MLP for 1:144 Bandai Space Shuttle Endeavour *FINISHED*

[Hotdog]

DAYS 7-10

8.5 hours (24 hours total)

Build cost to date: $470.62

Finally getting some time for my model builds after a busy fall season. I am starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel on the Shuttle MLP.

I coated the 3D-printed tail masts with XTC-3D, along with some of the flat surfaces on the front (Side 1) piece. I'm hoping I won't have to use this stuff on the trickier parts like the SRB piping and the rainbirds. The epoxy-like compound likes to puddle up on non-flat surfaces, so you have to break up the applications into sections. I won't know until I get the first coat of paint on them if they will need smoothing or not. Luckily, XTC-3D can be applied on top of paint, so no worries about holding off until then. It looks like the tail masts may need a thicker coat in some places anyway.

Above, I have began the tedious task of creating the LH2 piping around the sides of the platform. I seem to have made the brackets a tad bit smaller than I should have, resulting in the use of a smaller gauge of styrene rod in some places. I also had to fudge a bit on where the pipes connect at the front side, as the styrene rod didn't quite line up perfectly with the piping on the 3D-printed front side. Since my MLP was never meant to be a fully accurate representation, I'm willing to live with these compromises. The piping in the pic above is just a dry fit, it should look nicer once glued in place.

You can also see where I'm beginning to add the N-scale ABS railings, as crowe-t did with his MLP.

Here's the piping going around the other side of the platform, dry fitted for now. It appears the rod is bowed up a bit in the center, not quite sure why that is. I may just need to check it and make sure it's straight before gluing it into position. Notice how the pipes appear to be spaced too far apart? That's because one of the pipes should be thicker than the other, throwing off the scale a bit and causing the alignment problems with the pipes on the 3D-printed front part. It's something I'll just have to live with, since the brackets I made were slightly undersized.

Here's a shot with everything dry fitted into place. This is where I'm at with the ABS railings around the platform. I will need to order some more in order to complete the build. Then I can get started with paint and finishing! I'm ready to get this out of the way so I can get back to other projects (like shuttle decals ;)/>)

[crackerjazz]

She's shaping up nicely with the piping and railings! Really interested to see how the tail masts turn out with paint.

[Hotdog]

DAYS 11-16

10.5 hours (34.5 hours total)

Build cost to date: $470.62

I've finished gluing all of the elements to the MLP and have it ready to go to paint. It took a while to clean it up. Apparently dust and everything else loves to stick to acrylic, and I had to take my time handling it since it's brittle and fragile in places like the railings.

In the photos below, you see the MLP with several coats of Tamiya Light Gray primer. It took two cans to get her to this stage.

I was hoping the primer gray would be sufficient enough to start wrapping up the build. However, I feel the color is a bit too light. I'm going to hit the hobby store tomorrow and see if I can find something that will match a little closer. Perhaps after a couple of coats of a darker gray I can finish her up.

[crowe-t]

Awesome job on this so far!

Maybe just a shade or two darker on the gray will do it.

[crackerjazz]

Wow - looks beautiful all primered! That industrial look really shows through and it looks massive and complex now!

[Maniac]

Great job, Hotdog. I was wondering how much have you paid for the shuttle? Thanks.

[Hotdog]

DAY 17

4 hours (38.5 hours total)

Total build cost: $495.62

I decided I was happy with the primer gray color of the MLP, but had hoped to give it that "grimy and used look" with a few sludge washes. After careful consideration, I decided not to attempt any washes, given the brittle and fragile nature of the acrylic detail parts and railings.

So the 4 hours spent today finishing the model were strictly for applying the decals, created by yours truly and printed by Tango Papa Decals on an ALPS printer. At this point, I am happy to call this model "done" and move onto the next project. Here are some final shots of the finished model. Thanks for looking.

[Hotdog]

[Hotdog]

[ApolloMan]

Very nice, I like this allot. You don't need allot of detail to make this look good. The shuttle sits nice on there, are you using the mast to keep it level? Or will you be moving them forward later to connect the shuttle ports? Fantastic job mate

[spaceman]

Congrats to your nice display!

