Drums01> I'll add you back to the "Crew List". 

I have that same Monogram kit (in parts), and I need to rebuild it someday.  I am opposite as I'm missing the lower descent stage on one of my Revell LMs. I intend to use plasticard and rods to replace it (and it will probably be more accurate).  Replacing the astronauts and scientific instruments might be a little harder.

I would suggest finding the 1/48 scale paper model LM plans and use them as a guide to build the descent stage.  Just print out in paper, scribe onto plastic sheet and glue.

http://udonfactory.the-ninja.jp/paper/down/lmdown.html

Those are three very nice models!  The only thing I suggest is to keep it simple.

Gary

I started the rather daunting task of cleaning up the bits and pieces of the M2F1.  Boy that flash is just about as hard as the actual parts.  And the parts are teeny!  I have serious doubts that the lower main landing gear struts will hold together when the model is completed.  The only casting flaw spotted so far is on one of the trim tabs; a bubble caused one corner to not form.

https://flic.kr/p/2bGW9Rs][/url]M2F1-10 by N.T. Izumi, on Flickr

https://flic.kr/p/291Zhzb][/url]M2F1-12 by N.T. Izumi, on Flickr

https://flic.kr/p/2bGW9Hw][/url]M2F1-13 by N.T. Izumi, on Flickr

The fuselage halves seem to fit okay, but the lower half will need a little hot water to adjust the nose area so it matches the top half's width.  The side window has a dust blemish in it, so a new one will be made.  No problem, as the kit come with resin bucks for all the clear pieces.

https://flic.kr/p/29212Q9][/url]M2F1-16 by N.T. Izumi, on Flickr

https://flic.kr/p/291Zhij][/url]M2F1-15 by N.T. Izumi, on Flickr

Here it is mocked up (but without the rudders).

https://flic.kr/p/PDio5s][/url]M2F1-18 by N.T. Izumi, on Flickr

https://flic.kr/p/29212B3][/url]M2F1-19 by N.T. Izumi, on Flickr

Getting back to small 1/72 kits remind me that my eyesight and dexterity aren't what they used to be.  Gotta squint really hard to see those lovely detail parts!

Yuck! That is some serious flash there, Real G. It looks like you wrangled it though. So far, so good!

And I hear you about the eyes. There was a time I couldn't read certain things without readers. Now, there are times I can't read certain things with them! Blah!

Well, I am heading to the dungeon to do a little model work. Later gator.

Real G>  Not a bad fit, considering it's a resin kit!  Flash seems to come with the territory on those.  Even at that scale, you seem to be doing a good job.

I know what you mean about eyesight, and I would be lost without my optivisor!

I should have an update on the LES later tonight (as long as I don't cut my finger off while trimming plastic rod)!

Gary

OK guys , I'm starting the rocket collection. This will be a OOB build. I thought about scratching the escape towers for the ones that are solid but decided against it. I bought this kit 20 years ago and started the Redstone and Atlas rockets, so I will finish those first. I don't know if I'll move on to the Gemini or go streight to the SV after that, probablt the Titan Gemini. Becides the Saturn V, the Titan is my 2 favorite of the original rockets. The kit decals are a tad yellow, or at least the carrier paper is, so I'll get them in the sun for a few days and see if that helps.

Update:  Progress on the LES support structure is slow.  Here's where I'm at, with the lower part complete and the center parts cut and awaiting assembly.  The miniature version of my build is on the right.

At the moment, I'm trying to figure out how to position the support ring in the center of the structure.  If I had 3 arms, I think I could do it. The "ring" is one of the parts I have left over from the original kit (why I have the ring and none of the other parts is a mystery).

This image shows what I'm up against.

I'm going to have to find someway to support that ring while gluing the rods onto it and the supports.  Not an easy task!

We'll have another report later this week.

Mission Director (GAF)

modelcrazy

OK guys , I'm starting the rocket collection. This will be a OOB build. I thought about scratching the escape towers for the ones that are solid but decided against it. I bought this kit 20 years ago and started the Redstone and Atlas rockets, so I will finish those first. I don't know if I'll move on to the Gemini or go streight to the SV after that, probablt the Titan Gemini. Becides the Saturn V, the Titan is my 2 favorite of the original rockets. The kit decals are a tad yellow, or at least the carrier paper is, so I'll get them in the sun for a few days and see if that helps.

Steve>  Alright!  I think I see part of the Saturn IB in the box.  Shoot for that instead of the SV after the Mercury/Gemini?

Gary

DRUMS01

I also dug other kits from my stash and bought another just in case the scratch build does not turn out. Just asking everyone, which of these kits do you think I should build? (I like them all):

Oh wow, those look awesome guys! Very inspiring, you're really pushing me to start on the Buran or something here! 

Drums: I think I'd go with the Gus Grissom set. Always felt bad for the guy and a little angry on how 'The Right Stuff' (otherwise a perfect film) painted him out as having blown the hatch and lost his capsule due to his own goofing around. When the capsule was found and raised decades later the reason for the hatch blowing off was found to be an electrical short that had nothing to do with Grissom. 

