1/6 Hobby Master Apollo XVII Astronaut Commander Gene Cernan

It seems that Hobby Master has purchased the molds and patterns from Dragon (who made the Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and generic Apollo Astronaut figures) and will be making modified and enhanced version for Apollo XVII's Commander Gene Cernan who was the last man to ever walk on the moon.

There are slight differences between the figures as this is the A7LB Apollo suit worn on the later Apollo missions. The most obvious sign of this is the orientation of the connectors across the chest vs the vertical orientation on the A7L suits in the early Apollo missions which Dragon chose to make. There is also the LEVA visor, commanders stripes, better detailed OPS actuator and wrist notebook, and some tools.

As a fan of the space program, I am happy to see this being made as there are detail kits and conversion kits you can buy for the Dragon figures which are a bit pricey and rare. I am somewhat disappointed that Hobby Master didn't alter the suit any further to make it look more accurate or better. I do wish that a company like Hot Toys would make the Apollo suit as I would love an accurate version of such an iconic suit.

Definitely picking this up once it releases. I've already sold my Armstrong v2 and Buzz figures.

Is there a reason you sold your Armstrong and Buzz? I think the Armstrong figure is worth the most as he is the most well known. I think it would be nice to have an Armstrong figure with the A7L suit alongside the Cernan figure with the A7LB suit to show the first and last man on the moon as well as how the suit evolved over the Apollo program.

I myself have the generic 'Buck' astronaut which I got a long time ago when they were still normally priced as well as a detail kit and some glue-on patches so he is now Neil Armstrong as long as I keep the visor down

Great news. For what the aftermarket is demanding I'm surprised Dragon didn't re-release Buzz. Any idea on what HM tends to price their stuff at? The Dragon figures were a bargain.

Unfortunately, it looks like it's going to be $200+ so it won't really be any better than aftermarket prices. I know people were paying $50 just for the LEVA visor that someone made for the figure a long time ago so the price for this figure is pretty much the same as what you would pay for an already modded figure off ebay. Also, an A7L to A7LB conversion has been done to the old figure before, but only as one-offs by skilled modders. That said, it's still a little too expensive in my opinion.

Yeah, a bit surprised by the price on this... but seems all 1/6 companies are ramping up their prices with no real justification.

Any news on the release date?

I just got mines today. Got this figure for $197 shipped from a ebay HK seller.

The suit is well tailored and the white color is really white. No yellowing or eggshell whitish color like the previous Dragon Apollo suits.

The accessories are well sculpted. From first glance, this figure looks like it could've been made by Hot Toys imo! I dont plan on displaying this figure anytime soon. So these are all the pics I got.

Beautiful figure, congrats!

I plan on eventually picking this one up. The price is what is holding me back. It is just "out of this world"...

The figure arrived about 2 weeks ago and I haven't been able to set it up yet but it does look nice.

Fortunately, I was able to pre-order it back in November during a sale and using a discount code for a very good price shipped. (I got it from Diecast Airplanes: Diecast Airplane and Aircraft Models. Your collectible aviation source for Corgi, GeminiJets, Model Power, Dragon Wings, Century Wings, Realtoy, Motormax, Hogan Wings, Skymarks, Herpa, Jet X, InAir, and Franklin Mint Armour

Although similar to the previously released Dragon astronaut figures, I don't think Hobby Master simply copied the Dragon set. It does appear to be a new and unique release, utilizing different materials and molds, for the most-part.

If you are a collector of air and space themed figures, this is a must-get. Highly recommended.

going to the moon was hard.

April the 8th is a celebration moment, they release this film:

https://youtu.be/NS3uldKUx90

This figure is great!

I got the figure some weeks ago, want to futz it around before showing pics, but so far, it is a great figure at a reasonable price.

I just purchased this figure yesterday morning , ironically the day that Cernan passed away. Looking forward to seeing it, dos anyone know where I can still pick up the earlier dragon astronaut figures?

Rest in Peace, Gene Cernan. The last man on the moon.



Let's hope the gap of human presence in the moon is filled sooner than later.

At least Cernan said some bautiful words there...

https://youtu.be/0nqrEE_AErc

I definitely want to weather this figure. I also want to stuff it with some material in order to make it look more real.

View attachment 317506

RIP Gene Cerman.

I bought this figure in 2015 and was able to open the box and display last Sunday. The day before he passed.

A quick pic of the display...



In the photo, you can see that the Dragon figures suits have yellowed somewhat. It's not as noticeable in person.

Once I clear up some Detolf shelf space, he'll get his own shelf.