Maybe Bandai wants acquire it?

[crackerjazz]

Gorgeous!!! :thumbsup:

[K2Pete]

I agree with your decision to not weather the MLP. The Shuttle is so pristine that it just ... looks ... right ... to have the MLP just as clean looking.

And the level of detail you've got looks great too!

I must ask though, about the railing and it's close proximity to the orbiter's tail ... it's just a little distracting ... but all in all, nice job Hotdog!

[my favs are F`s]

Very nice very nice! There is like a seamline along the tips of the wings; And is it possible the tip of the vert. stabilizer to be so close to the ramp, almost scratching it? Beside from that - stunningly beautiful with clean crisp contrasting colors.

Btw i was always curious about what keeps the shuttle vertically straight. I doubt that they are only the two tall platforms (sry i don`t know the name, the huge rectangular objects with one curved corner) just on both sides of the engines. If yes - how they are attached to the wings to support such enormous weight just by themselves?? Are the SRBs also attached somehow to the launch pad?

PS: I know for the "hand" that tops the very tip/vents of the fuel tank, yes that`s great stability at the longest pivot point, but that "hand" detaches right before the launch and the shuttle still stands vertical. So what keeps the shuttle so stable vertical before the launch, for about a good long month before the launch! I was always curious about that and now i remember to ask this question :)))

Edited July 12, 2016 by my favs are F`s

[spaceman]

I agree with your decision to not weather the MLP. The Shuttle is so pristine that it just ... looks ... right ... to have the MLP just as clean looking.

And the level of detail you've got looks great too!

I must ask though, about the railing and it's close proximity to the orbiter's tail ... it's just a little distracting ... but all in all, nice job Hotdog!

Due to Pete's note I have compared with the original once again, but (unfortunately) he's right.

As can be seen by comparing these images, your shuttle stack and thereby also the orbiter are sitting actually something too deep.

Source: NASA

Thereby also the orbiter's tail is too close to the railing. :o

[ApolloMan]

Btw i was always curious about what keeps the shuttle vertically straight. I doubt that they are only the two tall platforms (sry i don`t know the name, the huge rectangular objects with one curved corner) just on both sides of the engines. If yes - how they are attached to the wings to support such enormous weight just by themselves?? Are the SRBs also attached somehow to the launch pad?

but that "hand" detaches right before the launch and the shuttle still stands vertical. So what keeps the shuttle so stable vertical before the launch, for about a good long month before the launch.

Your right about the two mast helping the shuttle stay in position Favs, you can see on Manfred's (Spaceman) post above the red line, each has a hold down mechanism, which disconnect at launch. Also the SRB's are held in place with large explosive bolts which are activated at launch. If you look at the base of the SRB's you can see the triangular shape, each have 4. Chime in guys if you have more on this for Favs

[Hotdog]

Indeed, it is the tail masts of my MLP that hold the Bandai shuttle in its upright position.

Figuring out exactly where on the deck the tail masts had to be placed to hold this thing up straight was probably the most difficult part of this build. It seemed like every time I sat the Bandai shuttle on the MLP, the tail masts needed to be in a different place to hold it up. It drove me crazy. At some point, I had to get it "in the ballpark", glue it down, and move on. So yeah, the position isn't spot-on perfect, but I can live with it. As I stated when I began the build, this was to be "a nice-looking representation" and it was never meant to be a precisely engineered museum piece. So you're bound to find things if you pull out the magnifying glass and look hard enough. As long as it makes my Bandai shuttle look better than the basic base that comes with the kit, then I've accomplished what I sat out to do. Nine out of 10 people aren't gonna notice that the masts need to be pushed back 3 or 4 millimeters, but they'd sure notice if the stack wasn't standing perfectly straight.

