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

Thanks Gang! I think this is going to work. The Spacelab will come forward and cover some of this. It just needed a bit of detail in this area. This could go on forever with minor details but this somewhat matches other details of the kit. A bit of touch up and I'm hopefully done in this area!

Max

After a quick mock-up on the cargo bay all looks to be well. Like I said, one could get emersed in small details on this kit! The bay does need some cradles for the robotic arm if it's to be in the stowed position which I think it will be. I've been puting off the black paint but I think it's time to mask and attack it. Onward!

Max

Max, I am smiling here. Nice job sir. It looks cool. I think that the little man approves too. He looks pretty content in the work.

Hey thanks Steve! Here's a shot I just downloaded of the cradles for the arm. It looks like the arm can be configured from either side or extensions can be stowed on the right side. This is cool looking all this stuff up. Learning, another plus for modeling!

Max

What a shot!

Yeah that is a cool shot.

Bakster

Yeah that is a cool shot.

 

Steve! What are you building these days? I only follow Aircraft and you're a good one to push me forward! I looked around and found your ship, anything else happening? I also need to go through the photo files for a few more of our Aircraft Photography posts which was fun but I'm about out of material, LOL! I guess it's time to go to a cool airshow I suppose.

Later, 

Max

Say Max...I am taking a vacation from the Mayflower WIP. I needed a break from it. I WILL go back to it though. You can find my current build under the ships forum as well. If interested, look for the Mobeus Seaview WIP. 

Well, I might be able to scrape up a few Aircraft Photography images to post. I will take a look at what I got. You know that EAA is coming up again don't you? Hint. Hint.

Hey, I have been meaning to ask this a long time. What is the significance of your avatar photo? Who is that? What's the story behind it?

Steve, Long funny story on the avatar picture. Years ago, me and two other pro photographers covered the international Motorcycle GP in Lauguna Seca Raceway in California. We were there for three days and we began to notice that almost everyone spoke different languages. For fun we decided that we all needed more exciting names to call each other at this great international event. We then all made up fun international racing names and me of slight German descent chose to be Max Felixmuller, after a famous German artist. The name never went away and in my motorcycle racing career even the bikes and helmets carried the decals for Felixmuller Racing.

One of the photographers would forever photoshop my head in famous historic pictures  or with my historic heros for major birthdays along with some fake story he made up. The avatar is only one of many pictures where my head is in some historic picture along with some whopper tale. All of the head shots come from our great USGP adventure.

You asked! LOL! BTW, I still answer to Max Felixmuller!

Max

Hey Max, I somehow knew there was a story to it. And it's a good one! I love it! Thanks for sharing that. Now we know a little more about Max, AKA Felixmuller.

The first time that I had seen your avatar picture I had thought, "what the heck is that over his head? It looks like a washtub." I thought that with you being a photographer it was some sort of creative photo deal. Eventually, I took a much closer look and I figured out that it is a canopy. I laughed. Tired old eyes, small picture.

Thanks again.

Well, it's raining on my attempted house painting today and I'm trapped in the Shuttle assembly area. I did manage to get the rear bay insulation on and the American flag that some missions carried in that area. Maybe it's to remind the the ESA astronouts how they got there. Just kidding. My fake yellow wiring harness looks a little raggedy blown up but OK to the naked eye, well my naked eye. The inspector did pass all of this.

Reporting, 

Max

Another great WIP thread I'm finding for the first time. This one almost 2 months old. I don't know how that happens.

Max, this is indeed a gread WIP, and something completely different. Wow that thing is big.

And finally the mystery of your avatar solved. It's funny Steve's misread of it. I had one too. I browse on a laptop, so the fairly high resolution makes things small. For a long time, I thought it was a pic of Darth Vader's head (the canopy was the top of his helmet). Once I figured out it is a guy in a cocpit, I don't see Darth anymore. Now the guy has your face. Interesting morning so far.

Hey, thanks Greg! This project is turning out to be fun once I got through the beginning and I always have fun doing W.I.P.s. I did list it under Aircraft for my Aircraft friends and that's where I usually am. Hopefully I'll be back building some aircraft after getting this thing launched! 

Max

Hodakamax

Well, it's raining on my attempted house painting today and I'm trapped in the Shuttle assembly area. I did manage to get the rear bay insulation on and the American flag that some missions carried in that area. Maybe it's to remind the the ESA astronouts how they got there. Just kidding. My fake yellow wiring harness looks a little raggedy blown up but OK to the naked eye, well my naked eye. The inspector did pass all of this.

Reporting, 

Max

 

Max I would suggest painting the pannels on the cargo bay door chrome silver as those were reflective in real life.

Hey Mikey, thanks for the comment. Yeah, I've checked this out. They are not quite chrome but neither is the paint. More like polished stainless that reflects blurred images. The chrome paint is probably something I should try. I've got a can around here somewhere and I need to run a plastic test on it before I melt more parts, LOL. I think I'll take your advice and at least test it. It did craze the plastic last time I tried it but the doors already have a coat of Krylon Metallics which will hopefully act as a primer.

The picture also shows the cradles for the arm that I've been searching for. I'll probably have a report on all of this soon.

Thanks!

Max

You won't need the rattlecans for that Testors makes the small bottles of Chrome silver paint that you can find at any hobby Lobby or LHS or you can get the Testors rattlecan as that is formulated for polystyrene. Thankfully when I get to my shuttle kits I have a healthy supply of both the bottles of chrome silver and the Testors rattle cans. BTW one of your other earlier posts I think in page 2 also showed the cradles for the manipulator arm in the picture too.

