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Space Shuttle Launch Pad 39A with Challenger STS-6 (1:144)


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Oh Sorry Manfred, I didn't catch the question part of that post so didn't realize you were looking for an answer. As for the print it anyway, I have used it a few times to test out a part and it's a handy feature. BUT I believe it's only reserved to designers and can't be used by someone buying the part so it only helps for items printed for themselves. As for the printing it flat, that sounds logical to me from a cleanup point of view. I haven't really printed or uploaded anything since they started allowing designers to dictate the print orientation. I'm glad they added that feature. I agree it would be much easier to sand the bottom of the treads so wax build up etc... isn't even an issue. One could even maybe add a slight amount of material that is designed to be sanded away so it can settle into the correct thickness. That's how we design our steel dies for the company I work for, we always have grind stock on critical surfaces that can be smoothed out and polished later.

 

I have to say, the work going on here, both in 3D computer land and of course Manfred scratch-build land is just incredible. I wish I could have the time, resources and talent to put this much into a build. I'm continually blown away. Keep it up!

 

Bill

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Thanks Bill for your comment.  :worship:

 

For about four weeks, I'm already haggling with them back and forth, whereby one can lose enthusiasm for this 3D matter. But that shows once again that they still consider themselves the greatest. :woot.gif:

That's why I can understand well when you print your stuff yourself.

 

BTW, I think the roughness of the treads is not a problem, because the treads on the original crawler are also roughened by the gravel on the Crawler way and  look slightly grainy.

 

But let's see what the 52 Set-Flat Ori looks like, if it's okay, I can order the remaining seven sets. 

SW said: Only when a model was printed before, they skip the checking process. up040577.gif

 

 

Edited by spaceman
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22 hours ago, niart17 said:

I have to say, the work going on here, both in 3D computer land and of course Manfred scratch-build land is just incredible.

 

I visit a few other forums here on ARC and nobody else is delving into 3D like you guys are ... I agree with you 100% Bill! ... INCREDIBLE is the word!

 

Pete

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I can also only pull off my hat to these 3D artists here. hi.gif

 

If I could program 3D models, I would also buy me a printer and print some parts.  up045518.gif

 

But it also works differently, top.gif only for special things, I would not want going without it, especially since Joe is such a gifted 3D modeler. up040577.gif 

Edited by spaceman
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Hello everybody,

 

today, the 52 Set-Flat Ori (FUD) came as if there had never been any problems with printability. i5684_no2.gif Unbelievable, but SW is really unpredictable ... analintruder.gif 

 

And I must say, the set not only looks good, but even better than the previous two sets with the upright standing shoes. speak_cool.gif

 

Here is the top side of the set, right next to it, the three connected shoes from the previous 20 FUD set.

 

dExmHi.jpg

 

And here the bottom side with a view of the treads, which feel a bit rougher, but which is explainable, since they were touched by the support wax, but which is not a problem. But the top and side surfaces are smoother because they were not in contact with the wax. top.gif

 

xJC20P.jpg

 

And if one looks carefully, cant-believe-my-eyes-smiley-emoticon.gif one can even see the small holes (Ø 0,2 mm), although not on all shoes, but one could even drill out them, if it should be, although they later are hardly visible anyway. smiley215.gif  

 

kfau7N.jpg

 

Here's a little closer view.

 

jQfW4t.jpg

 

VMbHTp.jpg

 

And so I will seize the moment and order a further seven sets, wherewith I would then come on the required 456 Track shoes, but I will still order additionally a further Set of 20 to be on the safe side.  up040577.gif

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Hi Joe,

and thanks once more for your fantastic 3D modeling job. 00003423.gif

As you see, nothing is impossible, sometimes one has to take full risks and to play vabanque, analintruder.gif according to the motto: Nothing ventured, nothing gainedtop.gif

 

This was an inner inspiration, what should already happen? smiley215.gif In the worst case it could be rejected, so what? up035091.gif

 

And luckily it worked, in the meantime the remaining seven Sets of 52-Flat Ori are In Productionup040577.gif

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Those track shoes look ... Impressive ... most Impressive!  :punk:

 

crackerjazz, your 3D work is terrific and Manfred your patience with Shapeways is enviable!

Your experience with them, displayed here, shows us all the unpredictability of the product. I guess they're learning the limitations and capabilities of their printers too.

Looks like a WIN / WIN situation!

