From the archives for 18705.304 Barsoom standard (July/August 1976 Earth calendar)
News flash from Chryse Planitia (the Plains of Gold) and Utopia Planitia. Two large, three-legged alien robots have landed - possibly the vanguard of an invasion force!
Local farmer Marvin reports that one alien robot landed in his rock garden and is totally screwing up the feng-shui. We'll have more as the situation develops. Meanwhile, we return you to your regular program on Mars Mystery Theater ...
anyway .... every once in a while you need some perspective. We think we've explored so much of our solar system, but we've only done flybys of the gas giants with two Pioneers and the two Voyagers and orbited each with one (Jupiter with Galileo and Saturn with Cassini). Galileo is long gone but Juno is on the way.
Closer to home is our nearest neighbor, Mars. So, how many operational robots have we landed on Mars?
Yogi
Build notes - this one in 1:12 scale is in the downloads here and at Lower Hudson Valley. This particular build will be a teacher workshop door prize. Therefore, to allow handling we have a thin plywood base artfully(??) colored with Rustoleum Primer. Printed graphics glued down.
The model is secured on a little cube (-ish, it's 1.5" X 1.5" X whatever height is required to support the bottom of the model when built). There are two tabs that rise from the support cube and slip into slots cut in the bottom of the model. This provides support so the struts won't sag (not a problem with the Viking model but the MSL Rover might have issues in a year or two with the struts).
The model is secured for handling and if you pick the display up by the model (rather than the base as intended) the model will pull free from the tabs - rather than ripping off the landing legs if I had glued the pads directly to the base.