1/72 Revell Space Shuttle Orbiter W.I.P. Done! w/Photos

That sounds good, Max. I'll be watching if you do.

Hi,

I'll be watching too.

Pat

Hey thanks Pat and Steve. The kit assembly is really basic. I was worried about tile detail which actually looks pretty good. I visualize some detail washes or powders to make the tiles stand out. Shuttles up close look incredibly detailed and this model should be a fun one. At least it's big, all good for my old large hands, lol! The overall length of the Shuttle is about 20'' compared to a 1/72 B-52 at 27''. This is a big model!

Max

OK, It's on the bench. Again, this thing is a whopper even at 1/72. The mold says 1979, rather basic but enough detail that I think it will work. I'm behind in life itself and this season is a bad time to build models. Starting is always step one, lol, and I have!

Max

Holy cats, Max. This is a monster kit that you are building. This should be interesting.

Question: as far as the base coat and/or primer....will you use a rattle can? Or are you airbrushing it? I always wonder what you guys do for the larger kits.

Bakster

Holy cats, Max. This is a monster kit that you are building. This should be interesting.

Question: as far as the base coat and/or primer....will you use a rattle can? Or are you airbrushing it? I always wonder what you guys do for the larger kits.

 

Hmm, all good questions! I have used rattle cans on the B-52 and B-36. I'll certainly test some. On my smaller Shuttle I sprayed clear matte over the white plastic which was a bit stark. I've been studying Shuttle pictures and trying to decide all of this, actually part of the fun of modeling at least for me. I'm certainly open for input on this one!  

Max

Hodakamax

 I'm certainly open for input on this one!   

I have none for you my friend.  I haven't built this one but maybe someone else has. I know that whatever you do, it will be good. 

Hey, first progress. The cockpit looks to be hard to see in but I suppose if you were curious and had a flashlight you could kinda see the basic layout. It did have dash decals probably to make the builder happy but the cockpit detail is sorely lacking. Four seats and a dash decal just didn't seem to be enough. The whole kit is era crude but it's what was available at the time and one shouldn't spend too much time making one part exceptional only to shame the other part of the build.

I went through the decal box and found some various technical looking but not exactly accurate decals for the side panels and did build a pair of control sticks and their mounts to add to the meager reality. Actually for the available view this is probably overkill but it did entertain me for awhile.

Next to the initial fitting of the fuselage halves. My, this is going to be quite the trial. Two 20'' floppy fuselage halves with a few twists, turns and warpage used up almost ever clamp I own before even considering cement. You will never glue this together in one run. After considering the problem I think my plan of attack is to glue together the front cockpit area first. Back of that glue seams will not show as they are in the cargo bay and the wing assembly hides the bottom seam. After the cockpit has dried I can pry apart the back seams and force glue in the seams, aligning as I go. At least that's the plan. Still many fit issues on a design like this. This was to be a quick simple kit. lol.

Another problem is many of the seams have tile detail preventing fill and sand. We'll face that problem after the align/glue/fit problem. 

OK, that's the report. This still looks to be a fun kit if I can finess the fuselage halves together and still look acceptable. This looks to be the challenge. I don't think this is going to be a show winner but maybe I can coax a nice display model out of this for the Museum.

Max

The cockpit looks cool, Max. Nice job. I empathize about the fit issues and seams. It sounds like a pain.

Hi,

Your cockpit looks fabtastic.

Pat

Hodakamax

I've already made a report on the Aircraft post about finding this 1/72 Space Shuttle at a vendors booth at a model show over the weekend. There it was, in a well worn exploded box with a $20 price tag! A brief inspection of the product confirming all was well, the low dollar offer, which it never hurts to ask, lol, and I'm off with the gem for $15. Watta buy on something I've been looking for or at least been considering for my Museum which is really just my office.  

I'd just started my next kit on the list, a 1/48 F-4C which at my speed will probably take months. The Shuttle looks to be simpler and more fun and I think I'll tackle it first for a pre-Phantom break.

This looks to be a good one for a W.I.P. and I'll keep you posted.

Max

 

OMG! I had this kit and built it about 30 years ago. Same box and description of kit.

Even though it was molded in white, I used rattle can white, black and gray to paint it. 

Masking the areas for the three colors was not that difficult, but took time. I didn't weather the model due to lack of experience, but it turned out in my own mind quite good.

I don't remember how the actual build went, but it couldn't have been too difficult.

The model is long gone, but I do believe I still have the landing gear in my spare parts box.

Good luck and may the force be with you, or is it proudly go where no man has gone before?

Just checking in. The weather has been great and I've been getting the outdoor Spring things done. It's cold, drizzle and wind today, time to fiddle with the Shuttle a bit. This thing consumes a lot of space and even the bath was a project! I've got this thing scattered over the entire model assembly room and I really do need to at least consolidate some sub-assemblies and try to gain back some working space. I think the model is even happy after being in that box for almost four decades!

Reporting,

Max

There is nothing like a good bath.

I am enjoying the scale of this project, Max. Pretty cool.

Well, another great outdoor week-end which only means no Shuttle progress. I did make a minor discovery on the last page of the instructions that shows that the top of the cabin is not to be cemented and you can remove it to view the cockpit. I think I may have to go back and rethink what you can see and maybe do a few more cockpit details if people are going to be peeking inside. Also in the back of my mind lingers a painting plan. The windows have to be installed from the inside and appear to need some putty here and there. I might at least partially paint the exterior before installing the windows and putting the fuselage halves together which will save a lot of masking.