 

Pete

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Hello everybody,

 

the Set of 20 is already on the way, and of the remaining seven Sets of 52 six are already printed, only the last one is missing, which is why the shipment will hopefully follow soon. up040577.gif

 

And thus the Crawler would be almost finished already ... 00000016.gif

 

P.S.: Your Shapeways shipment is on its way! smiley250.gif

Edited by spaceman
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Hello friends,

 

although I have already experienced some things, Shapeways still has some surprises in store. shocked.gif

 

Today came the already announced Set of 20 Flat Ori (FXD). But after I unpacked it, I could not believe my eyes. cant-believe-my-eyes-smiley-emoticon.gif 

 

Because that was not the Track Shoe-Set I ordered,

 

710x528_24758812_13525578_1536240444.jpg
Source: shapeways.com (Crackerjazz)

 

but any other one with little mini parts, eek.gif

 

7pclM2.jpg

 

EZ2lRS.jpg

 

what of course I've immediately complained. up043952.gif

 

Mitchell Jetten (SW) but immediately apologized in return:

 

Oh no, I'm sorry to hear we shipped the wrong model to you.

I have raised a complaint (CT-48214) ticket right away and asked our production team to reprint the correct model as soon as possible. verlegen.gif

 

There are also less beautiful wonders by SW ... up040577.gif

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It's a heavy tank this platform, aint it 🙂 

Man, this build is going on so wonderfully! The "Tank Odyssay". 😜 I cannot imagine what would be the situation with the shuttle's white plates coverage on the top... drybrushing or decals or some sort of texturizing or... can't wait! Let's get it on!

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Hello everybody,

 

today, Shapeways' big Track Shoe delivery arrived with the seven Sets of 52, which of course were immediately unpacked. top.gif

 

SYACXa.jpg

 

And these are the total of 456 shoes for the Crawler. The new sets look well, though there are small differences in quality between the sets, as one can see on the two encircled sets, which should be due to different thorough after-treatment/cleaning. rolleyes.gif

 

0QutTZ.jpg

 

But that is no problem, i5684_no2.gif because I will try anyway, to let the sets being cleaned professionally again in the Dental laboratory, as usual.

 

And the replacement delivery with the Set of 20 (FXD), which had been interconverted, is already on the way.  speak_cool.gif 

 

For the connecting bolts, I've also still found a suitable solution, for which I would use instead of the insect needles (Ø 0,3 mm) now Nickel silver rods (Ø 0,4 mm), which  fit closely through the Pin lug holes

 

DmTl1N.jpg

 

And with a length of 7 mm per bolt comes together a total length of more than 3 m , which would correspond to 11 rods à 30 cm, which I will still reorder soon. up040577.gif

Edited by spaceman
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Hello everybody,

 

today came the complained Set of 20-Flat Ori (FXD),

 

up064854.jpg
Source: shapeways.com (Crackerjazz)

 

which looks impeccable, and one can even see at all shoes the small holes in the treads. speak_cool.gif

 

OA9qvh.jpg

 

HTLUem.jpg

 

Only the sticker on the bag makes me perplex, which displays the upright set, rolleyes.gif

 

OFzJSP.jpg

 

Unlike the last Sets of 52-Flat Ori (FUD), which all had rough treads, the treads of this set are nicely smooth, as if they were not lying on the support wax, weird ... smiley215.gif
But I don't care at all. up040577.gif

Edited by spaceman
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  • 2 weeks later...

Hello everybody,

 

after the slowly tiring Track shoe story huh.gif today again a little puzzle for relaxation. cool.gif

 

What do you think, what this could be? smiley215.gif

 

PA980W.jpg

 

At least it's not a slice of crispbread. i5684_no2.gif

 

Well, is it dawning? up040577.gif

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A quiz ... I LOVE quizzes ...   :thumbsup2:   :clap2:

 

I have a few guesses ... it looks like ...

1. A Rice Cake

2. My Oatmeal Breakfast

3. A piece of your Plaster Ceiling 

... or a long shot here ...

4. could it be a piece of foam from a Space Shuttle's External Tank?

 

Am I close at least?   :whistle:

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Hi Pete,

 

yeah, winner.gif

 

With No. 4 you've hit the nail on the head. banghead.gif

 

It's indeed a piece of real SOFI foam, but not direct from an  ET, but from testing out the spray guns, before starting with the actually spray process. top.gif

 

And here's the evidence. up045518.gif

 

LVw8I7.jpg

 

Hard to believe, but it's actually a piece of the original Spray-on foam insulation (SOFI) from the ET-138 which was flown at the last mission of Atlantis (STS-135).  eek.gif

 

But how I came to this rarity, I would have to tell you separately in an own thread, if you are interested. This is a great story connected to another contemporary witness from the glorious Shuttle era who has also written an amazing book, so to speak a "must read" for any space aficionado. smiley250.gif

