Early Scratchbuilts

These are the first two spacecraft models I ever built. They are made from bits of cardboard, balsa wood, and various model kit parts. The Ranger was built while I was in high school, about 9th or 10th grade (1967). The Surveyor was next, also built around 1968. These were made from reviews of many photos, and some crude not-so-scale drawings. They were not built to any particular scale, but both are about six inces across.

This photo uses the nice dark topsoil of southeastern Wisconsin as a simulated lunar surface.