Revell 1/144 Shuttle/Stack build/STS-133 - Finished!!!

[crowe-t]

Bill,

I must have looked at that drawing many times and can't believe I missed the pipe sizes.

I scaled the pipes to 1/144 and also the openings in the water bags where the pipes go in between the ribbing. The ribbing is spaced further apart where the pipes go in and closer together in the other areas. I made my spacing closer together since the Revell's SRB blast chambers are too short to kind of give the same visual effect.

What I'll do is use the 3.2 mm rod to represent the 24" pipes and 4.8 mm for the 36" pipes. This come to about 1/185 scale but looks a bit better since the Revell's SRB chambers are shorter.

If I was building an accurate sized MLP then, of course, I'd use the correct sized styrene rods to represent the pipes. Giving the fact that the Revell MLP is under scale and the blast chambers aren't correctly sized the way I'm going should look about right.

I really like your idea of using white glue to show the sag between the ribs. However I made the spacing closer then it should be and the white glue would most likely just fill in the spaces. I'll most likely leave that detail out. At this point I want to get this all ready for paint and complete this build. My main focus with this build has always been the shuttle stack's details. When I started working on the MLP I planned on making the TSM's and adding some details to the front side but I had more fun with this then expected and started adding more details.

Manfred,

I'm thinking of just cutting the inlet pipes to rest on top of the water bag's ribbing and give the allusion they are going through the holes.

Marco, Thanks for the compliments! :)

Edited April 19, 2012 by crowe-t

[crowe-t]

Well I finally took the plunge and cut out the SSME blast chamber. :D The kit's SSME chamber was too shallow and since I decided to make it deeper I figured I'd re-size it as well. It's re-sized to 1/160 scale. It's a great compromise since this MLP is under sized to begin with. The 1/160 opening looks good under the shuttle and is only 1 cm wider and 2 mm longer then the original opening. At least it has the correct dimensions now. I have to add the vertical ribs inside and the half-round rods around the perimeter.

I also worked a bit on the SSWS pipes that will go around the SRB openings.

Edited April 20, 2012 by crowe-t

[spaceman]

Hi Mike,

I think nevertheless it's all in all a good compromise for your build and all details look great so far.

[stevenichols]

Mike superb work indeed, you should be proud of this and thanks for sharing the progress with us.

[crowe-t]

Steve & Manfred, Thanks for the nice comments. :)

I'm now waiting for some Plastruct and Evergreen styrene I ordered and should have them Friday so I can finish the work on the MLP. I started some more painting of the ET and will post pictures in a few days.

Mike.

Edited April 26, 2012 by crowe-t

[crowe-t]

I hadn't added the insta-foam under the lower raised joints before I painted the SRB's. I taped off those areas on one of the SRB's and applied some white putty. I'm hoping the putty will stick well to the paint. If this works I'll tape those areas off again and hand paint the rust color.

Tomorrow I should have the rest of the styrene strips I needed and get back to working on the MLP. I'll post more pictures later in the week.

Edited May 1, 2012 by crowe-t

[spaceman]

Hi Mike,

today only some questions, have you roughened up the ranges underneath the black flanges, before you applied the putty? Have you already finished insta-foam for your models? Is that a special foam for modeling?

[crowe-t]

Manfred,

I did sand the paint a bit before applying the putty. I used Squadron White Putty.

I tested the putty with a hobby knife and it seems pretty strong so I just have to finish the insta-foam on the other SRB today and I'll paint the color on.

Edited May 1, 2012 by crowe-t

[crowe-t]

The insta-foam is painted under the 3 lower rings of the SRB's. I still have to paint the foam on the top and bottom of the lower attachment joint. I'm also considering painting the foam under the SRB skirts. I'm just not sure it's necessary.

Edited May 3, 2012 by crowe-t

[spaceman]

Hi Mike,

phantastic work with painting the SRB rings, those look correctly genuine. Have you paited the narrow black an red rings or are them decals? Are the other rings now made from white putty or insta-foam?

The foam ring under the SRB skirts is only narrow, as is to be seen in this picture.

source: NASA

I think that it would be sufficient, if you suggest the ring only with color, it were, you want to make it completely accurate.

[crowe-t]

Thanks Manfred,

The black and red rings are decals. I used 1/32" wide black decal stripes and 1/64" wide maroon decal stripes from Microscale for those. Microscale only has the maroon color in 1/64" but it doesn't seem much narrower then the 1/32" black stripes. Maybe it's mis-sized so I got lucky. It seemed much easier to use decals then masking and painting them.