Edited July 13, 2016 by Hotdog

[my favs are F`s]

Okey, 10x very much for the hints! Of course it looks like a temporarily fit and it looks veeeery gut, and should look even better when finished :)

But i meant to ask about the real shuttle, about the real thing. I tried to sketch my curiosity:

So if these explosive bolts are really strong, rock solid, hyper strong - the center of weight of the entire shuttle composition is slightly offset from the bolts. This should be an enormous tension over these bolts. Here is the logic that the shuttle leans on the service masts (i just researched more about these vertical rectangular structures :) ), but are the wings too delicate to support the enormous weight, moreover - it looks like the control surfaces of the wings make contact with the service masts... :unsure: Are the wings of the shuttle somehow attached to the service masts, are there any "pipes" for the fuel, what prevents the shuttle from leaning at the opposite direction during the first couple of seconds when only the main engines are running? Interesting

Edited July 13, 2016 by my favs are F`s

[spaceman]

Indeed, it is the tail masts of my MLP that hold the Bandai shuttle in its upright position.

Figuring out exactly where on the deck the tail masts had to be placed to hold this thing up straight was probably the most difficult part of this build. It seemed like every time I sat the Bandai shuttle on the MLP, the tail masts needed to be in a different place to hold it up. It drove me crazy. At some point, I had to get it "in the ballpark", glue it down, and move on. So yeah, the position isn't spot-on perfect, but I can live with it. As I stated when I began the build, this was to be "a nice-looking representation" and it was never meant to be a precisely engineered museum piece. So you're bound to find things if you pull out the magnifying glass and look hard enough. As long as it makes my Bandai shuttle look better than the basic base that comes with the kit, then I've accomplished what I sat out to do. Nine out of 10 people aren't gonna notice that the masts need to be pushed back 3 or 4 millimeters, but they'd sure notice if the stack wasn't standing perfectly straight.

Hello Hotdog,

now that you mention it, I also have noticed that your orbiter is supported by the TSM's, what I have not previously noticed, honestly said.

Therefore it should not be a criticism, but just a statement of facts.

BTW, the same problem all modelers will have to solve, who want to fasten their shuttlle stack somehow on the MLP to stay in balance, including myself and other guys such as Mike (crowe-t) ...

These problems and different solutions we have discussed a long time ago, as you can see here ...

Source: NASA

In this sense, don't worry, be happy with your great display!

[K2Pete]

So if these explosive bolts are really strong, rock solid, hyper strong - the center of weight of the entire shuttle composition is slightly offset from the bolts. This should be an enormous tension over these bolts. Here is the logic that the shuttle leans on the service masts (i just researched more about these vertical rectangular structures :)/> ), but are the wings too delicate to support the enormous weight, moreover - it looks like the control surfaces of the wings make contact with the service masts... :unsure:/> Are the wings of the shuttle somehow attached to the service masts, are there any "pipes" for the fuel, what prevents the shuttle from leaning at the opposite direction during the first couple of seconds when only the main engines are running? Interesting

Let me see if I can explain a little ...

Your thinking that the weight of the Shuttle Orbiter causes the centre of gravity to be toward the Orbiter is correct. But the weight of the fueled up External Tank and the 2 SRB's, far outweigh the Orbiter. So it all rests on the skirts of the SRB's. The wings of the Orbiter do not touch the Tail Service Masts, TSM. These 2 TSM structures connect to the Orbiter with cables for telemetry and some piping for pressurization of auxiliary tanks. It's an Umbilical.

Here, you can see that the wings aren't near the TSMs

http://referentiel.nouvelobs.com/file/1277351.jpg

http://www.capcomespace.net/dossiers/espace_US/shuttle/pad_rat_page/Tsma.jpg

The TSM Umbilical connections attach to this panel, on either side of the Orbiter.

https://naturetime.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/ksc-shuttle-back.jpg

I hope this clears it up a little bit more. But don't hesitate to ask some more.