I stood on the pad a couple of years ago where Grissom, Chaffee, and White burned to death in Apollo 1, pretty depressing place. It really makes you think...  

Gamera

When the capsule was found and raised decades later the reason for the hatch blowing off was found to be an electrical short that had nothing to do with Grissom. 

Gamera, I hadn't heard that. What are the odds that it shorted and blew right at that moment? It could have shorted whilst in space or anytime along the way. Maybe whilst it was in the water a short occurred? Maybe, seawater encroached into the wiring? I still have questions. I'd give Gus benefit of the doubt though. Man...its dangerous business. 

Bakster

 

 

Gamera

When the capsule was found and raised decades later the reason for the hatch blowing off was found to be an electrical short that had nothing to do with Grissom. 

 

 

Gamera, I hadn't heard that. What are the odds that it shorted and blew right at that moment? It could have shorted whilst in space or anytime along the way. Maybe whilst it was in the water a short occurred? Maybe, seawater encroached into the wiring? I still have questions. I'd give Gus benefit of the doubt though. Man...its dangerous business. 

 

If I remember correctly it was the force of the capsule slamming into the ocean and the angle of impact that caused some parts inside the hatch to break which ended up shorting it out. 

Gamera

If I remember correctly it was the force of the capsule slamming into the ocean and the angle of impact that caused some parts inside the hatch to break which ended up shorting it out. 

Ah! That makes sence. That poor guy. 

I remember watching a documentary when they were looking for the capsule using rovers and such. That was awesome seeing the capsule come out of the darkness and into view.

Oh wow, do you remember anything about the name or who made it Bakster? I'd love to see that myself. 

Again if I remember correctly the damage was such a weird bizarre incident, I want to say 'one-in-a-million', chance that the engineers just couldn't replicate it in a lab after the accident. And with the capsule at the bottom of the ocean they couldn't examine it directly until it was found. 

Gamera

Oh wow, do you remember anything about the name or who made it Bakster? I'd love to see that myself. 

Yeah--Buddy. Discovery Channel did it. You can watch it on this link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrGsQpOQYqA

GAF

Steve>  Alright!  I think I see part of the Saturn IB in the box.  Shoot for that instead of the SV after the Mercury/Gemini?

Yeah, I could do that too.

Progress with the scratch built decent module for the Monogram LEM. The entire lower module has been built from sheet plastic, brass rod, spare junk, and a paint cap. I have also started making the multiple peices for the decent module legs (pictures later), here I am for the day:

As for the accent module, I am planning on painting it aluminum and then using various shades of bare metal foil and black paint for the finishing colors and tones; does anyone have a better way I should try?

Input please, let me have it....

Ben

Looks good Ben. Nice work on the DM, the foil looks great.

Ben> I like it.  You're doing a good job on building the descent stage from scratch, and I want to see how you do the legs.  I don't know what you will use for the landing pads, but I was going through my sewing kit looking for some rounded-buttons for use on the escape tower and found a couple that would work.  You might want to check your local stores that sell buttons to see if you can find some that fit the bill.  A suggestion.  :-)

As for the model selection, I do have to agree that the Gus Grissom Mercury/Gemini kit would be good.  If you finish up the LM then requirements for the Group Build will have been met already, so anything else will be just icing on the cake!

No picture tonight, but I have finished the support structure for the escape tower.  I managed to find something to hold the ring in the right position, tacked things down with Aleene's Clear Gel Tacky Glue and then Tenaxed the supports into position.  It worked very well, I'm happy to report.  I'm going to use super-glue applied with a toothpick to help fill in and smooth out the joins.  The LES is coming along nicely.

Gary

DRUMS01

Input please, let me have it....

It's looking good, sir. I have nothing to add other that keep doing what you are doing.

Leaving the missile tube issues for later--I started with the capsule.

The capsule comes in three sections making it a little tough to hold whilst you glue. And--what may look correctly orientated, may not be.

I fumbled around for a bit until I did this: I used small strips of Tamiya tape to hold the sections together. Then, I placed the piece into the base for final aligning. Once when I was happy with it, I flipped it over and laid a bead of Tamiya Extra Thin on each inner join. I put a minimal amount. I wanted just enough to hold the pieces. What I didn't want was large amounts of glue or melted plastic oozing from the front side of the joins. Then--I slopped some spru-goo on the inside joins to help lock the pieces together. 

Below: Fit issues, fit issues, fit issues. The capsule above is to fit into the base shown below. Well--it doesn't. I had to sand the inner portion of the ring (top red line) all the way around the piece. Then--I had to reduce the ledge (lower red line) also, all the way around. Once when I did that, I was able to get the capsule fit correctly.

That's all for now.

Bakster

 

 

Gamera

Oh wow, do you remember anything about the name or who made it Bakster? I'd love to see that myself. 

 

 

Yeah--Buddy. Discovery Channel did it. You can watch it on this link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrGsQpOQYqA

 

 

Thanks! Watched it last night. I like some of the new Discovery Channel shows but I really miss their older stuff like this. 

