Author Topic: Friendship 7, in card (Read 2695 times)

dhanners · « **on:** 12/20/2013 02:16 pm »

I built Dan Shippey's (Delta 7 Studios) cardmodel of "Friendship 7." The model comes in 1/14th scale and I re-sized it to 1/32nd, but screwed up in my math (something I only discovered when I was done) and I think it is closer to 1/37th. A very popular modeling scale....

Anyway, I added scratchbuilt detail to the nose and to the thruster pack and straps. I scratchbuilt a new heat shield. If I build this model again (in a "proper" scale...) does anyone have a good reference for what the real color of a Mercury heat shield should be?

Mercury capsules were darn tiny.

edkyle99 · « **Reply #1 on:** 12/20/2013 04:52 pm »

There were two different heat shields, if I remember correctly, for Mercury capsules. One was Beryllium heat sink, the other was ablative. I think that the ablative shield was coated shiny black. I think that Friendship 7 used an ablative shield.

- Ed Kyle

tetrox · « **Reply #2 on:** 12/20/2013 05:03 pm »

The heat shield colour question is currently being discussed on the Yahoo ,Space modellers group.
http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/space-modelers/conversations/messages
Maybe it will help.

dhanners · « **Reply #3 on:** 12/20/2013 11:08 pm »

Thanks. So I'm guessing I got the color wrong?

mike robel · « **Reply #4 on:** 12/21/2013 12:27 am »

The MR flights used the beryllium heat shield. The MA flights used the ablative as said above, which is brownish. If you google Orion Heat Shield you will get pictures of what is probably a fair representation of the color on all of the US heatshields.