crowe-t Posted October 10, 2014 Share Posted October 10, 2014 WOW Mike, those windows look great! And hand cut too. This is going to be an amazing build. Mike. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
egt95 Posted October 11, 2014 Author Share Posted October 11, 2014 Hey everyone. Today I manage to finish tiling the right OMS pod. This was a tricky event because of the curvature on the front. I had to strip the tiles off at one point because the flow of the tiles were not lining up. But after I figured it out, it came together nicely. There is still a section of tile on the bottom rear of the pod that needs to be added, which should be easy because it's flat. Then we will figure out how the AFRSI blankets will look with this card stock. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
crowe-t Posted October 11, 2014 Share Posted October 11, 2014 Nice job on the OMS pod! BTW, what glue will you be using for the card stock? Have you figured out a way to seal the card stock so it can be painted? Mike. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
egt95 Posted October 11, 2014 Author Share Posted October 11, 2014 Nice job on the OMS pod! BTW, what glue will you be using for the card stock? Have you figured out a way to seal the card stock so it can be painted? Mike. I'm not sure what I will do with the card stock. I bought 6 sheets of it, so there is plenty to waste if I need too. I've thought about using the Tamiya glue to see how it will hold up since it dries fairly quick. I also have Testors liquid cement. Gonna have to play with it. As for sealing the paper for paint. Again, that's up in the air. I may try using an acrylic clear. The same stuff used to seal ink jet printed decals. If it works, it should create a primer base for final paint. Hmmm. Good questions... Mike Quote Link to post Share on other sites
egt95 Posted October 17, 2014 Author Share Posted October 17, 2014 (edited) The OMS pods tiling has been completed. So I have moved on to the blanketing of the first Monogram orbiter. Since this model is at the point of applying the AFRSI's, I'm going to use it as a test bed for the various types of materials that I have found to use. As of now I have started with the cardstock paper to see what types of adhesive would work the best. As you can see, the design is definitely what we are looking for when it comes to the texture of the blankets. I just wish there was a way to stamp it into styrene. You can also see that there is a variance in the color. This is because I used two different types of glue. The reason for this is because Dutycat's beany is made of an apoxy type resin. So regular types of modeling glue just doesn't want to work with it. But, regular super glue or CA glue works well. It just dries too quickly, so working fast is a must. Gluing the paper to the white plastic was the easier part. I used Testor's liquid cement. This works well because you can apply it to both items, let it stand for a second then place the paper into place. And it doesn't bleed through the paper. However. The CA glue does seal the paper better. The off color that is present, is the super that bled through and hardened. So now I'm wondering if there is a way to spray something similar on the paper to harden and seal it before painting it. :hmmm:/>/> Edited October 17, 2014 by egt95 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
spaceman Posted October 17, 2014 Share Posted October 17, 2014 Hey Mike, I fully agree with you, the texture of the blankets looks like the design of the real AFRSI's. In order to harden and seal it before painting, in any case you can nothing take water-based, because then curl the paper. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Hotdog Posted October 17, 2014 Share Posted October 17, 2014 (edited) Those blankets look great Mike! One way to harden it would be to dilute some Elmer's white glue with water, put it in a spray Windex-type bottle, and spray a few coats of that onto the paper areas. Then wipe off any plastic areas that get wet before it dries. The paper would soak up the Elmer's glue and would harden, and would probably hold paint better. Or maybe you could just brush the Elmer's glue on, if that's easier... Edited October 17, 2014 by Hotdog Quote Link to post Share on other sites
egt95 Posted October 24, 2014 Author Share Posted October 24, 2014 So after a week of working on the blankets, here's what I've come up with.... I've got most of the blankets glued down on the forward portion of the shuttle, just have one area on the left side by the Reaction Control Thrusters. After I complete laying the blankets, I will prep the forward area for paint. I used CA glue to lay the blankets and it seems to have also sealed the paper and hardened it. So I'm going to assume that will be what will seal it and hold paint well. Only one way to find out. Mike Quote Link to post Share on other sites
niart17 Posted October 24, 2014 Share Posted October 24, 2014 Mike, this is turning out great. I still can't get over how great the windows look. Excellent job. The blankets look perfect too. Just one small suggestion if you don't mind, and you may have already considered this. But I would lightly sand the tiles over the more rounded areas down just a tad so the edges don't stickup quite as much. While the tiles on the real thing do have a slightly faceted look to them, they are still curved to match the contours so the edges should be pretty smooth. It's a very minor thing but I think it would really bring the look home. Either way is going to look remarkable. Keep up the great work! Bill Quote Link to post Share on other sites
