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| I recall getting
this model of a Mercury capsule and escape tower back
in the early 1980s. I was working at McDonnell Douglas
in St. Louis and some co-workers gave it to me.
Supposedly it was excessed or surplussed and they got
their hands on it. I am still in touch with them
today, and they have no recollection of this item. There are no markings or placards on it, so I have no idea who made the model. It could have been made in the McDonnell model shop, but they usually put some sort of tag on the base. Maybe it was made by an outside vendor? The model scale out to about 1/10 scale. The base is wood, the capsule body and adaptor appears to be fiberglas, while the interior equipment and astronaut is made of wood. The nose antenna compartment is made of brass. The escape tower is made of metal rods, while the rocket motor nozzles are wood. It has been in a box in pieces in my garage for decades and I finally decided it was time to clean it up and restore it. I will post a write-up on that process at some point in early 2022. Meanwhile, here are some photos. |
 The
original condition of the model 
The
interior. Note the foam seat liner and broken arm
Interior
after restoration
The completed
restored model On Feb. 10,
2022, I delivered the model to the Arizona Challenger
Center in Scottsdale. They do space exploration themed
STEM education and they will display it in their
museum area.
The model in
the Challenger Center. It will get a protective case
soon. |
