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Here are some pics of the thermal blanket representation I have applied to the Monogram orbiter. From the Dutycat Arts Blog

For those who have not followed this closely, this was achieved by laying out the blanket borders with thin Evergreen styrene strip, then spraying on a thinned out mix of Squadron White Putty, then creating the blanket texture with a Tamiya armor zimmerit tool.

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I want to emphasize that the blanket and the tile work is all hand done and intended to be representative, not "machine perfect." The purpose is to take an essentially bare kit fuselage and provide some textural relief, enhancing the model for normal viewing. Close up photography will always reveal the limitations of hand craftsmanship. -G.G.

Edited by DutyCat
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Very nicely done Dutycat. The blankets are excellent!

But ... why not simply add this post to your existing Shuttle Wars thread? There are a lot of steps missing ... from my memory at least ... like, did you use your resin windows/roof on this build? I just checked out your blog and see no past updates to this build.

I sure hope you'll get this done for the NATS and expect you'll come away with some hardware too!

Again, GREAT job on this!

Pete

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Excellent work on the blanket texture! This looks fantastic.

What did you thin the Tamiya White putty with?

It was Squadron White Putty thinned with hardware store lacquer thinner.

Very nicely done Dutycat. The blankets are excellent!

But ... why not simply add this post to your existing Shuttle Wars thread? There are a lot of steps missing ... from my memory at least ... like, did you use your resin windows/roof on this build? I just checked out your blog and see no past updates to this build.

I sure hope you'll get this done for the NATS and expect you'll come away with some hardware too!

Again, GREAT job on this!

Pete

Pete, what happened is the build has taken so long it has been overtaken by events. I restructured my blog, simplifying it to just one main blog instead of several sub-blogs. I did this because I found I could not keep up an adequate pace when working on a half dozen different projects at one time. I now only work on two at a time. I deleted the separate Shuttle Wars and all other dedicated build blogs. I am still taking video (and plenty of stills, of course) and they are appearing on Youtube as I have time to edit. Right now, the push is on just to get this thing done for nationals. That in itself will be a challenge.

Also, you are correct in that I could have kept everything Shuttle Wars related in one thread on ARC. My mistake there. I just did not think about it in that way. If I could find away to combine them all, I would.

The good news is, when the entire project is done, it will all be laid out in a photo gallery, and on Youtube, so anyone can see what they are up against when tackling this beast. I am hoping all of my efforts will be of some service.

Oh, and yes, I did use the beanie cap on this build. They are currently OOP, but as soon as I get this thing done, I am planning on creating another mold and start producing them again. -G.G.

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It was Squadron White Putty thinned with hardware store lacquer thinner.

Thanks Gil!

Will you be applying all the black tiles to the bottom and front of the nose as you did with the fronts of the OMS pods?

What size styrene strips did you use when you laid out the blanket pattern?

Mike.

Edited by crowe-t
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Thanks Gil!

Will you be applying all the black tiles to the bottom and front of the nose as you did with the fronts of the OMS pods?

What size styrene strips did you use when you laid out the blanket pattern?

Mike.

The underside black tiles will be decals. I am not crazy enough to layout strip and cut 30,000 tiles like I have seen at least one other builder do. The thermal blankets were bad enough. Each connecting segment that you see is an individually cut piece of styrene strip. That was one reason this has taken me so long. I worked on it here and there in between other, smaller projects. I used Evergreen #100, which is .010 X .020 inches. Each little thermal blanket square was 10mm square, although there are obviously variations here and there to make everything fit neatly.

Edited by DutyCat
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Amazing work, Dutycat!! Those blanket patterns look fantastic!! Very innovative method. How many hours would you say it took to do all of them?

As you probably know, I have photorealistic decals for the belly that fit the Monogram orbiter, but I am also very close to having the scribed styrene tile sheet for the belly ready if you want to try that instead of decals. I'll be sending off a test run to be laser cut and engraved in the next week or so. Let me know if you would like to try it out also or if you need a set of my decals.

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Amazing work, Dutycat!! Those blanket patterns look fantastic!! Very innovative method. How many hours would you say it took to do all of them?

As you probably know, I have photorealistic decals for the belly that fit the Monogram orbiter, but I am also very close to having the scribed styrene tile sheet for the belly ready if you want to try that instead of decals. I'll be sending off a test run to be laser cut and engraved in the next week or so. Let me know if you would like to try it out also or if you need a set of my decals.

Don't think I have time to change course now. Nationals are in two and a half weeks. I spent last night and this afternoon painting the ET, which came out fine. I have to do a little bit of body work on the orbiter tonight. White paint will go on tomorrow,and I am still in the process of striping the SRB's It is all coming together pretty quickly, and the only potential real issue remaining is underside tile decals. I am going to have to be careful with those The good news is I have spares!

G.G.

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(Looking at your blog) I agree that the stone texture you used on the tank is a bit too rough. Were you able to find a more suitable brand/texture of spray paint?

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You have the patience of a saint! Great idea to texture it this way -- quite involved but the results are fantastic! How long do you wait for it to dry before texturing with the tool? And any issues with clogging the airbrush when spraying?

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Next time seal the stone paint with a coat of primer to hold it to the model, (try it on a spare chunk of plastic first. ;-) ) then very lightly sand it to round out the texture down to scale. The color over the top will subdue the texture even more. Hope going to a finer stone won't make the foam effect look like non-skid. Sorry it didn't work out.

Tracy

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(Looking at your blog) I agree that the stone texture you used on the tank is a bit too rough. Were you able to find a more suitable brand/texture of spray paint?

Time for the blanket work?...many hours over a couple of years, working on it periodically between other projects.

I have resprayed the tank and painted it and it looks good. I used Valspar "Sandstone" textured paint, which kinda halfway between the rough textured stone paint I tried a few days ago and the "200 grit sandpaper" finish I am guessing my original spray can would have been.had I been able to use it. The first can was purchased a couple of years ago and would not spray, which is how I ended up purchasing the rough stone paint.

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