egt95 Posted October 26, 2014 Author Share Posted October 26, 2014 :bandhead2:/>/> Ugh... I may have to put Atlantis aside and get back to work on Columbia. I masked off the front end of the orbiter and gave the HSRI's a shot of their true colors. However, after pulling the masking tape off, I found areas that need major attention. This side did not turn out so bad. But I am going to have to remove a portion of the AFRSI and add a strip of black tiles... Here's what disturbed me.... As you can see the tiles around the hatch did not come out the way they were supposed to. One reason is that I need to come out a little more on the left side of the hatch with a few more rows of tiles. So....It looks like I'm going to have to carve of most of the tiles around the hatch, remove some of the FIB's, add two rows of HRSI tiles, redo the tiling and blankets around the hatch, then repaint. So before I paint the blankets white, I'm going to have to complete the repairs on the hatch first. Hopefully I'll have that done by next week. While I was applying the black paint, I decided to hit the bottom to see how the scoring of the tiles would hold up. Not too bad. As you can see, I tried using some grey paint to show the wear and tear on the tiles. I think this will work. I just need to add more grey and give a light sanding. The wire that sticks out is going to run through the External Tank and down one of the Boosters to a battery pack. There are LED lights in the cockpit. Until next time....:wave:/>/> Quote Link to post Share on other sites
egt95 Posted November 1, 2014 Author Share Posted November 1, 2014 Hello all. :wave:/>/> After taking one step forward and a few steps back, I think I'm ready to proceed forward again. But...I did run into a questionable area that I may need a few suggestions for. It took a little convincing, but I was able to take off some of AFRSI's on both sides of the cabin and place a couple of strip's of HRSI's to make it more symetric. I was also able to fix the area around the hatch. It is still a little off, but much better. And most of that is due to the angle of the tiles working their way up the to the hatch. Looking at it and some of the references, the angle should have been a little more shallow, but it's close enough. I then replace the AFRSI's that I had to remove with new ones and also fix the area under the hatch. After the pieces dried I masked the orbiter up and gave the cabin a paint job. Once the paint dried, I took the masking off to see how things looked.... Not too bad. However. There are gaps between the squares. Now I need to figure out what I can use as a gap filler. Any suggestions? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
crowe-t Posted November 1, 2014 Share Posted November 1, 2014 (edited) Mike, Terrific job! :thumbsup:/> The AFRSI looks amazingly real. It seems the CA did a good job of hardening and sealing the AFRSI. Are you referring to gaps between the AFRSI? Some Microscale Crystal Clear might be good for that. It's water soluble and easy to clean off excess. Canopy glue, which is basically the same as crystal clear, 'should also work. The one thing I noticed is that crystal clear doesn't dry as hard as styrene but should do the job. Mike. Edited November 1, 2014 by crowe-t Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Hotdog Posted November 1, 2014 Share Posted November 1, 2014 Looking good! Could you use Milliput to fill in the gaps, and press a spare piece of the linen paper into it to give it the texture? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
egt95 Posted November 6, 2014 Author Share Posted November 6, 2014 Thanks you for your suggestions.... As I use all of the ideas that you guys are giving me, it seems that I've pretty much filled most of the gaps between the FIB's. Here's what I've got so far. I thought I would start of by using various types of putties. Below, I masked the areas that I only wanted to apply the putty to. I then applied white Tamiya putty hoping that because of it being thin, it would seep into the cracks. But it's not thin enough and it's been painted. So when I lifted the tape, some of it came up. I decided to try another approach to it. Putty seems to be the answer for this. It's just finding the right stuff. I gave Squadron putty a try. I remasked and applied the white putty. Since it sets fairly fast, I was able to pull up the tape and then press it in the gaps hoping it would stay. After the putty dried, I then went back and sanded it down to match the level of the AFRSI's. I also went around and used some Testor's cement and liquid window cement. Each seems to work, but I think I like the way the Squadron putty has worked. What do you guys think? Once I get this portion of this particular space craft done, I'll put it aside and work a little on Columbia. Until next time. Mike Quote Link to post Share on other sites
johnlove_mk_II Posted November 6, 2014 Share Posted November 6, 2014 That's pretty darn amazing. Great work! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
spaceman Posted November 7, 2014 Share Posted November 7, 2014 Hi Mike, after you have filled the gaps between the blankets it looks nearly like at the real thing, fantastic! The effort is worth it. Source: NASA Quote Link to post Share on other sites
egt95 Posted November 7, 2014 Author Share Posted November 7, 2014 Hi Mike, after you have filled the gaps between the blankets it looks nearly like at the real thing, fantastic! :thumbsup:/> The effort is worth it. :coolio:/> Source: NASA :wave:/> Thanks Manfred... I agree. Looking at that beautiful picture of Atlantis that you have posted, it's really close. So I think I will continue using Squadron putty to fill the gaps. Mike Quote Link to post Share on other sites