Edited by spaceman
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Hello everyone,

 

after my contact to the two SOFI experts Craig Capdepon and Vincent Morales was unfortunately interrupted, huh.gif I got a hint from Hotdog that I could also contact Scott "Shuttleman" Phillips.  top.gif 

 

He was an Engineer at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, and was working on all ETs during the Shuttle program. cool.gif And the man with this telling nickname has written this great book together with his wife Dianne Phillips, which tells the story of his personal thirty-year Shuttle odyssey.  speak_cool.gif

 

xbEJ2x.jpg
Source: Scott G. Phillips

 

And this book with this striking red Remove Before Flight Ribbon, that gave him the title at the same time has cast a spell over me after reading a about it and seeing this  Book Trailer of his son Christian Phillips. eek.gif

 

During his time working in the program, he was also able to join his two passions - the Space shuttle and woodworking - by building one-of-a-kind handcrafted wooden tribute shuttle models in large numbers for many Shuttle crews and also for friends, here among others when handing over to the STS-1 crew with John W. Young and Bob Crippen, which also were signed by them.  up045518.gif

 

jTizWR.jpg
Source: Scott G. Phillips

 

Realizing that each mission carried historic weight, Scott Phillips set forth to preserve each flight through his work as Master Carver, true to his motto: Long live the Shuttle's legacy. JC_doubleup.gif

 

And in the meantime, I have contacted him and also ordered his book, which arrived yesterday along with a few surprises. yahoo.gif

 

aYpmuo.jpg

 

It was next to his book with a personal dedication, 

 

IrLoxA.jpg

 

as well as the red ribbon and some stickers,

 

OxpIln.jpg

 

and as icing on the cake this piece of SOFI foam, which he had branched off in the production of the last External Tank ET-138, what I have asked him for, which I am especially proud of now. super.gif 

 

AqlUaL.jpg

 

More about this, i.a. also to the explanation of this ribbon as a hanger for the book, then in my thread about the "Shuttleman" Scott Phillips, who can also be found on Facebook

 

So much for now. up040577.gif

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I'm so-o-o glad you posted a brief history of the SOFI ... I'm also most envious of someone who has worked on the Space Shuttle.

I may just have to buy his book.   :thumbsup:

 

And I'm not on Facebook so once again Manfred, thanx for posting this story here!

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Thanks Pete,


I'm glad that you enjoy this short introduction into the Shuttleman story. smiley250.gif
For me yesterday was already Christmas! santa.gif And I like to repeat myself, it's an absolute "must read" for any space freak. up045518.gif
Imagine, Scott has also built a shuttle stack of SOFI foam, which was used during spraying process of ET-138 for STS-135. eek.gif

 

eFSs0q.jpg
Source: Scott G. Phillips

 

The ET spraying process is similar to the Airbrush. Before spraying the respective model, one should first spray next to it and then pull the spray gun onto the model. top2.gif

 

And those foam remnants from testing the Spray guns Scott had cleverly put aside.  speak_cool.gif

 

x2Af3K.jpg
Source: Scott G. Phillips

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Thanks Mike, bow.gif
and here is the Master Carver at work, krank_smilie_0038.gif

 

zEnmm5.jpg
Source: Scott G. Phillips

 

and here in front of Pad 39A, proudly awaiting Atlantis' last lauch for STS-135. smiley250.gif

 

bxCaF0.jpg
Source: Scott G. Phillips

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Hi guys,

 

and because it's just now about the SOFI foam, here's a little taster from Scott Phillips' book Remove Before Flight, what happened behind the scenes ... eek.gif

 

One task after finishing the SOFI spray process included overseeing the disposition of leftover SOFI components - known as Part A and Part B - that formulated the insulation foam. Surplus liquid foam components had to be poured back into their original containers to avoid causing a chemical reaction. smiley_worship.gif

 

One day, our team member, called Buzz, came back after a "liquid lunch" to clean the machine that mixed the foam. Inadvertently, he poured 10 gallons of Part A into a 55-gallon drum of Part B, tightened the bung cap, and walked away. Within minutes, the bung popped and the 55-gallon drum exploded, immediately filling the room with foam. Everything in the room was destroyed. We never saw Buzz again after that incident ... hmmm.gif

 

I love these speak_cool.gif stories,  which reminds me of the stories of my friend James MacLaren from the NSF Forum, like A Techno-Redneck's Encounter With NASA's Satellite ... yikes.gif

Enjoy! up040577.gif

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