The NASA model building thread

[JJ..]

wow,thats a lot of paper (lol)
i actualy got as far as finishing my own skylab (in b+w)
from the plans here .. http://www.ninfinger.org/~sven/models/kmskylab/skylabarticle.html
but never got it finished to a good spec,
im glad someone beat me to it,

JJ..

[dwmzmm]

I'm currently building an Estes 1/100 Saturn - V kit, catalog number K-36 (for those of you who've been in the hobby - or was - for a long time, you'll know that this is an OLD production
run kit).  

You can follow a thread I've authored in the Ye Old Rocketry Forum at the link that follows (has
plenty of exchanges and pics):

http://forums.rocketshoppe.com/showthread.php?t=1931

[JJ..]

ive been having a go at the lunar rover model from http://www.mos95b.com/Moon%20Port/
but have been strugling with it,
the instructions arn't too clear ..
has anyone made the model ?
as id like to finish it and could do with some pointers,

thanks,

JJ.

[dantdbv]

A cry of delight, a large cry for help and some links with loads of highress pics

I'm a lucky happy fellow,
Today i have bought Monogram's 1/72 scale Spaceshuttle for about 97,5$, if you take away 25% for vat, 2-6% importtax, i have chosen 4%, 25$ freight and 5$ give or take in exchange fee, then we get 40,2 $. I think that is a nice price. Guess what my new plans for STS-61 is going to be. Naah don't bother just look at my plans below.
 
Help!
These have annoyed me for a while, so now is the time to do something about it.
On the STS-1 & STS-2 ET's there were black numbers as seen on the pics mentioned below, but i haven't seen anything about them anywhere.
What i would like to know is, if any of you know what, why, how and when they are, and if you do know, then please share it with me.
These pics were from the now defunct STSliftof site, i've made an 11MB rar file and have uploaded it on rapidshare.com
http://rapidshare.com/files/48466406/sts12etn.rar.html Scroll down and click on the free button. If you see these lines, then XXX tells you how long you have to wait until you can download again.
 
You have reached the download-limit for free-users. Want to download more?
Get your own Premium-account now! Instant download-access! (Or wait XXX minutes)
 
Use winrar or similar to unpack the file
KSC-80pc-746      3.574KB
KSC-80pc-747      3.320KB
80pc-0608            1.865KB
80pc-0709            1.614KB
 
And these from KSC, if you don't like to go straight to the highress pics, then go here to get the options
http://images.ksc.nasa.gov/photos/1981>
Or browse through KSC pics from 1950 to 2005 here
http://images.ksc.nasa.gov/photos
STS-1 http://images.ksc.nasa.gov/photos/1981/high/KSC-81PC-0164.jpg
STS-1 http://capcomespace.net/dossiers/espace_US/shuttle/ksc/LC39_chrono_part2.htm
Just below the 1980 headline.
 
STS-2 http://images.ksc.nasa.gov/photos/1981/high/KSC-381C-2366.03.jpg
STS-2 http://images.ksc.nasa.gov/photos/1981/high/KSC-81PC-0681.jpg

http://mix.msfc.nasa.gov Click on the yellow dots on top for relevant pics and moviefiles, Space Shuttle projects has 50 pages with 12 items on each. Click on the text to get resolution choice. More pics of Hubble and STS-61 than i have seen anywhere else. I could still use more about STS-61, especially the payloadbay, so if you have any or know where to find it, please let me know.
 
http://dayton.hq.nasa.gov/IMAGES/ Unfortunately they jump in time and programs, no descriptions and it could be me, just being tired, when i looked trough the small pics, but i got the feeling that the smallpicnumbers didn't allways fit the bicpicnumbers. Well good luck.

http://www.dodmedia.osd.mil/ Type in varius Shuttle related words and se what pops up. sca turns up 16 pics, enterprise turns up 1322 hits, 85 of them Shuttlepics, some on sca, some at Vandenberg. "shuttle columbia" gives 110 hits. The other orbiter names and designations, ov-101 and so forth gives some hits.
 
If you come up with some good searchterms, then let us know.


