC FOR THE FIRST TIME.  WHILE NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART, THIS KIT SHOULD BUILD INTO A PERFECTLY SATISFYING MODEL OF THE ICONIC SPACECRAFT FROM 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY.  IT TOOK A LONG TIME - BUT THEY GOT IT RIGHT!

NOTE:  THIS REVIEW COVERS THE LARGER 1/144-SCALE DISCOVERY KIT RELEASED BY MOEBIUS MODELS IN 2017.  IF WE GET A CHANCE, WE'LL REVIEW THE NEWER, SMALLER 1/350 MODEL KIT RELEASED MORE RECENTLY.

In 1968, Stanley Kubrick and Arthur Clark corroborated to produce 2001: A Space Odyssey.  Up to that time, science fiction movies depicting spaceflight were largely low-budget efforts suitable for discount matinees or late-night TV.  Kubrick and Clarke succeeded in making the “proverbial really good science fiction movie.”  Over 50 years later, the special effects hold their own with anything contemporary and we probably have this film to thank for inspiring the visual images that that helped make Star Wars a part of our collective consciousness.

The box art looks just like a screen-shot from the movie.  When built, the model will look just like a screen-shot from the movie.

Around New Years 2018, Moebius Models released a 1/144 scale Discovery XD-1—nearly 50 years after 2001: A Space Odyssey debuted.
 
With a cited length of 41 inches and 1/144 scale, Discovery scales out at about 500 feet.  Coincidentally, that’s about how many parts the kit has.  The kit is engineered with 16 styrene plastic sprues plus a front viewport transparency.   Several metal rods are included for a stand and to provide reinforcement to the lengthy, thin structure of the model, which runs heavy at both ends.

Just shy of 500 parts comprise this kit.  Two sprues on the right are the unique parts.  Two pairs of two identical  sprue sets are at top.  A three-sprue set is at bottom right.  At middle-left are six identical sprues, most of which comprise the central spine of the model.

To minimize tooling costs, a number of repetitive parts were engineered on multiple sprues.  Two larger sprues contain the unique parts (where only one of each piece is needed for the model).  There are two sets of sprues that come in pairs; the rear propulsion section top and bottom are identical and there are a number of other parts that have pairs (the two smaller dish antennae on the AE-35 antenna array are examples).

This is the AE-35 Antenna spine sprue, the first of two unique sprues where only one part is needed for the model.

The second unique sprue has tanks to the Command Module and Propulsion Module.

Three round stand bases are included in a trio of identical sprues that also has pod bay doors and engine nozzle sets.
 
Most of the parts are found in a set of six sprues that are the same.  Cargo module ends, spine parts, and the hexagonal surfaces to the engine nozzles are found here.  You will spend A LOT of time in the center of the model.

Here's a closeup shot of the two-sprues sets.  Most of these are for the reactor module housing.  On the left sprues, you can see two "X" structures that are the antenna horn mounts for the auxiliary antennae to the AE-35 Antenna array.  The larger circle on the right sprues are the antenna dishes themselves.  Those small discs are what appear to be escape motors!

Sprue #16 has the command module halves.  One of the halves is removed; otherwise, the parts would definitely not fit in the box.  Moebius is known for tightly packing their parts in boxes; if you want a fun challenge, try putting the sprues back in the box after your initial kit parts  inspection and having the lid close.

This trio of sprues has parts on the Discovery that appear in triplicate, such as the Pod Bay Doors and thruster stacks.  Those long engines look an awful lot like actual particle accelerators built in the 21st Century.  The three short metal rods fit in the round bases (top right on each sprue).  Two cradles and a cup are included that support the ends and middle of the model.

An eight-page instruction manual has very clear and well-written instructions.  Most of your work will center around what they refer to as “cargo modules.”  I’d like to think of them as consumables modules.  In the bonus material, I’ll add my two cents to the interpretation of the parts to the fictional Discovery spacecraft based on my career experience in the nuclear industry and with particle accelerators since there appears to be a lot of overlap in what I see on the fictional Discovery and what I encountered in the industry.

Command Module top half.  Three additional parts make up the front viewport!  

The bottom hemisphere to the Command Module shows the openings for the Pod Bay Doors.

The kit does not have an interior.  Adding one would certainly have pushed the cost of the kit  above its $200.00 MSRP.  Resin sets are available for those modelers who will certainly wish to include a pod bay in their build.  Discovery had no external lighting, but the command module window and open pod bay (you’ll have to cut the doors yourself) should be easy to light since the command module will have plenty of room.

The Command Module window is thin enough that you'll want to scratchbuild an interior!

The long rods provide a rigid structure for the model.  Three small rods are vertical supports for the bases; the smallest piece is a connector tube for the large rod pair.  These parts remind me of mass-spectrometer quadrupoles. 

