Fellow Hobbyist Posted July 23, 2013 Share Posted July 23, 2013 (edited) I have been itching to get started on this kit since I won it in a raffle early this year. In fact this will be the first spacecraft model I have built in seventeen years. When I was 11 I built a Revell Space Shuttle. I had no concept of decals (actually I don't think the kit had any decals) so I glued stripes of paper to the sides with the lettering done in pencil. Ah fond memories. Anyway on with the initial work. I have assemble the command module first. I left out the instrument panel pieces and the single astronaut figure. I plan on blacking out the windows anyway. Following a similar build done by ARC member K2Pete I removed the oddly placed umbilical fairing and a stripe of card stock was glued in place to fill the void. The slots for the Scimitar Antenna were filled in as they were not installed on the Block II Command Module that flew on that mission. I made an amateur mistake during this assembly. While cementing the filler card and the forward compartment cone glue seeped under my fingertip and left a fingerprint melted into the plastic... :bandhead2:/>/>. We that mess got sanded away and learning my lesson I wicked cement between the heat shield piece and the rest of the command module while the two were taped together. Following another of K2Pete's lessons I removed the raise banding on the Service Module's engine bell pieces. I smoothed the outer surface and smoothed out the inside of the engine bell halves as best I could prior to cementing together. Like with the Command Module before the molded umbilical fairing was cut away and glued in a filler strip; fingerprint free this time! Edited July 23, 2013 by Fellow Hobbyist Quote Link to post Share on other sites
K2Pete Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 This'll be fun to watch come together. And don't be shy about showing a lot of oix! You made my day by referring to my old build! Thanx! Pete Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Fellow Hobbyist Posted August 16, 2013 Author Share Posted August 16, 2013 Some progress. The Service module was assembled and sanded smooth to remove the original raised detail. I also sanded the raised panel lines off the command module. I scaled a print out of Apollo SM when for remaking the raised details later. What I have not photographed yet is my work on the Docking Adapter. A strip of card was glue inside the opening that the command module and adapter will mate, this will interlock with the "keyhole" molded at the front of the command module. I also made a new antenna. The Revell piece is molded facing the wrong way. Both photos and an ASTP diagram depicts this antenna to be facing the Soyuz spacecraft. The model piece faces the Apollo spacecraft instead. Whats more it is shown to be installed at a right angle...which isn't right if you pardon the pun. My best estimation is that the antenna is canted 12-13 degrees to the port side of the Adapter. So I cut the dish from the piece and cut a short section of plastic rod. I drilled out both pieces with a pin vise and glued both onto piano wire. I drill a hole in the center of the antenna dish and glue on a very short length of piano wire. Finally once all the glue was dried I bent the wire to the angle needed. The original semi-circular hole was filled in with CA and drilled out to accept the piano wire once cured. Photos will be forth coming. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
spaceman Posted August 16, 2013 Share Posted August 16, 2013 Hello Fellow Hobbyist, hail here in the ARC Forums. Nice to see your restart and your first steps after such a long break. Have only courage and trust you to do something, all beginning is difficult. And do not let yourself be discouraged by mistakes that we have made and make it all. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Fellow Hobbyist Posted September 28, 2013 Author Share Posted September 28, 2013 (edited) The SM turned out to be 1/16th inch too short. So a ring of styrene was made and grafted onto the SM piece and filled with talc/ca mix then sanded smooth. It is known that the docking adapter was covered in insulation blankets. To replicate this effect I have been covering the adapter module with crumpled aluminum foil. I use the same glue that bonds clear canopy pieces to fix the cut panels to the module's surface. I am nearly finished. Here is the progress with this so far. Edited September 28, 2013 by Fellow Hobbyist Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ralf Posted September 29, 2013 Share Posted September 29, 2013 Nice to see your approach on the Revell ASTP. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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