Hodakamax

Hey Mikey, thanks for the comment. Yeah, I've checked this out. They are not quite chrome but neither is the paint. More like polished stainless that reflects blurred images. The chrome paint is probably something I should try. I've got a can around here somewhere and I need to run a plastic test on it before I melt more parts, LOL. I think I'll take your advice and at least test it. It did craze the plastic last time I tried it but the doors already have a coat of Krylon Metallics which will hopefully act as a primer.

The picture also shows the cradles for the arm that I've been searching for. I'll probably have a report on all of this soon.

Thanks!

Max

 

Ah, good idea Mikey. They did craze a bit on the test so I did a light sand and prime. I just shot them and they came out close to what they should look like. Much better!

Max

Again, not much guidence from the instructions showing painting of black vs white tile placement. A little reasearch shows that it probably changed not only between Shuttles but even between flights of the same Shuttle. Luckily the Challenger configuration that I'm building has the less complicated area around the ailerons. Still the lines on the model itself are different than the real item. A few compromises here and there and I think it will be acceptable. At least Im started on the black!

Max

I discovered the same thing when I looked up how I was going to paint mine. The instructions are not accurate and the box photos are wrong as well. Guess you have a bit of freedom with your paint scheme.  :)

Some masking and painting happening today. Again, all shuttles aren't exactly alike I'm finding out. I spent more time researching than painting today. Even the little guy was asking questions. I think I've figured out a representive example of the times that will pass inspection. Most of the black tile stuff is done at least how I think it should be. The little guy also had a busy day checking all this out!

Report---

Max

Hi,

The bottom of the wing is looking great.

Pat

Hey Max, it's looking excellent. It's coming together nice.

Hey Pat and Steve. Thanks for watching and I always like your encouraging and bolstering remarks! Maybe it's more than we want to know about Space Shuttles, LOL! This build reminds of my 1/72 B-36 build with giant sub-assemblies and rattle cans!

I did have to save the little guy after he got wrapped up in his work, so to speak. Always scary unmasking things but the process went reasonably well and I'm somewhat happy with the black tile paint. There's still one more masking/painting event with the gray nose and wing leading edges and a few odds and ends like the black tile on the tail and gear doors.

The painting inspection went well but the little guy always seems to be pointing at the dreaded cockpit windows that need something beyond the scope of this kit. Definitely a weak feature. I think I've figured out an approach on the problem but I'm not there yet.

More to come but I have to be somewhat responsible today on this house project. Bah.

Max

Max, the tile detail show up nicely. I wasn't expecting them to pop like they are. I like the tone of the paint as well. It looks like a semi flat with just a minor sheen. That looks perfect. Very nicely done.

Too funny about the little man. He needs to watch himself because the VAB is a dangerous place to walk around.

I will be interested to see what you do with the windows. 

Hey Mike, Yes, weathering is probably somewhat in the plan. Of course the machine is refurbished after each flight and and isn't exactly weathered but does show signs of re-entry. Partial tile replacement adds to the mix also. The white portions really respond to wiping or washing with all the tile detail. There's certainly plenty to try and I have been fiddling with it. There seems to be some real possibilities if I can pull it off or at least add some details to enhance. A lot of the tile markings are not exactly accurate but they do give it the shuttle "look". More to come!

Max

Max Guess nobody ever pointed it out but the hatches on the underside of the orbiter wing are wrong. They should not have any openings on them because that would be a very bad thing during re-entry.

Hodakamax

Some masking and painting happening today. Again, all shuttles aren't exactly alike I'm finding out. I spent more time researching than painting today. Even the little guy was asking questions. I think I've figured out a representive example of the times that will pass inspection. Most of the black tile stuff is done at least how I think it should be. The little guy also had a busy day checking all this out!

Report---

Max

 

Hey Mikey, yes, one of many mistakes. In the stack model it's where the tank mounts to the orbiter. It looks like a tiled door closes after tank release. A door should have been supplied or the holes filled. My, that's certainly a complicated area from the picture. The fuel also enters there. Now that you mention it I should probably fill the holes to be correct but there's plenty of incorrectness already mostly in the tile placement. Kinda hard to accurately model the most complicated machine ever built at the time! LOL!

Max

Funny, here's how you mount it to the 747 carrier complete with instructions!

Ah, hopefully the last black tiles have been painted. In hindsight I should have cemented the movable rudder in place in the beginning. I still haven't glued the tail halves together and have been working around these clamps for days, all for a movable rudder that may never be moved. Not only that but I broke off one of the fragile pins on the rudder hinge and had to drill it out and put a new hinge pin. By golly this rudder is going to move come hell or high water.

Since most of my model progress depends on the weather and I hear it raining, I may go to the VAB and mask and paint the gray leading edges of the wings and make that darn rudder movable. I'm actually starting to see this thing being finished! I did mention in the beginning that I was slow so you wouldn't have any great expectations, LOL! Even the little man is starting ask, how much longer now?

Report,

Max

Hey Max, I think that you are moving along pretty dang well. And hey...what's the rush anyway. The longer this goes the longer we get to follow along. You have a fun WIP going on here. It's not often that we have a little man to entertain us.

That is funny about the rudder too. It is something that I would do.

Looking good sir.

Steve