crowe-t Posted November 7, 2014 Share Posted November 7, 2014 Mike, It's amazing how close the 'card stock' AFRSI looks to the picture of Atlantis that Manfred posted above. BTW, how well did the CA penetrate and harden the paper? Will you be able to spray primer over it? Mike. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
egt95 Posted November 7, 2014 Author Share Posted November 7, 2014 Mike, It's amazing how close the 'card stock' AFRSI looks to the picture of Atlantis that Manfred posted above. BTW, how well did the CA penetrate and harden the paper? Will you be able to spray primer over it? Mike. The CA glue went completely through and as it dried, not only did it adhere to the resin and the plastic, but it also hardened it to the consistancy of a cast. Which worked really well for holding paint. I have already put a layer of paint on the front of the orbiter (white and black) to see what would happen. The only thing that it did was show the spaces between the squares. Now that I'm filling them, it starting to look more like the real deal. Mike Quote Link to post Share on other sites
crowe-t Posted November 7, 2014 Share Posted November 7, 2014 (edited) The CA glue went completely through and as it dried, not only did it adhere to the resin and the plastic, but it also hardened it to the consistancy of a cast. Which worked really well for holding paint. I have already put a layer of paint on the front of the orbiter (white and black) to see what would happen. The only thing that it did was show the spaces between the squares. Now that I'm filling them, it starting to look more like the real deal. Mike Thanks for the detailed answer. :) I assume you just applied the CA to the bottom of each AFRSI square and it then soaked into the paper. BTW, what CA did you use? Mike. Edited November 7, 2014 by crowe-t Quote Link to post Share on other sites
GEH737 Posted November 8, 2014 Share Posted November 8, 2014 It really is amazing - the amount of work you're putting into it, and how well it's turning out. It's also very surprising that there's not a better "off the shelf" kit of the shuttle after all these years. My opinion is that the black looks a little too stark. Tamiya NATO black, - or very dark gray / mixed with black to give it more of a scale effect would soften the contrast. A really nice build of awesome machines :) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
egt95 Posted November 8, 2014 Author Share Posted November 8, 2014 Mike, I used a real thin type of CA glue that I got from the Hobby Lobby. There are 3 different types, thick, medium, and thin. I'll have to get back to you about the name, but it works really well. I also purchased some ultra thin applicator tips to have better control of the glue. The stuff get messy and sticks to everything.:woot.gif:/> The tips really help out. As for applying the paper? I just held it in place with a hobby knife and saturated the paper until it fully covered it. As it dried, it glued and hardened the paper. As I sand the putty in the gaps, I've also got the paper some. It seems to sand well with the putty. It's amazing how this it turning out. Thank you Bill (niart17) for finding the card stock!!! GEH737, Thanks for the compliment. When I stopped by the Hobby Lobby today, I saw paint weathering kits from Tamiya. Every time I go in there I add something to my mental shopping list. So when I get to the point of adding weathering, it should give the flat black that I use as a base, a greyish color. The use of pastels will come in handy too. Mike Quote Link to post Share on other sites
crowe-t Posted November 8, 2014 Share Posted November 8, 2014 (edited) Thanks Mike! :) You just applied the CA over the top of the paper AFRSI? What type of paint did you use? Acrylic, Enamel... What brand of paint? Testors, Tamiya... Did you spray primer over the paper AFRSI before painting? Mike. Edited November 8, 2014 by crowe-t Quote Link to post Share on other sites
niart17 Posted November 8, 2014 Share Posted November 8, 2014 AWESOME!!! I felt like this paper was going to work but I had no idea it would be this good. You're doing a great job. Currently I'm trying to just use gator glue to attach my blankets, mainly because I want to print the markings on the ones that have them and don't want to have to paint those areas. But your approach is probably a better idea and will lead to a much longer lasting finish. I am watching with great interest. Keep it up! Bill Quote Link to post Share on other sites
egt95 Posted November 21, 2014 Author Share Posted November 21, 2014 (edited) It's been a few weeks since I've updated my progress on the AFRSI. I (for some reason) thought I should get out my 1/700 Fujimi U.S.S. Constellation (CV-64) model and do some work on it. I read an article on Yahoo news about the "Connie" making her final voyage from the Puget Sound Naval Shipyards to Brownsville, Texas where she will be scrapped. I served proudly for 3 years onboard her as an Aviation Boatswains Mate (Fuels) and have very fond memories. And while I was at the Hobby Lobby in Albany, I picked up a Revell 1/48 F/A-18E Super Hornet. So....I've been messing around with that also. As for the space shuttle. I finally got most of the major gaps filled and sanded. Then I masked the HRSI's and gave it another paint job. After removing the masking tape and inspecting the way turned out, I noticed a few areas that I missed. But they are not too bad, so I will leave it. I am mostly happy as to how it turned out. The next thing is to work on the sanding down the nose cone a little more then repaint the HRSI's and give the RCC on the nose its proper color. B)/>/>/> Edited November 21, 2014 by egt95 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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