In the realization of amortization of tooling costs, no better marque seems to be reissued or repainted and re-released than the Corvette. Quite simply, the car has a cult-like following and they sell. Some retailers, too, have found their way into the realm of the Corvette redo but unique and historic images are getting harder and harder to find and duplicate. Enter, once again, Diecast Reproductions, Inc. I must gratefully give generous kudos to Tony Cerra for commissioning a stellar (pun intended) Corvette piece of history; little-known as it may be. You will recall that it was Tonys Diecast Reproductions, Inc. that gave us the FM 1982 Corvette in Silver and Dark Claret as well as the FM 1966 Shelby Cobras with Carroll Shelbys signature.

During the glory years of the space program, NASA did not permit its astronauts to be spokespersons for monetary gain. Former Indy 500 winner (1960) Jim Rathman, was a prominent Chevrolet dealer during the hey day of our space exploration travel and fully admired the astronauts contributions. He decided to offer his own sort of reward to our USA space men. He conferred with Chevrolets Ed Cole and set up an, Executive Lease Program administered, exclusively, for astronauts. And while other astronauts, such as Gus Grissom and Alan Shepard, were performance car advocates and Corvette owners, the Apollo 12 crew was the first and only such group to drive matching cars, thanks to this lease program. Apollo 12 was our second lunar exploration. Launched 11/14/1969, its crew consisted of Charles Pete Conrad, Jr., Commander; Alan L. Bean, Lunar Module Pilot and Richard F. Gordon, Jr., Command Module Pilot. They returned to earth and landed in the Pacific Ocean on 11/24/1969. The three space explorers were good friends. When offered the matching Corvettes by Rathman, they opted to add black wings to the paint scheme, a chosen Riverside Gold.

It remains a mystery to this day as to who actually performed the custom paintwork on the trio of Vettes. In a rectangular addition to the front fenders, red, white and blue squares held specific lettering for each of the flyers. Letters were applied in the blue fields of each vehicle. CDR was used on Pete Conrads car, standing for Commander. LMP was used on Alan Beans car, signifying Lunar Module Pilot and the blue field on Dick Gordons Vette was emblazoned with, CMP for Command Module Pilot. Jim Rathman enhanced the black wings with a separating pinstripe of white between it and the metallic gold paint. The cars all boasted 427/390-horse motors with four-speed trannies. They had AM/FM radios, Special Wheel Covers, Head Restraints and Four-Season A/C.

Perhaps these magnificent cars would have languished in historic mediocrity were it not for a man named Danny Reed. At the expiration of the astronauts lease, Alan Beans car was turned back in and found its way to a GM-GMAC dealership in Austin, Texas. Danny knew what the car was all about and bid on the Vette when the dealer finally decided to auction it off. The top bidder did not follow through and Danny, the second highest bidder, won the car in August of 1971. After an extensive tear down, clean-up and thorough reclamation, the car garnered the highest original-condition honors without a full, so-called, restoration being performed. What it did do, however, was call attention to a little know space/Corvette tribute that could have easily slipped unnoticed into automotive history.

Tony Cerra did his due diligence in once again researching worthwhile Corvette ownership and reproduced a gorgeous 1:24th replication of a marvelous piece of history. His AstroVette carries upgrades to the original FM model, including a slim metal antenna, a new exhaust system, upgraded door-sill plate, chrome trim shift plate, hood support bar, shifter diagram & silver-painted drip moldings on the T-tops. The Corvette Crossed-Flag emblems, on front fascia and gas-filler door, and 427 hood insignias are chrome metal-foiled. The paint itself is beautifully applied and, in person, looks magnificent! Keep in mind that this is a VERY limited piece of only 427 units and is a bargain, in this reviewers mind, at only $145. Tony Cerra; to unearth (again, pun intended) this rare Corvette treat, your job was exceptionally well done sir!