Space Shuttle Launch Pad 39A with Challenger STS-6 (1:144)

#240 by roma847 on 11 Jun, 2013 18:00
Thanks Richo,

the show must go on.

So, in the meantime the TSM covers are cut and the Balsa cores prepared.

Here are the glued-together cores (1:144), which can now be wrapped, compared of one of the predecessor TSMs (1:160).

Next, the Hold-down posts for the painting were being prepared,

and this is their new look that should anything be aged after installation.

Now, I will make a further fitting on the Hold-downs with the SRB-ET assembly, and then set its final position on the SRB supports. To do this I'll still just in case try on the lower connection struts between the SRBs and ET and check whether the lateral distance or the location may still something changed.

And then we see ...
#241 by RichO on 14 Jun, 2013 18:05
MANFRED,

Once again your build looks just great! The SRB hold downs look really nice with the pen tips painted and the placement, looks like they are part of the kit. For some reason I am quite pleased with the balsa cores for the TSM's. You have cut and cleaned them very nicely and altho we wont see them again they do look nicely sanded and crisp cuts, good work.

Keep posting we love what you are building!!

RichO 114
#242 by DaveS on 14 Jun, 2013 18:16
The SRB HHPs look great! There's just one minor thing: The brackets, called the shoes, are really rectangular and not square as you have them right now. They're the same shape as the bottom face of the HDPs on the Aft Skirt.
#243 by roma847 on 14 Jun, 2013 20:00
Thanks Richo for your nice words, but at the junctions of the balsa cores I have to do still a little putty filling and sanding, because there are still a few scars that are not visible in this photo. I'll post some pics tomorrow.

Thanks Dave for your kind words and comments, I fully agree with you.

With this trick only the bearing surface for the SRB aft skirt shoes on the HDPs should be enlarged slightly for better standing of the stack.

BTW, if the stack will then be standing on the HDPs, you can no longer see anyway that the shoes are not rectangular but square.
#244 by yorky10 on 15 Jun, 2013 07:49
This is looking good. Keep up the hard work. This will look amazing
#245 by roma847 on 18 Jun, 2013 21:16
Thanks Yorky for the nice words.

And so back to my building site, even though the pretty weather can distract one.

I will push the fitting of the stack on the HDPs once back, and it continues with the TSMs. Because at the junctions of the balsa cores I had to do still a little putty filling and sanding, because there were still a few gaps.

Then were glued the coverings side over side, for comparison aside is standing a 1:160 TSM again.

Here are already the parts for the ventilation flaps, I separately will produce, which become easier as the appendages on the sides would only disturb.

Pointing to some details, such as doors, control panels, hatches, etc., I made extra copies and then put on these parts.

So these details stand out but still something more, such as for example the doors, which improves the appearance, I hope so.

And the "big" TSMs on the MLP look like now.

And here again compared the 1:160 TSMs in front of the 1:144 TSMs.
#246 by RichO on 19 Jun, 2013 19:44
MANFRED,

This is so outstanding and cool I can barely stand it!!

So, now about to the point of where you wear befor the discovery of the blast chamber incident and the very impressive Frankenstein recovery operation. As you know I love the details and I'm excited for you to continue with the small stuff like the added doors and details that add shadow lines and back to the wire bending.

Keep up the great work, I'm with you!

RichO
#247 by roma847 on 19 Jun, 2013 22:52
Thanks Richo for your kind comments, there will be a lot of other nice details, I'll try to scratch-build, let you surprise. I think we have almost the same preference, isn't it?
#248 by RichO on 24 Jun, 2013 17:17
MANFRED,

I love to scratch build and all the little details. I know we have the same feeling about this. I look forward to your scratch build suprises and I can safely say that we all love watching what you are doing here!! keep up the great work!!
#249 by roma847 on 26 Jun, 2013 06:50
Hi Richo,

thanks for your nice compliments, you are right, the tiny details are the salt in the soup of the modelers!

After the two TSMs were finished, it was now scratch-building some of these details (arrows), are to see in the next two pictures.

Here the left LH2-TSM is first to see which among other things runs the LH2-pipe. In contrast to the right LOX-TSM has this hood-like sheet metal hood as upper end, some ventilation boxes/shutters and holding elements, and electrical installations (green). To come still ladders (red) and various pipes (blue).

