Author Topic: 21st Century Space Vehicles (Read 5023 times)

mjmackowski · « **on:** 01/13/2014 04:39 pm »

I had been considering building a collection of 1/144th scale 21st century spacecraft. These would include all vehicles servicing the ISS (Soyuz, HTV, ATV, Progress, Cygnus, Dragon), the Chinese Shenzhou, and the manned suborbital vehicles (SS2, Lynx), and the proposed manned space taxis (Dream Chaser, Boeing CST, Blue Origin capsule) and the Orion deep space vehicle.

Scratch building all of these is more than I want to do. There may be some available as 3D printed models (from Shapeways I think) but certainly most are not readily available in any kit. Soyuz and Progress are available from RealSpace Models. I know there is an HL-20 available but in 1/72 scale.

Other than paper models, has anyone considered how to approach such a project?

Thanks,

Mike Mackowski

Hobbes-22 · « **Reply #1 on:** 01/13/2014 06:08 pm »

In 1/144, most of these will be tiny. I've got a Revell Mir with 2 Soyuz, they're about 4 cm long and there's hardly space for any detail.
You do have the Revell White knight 2/Spaceship 2 combo in that scale.
There are several 3D printable models available on Thingiverse, I used one of them as the basis for my 1/144 Dragon.
The Thingiverse designs are generally meant to be printed on a home 3D printer, and will need to be changed if you want to send them to Shapeways for printing.
As an extra obstacle, there's not much info out there, especially of the ones that haven't flown yet.

Darren_Hensley · « **Reply #2 on:** 01/13/2014 06:20 pm »

Edwards AFB Model shop, has resign models, and the Intermountian ISS has the Soyuz and TMA parts.

mjmackowski · « **Reply #3 on:** 01/13/2014 06:49 pm »

Tiny is a good thing if you are scratchbuilding. It limits the amount of detail you can add.

The idea for the set would be to compare sizes of these different vehicles.

Thanks,

Mike

mike robel · « **Reply #4 on:** 01/13/2014 07:15 pm »

Welcome to the site, Mike. I think you will enjoy it.

Hobbes-22 · « **Reply #5 on:** 01/13/2014 07:23 pm »

Fellow forum member Ronpur is building one of my 1/144 Dragons: http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=32895.0

Ronpur50 · « **Reply #6 on:** 01/13/2014 11:29 pm »

I tend to build launch vehicles in 1/144th scale and spacecraft in 1/72th if possible. The main exception is the ISS and associated vehicles. The station itself is in 1/144th scale, the Revell kit with replacement parts from Realspace Models. The Revell Mir kit's Soyuz spacecraft are too small, btw. The ones with the ISS kit are better. I wish that the Soyuz,Progress, ATV, HTV, Dragon and Cygnus were around in the same scale as kits. I have models of 4 of them (no Cygnus or Progress), and they are all different scale.

I hope that SpaceX will license a plastic kit with Revell or somebody of their Dragon in 1/72 or maybe 1/48th scale. I assume that when the design gets closer to a flight version, we will see an Orion and SLS from Revell.

jgoldader · « **Reply #7 on:** 01/14/2014 08:34 pm »

Mike,

I've started a bunch of 21st century vehicles in 1/72. I thought about 1/144, but typical sizes in 1/72 are about 10-12 cm, and that's a really good size for me, large enough that I can add some detail but not so large I have to go mad with super detailing. At 1/144, they're just too small for me to do much with them; I know, though, that you're a more skilled modeler than I, so you'd have more luck!

It's not too hard to scratch HTV and Dragon in 1/72, I've done the second and am mostly done with the first. LVM has the ATV, and you know about the HL-20/DreamChaser. Perhaps SS2 will come out in 1/72 one day. You can get SS1 in that scale from... Amodel? AMK had a Progress, perhaps LVM has them available.

Jeff

dhanners · « **Reply #8 on:** 01/17/2014 12:33 am »

Maybe it is finally time for you to come over to the light and join those so us who are card modelers, Mike....

Lar · « **Reply #9 on:** 01/17/2014 12:52 am »

Real men model in LEGO elements.. .LOL

Ronpur50 · « **Reply #10 on:** 01/17/2014 01:44 am »

Or just do them all!

jgoldader · « **Reply #11 on:** 01/17/2014 10:39 am »

Quote from: dhanners on 01/17/2014 12:33 am

Maybe it is finally time for you to come over to the light and join those so us who are card modelers, Mike....

I thought that was the Dark Side! Seriously, every time I try something in card, it looks like some of my old 2nd grade art projects. I just don't know how you do it, I'm convinced it's forbidden magics. Give me styrene and resin any day.

dhanners · « **Reply #12 on:** 01/17/2014 03:44 pm »

Quote from: jgoldader on 01/17/2014 10:39 am

Quote from: dhanners on 01/17/2014 12:33 am
Maybe it is finally time for you to come over to the light and join those so us who are card modelers, Mike....

I thought that was the Dark Side! Seriously, every time I try something in card, it looks like some of my old 2nd grade art projects. I just don't know how you do it, I'm convinced it's forbidden magics. Give me styrene and resin any day.

Long after everything styrene or resin has been priced through the roof, and long after the people who modeled with them have succumbed from inhaling all sorts of carcinogenic paints and glues, we card modelers will still be plodding along, figuring out new ways to make three-dimensional objects from paper. The advent of CAD has brought about a Golden Age of card modeling, particularly in the Real Space field. If you're a decent modeler in styrene/resin, you'll probably be a decent modeler in card. Here's a good place to start, and Alfonso offers some of the very models Mike is looking for, although he'll need to shrink some of them to 1/144th: http://www.axmpaperspacescalemodels.com/

Ronpur50 · « **Reply #13 on:** 01/20/2014 01:33 pm »

Here are 4 of my 1/144th scale spacecraft. The Orions are scratchbuilt from Plastruct cones and tubes. The black EFT-1 spacecraft was started last night! A lot more work to do on it. The Dragon capsule is Hobbes' 3D printed on a trunk built up from Plastruct tubes and printed solar panels from axmpaperspacescalemodels.com. And the Soyuz is from Realspace Models ISS upgrade kit.