Author Topic: The NASA model building thread (Read 1083649 times)

jgoldader · « **Reply #1660 on:** 09/23/2012 11:39 pm »

Here are a couple of pictures of my freshly-completed Space Launch System (SLS) in 1/144 scale. There are a few more on my Photobucket page.
http://s240.photobucket.com/albums/ff38/jgoldader/SLS%201-144%20scale/

The SLS is being designed by NASA as a shuttle-derived heavy-lift launch vehicle, with first flight hoped for late in this decade. The kit is based off a few renderings and a couple of dimensioned drawings I found on L2.

The model is mostly scratchbuilt, but I used the SRBs from a Revell 1/144 STS stack, as well as Revell SSMEs from the spares box. The SLS has 5-segment SRBs, so the first order of business was to add spacers to the kit SRBs. I found PVC pipe that was just a little larger than the SRB diameter, and after some quality time with 100-grit sandpaper, I had spacers of the correct diameter.

The core stage was another piece of PVC pipe, which is a little too large diameter, but not grossly oversized, so I didn’t bother sanding it down. I tried a few ideas for the thrust structure around the engines, and ended up settling on a solid structure built up from a resin plug left over from a time when I mixed too much, plus some Aves epoxy putty. The only thing I bought exclusively for this model was the corrugated plastic used as a wrap to represent the intertank.

The adapter between the Orion and core stage was just a truncated cone cut from styrene card, with some internal stiffeners for support. The Orion’s BPC was made by making two copies on styrene card of the profile from a scale drawing, cutting slots in them and sticking them together at a 90 degree angle, then filling the lot with scrap styrene and Aves putty, and sanding to shape. The LES is just a bit of styrene tube with four small Kotobukiya rocket nozzles.

I primed the core stage in black automotive spray primer (Duplicolor), then overcoated with white Painter’s Touch 2x primer. I masked off some of the black primer to make roll markings. To give the SRBs a little different color, I didn’t prime them first.

The decals were almost all homemade on my inkjet printer and MS Word, with the exception of the “LOADED” markings, which were left over from a RealSpace Models STS decal sheet. I put on markings in the spirit of the few renderings released so far.

I actually designed the Orion adapter to be separable from the core stage, so I can display the model in either crew or cargo configurations in the future.

This was a pretty quick and simple build, taking just a few weeks, much of that waiting for paint to dry and epoxy to cure, and it was lots of fun. I’m pleased with the results. Better yet, the only thing I *HAD* to get for the kit was the corrugated wrap; pretty much everything else was from the supply stash and the old STS kit, or were normal consumables I needed to get anyway. So this kit ended up costing about $8 out of pocket.

Jeff

Bubbinski · « **Reply #1661 on:** 09/24/2012 02:57 am »

Very good scratchbuild Jeff.

I finally have ordered the Real Space 1/72 Vostok. Will see how it goes. Also got myself the Hase 1/48 Voyager spaceprobe and will receive it this week.

Also happy to note that my 1/72 X-15 got a silver medal (2nd place) at the IPMS SLC XII contest.

luke strawwalker · « **Reply #1662 on:** 09/24/2012 08:47 pm »

Here's some pics of the Dr. Zooch SLS... it's a flying model of the SLS, and can be done in either of two versions... either the "typical Shuttle ET foam" look or the "NASA PAO Saturn-like paint job" (which IIRC came out after I had started construction on the rocket, or thereabouts, but probably the real thing won't fly in that paint pattern any more than shuttle kept painting the tanks white after the first two flights...) Either way it's the builder's choice.

Here's a link to the thread showing the build...
http://www.rocketryforum.com/showthread.php?25443-Dr-Zooch-SLS-beta-build-thread

Here's some pics... Enjoy... go to dr.zoochrockets.com for yours...
Later! OL JR

luke strawwalker · « **Reply #1663 on:** 09/24/2012 09:07 pm »

Here's the Dr. Zooch Delta IV Heavy in the Exploration Flight Test -1 (EFT-1) configuration... This is a nice flying kit...

Here's a link to the build thread... http://www.rocketryforum.com/showthread.php?29228-Dr-Zooch-Rockets-EFT-1-beta-build

And some pics below... she looks nice and flies great...

Later! OL JR

luke strawwalker · « **Reply #1664 on:** 09/24/2012 09:18 pm »

Wes at Dr. Zooch (Zerm here on the forum) contacted me a few weeks ago like the day after I returned from Florida on vacation and asked me if I'd like to build a couple of his models for display at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station museum... Of course I jumped at the chance! He sent me a Jupiter-C Explorer 1 and another EFT-1 kit... So, I've been working away at them in my free time and finally finished them up this weekend.

Here's a link to the thread and a few pics...

http://www.rocketryforum.com/showthread.php?42349-Dr-Zooch-Rockets-headed-for-Cape-Canaveral-Air-Force-Station-Museum!

Later! OL JR

Bubbinski · « **Reply #1665 on:** 09/27/2012 05:40 am »

Thanks for showing off Dr. Zooch's rockets, luke strawwalker. I swore to myself I'd start flying again this year but a disaster with my Falcon 9 and a dry fire season in UT put the kibosh on those plans. There's always next year.