Detailing is sufficient for the scale.  The “Greeblies” that were on the studio model are well-depicted here.  Plastic is light/gray/off-white, so you’ll want to plan on white or light gray paint depending on your preference.  The studio model was light gray.  It’s very difficult to photograph a white model, so special effects models will almost never be that color.  After printing and processing, however, the on-screen colors of a science fiction ship will almost always appear different than the effects model.  

Two of eight pages in the instructions.  Moebius always uses glossy brochure-grade stock for their instructions.

The special effects model work for 2001: A Space Odyssey was done in-camera, meaning there was very little process work needed (no compositing multiple images like was done extensively in Star Wars).  The camera shots for the Discovery were metered so that the highlights on the model appear white and my first model will get a white overall finish to reflect my interpretation of what I saw on the movie theater screen for the first time so long ago (my second model will be coated with dingy-yellow "sulfur" as seen in 2010:  The Year We Make Contact).  A little judicious weathering to enhance that great panel detail on your model will go a long way in creating what should be a spectacular result!

Traditionally, the bottom of a model kit box was blank space.  Moebius shows a photo of a built model and provides FOUR paragraphs of enticing text!

Dem Brudders give this model a resounding four thumbs up!  It's not for beginners.  But we don't anticipate any headaches with the build as Moebius' model kits get better and better in their technical execution with every new release.  It was a long time in coming, but the wait was worth it after our grand tour of what's in the box.  I don’t pony up $200.00 for a model kit easily.  But I am thrilled to have one finally, and I’ll probably pony up for the new, smaller 1/350 version of Discovery as well!
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BONUS MATERIAL

This article is a work in progress.  We have additional content inbound about the model and the movie!  Stay tuned!

That's "Brudder" Dick surprised by a "stunt box."  We went all out on this one, spending several times the $6.00 budget used for our PBY video.  Dick was "aged" with some white hair-paint.  We spared every expense to bring you this video.  As with all our videos, we reward those who watch until the very end!

Here's some screen shots from our most insane project yet--an 8-1/2 minute kit review of Moebius' Discovery XD-1 that contains many parody elements!  We released it 10 February, 2021.

As mentioned, Moebius' Discovery XD-1 is a big model at 41 inches long and 500 parts.  The kit has been popular with modelers!  Recall that in 1969, Aurora Models followed up their Orion Space Shuttle from 2001 with the Moonbus.  It was a more ambitious effort; bigger that the Orion with many more parts.  It was a flop--as a poor seller, it was discontinued in Aurora's catalog, putting an end to any additional kits from the movie, 2001.  Just the opposite has occurred at Moebius Models, long after the actual year, 2001, passed into history!  Following up the Orion and Moonbus kits, Moebius mounted an all-out effort to create their 1/144 Discovery XD-1 and it was well-received enough by modelers to justify not only additional kits--but a second version of Discovery!

In 2020, Moebius released a simplified version of Discovery in 1/350 scale.  At 17 inches and 200 parts, this version of Discovery is easier to build and easy on the pocketbook.  Additional kits from the movie are inbound!

Moebius' smaller Discovery comes in a long box.

Here's the Amazon link for the 1/350-scale (smaller) Discovery.

YOUR PERSONAL ODYSSEY--WHY DO YOU LIKE 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY?

My father took me to see 2001: A Space Odyssey while we were on vacation a year or so after the movie originally debuted (spring, 1968 in the USA).  He’d read the book and had heard the film was well-done.  I was still single-digits in age then.  Knowing that we weren’t going to see a movie that followed conventional filmmaking mores of plot and dialogue, he presented me with a good synopsis of the book.

Ten minutes in, I wondered if he had taken me to see Planet of the Apes by accident.  However, after the famous Two Million-year Jump Cut, I was treated to a sensory experience that by far I had never before experienced in a movie theater.  Delighted by realistic images of spaceflight and terrified by the screaming monolith, I was set on the path of my later life’s journey that took me into the world of technology and the inner space of the atom.

Here's a closeup of the sprue with the main reactor housing.  The boxy protrusions on the sides of this module could possibly cover nuclear reactor control rod actuators.  The four circular objects appear to be parts to some engine nozzles.  Behind the command module, there appears to be a fuel tank and engine structure with four rocket motors that could be part of an escape motor contingency module that would be used in case of a reactor meltdown.

Now is an appropriate time to jump-cut to the model kits this movie inspired.  Aurora Models was very successful with licensed properties in the form of its Universal Monster model kits, and they took on 2001: A Space Odyssey with the immediate 1968 release of the “Pam Am Space Cipper 2001” also known as the Shuttle Orion on a subsequent 1975 release, which I bought and built in 1977.

The apparent failure of the Aurora Moon Bus as a popular kit killed the hopes that we’d see any models of other spacecraft depicted from 2001 in styrene form.  I would have bought the Space Station had one been made!  I would have bought the Aries moon-shuttle had one been made!  The model I really wanted, however, was the Discovery XD-1, the ship that went to Jupiter (Saturn in the book).

