VANCOUVER, WA--(Marketwire - Oct 11, 2012) - Masterpiece Models, a boutique model making studio and workshop which specializes in custom fabrication at any scale, was commissioned by The Museum of Flight in December of 2011 to create a half size replica of the Hubble space telescope for their new Charles Simonyi Space Gallery which is scheduled to open to the public on November 10, 2012.

The replica, which has been installed at the Museum in Seattle, hovers above NASA's Full Fuselage Trainer (FFT), which was used for more than 30 years to train every person who flew on the space shuttle. NASA's retired astronaut trainer was delivered to The Museum of Flight during the Summer of 2012 over the course of three flights on a Super Guppy cargo plane from Johnson Space Center in Houston, TX.

"The deployment and subsequent repair of the Hubble Space Telescope were some of the most important -- and dramatic -- stories in the history of the Space Shuttle Program. Masterpiece Models' one-half scale model of the Hubble will certainly add to the visitor experience at the Museum's Space Shuttle Trainer exhibit, and help them visualize the telescope which has greatly broadened our understanding of the universe," says Chris Mailander, Museum of Flight Director of Exhibits.

Masterpiece Models began work on the space telescope in February 2012 and had the near exacting model completed within 6 months of the start date without the help of any plans from NASA or the Museum due to various security reasons. Masterpiece Models is also known for constructing other museum quality models such as a full size replica of the Mars Rover on display at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI), an 11' long Nimitz Class aircraft Carrier for the Qatar Museum Authority, a 1/48th scale replica of the International Space Station (ISS), for the Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center among many other equally impressive projects.

"This was one of the largest and most complex replicas ever built by Masterpiece Models," comments Masterpiece Models Founder, John Geigle. "Fabricating a scale replica has its own set of unique problems to solve. This replica, however, was especially challenging. There is a lot more than meets the eye when it comes to creating a strong yet lightweight model. The educational values to this replica go a long way to delve into the history of the Space Shuttle and the exploration of deep space."

Aside from Masterpiece Models' obvious specialty in creating museum quality exhibits, they also have a casting facility for not only casting, but vacuum forming and molding as well. In addition, a part of Masterpiece Models is solely devoted to making military and science fiction model kits. Masterpiece Models was recently acquired by fine art corporation Masterpiece Investments in July of this year. Masterpiece Investments previously acquired digital 3D production studio Additive Workshop in 2010. Today, the combined artistic and production capabilities of this 'fine art meets high-tech' innovative group, which Masterpiece Models has recently joined, are literally endless.

To learn more about Masterpiece Models, visit http://www.masterpiecemodels.com. For more information on The Museum of Flight and the opening for the new Space Shuttle Trainer exhibit, visit http://www.museumofflight.org.

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Masterpiece Models Lands Half Size Hubble Space Telescope Replica at The Museum of Flight-Seattle, WA