I first applied the white putty to get the shape of the insta-foam and masked around the putty and painted them the rust color( a mix of Polly Scale Rust and SP Daylight orange).

I'll most likely just paint the same rust color under the the skirts to represent the insta-foam like you suggested.

I actually used that same picture you posted as reference.

Edited May 3, 2012 by crowe-t

[spaceman]

Thanks Mike,

then we have the same feeling nose.

On the colors I will come back again, if I build the ET and the SRB's. To know well that there's an expert for it.

[crowe-t]

I finally got back to working on the MLP. :) The vertical ribs are glued in the SSME blast chamber. The ribs are Evergreen .5 mm x .75 mm strips and .5 mm x .5 mm strips in the 4 corners. After I finish sanding the putty at the top of the SSME chamber I'll add the half-round rod around the perimeter. I have a few more details to finish and the MLP will be done.

Edited May 4, 2012 by crowe-t

[spaceman]

Hey Mike,

wow, yours SMEE hole is not again to be recognized. That is a difference like day and night, great job done.

[crowe-t]

Manfred, It was nice of you to say that. :)

Making the SSME hole larger and with correct proportions has made a difference in the look of the Revell MLP. I feel the TSM's placement now look better with the new larger opening. I wasn't planning on opening up the SSME chamber until I added the water barriers to the SRB holes. Adding the water barriers allowed me to cheat a bit and not have to open up the SRB holes. It isn't worth all that extra work of re-building the SRB chambers on this MLP. The SSME chamber wasn't too difficult to open and with the water barriers it'll represent launch configuration. So far I like the results.

Edited May 4, 2012 by crowe-t

[spaceman]

Hi Mike,

Yours effort, endurance and love for the details for the improvement the Revell MLP are commendable and worthwhile themselves, the platform becomes really impressive.

The SRB chambers are really too small, therefore the expenditure for that opening and scratch-building further details would not be worth.

[K2Pete]

I completely agree with Manfred.

Mike, you do seem to enjoy doing what you're doing ... and I just can't get over the fact that you're doing all this detail work to a small 1/144. Well done!

Any plans to do the same for a 1/72 stack?

Pete

[spaceman]

Hi Pete,

scratch-building all these details in 1:72 must have to be nevertheless against it an enjoyment ...

[crowe-t]

Thanks guys for the support! :)

Manfred, I was looking for a way around re-building the SRB openings and adding the water barriers really helped. Due to the small size of the MLP I couldn't extend the SRB openings and don't feel it would be worth any more effort.

Pete, The scratch building is my favorite part of all this. Right now I'm just having fun working on the MLP. I'm attempting to improve it's look and don't have to worry about complete accuracy on this one.

I do have an older Monogram 1/72 stack that I'll eventually build. It's such a large kit to begin with so I doubt I'll attempt and MLP but I do plan on adding some details.

Mike.

Edited May 4, 2012 by crowe-t

[stevenichols]

Mike, the SRB foam rings look superb and your MLP is certainly going to be stunning to say the least.I can't wait to see this project finished as you will make a shuttle guy out of me yet

Edited May 4, 2012 by stevenichols

[crowe-t]

Thanks Steve!

I didn't think adding the insta-foam(putty) before the SRB's were painted would look right so I took the chance applying the putty afterwards.

Now what's left is working on the SSWS piping around the SRB openings and finishing the Tail Service Masts. I'm anxious to get this project completed.

Edited May 5, 2012 by crowe-t

[crowe-t]

Here's another small update. The perimeter of the SSME blast chamber is finished with the half-round rod and most of the details are added to the rear of the Tail Service Masts. I glued in some 1 mm pieces inside the SRB chambers to represent the supports. I figure at least the shapes will be a bit visible when the stack is on the MLP. I also started working on making the support brackets for the SSWS piping. I'm in the home stretch now with the MLP and then it's on to the rest of the painting.

Edited May 6, 2012 by crowe-t

[bubble]

Very nice crowe-t this (SSWS), a lot of work

[crowe-t]

bubble, Thanks for the compliments!

I originally used 1 mm rod for the areas on the TSM's that I indicated with the arrows. It was a bit too large but that's what I had on hand at the time. I replaced the 1 mm with .5 mm for the upper horizontal rod and .4 mm for the vertical rod(s) on the sides. They are more in scale now.

Here is a before and after picture of how the TSM's look.

Edited May 6, 2012 by crowe-t

[spaceman]

Hi Mike,

you give yourself really large strive with detailing, but the details look in such a way really still better. The vertical lines at the TSM's were really somewhat too thick. Large complement for a great job!