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Need help and resources for missile and spacecraft builds

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  • Member since
    November 2005
Need help and resources for missile and spacecraft builds
Posted by Anonymous on Monday, May 8, 2006 10:00 AM

I'm new at building spacecraft (though I was an avid model rocket builder -- the flying type -- and am familiar with the subject of spacecraft), and I'm looking for web sites devoted exclusively to scale model spacecraft, not sci-fi. I am in a position to give more publicity to this branch of our hobby, but I can't seem to find where the serious guys hang out.

On another note, I am doing a review build of the Cutting Edge resin SS-6 "Sapwood," but the kit comes with no stencils, no markings of any kind, and gives no hint at what colors to use on this early ICBM. Can anyone help me out here?

Thanks,

TOM

 

  • Member since
    March 2006
  • From: Drummondville, Quebec, Canada
Posted by Yann Solo on Monday, May 8, 2006 10:19 AM

Take a look at these:

realspacemodels.com (great selection of resin models)

spacecraftkits.com (outstanding and exclusive paper models)

delta7studios.com (very good paper models too)

There is also one beautifull kit of the mercury capsule made by Atomic City and distributed by (modelrectifier.com)

http://mek.kosmo.cz/newware/ (another good selection of resin kits)

I've built almost all the paper kits you will found there and also that big 1/12 Mercury Capsule by Atomic city and they are all superb kits.

Have fun

No matter where you go ....... there you are.
  • Member since
    February 2003
  • From: The Wetlands of Long Island
Posted by sb36 on Monday, May 8, 2006 2:27 PM

You may also want to try encylopidia astronautica. It's a site run by Mark wade, and is full of information concerning all types of spacecraft, manned and unmanned, plus every type of launch vehicle, rocket engine ect... . I have found it to be quite useful as a reference site.

www.astronautix.com

  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Monday, May 8, 2006 8:17 PM

Thanks guys. I still need to find the proper Soviet colors for their early ICBM's.  I know it was something similar to our OD or even Medium Green, but not quite. And the warhead was probably a different color, such as white or natural metal, as would be the nozzles. I have seen the same booster as used to loft the first Sputnik, but it was not painted the same as the nuke-tipped SS-6's, which were scarcely produced before being replaced.

As for the Atomic City capsule, it's fantastic, and just what we needed to get attention for space subjects, but I've been sitting on mine for almost a year now waiting for aftermarket parts to come out for it. There's a lot of empty space in there, and we all know there was no unused space in the real thing. So besides a lot of scratchbuilt wiring harnesses, somebody should do a good PE set and some resin for this thing. I also have the excellent decal sheet and the Nautilus stands for this model (if you haven't seen them, they make a stand for posing it either vertically or another stand for horizontal display). These stands are quite nice, and for a kit this good, and this pricey, it's pretty inconceivable that the instructions tell you to rest it on the retro pack. That pretty bush league.

TOM

  • Member since
    March 2006
  • From: Drummondville, Quebec, Canada
Posted by Yann Solo on Monday, May 8, 2006 9:41 PM

Maybe you can ask your question in the armor section.  I'm pretty sure there will be someone who knows which color the soviet missiles were.

And concerning the Mercury capsule, you're rigth about empty spaces.  I built it myself and did some scratchbuilding but nothing outstanding.  I just could not wait for aftermarket PE set to be available.  I also did a stand to show it in several configuration.  It is not complete but I might post some pictures soon.

No matter where you go ....... there you are.
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, May 9, 2006 2:44 AM

Couldn't find a color picture. Maybe this will help.

http://kits.kitreview.com/liftoffpreviewbg_1.htm

 

  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, May 9, 2006 6:22 PM
here is where most space modelers hang out.

http://www.starshipmodeler.net    the forum here
http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/forums/forum-view.asp?fid=1            great thread here on modeling
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/space-modelers/        the yahoo space modeling group is great and friendly
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