MarkD Posted July 8, 2011 Share Posted July 8, 2011 Here is reference showing where the SRB camera are located. You can easily see the camera pod on the right booster. http://somafm.com/articles/STS135/L-1/DSC_8942.jpg I will add this tiny detail to my kits. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
niart17 Posted July 8, 2011 Author Share Posted July 8, 2011 Good catch Mark. If you add them, don't forget what I assume are remove before flight flags. You can see them in this pic on the one in the back and they are there on some of the pad shots. http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/550098main_srb-forward_full.jpg I don't know when they remove them (before flight obviously) but it would be a nice touch. Bill Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Scott Smith Posted July 8, 2011 Share Posted July 8, 2011 Hey Scott, I'm not to that point yet, but what it appears like to me is there are two holes that are lightly covered over. If you look from inside the fuse you should see them and they are both on centerline. One is just behind the nose gear opening and one in-line with where the rear struts attach. On the cradle between the rear mounting struts there is a raised pin that fits into the rear hole and the bipod front brace fits into the front hole. You do have to open those holes up. I hope that makes sense, if not I'll try to post a pic for you to clear it up. Good luck and post some pics of your build, I'd love to see it. Bill Thanks Bill. I actually found them after I posted this. I went back and took a closer look at the directions and saw the little icon showing me to open these up. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Scott Smith Posted July 8, 2011 Share Posted July 8, 2011 Good tip I discovered doing a search yesterday on the External Fuel Tank paint color!! AS we all know it is just "Great Stuff" type foam that turns the ruddy orange with exposure to UV light. On a Model Rocketry forum one builder posted photos of his Estes Kit where he painted the EFT with Krylon 51801 Brauhaus Gold. It dries gloss, but after a good cure, some Tamiya flat clear could be applied. He also held it up to a piece of foam he has that has been exposed to UV for quite a while. I'm hitting the hardware store on the way home and hopefully I'll be able to post some photos next week. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MarkD Posted July 8, 2011 Share Posted July 8, 2011 I mentioned the SRB tow back hitch. I read there is another hitch on the forward skirt. I can't see anything resembling that in photos. The hitch on the ET attach ring is obvious. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
catfan Posted July 9, 2011 Share Posted July 9, 2011 so dose any body hear know where to find the shuttle diagrams the show where the tiles are on the bottom of the shuttle and all other areas? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jockdeboer Posted July 9, 2011 Share Posted July 9, 2011 Maybe here too: http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/history/shuttle.htm Quote Link to post Share on other sites
niart17 Posted July 9, 2011 Author Share Posted July 9, 2011 I mentioned the SRB tow back hitch. I read there is another hitch on the forward skirt. I can't see anything resembling that in photos. The hitch on the ET attach ring is obvious. I'm not positive but in this pic it appears there is a tow ring that can't be seen until the nose cone is gone. If you look at the high res version of it you can see a ring just above the 9 o'clock position. I imagine it's that one or one like that's not seen in this pic. http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/behindthescenes/processing/lores/srb005.jpg&imgrefurl=http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/behindthescenes/processing/html/srb005.html&usg=__kIhKYrH0IQPWnnujH_ArsiSM0qE=&h=525&w=700&sz=47&hl=en&start=21&zoom=1&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=tsHpdHUH-XnSyM:&tbnh=105&tbnw=140&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dsrb%2Brecovery%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26biw%3D1578%26bih%3D727%26tbm%3Disch&ei=Sr0XTvCIMsGpsAKE3vTBBw Quote Link to post Share on other sites
catfan Posted July 9, 2011 Share Posted July 9, 2011 so are space shuttle diagrams from the 80's the same as they are now? if not then where can i look now? any ideas? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
niart17 Posted July 9, 2011 Author Share Posted July 9, 2011 so are space shuttle diagrams from the 80's the same as they are now? if not then where can i look now? any ideas? Hey Cat, sorry took so long to answer. The tile locations for the belly for the most part should be the same as any 80's diagrams you can find, as I don't think they changed any of that layout. A lot of the upper surfaces have changed throughout the years in that most of the less heat influenced areas (white surfaces) have changed from individual tiles to large blanketed areas. That blanket texture is one of the things I'm going to concentrate on in this build. I've seen some great representations of it, but there's got to be a more accurate way. Anyway, I'd say the best way to be sure is to find pics of the mission (or close) and the shuttle you want to build by going to the nasa site. There are some really great shots from pretty much any angle that can help you locate where the upper surface blankets are. For that matter, most of the ISS shuttle missions after the return to flight mission should have underside pics in their gallery from when they do the "backflip" and that will definately give you exactly where the black belly tiles are. Now keep in mind, at most scales anything close is going to look right. Good luck and post pics if you're building one. Bill Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MarkD Posted July 9, 2011 Share Posted July 9, 2011 Those rings are for the parachute system. Though, yeah the hi res pic does show what you mean. http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/behindthescenes/processing/hires/srb005.jpg No wonder I couldn't find it before. It's hidden under the nose cone. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/62/Liberty_Star_with_SRB_after_STS-87_%282%29.jpg This is the aft tow bracket in question. http://homepage.mac.com/georgegassaway/GRP/Scale/ShuttleData/SRB/harbor_tow_bracket.jpg on the ET attach ring. You can see it's location better in this photo http://homepage.mac.com/georgegassaway/GRP/Scale/ShuttleData/StackCloseups/KSC-99PP-1308_sts103.jpg The tiny ring jutting out of the SRB/ ET attach ring on the lower left. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Paul Mullins Posted July 10, 2011 Share Posted July 10, 2011 so are space shuttle diagrams from the 80's the same as they are now? if not then where can i look now? any ideas? Try this site http://www.axmpaperspacescalemodels.com/index.html It's paper models, but they do have a reference for most all missions and payloads. Paul Quote Link to post Share on other sites
catfan Posted July 11, 2011 Share Posted July 11, 2011 well i don't have one yet but i will get a 1/72 scale shuttle with boosters before the year is over. so for now i have a 1/72 shuttle that i picked up some where and its the Columbia and its as old as my girlfriend is. but i will build it and make it as close as i can to the real thing. i have enough pictures and every thing to make it look pretty close to real as i can Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MarkD Posted July 12, 2011 Share Posted July 12, 2011 Some reference of Atlantis on her final mission. http://www-pao.ksc.nasa.gov/kscpao/images/medium/2011-5359-m.jpg http://www-pao.ksc.nasa.gov/kscpao/images/medium/2011-5155-m.jpg Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Scott Smith Posted July 12, 2011 Share Posted July 12, 2011 Good tip I discovered doing a search yesterday on the External Fuel Tank paint color!! AS we all know it is just "Great Stuff" type foam that turns the ruddy orange with exposure to UV light. On a Model Rocketry forum one builder posted photos of his Estes Kit where he painted the EFT with Krylon 51801 Brauhaus Gold. It dries gloss, but after a good cure, some Tamiya flat clear could be applied. He also held it up to a piece of foam he has that has been exposed to UV for quite a while. I'm hitting the hardware store on the way home and hopefully I'll be able to post some photos next week. Well this was a no go. I don't know what paint the guy on the rocketry forum had, but it is nothing like the paint I bought. It is actually a gold/yellow. Looks like new spray foam before the UV gets to it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
crowe-t Posted July 12, 2011 Share Posted July 12, 2011 Well this was a no go. I don't know what paint the guy on the rocketry forum had, but it is nothing like the paint I bought. It is actually a gold/yellow. Looks like new spray foam before the UV gets to it. Scott, I used a mixture of Polly Scale acrylic Rust and SP Daylight Orange as a base coat on an ET I'm currently working on. It's approx. 50/50 mixture with a few drops of Reefer white added. SP Daylight orange is a great color that Jay Chladek recommended to me for an ET. Mike. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
crowe-t Posted July 12, 2011 Share Posted July 12, 2011 A small update. I've added a small shape to the top of the SRB's (I'm guessing an electrical enclosure) and I've drilled out the separation motors and added some styrene rod to represent them a little better. They will be sanded smoother and covers will be added but you get the jest. I've also marked the area I've decided to sand off. It is the SRB's second raised panel that shouldn't be there. I think I can go back and fix the area once I get it smoothed down. I hope anyway. Another couple of things I'm considering is maybe looking into getting some custom photoetching done for some of the detail work. If I can find a place that's inexpensive enough I may redo a lot of of the SRB details as well as some shuttle detail. I'd love to find a company that would want to make them for retail if I did the design work but I know that would be a big risk for a company so I'll probably have to go one offs if I want it done. Another crazy idea I had was to possibly use some magnets to mount the shuttle on to the stack. IF I could engineer it right, you could take the shuttle off and possibly have magnets holding the gear doors on and pop in landing gear...ala Tamiya's P-51 kit. I know it sounds crazy and probably too ambitious but ya never know, it might happen. It would be a neat feature if I could pull it off. If not, oh well. Anyway, thanks for looking. Bill Bill, These modifications are perfect! The problem with the 1/72 kit is it's based on the earlier missions so details like the horizontal bands that run around the cones are now rivets on the newer missions. I feel it looks more accurate with those bands removed. Keep up the great work! Mike. