“Fully operating model does everything but fire!” That’s what they said about this kit when it was first released in the late 1950s and they’re saying it again with this highly-anticipated reissue. Authentically scaled from U.S. Air Force blueprints, this limited edition, 1/32 scale, plastic kit of a Teracruzer towing an MGM-13 (mobile-launch) version of the Mace – a surface-to-surface missile first deployed in 1956 – includes movable parts, a finely detailed cab with opening doors, and five crew figures. 23¾” long; 278 parts, skill level 2.
From: David J Coddington
Sent: Sunday, December 09, 2012
To: Russ
Subject: Renwal kit
Hi Russ,
I don’t remember which Reunion it was, whether it was ’09 at Dayton, or ’11 in San Diego, But, one of the attending members had the Kit model of the Teracruzer with the MACE missile, which was offered back in the late ‘50’s or ‘60’s but, discontinued in subsequent years.
Well, I have some GREAT news, if members of our TAC Missileers are interested in again having the opportunity to purchase this model.
I just received a catalog titled, “Military Issue” and low and behold but, on page 45 of the “Cold War” section, there is the Teracruzer with Mace Missile Kit, in 1/32 scale. You can also view this offer on their web-site, www.militaryissue.com.
For some reason, the missile is orange in color, but, since this is a “kit” with 278 parts, I suspect you can alter that with more authentic colors that we remember.
I just wanted to let you know, as I’ll be ordering mine, probably tomorrow.
David Coddington
From: Robert Bolton
Sent: Tuesday, December 11, 2012
To: Russ Reston
Subject: Mace Kits Activity For Posting on the Site
Good Morning Russ,
Several months ago, Ronald “Ski” Wiatrowski sent, as surprise gifts, a copy of the new release of the Mace model to both Steve A Moore and myself. Steve, besides farming, i.e., growing pop-corn on his retirement estate, is still an active modeler and Radio Control pilot. Steve finished building his Mace some time ago. Mine is still in the unopened box, sitting alongside the 3 other old original un-built copies I have of the 1/32 scale rendition of the Mace.
Steve sent me the attached picture of his effort, I want to share it with our fellow TAC Missileers.
Bob
From: Fred Horky
Sent: Wednesday, December 19, 2012
To: Russ Reston
Subject: More about the old/new Renwal “Mace” model kit…
Russ….
The Renewal kit of the Mace and MM1 appeared in the Sembach BX in about 1961. I recall that its exchange price was a little less than five dollars. At the time, that seemed a bit high …..after all, five bucks was only a little less than the price of a BX coupon book for fifty gallons of “quartermaster gasoline” for my car!
But I bought one. It was several years and two more assignments before I got around to building it. Naturally, I marked it with the serial number of the first Mace I’d launched out at Holloman in the spring of 1959, before we deployed to Germany. All the markings were hand painted, including the red-on-white “no smoking” on the fuel pack, the yellow markings on the truck (“US Air Force” and serial number), since other than the national insignia “star ‘n bar”, the kit decals were totally bogus. (Did anybody EVER see an MM1 with Army-style white star markings?)
To display the model I built a special wall display, with a wooden plaque supporting a clear Plexiglas shelf to hold the model. The plaque has a small engraved plate with the missile listing the launch location, missile serial number, and date. After that very successful launch, I had “liberated” the red firing arming/safety jack with its bungee cord lanyard, and it was added as a sort of wreath around the plate. The plaque was completed with a “pocket rocket” badge on either side.
The display was completed by the framed plot, seen at right in the picture, that range control had given me, showing the plot of the missile’s double-dog-bone route which had covered most of New Mexico. Also included were two framed pictures. The smaller one shows my original “long-count” crew posed in front of the “bread truck” alert crew vehicle at Grunstadt (Site 3).
The second picture shows an MM1 and a missile on a translauncher negotiating a tight turn under a historic Linden tree in the village of Mertesheim. That was soon after our arrival at Sembach, and while the usual route from Sembach was via the autobahn, I’d been tasked to determine if a missile could negotiate the trip entirely via secondary roads, ending up climbing the opposite (north) side of Grunstadt Berg through Mertesheim. (It could make it, but only just barely!) This was one of the photos taken by a base photographer who recorded the trip for my report.
As we moved around on Air Force assignments, the display survived nicely to be displayed on several “I-Love-Me-Wall” displays, among all the other pictures, certificates and plaques.
That is, it survived until a close friend (who shall remain nameless, but we’ve been living together for over fifty years now) was “dusting” it, and the whole apparatus took a header onto a hard, HARD, floor.
It was like Humpty-Dumpty. All the pieces were gathered up, but like Humpty-Dumpty they’ve never been reassembled: a major problem being how to fix the shattered walking beams that support the wheels on the bogies. “Someday” I’ll find a way to fix and/or replace them …maybe buy a whole new kit just for the walking beams? ….but it hasn’t happened yet, and while I still have all he pieces, they still remain in the box of broken plastic….
Fred Horky