Author Topic: 1/144 Dragon Cutaway Shuttle w/Airfix SRB ET and Revell Launch Tower (Read 11347 times)

Bubbinski · « **on:** 03/18/2018 04:32 am »

Hi all...

The IPMS Nationals is on August 4th in Phoenix, where I used to live and still have many familial connections (and places to stay!). I’m building something for it. I’ve gotten started, and will start with pictures of progress on the Dragon cutaway orbiter (left side will have some clear portions masked to show the interior, while the right side will be all painted).

Bubbinski · « **Reply #1 on:** 03/18/2018 04:33 am »

And here’s a couple of progress shots from tonight.

mike robel · « **Reply #2 on:** 03/18/2018 02:03 pm »

Nice thus far. I was a little surprised to find my Dragon/747 cutaway had hatches on both sides of the orbiter. Another example of poor engineering on their part (but not quite so bad as on their Apollo and Saturn kits).

Bubbinski · « **Reply #3 on:** 03/19/2018 03:42 am »

Thank you. I will of course putty over that hatch. Tonight’s progress.

Bubbinski · « **Reply #4 on:** 03/21/2018 03:08 am »

Here’s a shot of the Revell launch tower and the work done so far. I know it’s out of scale (1/162) compared to the RSS and shuttle, but I don’t have the skills to really scratchbuild a tower in the correct scale.

roma847 · « **Reply #5 on:** 03/21/2018 06:28 am »

Hi Bubbinski,
nice progress so far, I stay tuned.

If you were to rotate your photo, the tower would look even better.

Bubbinski · « **Reply #6 on:** 04/02/2018 03:49 am »

Quick progress update - got priming finished on the Dragon shuttle orbiter. Also finished masking it today for the black tile areas, the black parts will be sprayed tomorrow. Also finished the hammerhead crane assembly, since I’m doing the 1988 STS-26 stack the hammerhead crane stays.

Bubbinski · « **Reply #7 on:** 04/06/2018 03:58 am »

Latest progress. Some of the cutaway area on left side is masked, will be unmasked in due course.

Bubbinski · « **Reply #8 on:** 04/24/2018 05:47 pm »

Back from Florida and I got my Shapeways intertank and SRB/SSME parts. I’ve used Simple Green to clean the intertank and SRB curtains, and today I have them all under the sunlight, soaking in some UV rays. (Tips from the Model Monkey mentioned in Roma847’s shuttle launch pad thread).

roma847 · « **Reply #9 on:** 04/24/2018 11:25 pm »

Hi Bubinski,
and how do you like my Intertank and the ASTCs?

How long have you cleaned the parts in Simple Green, have you used an ultrasonic bath?

Can you take a few close-ups of the IT so that I can compare it to mine?

Bubbinski · « **Reply #10 on:** 04/25/2018 01:45 am »

Hi Manfred,

I used a pipe cleaner to go over the intertank and the SRB curtains for a few minutes then let sit, and today the parts sat under the sun for about 4 hours. I don’t know how to do an ultrasonic bath, don’t have the equipment for that. But I did go over the parts with my Iwata airbrush just spraying air on it, then sprayed Vallejo acrylic off white on the SRB curtains, glued with 20 sec. cyanocrylate gel to the SRB’s and used white primer on the SRB’s (the stuff I got at Home Depot).

The intertank is very good, WAY better than the Airfix kit part.

roma847 · « **Reply #11 on:** 04/25/2018 06:34 am »

Thanks for the close-ups.

Glad you likes the new parts, so Michael Key did a great job!

roma847 · « **Reply #12 on:** 05/01/2018 01:55 pm »

Hi Bubbinski,
is there any progress?

Bubbinski · « **Reply #13 on:** 05/01/2018 02:28 pm »

Yes, there is progress

roma847 · « **Reply #14 on:** 05/01/2018 07:43 pm »

How and with what kind of paint did you paint the ET and the IT, is that primer?

Bubbinski · « **Reply #15 on:** 05/11/2018 12:16 am »

I used acrylic primer on the ET to start (Vallejo red brown) to cover the intertank, then a spray rust primer can then various shades of rust/orange from Vallejo.

roma847 · « **Reply #16 on:** 05/11/2018 06:25 am »

Were there problems drying the colors, how long did it take?

Bubbinski · « **Reply #17 on:** 05/11/2018 04:37 pm »

Well I waited for 24 hours after the first acrylic coat before putting on the rust primer.

Bubbinski · « **Reply #18 on:** 05/11/2018 04:38 pm »

Latest progress

Bubbinski · « **Reply #19 on:** 05/14/2018 04:12 am »

The ET is done! Here’s the ET with the orbiter. Next up: Airfix SRB’s. Then to figure out where to drill holes in the Dragon Orbiter to attach it correctly. Am prepared to build the Airfix orbiter as backup.

