The NASA model building thread

[Mark Dave]

Well to help on Falcon 9, it's the same diameter as the shuttle SRBs, 12 feet IRL, 2 inches at 1/72 scale.

Hopefully someone makes a kit of this rocket. I'm already thinking of scratchbuilding one myself.

[Bubbinski]

Ahh.....wonder if there's an Estes cardboard tube or a PVC pipe that has that width and the proper length.  That would be a start.  Then get a proper shaped nose cone (probably another Estes item?) and scrounge up 9 identical engines from somewhere. 

That would just take care of the basics though, to make it look its best I'd need to do my own decals and artwork which I'm not real good at, doing the subject justice and making it look as good as the 1/72 Atlantis stack might be beyond my capabilities.  I've scratchbuilt stuff before but not intricate things or entire subjects.

[Mark Dave]

Well I once saw a set of cardboard tubes as spare parts for any model rocket. Though they weren't 3 feet long, more like a foot and a half. PVC pipe, easier and cut it yourself to the size needed.

The 9 engines would be a bit difficult. My idea would be find something of equal size for the model, then resin cast copies of the molded engine. I did that on my 1/72 scale Soyuz rocket. I used one of the kit engines and made copies of that for the upper stage of the core booster.

Decals? Tangopapa Decals can probably custom make them for you. I've requested custom decals from them a couple times.

[Gene DiGennaro]

I don't think scratching up a low fidelity model of Falcon/Dragon would be too hard. I wouldn't be surprised to see paper models soon. Like anything, the devil would be in the details.

[gladiator1332]

There already is a Falcon 9 / Dragon paper model:

http://jleslie48.com/jj_collection_05/

Built this awhile back.

And there is a new version that you can also make into a stomp rocket:

You'll need some parts from the first model to complete it though.

http://jleslie48.com/jj_sr1007/SpaceX-Falcon9-stomp_rocket.pdf

[dwmzmm]

I see.

Here is something on Saturn V I noticed http://www.lunar.org/docs/LUNARclips/v6/v6n2/SV-tips.html I never heard of Saturn V being modified for such missions. The only mods I know of are for Skylab and Icarus.

I built my Estes 1/100 Sat V as a display model. I'm too chicken to fly it!

Come on, Gene!!  Fly it!  It'll only collect dust if you use it just for display! 

[Gene DiGennaro]

I see.

Here is something on Saturn V I noticed http://www.lunar.org/docs/LUNARclips/v6/v6n2/SV-tips.html I never heard of Saturn V being modified for such missions. The only mods I know of are for Skylab and Icarus.

I built my Estes 1/100 Sat V as a display model. I'm too chicken to fly it!

Come on, Gene!!  Fly it!  It'll only collect dust if you use it just for display! 

Oh, Ok allright! I just ordered a new Estes Sat V for my Christmas gift. I think I'll build this one as a flyer. Stay tuned...

[gladiator1332]

Falcon 9:

[Dyna-Soar]

Cardmodel Tree 2010
Like the title says folks. Also, this year, I have new location, which is the office I have set up in my great grandmother's old house.







Models used:

Kitbashes
Saturn II
Saturn SSTO

Erik te Groen
Mars Rover (redone by Ton Noteboom)
MER Delta II

Delta 7 Studios
Atlas Agena
Gemini 6
Mercury Redstone (escape tower and launch table by Eric Munoz)

Fiddler's Green
R4D-5L "Que Sera Sera"
B-29
X-1

Paragon Cardmodels
Y-Bomber

Retired For Now
Falcon 9-Cargo
Falcon 9-Dragon
Skylab

Gary Pilsworth
XF-107
Apollo Capsule and Sea King
XB-35

AXM
Endeavour
Enterprise

Paper Replika
Astronaut

WeeVikes
Apollo 7

Chihuaha de Papel
Serenity

Shunichi & Getter 1 & Janx & Legal01
VF-1J Valkyrie

Richard De Vries
NASA T-38

Justin M
X-37B

Juanelm
Deltaglider from Orbiter

Quest Aerospace
MLAS (wood, cardboard, and styrofoam)

[notsorandom]

Wow Gladiator1332 those are some nice looking models. Thats the first time I have seen all those rockets next together. It is almost shocking how much bigger the Ares V is compared to the SD-HLVs. This is a really cool thread. We have some amazingly skilled modelers here!

[Bubbinski]

Here's my desk model in work (Lindberg 1/200 shuttle kit)

[Bubbinski]

And here's the finished desk model.  The 2nd picture has 4 shuttle stacks: 1/72, 1/144, 1/200, 1/288.  I'm going to build the Hase 1/200 kit in the STS-134 configuration and hopefully I'll be able to get the foam right. 

The desk model is not completely accurate but I wanted something quick and easy to personalize my new cubicle.  I'm getting a Shuttle Atlantis mousepad, a personalized desk calendar with some pics I took at KSC (and other places), and I'm going to print off a couple of space pics to pin on the cubicle wall.

[Gene DiGennaro]

Bubbinksi, you made a silk purse out of a sow's ear!

[Bubbinski]

Thanks Gene.   This morning it goes to my cubicle. 

Now I don't know if the 1/200 Hase kit will be STS-134 or not.....maybe one of my remaining 1/144 kits will.  We'll see.  I'd also like to do the STS-1 stack before the fleet retires next year.

By the way, I hear that Hasegawa has come out with a 1/200 shuttle with Hubble Telescope as well as a 1/200 shuttle-747 combo.  I will snap them up when they arrive in North America (I saw them on the Hannants UK web site).

[Bubbinski]

Tonight I found a new place to display the big shuttle.  I had finished the 4D vision kit earlier this year so I figured I'd display the two together:

[Aobrien]

After several hours last night and all day today and some time last week I finally finished the solar arrays that have been waiting for months to be done. Not going to lie it took some effort to finish 8 of them but it looks amazing. Over 3 ft wide. It's nearing very close to completion after 2 years:

[Bubbinski]

Wow....very good effort Aobrien.  I wish I had a finished ISS to show off....I started an ISS 2 years ago but couldn't get very far.  I'll try again, as I do want to have an ISS/shuttle docked to display.  (Of course that means I'll need to find room for it which means I'll have to find a different place to display my 1/144 shuttle and Saturn V.)

[Mark Dave]

Awesome models fellas.

Hmm, this model would go great with the ISS model http://www.fantastic-plastic.com/DeepSpaceShuttlecraftPage.htm  Though, if made to the same scale, both the ISS and Valkyrie TAV would be the same size, 100 meters in real life from end to end of the ISS truss to the nose to tail of the Valkyrie.

[Raumfahrer]

Hey, I want to make a better model from the LC-39 as the Revel Model.
I have found the blueprint from the RSS and FSS, but there are not the Main Level and all things left and right from the PCR. Had anybody an idea where i get this blueprints?
This is the blueprint of El.112.

[DaveS]

Hey, I want to make a better model from the LC-39 as the Revel Model.
I have found the blueprint from the RSS and FSS, but there are not the Main Level and all things left and right from the PCR. Had anybody an idea where i get this blueprints?
This is the blueprint of El.112.

Try this one: http://prod.nais.nasa.gov/eps/eps_data/137203-SOL-001-005.pdf