Shuttleplans. The stuff i'm looking for right now, is after the subject, allways looking for highress pics.
1:
PlayShuttle, no paint, no filling just lightly sanding. Minicraft Orbiter, Revell stack and MLP
2:
Enterprise, ALT freeflight 5 on SCA 905 in flight. Revell Orbiter and 747, scratchbuild struts and stabilizers. Waiting for Spacecraft Films Space Shuttle First Flights box. Looking for colorpics of the missionmarkings on both sides by the frontdoors, struts, stabilizers and reenforcements.
3:
Columbia, STS-1 on pad, just after HBOI (sparklers) ignition, before SSME start, that should be between t-11 and t-6 seconds. Revell Orbiter/stack. First on modified Revell MLP, then scratchbuild correct MLP, then on just enough hardstand to fit in the FSS and RSS. Waiting for Spacecraft Films Space Shuttle First Flights box. Some good pics of the rearside of the ET. Yes i know that Ed has made an STS-1 imagecollection, but because of my 1/72 purchase, i probably won't be able, to afford it until around my summervacation next year.
4:
Challenger, STS-33/51L in flight at T+60 seconds, with visible flame From right SRB field joint. Revell Orbiter, Airfix/Minicraft stack? Stack decision will be made when i get the Airfix kit. Working on exhaust plumes from Orbiter and SRB's, they're gonna be lighted, i just don't know how yet, but i do have some ideas. Would like to get as many good pics from any launch at about T+60sec, so i can get a 360degrees view. I just need, from SSME to where SRB flames turn to smoke
5:
Endeavour, STS-61 HSM-1 on orbit with baydoors open. Monogram 1/72 with Realspace payloadbay. Anything about STS-61 and Hubble pre and post HSM1 and pre HSM2.
6:
Atlantis OMDP-2 1997 ferryflight with dummy OMS and FRCS pods and tailcone on cutout SCA 911 with landinggear down. Revell Orbiter and cutaway 747, scratchbuild interior, struts and stabilizers. If it where there at the time, then maybe in a scratchbuild mate-demate device at Palmdale. (yeah right, when i get a bigger place to live, maybe.) Need to find some more good pics and/or drawings of the interior, struts, stabilizers and reenforcements.
7:
Discovery STS-121 on runway. Need to find some good pics.
8:
Columbia STS-107 on orbit with closed baydoors. Need to find some good pics.

Happy Spacebuilding.

[Mark Dave]

Hey guys how would I clean old paint from between the stringers of the intertank of my 1/72 scale Discovery stack? I ask as looking closely, the pain filled into them enough that you can't see the ribs sticking out in places. Any suggestions fellas?

[mike robel]

A Stiff tooth brush and brake fluid will work.  if you dont want to do that, the back edge of a #11 exacto knife or scribing tool, or a knife edge file...

[Mark Dave]

Ok. Say for modifying the ET's SRB thrust panels to teh current design what would work? I know Evergreen and Plastruct have plastic sheets that could fit  the scale for the intertank and thrust panels,but I don't know which ones would work.

[BenB5150]

Hey Mark,

You might try and ask  Justin Davenport here http://www.arcforums.com/forums/air/index.php?showtopic=92970&hl=  I think he might be able to help you out.  In this thread it looks like he did what you're asking about.

Ben

[Mark Dave]

Cool. I'll check it out

[Mark Dave]

I found this site for shuttle modelers http://www.spaceshuttleresource.com/ Check it out.

[spaceshuttle]

MarkD - 7/9/2007  3:20 PM

I found this site for shuttle modelers http://www.spaceshuttleresource.com/ Check it out.

THANK you!!!!  :laugh:

[Mark Dave]

You're welcome.

[CFE]

MarkD - 30/8/2007  5:41 PM

Hey guys how would I clean old paint from between the stringers of the intertank of my 1/72 scale Discovery stack? I ask as looking closely, the pain filled into them enough that you can't see the ribs sticking out in places. Any suggestions fellas?

Try letting the painted part sit in Simple Green cleaner for a day or two.  I've found this to be the most effective way of stripping paint & chrome plating from plastic parts.

[Mark Dave]

What is a Simple Green cleaner?

Evident of my problem is when you compare the ET of Discovery with Atlantis.

Here's Atlantis http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/photos/show-album.asp?albumid=28&photoid=784 You can see the modification I did by the non aligned stringers. Infact on both models I am still stuck on exactly what styrene sheet will work.

Here's Discovery http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/photos/show-album.asp?albumid=28&photoid=264 You can se here how thick the paint is betwen the stringers compared to Atlantis.  So far a scraper is how i'm removing the paint,but it's time consuming and I risk cutting myself with the knife. Is there a faster way?

Both kits together http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/photos/show-album.asp?albumid=28&photoid=311 In comparing them I like how more realistic Atlantis looks, especially the ET color fits exactly wit hthe Chrome Yellow paint for the darker foam. On Discovery's ET I used Model Masters Dark Yellow which is similar, but as the name says darker than the Chrome yellow.

[CFE]

Simple Green is a brand of cleaning solution, just like 409 and Tilex.  It can be found in the household cleaners aisle of most major retailers in the US.

[Mark Dave]

I see. It won't damage the plastic will it? I ask as I tried with paint thinner on thin styrene of a Titanic kit and too much wilted the plastic. Yeah, enough thinner than the plastic becomes very soft and droops.

On the ET stringers, I can't find any Evergreen sheet plastic or Plastruct with exactly the same pattern-evident on Atlantis's ET mod. What would work?

[CFE]

Simple Green shouldn't distort the plastic.  It might make some glue joints weaker, but it's probably better than over cleaner in this regard.  In short, Simple Green is far less caustic than other paint removers like oven cleaner or brake fluid cleaner.  You don't even need gloves or extra ventilation to use it.  I'm not sure what type of paint you're trying to remove and whether Simple Green will be effective, bit it's worked on acrylics, enamels and even chrome plating.

[George B]

Hi guys,

This looks like a very busy thread, so I thought I'd add to it with my current build.

I've been building a paper 1:60 LUT (Apollo Era) along with the Crawler which I just finished. The LUT is far from complete but I am getting there slow but for sure.

Here's a few photos of the WIP.

Kind regards,
George B

[sprtnsky]

That's a lot of work there.

How much does all that weigh and how long did it take to build them.

[mastronaut]

The detail is incredible! Excellent job