My Hasegawa 1/48 Voyager arrives this weekend. I'm geeked up for it. And when I get my Real Space Vostok I note it has only 4 parts....I look forward to trying it out, and getting my first successful resin build done. (I bit off a bit more than I could chew with the ISS modules).

clongton · « **Reply #1666 on:** 09/27/2012 10:50 am »

Quote from: Bubbinski on 09/27/2012 05:40 am

I swore to myself I'd start flying again this year but a disaster with my Falcon 9 and a dry fire season in UT put the kibosh on those plans. There's always next year.

Similar situation here but work related instead. I know it's a ride but do you ever get over to Co to see Tim at Apogee?

Bubbinski · « **Reply #1667 on:** 09/27/2012 02:15 pm »

I haven't been there yet but I did order a decal sheet from Apogee for another project (the 1/72 Dragon Saturn V). I'm planning on making the IPMS Nationals in the Fort Collins area next August.

Jason Sole · « **Reply #1668 on:** 09/27/2012 10:30 pm »

Took a year to scroll through those posts with 60 images per post, but nice to see SLS models flying.

Bubbinski · « **Reply #1669 on:** 09/29/2012 07:09 pm »

I got my 1/48 scale Hasegawa Voyager spacecraft. Will start on it soon. It'll be a few weeks before I get my 1/72 resin Vostok.

Gene DiGennaro · « **Reply #1670 on:** 10/02/2012 02:35 pm »

Monogram 1/72 X-15 A2. Sorry for the not so good cell phone picture.

OV135 · « **Reply #1671 on:** 10/18/2012 05:53 pm »

I recently got the 1/72 scale Dragon Models Apollo 17 diorama. Good kit, but the bottom of the Lunar rover needs to be added. Any tips on how to do this?

Does anyone have any news on Dragon's kit version of their 1/72 scale Saturn V?

Gene DiGennaro · « **Reply #1672 on:** 10/18/2012 06:17 pm »

Airfix 1/144 Saturn 1B

Overflow · « **Reply #1673 on:** 10/18/2012 07:38 pm »

This thread just extended my birthday list.. Great models everyone!

RanulfC · « **Reply #1674 on:** 10/18/2012 07:47 pm »

Quote from: Bubbinski on 09/27/2012 05:40 am

Thanks for showing off Dr. Zooch's rockets, luke strawwalker. I swore to myself I'd start flying again this year but a disaster with my Falcon 9 and a dry fire season in UT put the kibosh on those plans. There's always next year.

You're not approaching the problem correctly

If it's a "dry" fire season in Utah, you just put enough engines on it to make sure it doesn't come back DOWN in Utah...

Randy

luke strawwalker · « **Reply #1675 on:** 10/19/2012 12:18 pm »

Quote from: Bubbinski on 09/27/2012 05:40 am

Thanks for showing off Dr. Zooch's rockets, luke strawwalker. I swore to myself I'd start flying again this year but a disaster with my Falcon 9 and a dry fire season in UT put the kibosh on those plans. There's always next year.

My Hasegawa 1/48 Voyager arrives this weekend. I'm geeked up for it. And when I get my Real Space Vostok I note it has only 4 parts....I look forward to trying it out, and getting my first successful resin build done. (I bit off a bit more than I could chew with the ISS modules).

Thanks and you're welcome...

Sorry if some of the posts are a bit pic heavy, but hey, that's the point!

Later! OL JR

Bubbinski · « **Reply #1676 on:** 10/21/2012 07:19 am »

I've made some more progress on my Voyager....and I got in my resin Vostok from Real Space this week! The Vostok only has 3 pieces not counting the stand and it looks like I'll be able to assemble it OK. I'll keep you all posted on how it goes.

Bubbinski · « **Reply #1677 on:** 10/26/2012 02:54 pm »

I've worked on the Vostok the last few days and the Voyager's been sitting on the shelf. Making good progress on what hopefully will be my first successful resin build.

Bubbinski · « **Reply #1678 on:** 10/29/2012 12:36 am »

I successfully finished my 1/72nd scale Real Space Models Vostok. My first completed resin build. The antennae and overall fit were challenging and I needed to fill in a big gap with 20 second CA. I also cut some paperclips to fashion the front facing antennae.

Here she is, in my collection. All I need to do is get a Mercury and a Voskhod in the same scale.

roma847 · « **Reply #1679 on:** 11/06/2012 09:20 am »

Quote from: jgoldader on 03/02/2011 09:26 pm

Quote from: JayP on 03/02/2011 03:40 pm
Quote from: MarkD on 03/02/2011 02:05 pm
The entire model will be styrene plastic.

...

Another possibility is to hunt down the 1/144 paper shuttle MLP that's sold on eBay. I bought one last year; it was about $20 and came on good paper with, IIRC, a CD with instructions. It's meant to be done with the help of foamcore (for strength) but you could just as easily use it as a template for a styrene build at your favorite scale. I haven't decided yet whether I'll do mine in styrene or paper, but am not sure I'll even get to it this year.

Jeff

Hi Jeff,

have you already started your MLP project? May be, I have your project start missed.

I follow a similar away and scratch build a combination of David Maiers paper kit, sheet and metal with a lot of detail improvements in my project Space Shuttle Launch Pad 39A mit Challenger STS-6 as you can see here e.g.