I managed to acquire a resin space pod kit, but the 54-inch resin Discovery kit from Lunar Models remained elusive for many years, either from cost or availability issues.  Around New Years 2018, Moebius released their 1/144 scale Discovery XD-1.  I ordered one as soon as I possibly could, paying list price ($200.00).  While I have purchased a handful of models costing over $100, this was the first time I ponied up for one in this price range.

Moebius Models is a relatively new company.  Their catalog is similar to the original Polar Lights—they produced eclectic sci-fi fantasy kits that everyone wanted badly to see in styrene plastic, but seemed forever out of reach like the original Jupiter 2 from Lost in Space.  Polar Lights was purchased by AMT/Racing Champions and faltered when that company tanked.  The Polar Lights brand was rescued by its original founder, Tom Lowe in the form of Round2, but as it was being put back together, a void existed that was taken up by Moebius Models.  Moebius re-released the original Aurora Voyager in 2008.  This 1969 kit from the Filmation cartoon Fantastic Voyage was another highly desired collector-kit brought back to life thanks to the new Moebius.

Modelers were delighted when Mobius announced a license for model kits from 2001: A Space Odyssey.  The original Aurora Moonbus from 2001 was resurrected, this time with a choice of an original crew window or a more accurate version resembling the actual movie miniature.
 
Moebius also brought back the  Orion III Space Clipper in 2011 in the form of a more accurate, newly tooked version about the same size as the original Aurora kit.  We wished and we hoped—and it was a great day when we learned that the Discovery would debut as a brand-new styrene molded model kit for the first time in 2017-18!

Near bottom left are halves to the ion engines.  Note that they have three stages to ionize, focus, and accelerate  fuel.  A noble gas like xenon would work great since it's a heavy atom (atomic number 54) and all those outer electrons would be easy to strip off using a nice high voltage field from an electricity-producing nuclear reactor.  Pushing those positively charged, heavy atoms out the back end (the "vanes" look like ion collimator plates) would propel Discovery forward thanks to Newton's Third Law.

After its early efforts, Moebius came into its own with spectacular models of spacecraft that excited even the pickiest modelers.  For example, I was high school age when Monogram Models released the Battlestar Galactica.  This was a major kit at the time, more than just a simple desk model.  At eighteen inches long, it rivalled the original AMT Starship Enterprise in size.  When I first saw that giant box, I had expectations that the greeblies would have their own greeblies, just like the studio model.  With a groan and an “Oh well!” that matched the first time I opened the MPC/Airfix Space 1999 Eagle, I knew that what was in the box had some serious concessions to economy to make that model as cheap to manufacture as it could be.  Monogram’s Galactica had plain, slab-sides devoid of detail.  Shapes were close, but not quite right.

At top in this sprue is the backbone to Discovery XD-1.  The modular nature of the craft would allow the overall length to be changed by adding (or subtracting) consumables modules needed to meet mission requirements for destination--or launch window.  For example, if a trip to Jupiter had to be made outside an optimum launch window for "some reason," more modules (and perhaps a longer spine) would need to be added than otherwise.  Packaging the consumables in linear fashion locates the propulsion/reactor module as far away from the crew module as possible.  An operating nuclear reactor (which in Discovery's case would probably be to generate electricity) gives off high levels of ionizing radiation.

Fast forward to 2014, and Moebius Models redid the Galactica.  Tooled to nearly the same size and scale as the 1979 Monogram kit, Moebius’ Galactica tooled each panel as an individual part.  Instead of just 18 parts, Moebius went all-out tooling their kit with detail on every surface.  To do that, the kit was engineered with 90 parts; five times as many!
 
Moebius took that experience to the next level with a model kit of Discovery exhibiting even better fit.
 
One of the great challenges in executing a nice model of the Discovery is the fact that no official drawings or models of Discovery survived the film.  Stanley Kubrick feared that the models used in his space spectacular would end up in inferior films if models were left behind or even if drawings could be found.  So he infamously ordered that any such materials were destroyed.

Fred Ordway was a space scientist who was consulted regarding many technical aspects of 2001: A Space Odyssey.  While the models and drawings for construction of the filming miniatures to 2001 were destroyed thanks to Kubrick’s mandate, Fred kept a collection of photos and drawings.  He later worked at Lockheed with engineer Adam Johnson.  Upon Ordway’s death, Adam made arrangements to acquire Fred Ordway’s extensive collection of materials from 2001, and Adam now curates that collection.  Adam, a highly skilled modeler himself, was consulted by Moebius Models and worked with them to create the Discovery XD-1 kit.  Check out Adam's website, ajamodels.webs.com; everything he does is just outstanding.

Brudder Dick and I had the privilege of meeting Adam at the IPMS Nationals in Phoenix, AZ in August of 2018 and we attended an amazing seminar he presented.  Adam said that enough information was obtained from Fred Ordway’s materials and movie stills to design a Discovery model that is quite faithful to the film.  A surprising number of modelers I know agree.  Moebius’ Discovery has been successful enough that additional kits from 2001 have been released, and more are currently in development!
 

We'll post more information about Discovery - the fictional ship and the model!  Check back again soon.