Ben: Looks good to me! Great job on scratchbuilding there. 

Bakster: You wonder how some of this stuff got though quality control back then. Glad to hear you were able to deal with it.  

Gamera

Thanks! Watched it last night. I like some of the new Discovery Channel shows but I really miss their older stuff like this. 

I totally agree. I rewatched this yesterday as well. It was better than I even remembered.  It was a grest tribute to Gus. 

Gamera

Bakster: You wonder how some of this stuff got though quality control back then. Glad to hear you were able to deal with it.  

Amen, brother.

DRUMS01

Progress with the scratch built decent module for the Monogram LEM. The entire lower module has been built from sheet plastic, brass rod, spare junk, and a paint cap. I have also started making the multiple peices for the decent module legs (pictures later), here I am for the day:

As for the accent module, I am planning on painting it aluminum and then using various shades of bare metal foil and black paint for the finishing colors and tones; does anyone have a better way I should try?

Input please, let me have it....

 

Ben

Looks Mighty good, Ben, hard to believe the descent stage is scratch built! I don't recall which Lunar Module you are building.

I'll be watching you build the landing gear with great interest, as I will be scratching my struts for the Dragon LM-5. I have no idea how to get the angles right.

Chris

Hi,

Last night, while looking through some old books that I have I ran across something that I had only vaguely recalled from before.  In the book "Space Shuttle - The History of Developing the National Space Transportation System - The Beginning through STS-50" by Dennis R. Jenkins, there is a very brief mention of a proposed mini shuttle from the NASA Flight Research Center in the early 1970s to test out parts of the full scale Shuttle's flight envelope.  The book provides a small scale 3/4 sketch and three profiles, as shown below and some limited dimensions.

I just wanted to pass along the images, since this "mini-shuttle" kind of seemed like an obscure program that others here may find interesting.

I probably won't do anything on this for this group build, since this is more of a "never was" than enything actually built, but since I do have a 1/200 Lindberg Space Shuttle model in my stash, at some point I'm thinking that I may make a mock up of roughly what the craft may have looked like.  From the dimensions provided it looks if I use the 1/200 kit as a starting point, my final build would be about 1/60 scale or so.

PF

PS. I found a link to an Italian Website today with a few extra images, etc.

https://www.forumastronautico.it/t/shuttle-monoposto/11898/2

Thanks everyone for the comments. You have identified my problem regarding getting the angles close to something accurate for the LEM landing gear. Here is a photo I found that shows the detailed components for each lander leg:

I am very lucky in that my box still had the primary strut and the landing pad for each strut. It also has the lock roller trusses as well. If it would help, I could photo and measure them both for you?

I have already measured and made the 8 outrigger (top) trusses from brass and jewelry parts from Hobby Lobby. Now I need to figure out thier angle and bracing coming from the bottom of the body which trianglate with them. I will post what I come up with and perhaps it may work with sombody else.

Also, here is a picture I found for the complete decent stage engine (for any detail freaks out here):

And here is the color scheme I am going for on the accent module, which is very close to the Monogram kit information. As previously mentioned, I am going to spray aluminum first and them use various types of BMF then paint the black last:

And here is a photo of the type suit used during the Armstrong visit to the moon. Some other photos show anodized red rings around the legs and feet:

Bakster>  Sounds like a difficult kit!  I'm considering picking up on of the Estes versions, but we'll see how it goes.  Keep plugging along!

PFJN>  That would be an interesting variation of the Shuttle.  It's quite acceptable in this GB, as I allow things that would have been on the drawing boards as concept vehicles (variations on a known design).

Ben>  Thanks for the information on the LM legs and engine.  That will come in handy when I build mine.

Glad you guys enjoyed the video on the recovery of Gus Grissom's Mercury capsule.  I saw it long ago.  The last theory I read about the explosive hatch was that it might have been wave action that blew it.  There was a switch on the outside of the capsule that might have been activated by waves slapping against the hull.  Don't know if that has been proven or disproven.

As for me, I didn't get anything accomplished today build wise.  I was busy rearranging the control room.    Moved tables and computers around, though I kept up with things on my tablet.

I do have one image to post here for those who are scratchbuilding parts of their LMs.  This has some dimensions that might be useful.   Hope so, anyway.

With Ben's leg dimensions, should be a good guide.

Gary

GAF, that multiview drawing is wonderful and will indeed prove helpful for the LEM "legs". 

Thank you very much...

Ben

PF: I'd never even heard of the micro shuttle. At the risk of getting yelled at she's kinda cute! Reminds me of the Hasegawa 'egg plane' shuttle. I had one but traded it away for something else years ago- would have been tempted to build it if I'd kept it now! 

Ben: Those are some great diagrams. Looks like the legs would be a pain to get all straight and aligned- hopefully the diagrams do their job. I found a book with a bunch of fantastic diagrams and line drawings  of the LEM and thought about posting some of them but it looks like you've got pretty much the same information there. 

Gary: No problem- you gotta clear the pad before the launch don't you?