This is why it takes me a long time for me to build something, I think way to much before proceeding!

Minor report and checking in.  

Max

Max,

This was a build project for me several years ago.

I got pretty far along with, but no matter how much I tried, I couldn't get the cockpit removable top the way I wanted it.  

To get around the tile problems and the raised detail, I'd read a WIP write-up where the builder had used white tape and stock strip to overcome the lost detail sanding problem. The smooth white tape was cut to size and stuck in place.  The stock strip replaced sanded raised lines between the tape.  I gave it a try but still couldn't make it look correct.

I abandoned trying to show the bay doors open early in the project.

Check out http://www.realspacemodels.com they have replacement engine nozzles that are far better than the kit's.

Good luck on your build. I ended up abandoning mine.

Hey Mike, thanks for the tips and guidence. I did check out the cool aftermarket engines. I've only got $15 in the whole deal, I'll play it by ear and see how this thing works out. I'll be happy with a ceiling hanger on this one. I don't see it at the show but it looks like there's at least a good display in this one. I'm in no hurry and I'll see if I can wear it down! LOL!

Thanks again for your input. 

Max

I haven't had a shuttle in my collection since I was a kid. Thanks to you, Max, I think I may remedy that.  :)

M. Brindos

I haven't had a shuttle in my collection since I was a kid. Thanks to you, Max, I think I may remedy that.  :)

 

Allright! What scale? Shuttles are definitely cool. What a machine. When introduced they were the most complicated machine ever built. Always missed the launch, saw them on the pad, met and talked with Joe Engle while on assignment, second and 24th shuttle pilot and also flew the Enterprise drop tests and the X-15. Twice I even heard their sonic booms in Kansas on their way home. I photographed the Enterprise on the back of the 747 and would see it parked at the Dulles airport waiting for a building. Definitely one of the most historic aircraft/spacecraft ever built. Did I miss anything? Sad to see them go. Here's my shot from long ago. Why wouldn't I build models of it! LOL!

Max

Wow! Check out this NASA Challenger photo. I was looking for some detail shots and ran across this. What a great reference shot for us Shuttle builders. I've been needing a boost on this project and this certainly helps!

Max

As the pieces go together the floppiness of the fuselage is getting better. The cargo bay really stabilized the assembly after glueing and clamping everything together. I was a bit skeptical at the start that this would go together and look like something. Rather than putty around the windows the plan now is to replicate the black window frames with black tape. This will fill the gaps and tie all of this together at least I hope! That's the plan but always changing. I'm excited with the Challenger NASA shot and may vary from my clean model build. This thing doesn't leak oil and corrode, It arrives in a fireball at many Mach which really impresses this guy! We'll see how my re-entry weathering goes but the plan is to at least replicate some of the experience of the return! Now l'm fiddling with the cockpit detail now that I see it could be viewed by removing the cockpit roof. Slow and sure as in the tortise and the hare, I'll get there eventually! I am getting more enthused!

The kit comes with decals for several Shuttles and the Challenger always invokes bad memories for me after watching that disaster live. I was going to do Atlantis but after seeing the NASA picture of the Challenger returning I should do it justice and honor the lost crew. Also I think the Challenger was the only Shuttle to carry the ESA Space lab, at least in that configuration which I plan to show. 

Lotta words, small report, that's it for tonight!

Max

Scale? I don't know. Lol

I think I saw one at Hobby Lobby.

I did the 1/200 Hasegawa which shows everthing fairly well. At 1/72 this thing gets big. I saw the 1/72 stack and that looked to be around 30'', way too big at least for my museum. This will be a nice compromise having a larger orbiter to look at on approach, nose up and gear down! Here's the 1/200 scale version which demos the tank and boosters well.

Max

That would be a good scale for my available space.   :)

Yikes! After looking at some cockpit pictures there looks to be no stopping point on adding detail. I think I'm back to the peeking in the window concept. I think I would rather put more time on the exterior which really is the challenge. Not giving up, just getting more practical in my old age. LOL!

The cockpit windows are really a weak point and will need to be improved as not to drag down the rest of the not-too-bad model. Still contemplating on the window frames. Cheez, what a complicated machine to try to model as shown in these pictures.

This was to be a quick display model and as always I'm trapped again trying to take on the challenge of unacheivable perfection which is what modeling is all about. What fun and we duz the best we can! LOL!

Max

Well I'm back in the cockpit. It just didn't look busy enough. It's a rainy day and I went through the decal box one more time for some more details. That and a little paint touch up and we are starting to reach an acceptable level at least compared to the rest of the kit. If it looks bad in the final viewing I'll just glue the cockpit top on and they will have to look in the windows! LOL! Enough on the interior I think. At least I had a good time fiddling with it. 

Max

Hi,

Your build is coming along great. Can't wait to see more.

Pat

It's time to join the fuselage halves and they don't wanna go. Actually specific areas fit fairly well but there's quite a twist or warp in the total picture. It can be made to fit but I don't have enough hands or clamps for all of the curved surfaces. It looks like it will have to be glued a section at a time probably starting with the most visual part, like from the cockpit forward. Compounding the problem is the tile detail at the seam. I've considered building an adjustable jig where you could "tune" this thing in shape. 

For now I've drilled through the thruster ports just above the nose wheel well and have installed a threaded adjustment where the main problem is. More thinking to do on all of this but I'm on the case at my usual pace, slow and hopefully sure. Yet another quick and easy kit! LOL!

Reporting!

Max