The Dark Side of the Moon

Spheres and domes are an ideal design for bases on the moon or other low-pressure environments – no nasty corners to create weak spots and let the atmosphere out. They can be seen in classic science-fiction and old NASA publicity material, the most famous example of which is the Moonbase in Gerry Anderson’s UFO series.

Today we’re releasing our own take on this design with our Moonbase Habitation Sphere model. Technically the shape is not a sphere, but a truncated icosahedron with curved sides – instantly recognisable as the shape of a football (at least it is in six out of seven continents of the world – a soccer ball if you’re in North America !). The habitable sphere sits on an octagonal base unit which incorporates an airlock for access and houses store rooms and atmosphere recycling equipment.

The design and casting of this one was quite tricky – the base is simple enough, but the sphere has been split into two halves. Five of the hexagonal side panels are cast as separate metal pieces that go together to hide the join quite effectively (thanks to John Treadaway for working this out). The kit comes as the three resin pieces plus six panels to allow some variety – three blank panels, and one each with a window, ventilation grill and escape hatch/access panel. The set of six panels are also available separately if you need spares to customise your moonbase.

B15-601 – Habitation Sphere – £15.00
B15-601p – Spare Panels (x6) – £3.00