# Rocketeer builds a Lunar Cruiser **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 10, 2019, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rocketeer-builds-a-lunar-cruiser/830906 "2019-03-10T19:16:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Rocketeer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocketeer/32/4437_2.png) [@Rocketeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rocketeer)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2019, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rocketeer-builds-a-lunar-cruiser/830906/1 "2019-03-10T19:16:44Z")
This past few months I’ve been plugging away on a Lunar Cruiser. It all started when I bought a reissue of the old Renwal “Teracruzer with Mace Missile” kit. The Teracruzer has fascinating running gear and I thought something could be done with it. Finally one day I propped up a Glencoe blimp fuselage on the Teracruzer wheel trucks, and voila! It was off to the races with a lunar cruise liner. Every year the local chapter of IPMS has a fun competition called “modelfy”, where everyone starts off with the same kit and then goes wherever they like. This year’s base kit is the Convair Nuclear Exploration Vehicle 1 kit by Moebius. Four NEV-1 tanks found their way onto the Cruiser, so I’m eligible! Coincidentally, the challenge model for this year’s Sci-Fan contest, held by the superlative Galaxy Hobby, is also the NEV-1; strange how things work out… Anyway, the model has lots of LEDs and a potload of furniture I built or cast. On the lower floor of the central lounge there’s a Santa distributing gifts to some kids, and there’s a Christmas tree in there, too. The little Moon Car and the watching figures are from Shapeways. A big Marvel No-Prize goes to the person who can identify the Moon Car first. 😉 Here are links to some pics, and to my Flickr album where there are plenty of in-progress photos. [Side view](https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7867/46617277264_acd77c403c_k.jpg) [Front three-quarter](https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7902/33464662628_840777cf8b_k.jpg) [From above](https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7875/33464661998_b1bb1d7d64_k.jpg) [Open side](https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7815/46617276994_3470d7e9d5_k.jpg) [Moon Car and onlookers, Destination Moon-style](https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7876/46617276944_8f21b44533_z.jpg) More pics in my [Flickr album.](https://www.flickr.com/photos/150559382@N07/albums/72157702419530104/with/46617276944/) ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2019, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rocketeer-builds-a-lunar-cruiser/830906/2 "2019-03-10T20:05:55Z")
Cool stuff - well done! Now, how can I book a flight…? ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2019, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rocketeer-builds-a-lunar-cruiser/830906/3 "2019-03-10T20:18:21Z")
Looks cool! No idea where the taxi is from, \*5th Element \*would have been my closest guess but that’s obviously not that one. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2019, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rocketeer-builds-a-lunar-cruiser/830906/4 "2019-03-10T20:25:26Z")
Now, WHY did Bender put wheels on the Planet Express ship? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2019, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rocketeer-builds-a-lunar-cruiser/830906/5 "2019-03-10T20:53:07Z")
Looks like a 1950s-era Batmobile to me. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2019, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rocketeer-builds-a-lunar-cruiser/830906/6 "2019-03-10T21:13:14Z")
Those tires need [claws](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5W4MYJt8c4w). ---
**Author:** ![74westy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/74westy/32/3950_2.png) [@74westy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/74westy)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2019, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rocketeer-builds-a-lunar-cruiser/830906/7 "2019-03-10T21:39:03Z")
The moon car appears to be a Tatra. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2019, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rocketeer-builds-a-lunar-cruiser/830906/8 "2019-03-10T21:41:22Z")
So much fun! Your model project threads and albums are always such a joy to peruse. BTW, does that Moon Car have a tailpipe? I couldn’t quite make it out. ---
**Author:** ![Rocketeer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocketeer/32/4437_2.png) [@Rocketeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rocketeer)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2019, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rocketeer-builds-a-lunar-cruiser/830906/9 "2019-03-10T22:12:47Z")
**74westy** wins the No-Prize! Congratulations! ---
**Author:** ![Rocketeer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocketeer/32/4437_2.png) [@Rocketeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rocketeer)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2019, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rocketeer-builds-a-lunar-cruiser/830906/10 "2019-03-10T22:15:24Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > …BTW, does that Moon Car have a tailpipe? I couldn’t quite make it out. No tailpipe that I noticed; I just painted it; didn’t make any mods. I had to laugh; without thinking much about it, I put the number on top so the car could be identified from above. Like from a helicopter. On the Moon. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![74westy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/74westy/32/3950_2.png) [@74westy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/74westy)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2019, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rocketeer-builds-a-lunar-cruiser/830906/11 "2019-03-10T23:01:34Z")
> [@Rocketeer](#): > > **74westy** wins the No-Prize! Congratulations! I will treasure the no-prize all my days and I should have mentioned before but beautiful work as always, Rocketeer. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2019, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rocketeer-builds-a-lunar-cruiser/830906/12 "2019-03-10T23:39:51Z")
Some appropo music for you: [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/__8f-HDai64/hqdefault.jpg "Thunderbirds 1965 - 1966 Opening and Closing Theme (With Snippets) Blu-Ray Dolby 5.1") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__8f-HDai64) Salut! 🆒 The taxi looks like a VW Beetle with a modified rear end to me. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2019, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rocketeer-builds-a-lunar-cruiser/830906/13 "2019-03-10T23:42:24Z")
Yeah, well… I’m gonna go build my own Lunar Cruiser, with blackjack and hookers. In fact, forget the Lunar Cruiser! ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2019, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rocketeer-builds-a-lunar-cruiser/830906/14 "2019-03-10T23:50:45Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > some appropo music for you: > > [https://youtu.be/\_\_8f-hdai64?t=100](https://youtu.be/__8f-hdai64?t=100) > > salut! 🆒 > > The taxi looks like a vw beetle with a modified rear end to me. :dubious: **IN VIDecoLOR** ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2019, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rocketeer-builds-a-lunar-cruiser/830906/15 "2019-03-11T00:58:33Z")
I love the _Destination Moon_ reference. But really, it actually would make sense to make spacesuits brightly-colored, so you could tell people apart at a glance. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2019, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rocketeer-builds-a-lunar-cruiser/830906/16 "2019-03-11T01:03:40Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > I love the _Destination Moon_ reference. > > But really, it actually would make sense to make spacesuits brightly-colored, so you could tell people apart at a glance. Give them tanks of compressed oxygen they could use to propel themselves too. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2019, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rocketeer-builds-a-lunar-cruiser/830906/17 "2019-03-11T01:11:27Z")
I like the retired couple on the upper deck, obviously taking that cruise they’d dreamed about for so long. :o ---
**Author:** ![Rocketeer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocketeer/32/4437_2.png) [@Rocketeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rocketeer)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2019, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rocketeer-builds-a-lunar-cruiser/830906/18 "2019-03-11T02:47:32Z")
Thank you all for your kind comments! > [@terentii](#): > > I like the retired couple on the upper deck, obviously taking that cruise they’d dreamed about for so long. :o They’re kind of a May-December couple, if you look closely at the figures. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2019, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rocketeer-builds-a-lunar-cruiser/830906/19 "2019-03-11T03:35:19Z")
> [@Rocketeer](#): > > They’re kind of a May-December couple, if you look closely at the figures. 🙂 You mean he’s shtupping his secretary? :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Rocketeer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocketeer/32/4437_2.png) [@Rocketeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rocketeer)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2019, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rocketeer-builds-a-lunar-cruiser/830906/20 "2019-03-11T05:24:50Z")
Nothing so vulgar. She’s simply an intelligent young woman who has come to appreciate the well-honed and nuanced understanding of women that a widower has. 🙂 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rocketeer-builds-a-lunar-cruiser/830906.md?page=2)