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MarkD Posted July 12, 2011 Share Posted July 12, 2011 (edited) If it's not too late on the ET, I thought of a way to fix the intertank alignment. Given the photos show it to be larger in diameter than the rest of the tank. The kit shows the intertank ribbing to be pushed slightly inward. Before gluing the ET together, you can see this. My best guess is you can cut out the stringer sections and set them to be lined up more with the rest of the ET. One problem I have run into is if you plan to make the orbiter with the AFRSI blankets is whenever I paint the blankets, the surgical tape curls up as the paint dries. My solution I found is before adding the tape, put down a think bit of plastic glue so the paint won't warp as it's painted. I mean when it isn't painted, the seams between the strips of tape don't show and it looks very realistic. The paint warping the tape does cause the seams to open. So, add a thin layer of glue so the tape sticks to the plastic before painting. NASA pics of Atlantis. http://www-pao.ksc.nasa.gov/kscpao/images/large/2011-5429.jpg http://www-pao.ksc.nasa.gov/kscpao/images/medium/2011-5426-m.jpg EDIT: More of STS-135 ET. http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/shuttle/sts-135/hires/s135e005007.jpg http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/shuttle/sts-135/hires/s135e005015.jpg http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/shuttle/sts-135/hires/201107070012hq.jpg http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/shuttle/sts-135/hires/201107070014hq.jpg Edited July 15, 2011 by MarkD Quote Link to post Share on other sites
niart17 Posted July 19, 2011 Author Share Posted July 19, 2011 (edited) Time for a small update on this project. I've taken the dive and tried Brian's suggestion for using rustoleum multi-colored texured paint for the ET texture and what a great idea! It looks much better than the kits texture. It's not necessarily perfect, but it get's closer IMHO. In the first shot you can see the sprayed areas and also see where I removed the ribbing in the inner-tank area for the access door and the umbilical connection. I've also done a little detailing on the rear mounting struts by cutting the angled bracing and adding some brass tubing to better represent the different diameters on the real thing. Here is a close up of that area also showing the area MarkD was talking about where it's only raised about halfway between the brackets and tapers to be smooth with the tank sides. I need to clean up this a little but it's getting there. Anyway, that's all I've done so far. More to come soon hopefully. I am still planning how I want to do the shuttle so I haven't really started that yet. Critiques, comments and suggestions welcomed. Thanks, Bill Edited July 19, 2011 by niart17 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
crowe-t Posted July 19, 2011 Share Posted July 19, 2011 (edited) WOW Bill, you are really giving this one the 'treatment'! The orbiter cradle struts look great and the Rustoleum textured paint looks in scale at 1/72. I can't wait to start my 1/72 Stack as Atlantis STS-135. Edited July 19, 2011 by crowe-t Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Jay Chladek Posted July 19, 2011 Share Posted July 19, 2011 Looks good. I'll have to try the Rustoleum texture paint technique myself when I get around to doing my STS-1 stack. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MarkD Posted July 19, 2011 Share Posted July 19, 2011 Cool photos of your model. I see you also removed the rectangular section and replaced it with a resin copy of the ribbing. Is there a close up of that area of your model? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
niart17 Posted July 19, 2011 Author Share Posted July 19, 2011 Cool photos of your model. I see you also removed the rectangular section and replaced it with a resin copy of the ribbing. Is there a close up of that area of your model? Actually I didn't use resin. I just filed the plastic down to match the ribbing. It's still got a little more work to get it smoothed out but I think it works out. I think it is easier than than trying to fill in a patch of the area but YMMV. I'll try to take a shot of that area so you can see it better. Bill Quote Link to post Share on other sites
crowe-t Posted July 19, 2011 Share Posted July 19, 2011 (edited) Bill, How much more work are you planning on the SRB's? Overall I feel the SRB's in the 1/72 kit are far superior to any of the 1/144 SRB's. One area that might need some updating is the joints where the lower SRB attachments are located. In the 1/72 kit those joints are representative of the earlier missions as are the 1/144 kits. Will you build those up to look more like the donut shapes on the more recent missions? Edited July 19, 2011 by crowe-t Quote Link to post Share on other sites
niart17 Posted July 19, 2011 Author Share Posted July 19, 2011 Bill, How much more work are you planning on the SRB's? Overall I feel the SRB's in the 1/72 kit are far superior to any of the 1/144 SRB's. One area that might need some updating is the joints where the lower SRB attachments are located. In the 1/72 kit those joints are representative of the earlier missions as are the 1/144 kits. Will you build those up to look more like the donut shapes on the more recent missions? Yes I plan on detailing the SRB attachment rings I'm just not sure how I want to do it. Structurally it's good the way Monogram designed it with the rings pre-attached to the ET bottom BUT that does make it a little trickier to plan around detailing. Other than that and some decaling, I don't think I'll add much more to the SRB's, just a few bumps and what-not like the cameras and stuff. The skirts need some TLC and I thought about detailing the wire-way down the sides but there's really not much more to do to them. We'll see. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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