K2Pete

i'm loving your solutions to the kit's issues. I build, primarily, early US Space program spacecraft and the issues you're running into, are part and parcel of these old kits. So getting familiar with Evergreen, reworking wing roots, in some cases rebuilding the part entirely ... is what makes this hobby fun for me. With these kits, there's no such thing as the kit "falling together" ... you'e gonna put in a lot of work an-n-nd, develop some pretty good scratch building skills! This is looking pretty good ... it'll definitely be a "Silk purse"! Pete

I hope you had as wonderful an Easter as you can! And I hope you fared better than your little Bunny! He looked delicious! I'm glad to see that, as tedious as this job is, that there are no fitting surprises for you Manfred! It all seems to be going together smoothly! And it's looking great! Pete

To attach the PB Doors I just used glue ... and a few clamps. As well, because the sides of the fuselage bow in an 1/8th inch or so, I used 2 solid steel rods clamped to the doors and fuselage as supports. If you haven't seen my cutaway Shuttle, it's in this forum at the bottom of page 3 or maybe the top of page 4 of this Real Space forum. I also did a 1/100 Shuttle with the LDEF ... again, on this Real Space forum. Pete

This Miter tool, and your tutorial, looks superb! I now realize that you're freelancing as a sales rep for RP Toolz! And you are earning your commission! The link you've provided to their site shows a nice variety of quality tools for us modellers ... Thank you! I agree with you on the posture / lumbar issues ... my back did not work for the past month ... as a result of too much sitting and a 193 cm ( 6'4" ) frame! Your progress is impressive Manfred, your attention to the finest details has not swayed in 10 years and it's still a pleasure to see and read a new

You should be proud of this Shuttle! It looks pretty good! And that Birthday present looks ... WOW! You must have been a very good boy! Some of these guys do make their 3D stuff look great, but I guess I'm old school and prefer to try to build a new part from scratch, rather than try to suss out the problems on a screen. And the expense? I can't justify it ... almost all of my builds are from kits that were made in the 1960's and '70's. Their accuracy leaves a lot to be desired, but they sure are fun to augment and improve. When I did my PB doors, I put the handholds

These do look terrific Randy! I use these same type of wooden plaques but you sure did a LOT of sanding on those edges ... and it looks great! I may have to start sanding mine down to be more presentable! Models of the 1950's and 60's Aircraft/Spacecraft that represent the old 'technology' and yet, the Absolutely SPEC-TAK-ULAR results simply ... amazes me! Are these models something you would enter into contests? Or are they purely for your own enjoyment? Pete

Oh-h-h yeah-h-h-h ... this is looking pretty dang GOOD! I'm glad to see this build continuing! Are the windows and cockpit area Dutycat's or did you build it all yourself? I just skimmed over your previous posts and didn't see it, but IIRC you did use the aftermarket windows ... am I correct? And I have a nice method for creating a smooth mask edge for the Nose Cap Grey paint ... using a thin strip of electrical tape. Page 3 almost halfway down the page ... http://www.arcforums.com/forums/air/index.php?/topic/302248-172-shuttle-and-hubble-space-telescope/page/

Nice job! You're approaching these builds with the right attitude ... try out a new technique that's new to you. Spending time on these is easy and the results, as you say, are wonderful to see! Up close, none of my models are perfect, but from 2 feet away, they're award winners! ;- D When I was a kid, I built a model in a Saturday afternoon ... 40 years later when I got back into this hobby, the same kit took me almost 200 hours, but I enjoyed every ... single second! And I still look at it as impressed as ever! WOW, I built that! It's still a terrific feeling! E

So nice to see an open Payload Bay and you've added some nice detail! Those Satellites look GREAT! And the OAST Payload frame is built from scratch, eh? Nicely done ... and yeah I read that you used the Silhouette for making a guide, but still, nice job! Be sure to post some final pix when you decide how to display this! Pete

No worries Fozzy ... we're all-l-l in the same boat! As they say "Absence makes the heart grow fonder" ... so when ever you get back to this, and we all can relax a bit and enjoy the show you put on, we'll be waiting on ya! Pete

Steve ... I tried over the past 2 days to Start a New Topic on the Real Space Forum and got the Internal Server Error. Now, I haven't tried to post any pix since May ... is there a limit to the # of images I can insert? ... or any changes to the Forum that I need to be aware of? My images have come from a Photo Sharing site, Fotki. Here's the screenshot ... right now, it's about 4:40 am, your time. Thanx Steve Pete

Well 2021 is here ... I hope it'll be a Happy and Healthy one for us all ... Happy 2021 Manfred ... I'll be following your complex build for the next 362 days as it's a wonderful distraction! Pete

A few years ago I built a 1/72 X-15 and I thought THAT was small ... in 1/144 ... good grief, good for you Randy! 👍 But I am really disappointed that I don't see a lot of detail on the IP or seat belts in the cockpit and ............. aw-w-w, I'm just kidding! This is coming along nicely and it's a nice way to get back into the groove ... maybe I should do something like this! Pete

Oh my goodness ... this is going to be so-o-o much fun to watch come together! The level of detail you're planning to include, at this tiny scale, is already evident! Manfred, I hope you'll have as Merry a Christmas as you can have with Good Food, Good Cheer and Good Health! Here in our area, near Niagara Falls Canada, we've just been put in lockdown till late January ... so we will make the best of this situation ... and know that Santa will still visit our house! ( ... will Rudolph be wearing a mask ... with a hole in it for his Nose? ) All best wis

1981 ... the Real Space forum I'm referring to is the one where Homer is posting right here on ARC ... it's all Space stuff. And this is really coming along nicely! And your photography skills are showing too ... nice pix! You're making Homer's parts look GREAT! Pete