johnlove_mk_II

The corrected F-1 fairings really do look great.

Looking good so far, can't wait to see more. You know, I'm still not 100% convinced I'll be using the bottoms of my S-ICs either ... but I'm right there with you on trying to not sweat the details too much.

Getting started I started with the S-ICs building from the ground up. Replaced the kit F-1s with parts from Apogee. The Apogee F-1s are pretty simplistic, but they’re accurately proportioned and reasonably priced. To mount them I had a custom cut acrylic “plate” made at Ponoko. It will be mounted directly to the kit’s thrust structure plate which was sanded flat. Apogee F-1s Ponoko produced plate. Apogee mounting tab. Thing. All the things. Moving u

Anyone familiar with me, especially here on ARC, knows that I’ve been tinkering around with building a 1/72 Saturn model for the better part of five years. (Yes, five.) There have been many starts and just as many stops, all with long stretches of time in between. During that time I’ve learned a lot of new techniques and have been able to produce some 3D models of the Saturn that I’m quite satisfied with. The problem is I didn’t have anything physical to show for all the work, and producing it would be extraordinarily expensive, especially at the resolution that would produce the detail I’m l

Yeah, I figured the Nova was a "No" for the GB. Poor Nova.

With unfinished models being welcome, I'm thinking I'll just toss one of my current "Dragon Trash Saturn" builds into the mix. They're only about 20% complete so far ... and at my current rate, I might actually finish them within the time frame allotted. Although it likely fits in the "what if" category, I've also been tossing around the Idea of building a 1/72 Nova C-8 LV as proposed for the Apollo Direct Ascent plan. A rocket with eight F-1s really appeals to something very deep in my psyche. I've drawn up the preliminary plan, based on the General Dynamics proposal, and it

Great idea. I'd be interested.

Those look great Pete. I've stashed away quite a few Horizon kits. They're top notch, and one could only hope they'll produce the Titan. I'd be in for a few of those for sure. I've mulled over Dragon's Saturns for some time now. It's a shame they didn't do just a bit more ... but I am happy they did produce them. They are pretty impressively big, even with the toy-like appearance. As a matter of fact I've picked up a few the Skylab kits at local hobby contest/swap for a very reasonable price. It's been a tremendous amount of fun just throwing them together adding minimal det

COOL! That looks pretty awesome. The fairings are, by far, my most confounding issue with this thing. If only they'd taken the time to get the original parts correct.

Just got the vague "rejected" email from Shapeways. It passed all the pre-flight tests, but "weak geometry" is the excuse given in the email.

Worked out a little former/support for the fairings. Printing them in PLA so the cost is only around $15. (Ordered them today so I should see them in the next few weeks.)

Yeah after it came out like it did, I immediately started wonder why. I do think that the engraved lines helped, but I'm not sure as to the mechanics of it all ... maybe a discontinuous vs. continuous surface type of thing? It was dunked with the engraved lines pointing down and that allowed for the ends to curl up without any resistance from the pot. Like you I'm eager to see if It can be replicated.

It's .025" thick sheet and maybe dipped for about 20 to 25 seconds. I had two sizes of tubing ready to try to form it but it took to the shape you see, without any coaxing ... I was pleasantly surprised. I'll need to have some others cut and hopefully they will react the same way.

The super slow burn that is my Saturn V build. I think I may have finally stumbled on to how I can produce the fairings. And it's been under my nose, all along. I had cut some faring shapes with Ponoko earlier on in this build, but was having issues with them splitting along some engraved lines I was going to use as guides to place the stringers. I sat them aside and it wasn't until today that I pulled them out again to ponder how I might still use them. I decided to try the boiling water technique to see if I could get them to curl without splitting. Well the answer

When they first announced the Redstone last year, I immediately thought "I wonder if they'll do a Wresat?" This is very cool news indeed.

Great pictures Habu, thanks for sharing.

I had briefly considered resin casting, but I think I'd seriously muck it up. I think it would take some skill, that I certainly don't have, to make a mold that would work with the thin walls.

This fairing thing, I’m pretty sure it’s going to kill me. I’ve been working on it for the better part of 4 weeks … on and off of course, but never really getting anywhere. So after all that, where do I stand? Well, kinda where I began. At first thought I just thought that I’d just print the fairings. It’s not particularly difficult to model in 3D … the problem is the printed parts would cost far more than I’d be willing to spend. After drawing the basic she, with no details, a single fairing in FUD costs close to $43. Stepping down to Strong White Flexible, the cost would be $12

Just received the Horizon Models 1/72 Mercury Redstone and I thought you guys might like to have a look at the sprues. Inside the box you get the same Mercury Capsule sprue as the Spacecraft and Atlas kits as well as two identical sprues that make up the actual launch vehicle and launch stand. Launch Vehicle Sprue Aft Instrument section Photoetch Decal Sheet It’s far and away an improvement over the Dragon kit by many magnitudes. Another great kit from Horizon. Now, let’s all hope a Gemini Tita

These are now in stock at the Cult TV Man shop.

I read on their Facebook page that preorders are shipping out from OZ by the 21st. I'm hoping that means the dealers here in the States will be getting them soon. I'm waiting somewhat impatiently for my preorder from Cult TV Man.

The postman just dropped off my Ponoko order. Opened the box and the house was filled with the smell of charred paper and melted acrylic. The parts turned out great and fit almost perfectly. Just need to do a slight bit of sanding to get it snug and perfect.

Yes, all tediously by hand. I plan to split the wrap into four sections for ease of install and cutting size limitations. Each "seam" will be hidden under the fairing and each of the stringer guides are slightly smaller in width than the 1mm Evergreen strips I'm using for the stringers. They should be covered completely. Here's the pattern for the cutter. I still need to make a few tweaks, but it's almost ready. The center cut-out is for the 3D printed hold-down parts.

Thanks for the confirmation on the Apogee Fairings. I figured they were made with the same thickness sheet as the wraps, and those are almost too thin to be useful. I’ve set aside the fairings until I get the wraps and stringers situated. I figured it would be best to have a better idea of how they all would interact with each other before I really started nailing down what I was going to do. I have the wrap files created for the Silhouette cutter, I just need to confirm the fit. This weekend I’ll hopefully get everything situated so I can proceed with designing the fairing mount

The F-1 fairings. These innocuous little guys are far more complex than you’d think. I thought of a few different ways to make them, none of which are particularly easy or cheap. 1) Vac-u-form - Make a plug. Form sheet into shape. Detail with styrene strips. - Tedious, structure could be weak. 2) 3D printed - Model. Print. Mount. - Easy, but expensive when printed in the detail plastics. Will be very brittle. 3) 3D printed armature, with detailed styrene overlay - Print the armature in white strong plastic, cover with detailed wrap. - Stronger, cheaper an