TERRIER, U.S. Navy Surface to Air Missile, 1956
The TERRIER missile was a supersonic beam riding anti-aircraft missile with a 10 mile range. It was launched by a solid fuel booster (blue section) and propelled by a solid fuel sustainer rocket (yellow section). The Terrier was 15' in length without it's booster and weighed 1 1/2 tons. The missiles were developed in the late 1940's and were fielded on the guided missile cruisers PROVIDENCE and CANBERRA. Equipped with either a conventional warhead or a nuclear payload, the missile was constantly upgraded. In the early 1960's the missile was replaced with the RIM-67 missile as the primary anti-aircraft weapon in the US Navy fleet.
The Model
I built a Revell model Terrier as a kid that was part of my large rocket and missile collection (which was replaced by a large model car collection). Revell only produced this kit for one year and dropped it from it's inventory along with all the other poor selling missiles (no "play value" for kids, like tanks and jet airplanes). In the 1990's Revell began a SSP (selected subject program) and released a number of the old missile and rocket kits (I bought them all!) but the Terrier was not one of them. I did locate a paper model of the missile (the same scale as the Revell kit) and used it as a pattern. Using plastic sheets and odds and ends from the scrap box, I put together a resonable version of the Revell kit for my "new" collection of "old" Revell missile kits. Now that my model is complete, Revell will probably re-release the kit!
This is a really nice bit of engineering, Mike, probably a lot better than the kit!
I agree with Rob, Mike...a VERY nice job on this. I'm ashamed to say I never heard of the "Terrier". The scale (and the box art) make it look a lot longer than the 15' stated, though. 🙂
I've never heard of these before Mike, so it has been educational for me also! Nicely modeled, it's good to get a different type of subject from time to time. I'm actually working on some anti-aircraft missiles right now myself, a SAM-6 to be precise.
Mike: This is one I always wanted back when I had hair and ambitions, but never found. This and their Talos. No play value! Zooom! Ka-bang!
I always wondered where the kit went, I had their catalogue, plus this was state of the art stuff, at the time.
In Buffalo, on the lakefront is one of the cruisers they modified for this system, alongside is the USS The Sullivans. There's a museum in the complex, which has a P-39 (you can see the dings on it) once flown by Major Shomo, the flying undertaker hisself. Before he had his big day.
fine presentation...guided missiles were the hi-tech when we were kids...55 to 65...never seen one of these built or unbuilt...thankyou
Beautiful and a fantastic effort of fine modeling. Did I mention Impressive also. Really, really, top notch.
And extremely cool.
California Steve
Beautiful rendition of the TERRIER system. Have seen the Revell Talos before and it was equally impressive. Well done.
Thats an outstanding and unique job, Mike. A great piece of modelling, now you need the Long Beach 🙂
Thanks guys for the positive comments. As I mentioned, plastic kits of rockets and missiles were a big part of my life as a child but as a modeling product their sales were not huge. The current space models (ISS, space shuttle, sci-fi subjects), are well detailed but only appeal to "space nerds", a small segment of model builders. I'll be posting more vintage space related models for your inspection...
Thats a really nice idea 🙂
That's a nice job of scratch building Mike, very impressive indeed. Seems I remember as a kid building a collection of Army missiles that came as a set from Revell. Or am I suffering from some-heimers, sometimes I remember, some times I don't.
Great job Mike!
Getting a scratch build all straight and aligned is no mean task. The detail and the paintjob are very good too.
Mike,
Great work, I lik this