Source: NASA

The right TSM receives similar details up on the missing sheet metal hood.

Source: NASA

Now here is the somewhat tricky sheet metal hood, first without the lateral 7 pipes which receives a surface made of cardboard to reinforce. The lateral pipe bundle I will later separately scratch-build from Evergreen round profiles (0.5 mm).

And this is the finished hood after the lateral arches were carefully glued. Behind the 7 round profiles for the piping, in which probably run electrical cable are provided.

And thus, the LH2-TSM is finally under the hood...

Now these are the items for the ventilation boxes and the associated Balsa reinforcement,

the flaps in the folded state with railings are provided so that during service and maintenance works no one downwards can fall. But these flaps remain closed but on my MLP.

Source: NASA

In the meantime, the reinforcements in the boxes were glued,

and the flaps cut out,

which were glued on separately after the installation of the boxes.

Next I want to retouch something somewhat disputed edges, but that was for today.
#250 by RichO on 03 Jul, 2013 15:26
MANFRED,

To bad about the safety flaps, Your so good with small details I would loved to see how you would have built these.

Keep up the good detail work, it looks really great!!

RichO
#251 by roma847 on 03 Jul, 2013 21:01
Thanks Richo for your encouraging words, rather let the flaps closed. There are still plenty of other nice details ...

So, now it is the details on the left LH2-TSM to continue. Because I want to try first time, to detail the seven pipes on the side a little bit more, as this in the paper kit is only hinted at.

The pipes are located on three retaining strips and are fastened at three positions in each case offset with pipe clamps.

Here again the overview picture:

Source: NASA

These are the required items, 0.5 mm rod profiles for the pipes and rectangular beams 0,8 x 0,2 mm for the retaining strips.

For it the seven rod profiles were attached first side by side on strips of tape,

and glued on it then the three retaining strips.

Then the retaining strips were cut to length and the points for the clamps marked what looks but not bad.

So far so good, but how will the clamps now are built best and glued? This, in first, I wanted to use thin insulation tube, halve them and glue then small pieces on the rods.

This tiny crumbs could keep but hardly with the tweezers, let alone position on the tiny glued points, so that half of them jumped off me and I eventually gave up this variant.

Then I tried to use a thin flat strip 0,25 x 0,5 mm for the clamps. For this experiment, I have prepared me a bunch of extra samples and considering me to gently dab each second rod with adhesive and it then to glue the strips.

Then I wanted to cut the strips in the gaps with the razor blade, and so should the clamps on every second rod stay then, at least in theory.

This variant was also not the yellow of the egg but unfortunately, because the strips on the neighbor's profile glued or when cutting back have freed themselves from.

So I then tried, is to cut small 1 mm strips and individually to glue them, what to see in the left row. It was also quite stressful, but at least passably to handle.

After that, I wanted to see just the result in painted condition what looks.

I think that one might almost satisfied so that, if you could align the clamp strips still somewhat straighter and smoother. Visually, the sublime structure already in as the clamps set on the first picture corresponds to, or what do you think?

Or but I spare me throughout this stressful action and the clamps to interpret after painting only with a darker color stroke which in any case would be less.

It looks like I will have to sleep probably still a night over it ...

Then but ever a forecast on thicker pipes, running around to the TSM, which I have to bend next, as the example of 1:160 TSM from that time reveals.

Well then bye!
#252 by RichO on 04 Jul, 2013 13:07
MANFRED,

I bet you can guess what I might think about the clamp strips. I do like the solution in the last photo, anything that adds a nice shadow line visualy would almost certainly be better than a simple paint line. Consider the MLP kit its self, the detail is simply printed onto the surface, not bad looking, but your addition of the styrene strips adds so much more 3D detail.

BTW nice to see the wire bending again. My next chapter of the crawler build is the wiring chapter and I just can't visualy see flat paper substituting for round wires. I will attempt to cut these out tho, but really I think I will replace with all wire bending.

Anyway I hope you came to a solution with sleeping on it for a while. Good Luck, and nice building. it always looks great!

RichO
#253 by roma847 on 04 Jul, 2013 22:09
RICHO,

I can fully agree with you in all points, and I bet you can guess what variant I'm going to build after one night's sleep ...