Our favs are Shuttles

Pete

[spaceman]

So if these explosive bolts are really strong, rock solid, hyper strong - the center of weight of the entire shuttle composition is slightly offset from the bolts. This should be an enormous tension over these bolts. Here is the logic that the shuttle leans on the service masts (i just researched more about these vertical rectangular structures :), but are the wings too delicate to support the enormous weight, moreover - it looks like the control surfaces of the wings make contact with the service masts... :unsure: Are the wings of the shuttle somehow attached to the service masts, are there any "pipes" for the fuel, what prevents the shuttle from leaning at the opposite direction during the first couple of seconds when only the main engines are running? Interesting

Whether you want to believe it or not, these eight super-tough Hold-down Posts have held the entire shuttle stack in place on the MLP until the 16 Frangible Nuts were blown up simultaneously with the booster ignition.

Sources: NASA and collectspace.com

And these posts and nuts must be really amazingly strong and resistant and therefore they are made of high-strength steel.

Sources: NASA and flickr.com (Rick M)

The posts are gigantic, 28" long and 3.5" diameter. The nuts on these posts are torqued down so hard that the post stretches 0.5"! :blink:

Edited July 13, 2016 by spaceman

[my favs are F`s]

omg, yes yes :) I now turn attention to the TSMs and now i notice these "connection" panels on both sides of the engine nacelles (casings). Thank you very much for the clarification, this shuttle (as a model) turns more and more interesting to me. Honestly i`ve never thought seriously about building a shuttle model... but it is a subject of interest to me from let`s say 5-6 years or maybe more (all the NASA, ISS and Mars themes). So why not... if/when i have the most important resources - i`ll probably build one. Just a shuttle stack. Nothing too excessive :) Btw Atlantis is my favorite, i like that name just a little bit more than the others :)

Ok i have another question - also about the rigidity and strength of the connections, but this time of the orbiter to the fuel tank. The rear connections under the engines look like a complex composition, and although a relatively small area - it is full of thick pipes and struts, so okey - with the strongest materials i accept that it is enough to sustain that enormous weight and stress and acceleration, etc...

The real question is: how is possible the front connection (orbiter - fuel tank) to sustain that same enormous load, keeping in mind that the connection looks like a tiny little pin, and nothing more. ?!!!?!??! I imagine a typical video with the scene of the moment when the fuel tank detaches from the orbiter, after meco, in space, while the camera is on the fuel tank itself. I`ve never saw a shuttle in live, so i can only imagine the scale and size of this pin, but it looks to me like 3-4 cm max... minuscule when compared to the rear connections, for example. :blink:

[K2Pete]

Good question! I'm going to guess at this ... so, if anybody else knows for sure ... we need to know.

First of all, the Shuttle Orbiter is attached to the External Tank, the ET, vertically. It is never resting on the tank horizontally. So the aft attach points are designed, and built, to support the Orbiter vertically including all the G force loads during launch. The Orbiter's aft structure is quite robust to withstand these stresses.

The forward attach point is minuscule because it doesn't support the weight of the Orbiter, it just needs to hold the nose, at that vertical angle, at that specific distance, and angle, from the ET.

Does this help?

[niart17]

That's the way I understand it as well Pete, with maybe one minor adjustment. The tank is at times actually resting somewhat on the shuttle once it rotated to it's angled trajectory. And if you really dig into it a little, the actual support pins for the shuttle to the ET tank at the rear umbilicals isn't really much larger than the one at the nose. It just happens to be surrounded by all the cable and hose connections, which I imagine can't be used for any load support. The 3 points that actually hold the shuttle to the tank are much smaller than what seems would work. But it do, or well it did. It's amazing engineering.

Bill

[my favs are F`s]

Absolutely helpful and interesting! Maybe that`s the magic of the shuttle, plenty of mystery. While i`m thinking about it, i suppose that really the connection points (the pins) are very strong, i can`t even imagine the weight of the orbiter spread over 3 points + the speed when leaving the atmosphere is around Mach 2 and it is actually a huge delta plane that generates lift force that wants to separate it from the fuel tank. And the connections still hold. :unsure: As Bill says - it`s amazing engineering. One of a kind.

Edited July 13, 2016 by my favs are F`s