Bubbinski · « **Reply #20 on:** 11/10/2018 01:35 am »

Well I ran out of momentum and didn’t finish the project in time for the IPMS Nationals. I have, however, restarted it and now the 1/144 cutaway orbiter (with the cutaway bits still taped) is close to done. Got finished with the decals tonight; it was a several day process.

roma847 · « **Reply #21 on:** 11/10/2018 06:41 am »

Well done!

Do you want to show a specific mission?

Only the PAL Ramp on the LH₂ Tank you could have better adapted to the initial section on the Intertank, and the GO₂ and GH₂ Press. Lines as well.

Did you somehow clean the Intertank before painting?

Bubbinski · « **Reply #22 on:** 11/10/2018 03:43 pm »

Yes I cleaned the intertank before painting. Doing the STS-26 stack.

roma847 · « **Reply #23 on:** 11/10/2018 08:56 pm »

And how did you clean the IT, or is it a secret?

Bubbinski · « **Reply #24 on:** 11/11/2018 03:09 am »

It’s been a while but I recall cleaning it with some Simple Green. I think. It has been a while. I also used a pipe cleaner to help me clean out the spots between the ribs.

Bubbinski · « **Reply #25 on:** 11/11/2018 03:11 am »

Here’s the Shuttle tonight, with all clear coats done including a flat coat, and the taped up clear portions exposed for the cutaway effect on the left side of the Orbiter.

Bubbinski · « **Reply #26 on:** 11/13/2018 02:44 am »

And the cutaway orbiter is finished! Now to work on the ET/SRB’s and the launch tower/MLP.

Ronpur50 · « **Reply #27 on:** 11/13/2018 03:30 am »

Interesting way to do the cutaways! Very cool!

Bubbinski · « **Reply #28 on:** 11/13/2018 04:31 am »

Thank you Ron! I was inspired by the classic Space Shuttle cutaway poster in existence since the early 80’s at least. I only wish Dragon had included a clear plastic payload bay door, for STS-26 I’d have to have found a way to make a TDRS/IUS.

Bubbinski · « **Reply #29 on:** 04/21/2019 03:07 am »

Okay, reviving this thread because I just finished gluing the Orbiter to the 1/144 Airfix ET and SRB’s (with Shapeways intertank on the ET). I had unexpected issues painting and masking the SRB’s and stopped for a while before resuming the project. Here’s the finished stack!

Bubbinski · « **Reply #30 on:** 04/21/2019 03:14 am »

And here’s the stack after a little more work on the Revell launch pad, next to the 747/shuttle and ISS/shuttle in the same scale (1/144)

Bubbinski · « **Reply #31 on:** 04/25/2019 04:09 am »

Here’s a pic tonight of the shuttle Discovery on its launch pad with the 747/shuttle and ISS/shuttle

Bubbinski · « **Reply #32 on:** 04/25/2019 04:21 am »

And here’s a shot of the launch tower and RSS under construction

roma847 · « **Reply #33 on:** 04/27/2019 10:38 pm »

Great that you will use the old Revell Launch Tower Kit.

I think that you will build it OOB, right?

Bubbinski · « **Reply #34 on:** 04/27/2019 11:58 pm »

Yes more than likely *almost* out of the box, some modifications, but not huge. (Like putting vent pipes on the ET beanie cap arm, the kit doesn’t have those).

Bubbinski · « **Reply #35 on:** 05/11/2019 01:48 am »

Got the hammerhead crane and lightning rod for the tower finished. (The hammerhead crane was present in 1988). I wrapped craft wire around the rod to simulate the lightning protection. Bonus: shot of the shuttle stack in the evening sunset light

Bubbinski · « **Reply #36 on:** 05/25/2019 06:01 pm »

Last night and this week I got a lot of work done on the launch tower. Now I’ve got the shuttle stack next to it for fit checks before I attach the beanie cap and white room arms.

Bubbinski · « **Reply #37 on:** 05/27/2019 04:41 pm »

After a weekend of work, here’s the current state of the project.

roma847 · « **Reply #38 on:** 05/27/2019 11:06 pm »

Great progress with the Launch Tower so far,

but due to the height of the stack, there are problems with the Oxygen Vent Arm with the Beanie Cap which is sitting too high, namely above Level 275.
But you will have to live with that ...

Bubbinski · « **Reply #39 on:** 05/28/2019 04:37 pm »

Thank you, and yes I will live with that, as I’m afraid I don’t have the ability/patience to scratchbuild my own tower, and if I understand things correctly the photo etch correction set isn’t available anymore, not that I’m super good with PE anyway. The best I can do is make it “look the part” so that’s what I’ll do.

Bubbinski · « **Reply #40 on:** 06/02/2019 03:56 am »

Tonight I finally got the gaseous oxygen vent arm attached after scratchbuilding a couple of pipes that were not provided in the kit