Yep, that's why I will also scratch-build the tiny clamp strips, cause it will certainly look better than only simple paint lines.
#254 by mike robel on 06 Jul, 2013 13:22
Manfred,

This is a little late probably, but here is a close up view of the hold down bolts from the Atlantis exhibit of the SRBs you go through to get into the Atlantis theatre to see the orbiter. Not real components, but the company went to a great deal of effort to display things "correctly". it may or may not be of any help to you.

and a view of the entrance.
#255 by roma847 on 06 Jul, 2013 22:51
Thanks Mike for your nice pics from the Atlantis exhibition, but I know how the real Hold-down posts look like.

Source: NASA

My approach for scratch-building these HDPs is a little simpler, but looks similar to this, you will see it later.
#256 by roma847 on 08 Jul, 2013 17:15
Here is an update of the TSM-pipes!
I have something clarified the pipe clamps. They are now merely 0.75 mm x 0.5 mm . so that the tiny pieces have all nearly the same length, I had to build a small template, because from the hollow hand with the cutter, which was not to make. For this business, you need then already a magnifying glass and a sturdy block to correctly set on the cutter.

To cut the length of the clamps I put at 0.75 mm a piece of styrene Strip, where I've attached the cutter. And then went off merrily on it, 21 times, and it was done.

At gluing of the clamps, it should be noted that these are offset in the double rows always to a line. The handling of this tiny pieces was then but a pretty tricky business. First I tried with the tweezers, but also so that it does not really worked because the clamps are just too tiny. Finally I have the snippets with the tip of the cutter gently pressed so that they stick remained, what has kept the short transport route.

Under the magnifying glass was then successively each a mini dab Superglue spotted up on the bond place and gently removed the clamp. For the alignment of the row I used a strip of styrene. So, the location of the respective clamp could be corrected quickly anything, and finished the first two double rows.

The top two rows could follow, once looked through a magnifier,

thus, this tricky part was once done, wow!

So far so good, now only the bottom ends of the pipes must be structured. They don't run directly in the ground, but have each before even a bow and run moved diagonally forward,

Source: NASA

and have - hard to believe - above the ground once again clamps ...
#257 by RichO on 09 Jul, 2013 14:57
MANFRED,

This looks just outstanding. I myself have developed the same technique for picking up very small parts with the blade tip. Just gently tho, so as not to scar the parts. It seems to work great. Have more fun with all the clamps!!
#258 by roma847 on 11 Jul, 2013 06:50
Thanks Richo for the nice words. Here is further detail work on the LH2-TSM.

Because something is more space by the spreading of the lines after the curved parts, I will make this time the clamps from U-beam 1.2 x 0.8 mm, from which I have cut 0.5 mm wide strips.

Then it went to bending the elbows, what seemed a stressful matter to be, as the seven pipes in different height and distance must be bent.

But let's go! First of all, the first 90° bend of pipe 2, 4 and 6 with the greater distance from the ground, which further extend outward, and then the pipes 1, 3, 5 and 7, which bends are slightly lower.

And then the second 90° bend of the pipes, which was not so easy. Only good, that I have made the pipes slightly longer, and so I could at least still fairly pack them with tweezers. Anyway I had to watch part holding and bending of the pipes, that while the clamps were removed once off.

After the pipes were cut then.

The clamps shortly above the ground I can glue probably after the final installation of the painted pipes, because the bows repeatedly bend on something and need to be bent again. Therefore, you should use better metal wire for such things which never turns on. I guess because the holes that this possibly could be holding devices for transporting, or know someone?

And now two other details, shown in the following photo (see arrows).

Source: NASA

These devices are located on two TSMs on both sides. I guess because the holes that this possibly could be holding devices for transporting, or know someone?

First of all the right box-shaped structure, electric cable leads through. Left next to the door underneath the pipe, still seem to be a part of the reserve is located.

It started with a H-profile 3.1 x 2.5 mm to 0.4 mm holes for the cable have been drilled.

The rest of the parts made of sheet 0.5 mm or 0.3 mm, without many words.

The fitting on the TSM looks already quite good, the proportions match. The cable boxes are initially only hinted at,

but the cable is passed but still somehow through.

As far as for today, bye!
#259 by RichO on 15 Jul, 2013 05:07
MANFRED,

I'm with you on this one. I'm not sure what these are but my guess would be rigging mounts for crain transporting. Anyway your detailng of these looks good so far, I'm watching to see how you do the rest of the detail on these. Good building.