K2Pete Posted October 29, 2016 Share Posted October 29, 2016 (edited) I'm going to be updating some of my older threads with images Photobucket seems to be down so I'm just gonna start this as a place holder. No pix yet. My motivation to model evaporated a few months ago and this little kit is my warm-up to getting back into it. It'll be in-flight, with Payload Bay visible using the New Ware PhotoEtch upgrade set. I've spent the last few days just sanding the belly seams. I'm not going to fix some of the inaccuracy issues, this is just for me to get back into sanding and filing and sanding and puttying and filling more and sanding more ... you know, to get back into the swing of things. I also want to show you all the New Ware set ... Tom has done a nice job on it! So when Photobucket gets back up and lets me in, I'll post some pix. Edited January 11, 2018 by K2Pete Quote Link to post Share on other sites
K2Pete Posted October 29, 2016 Author Share Posted October 29, 2016 (edited) Alright, I can access Photobucket so let me show you what I've been up to ... I'm gonna build just the Orbiter on this. I just wanna get back into this and mainly want to build it in-flight. The kit's Payload Bay was moulded in one shape and it's not what I want, so I rebuilt it. Dousing a small sheet of .020 styrene in boiling water, I formed the curved PB around a tube of ABS plastic. This is the 1st time I tried this and am glad it worked first time! I also cut out the 2 bulkheads. They'll be attached to the kit's PB bulkheads. I cut off the Fore and Aft 'bulkheads' from the kit. I'll need to cut out the notch in the aft PB. I cut out the two windows in the forward bulkhead I mapped out the 13 sections for the PB and will have to figure out how to replicate 'em. I'll probably use Grocery Bag plastic. Here's one sheet of the New Ware set. There's no resin, just PE ... and it's nice! Some lovely seams. Easy to fix, just file and sand. Nice big gap between the wing and fuselage. I'll fill it with styrene. I'll glue it and trim it when it dries. Eezy-peezy! More gaps filled with bits of styrene ... then file, sand and fill and sand again. I'm getting the hang of this process again! The Drogue Chute compartment was just a stack of styrene, filed and sanded to shape. Drilled out the RCS nozzles fore and aft. The fun is coming back! ... thanx for taking a peek lads! Edited January 11, 2018 by K2Pete Quote Link to post Share on other sites
spaceman Posted October 29, 2016 Share Posted October 29, 2016 Hi Pete, great, that you are back again and your batteries have been recharged for the next show. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Trojan Thunder Posted October 30, 2016 Share Posted October 30, 2016 Nice start Pete, I like a bit of scratch building to make things look right. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Hotdog Posted October 30, 2016 Share Posted October 30, 2016 Glad to see you back! This is gonna be fun to watch. Any particular payload or mission in mind? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
crackerjazz Posted October 31, 2016 Share Posted October 31, 2016 Hi Pete! Great to see you building again! Looking forward to more build pics! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mkjm Posted October 31, 2016 Share Posted October 31, 2016 I never realized the Airfix orbiter had a payload molded in, your scratch building effort is looking great! I do wish New Ware did that P.E. set in 1/72! Really interested in seeing how this finishes. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
K2Pete Posted November 3, 2016 Author Share Posted November 3, 2016 (edited) Thanx a lot gents! It's good to be back and re-discovering the fun ... such as it is! Hotdog, it'll be Endeavour but no particular mission. This is just to get me back into the groove of building. I've still got the 1/48 Apollo Lunar Spacecraft to complete and I've got 4 or 5 1/72 shuttles to play with. mkjm ... RealSpace's Payload Bay PE is some nice stuff. I'll use his Payload Bay resin in an upcoming build. That and Dutycat's cockpit window resin. As part of my 'recovery' I also slapped together 2 little 1/288 Shuttles and a Buran. Lots of filing and sanding ... but it was fun. Yup, filing and sanding and filling and sanding was ... FUN!! This is the Buran. It inspired me to convert one of my 1/72 Shuttles into a Buran. I recall Phil Smith starting one here on ARC, but he didn't get too far. But mine will be a little ways down the road. The fit of this tiny, eensy-weensy kit was surprisingly good! The 2 Shuttles. One stack and one as Enterprise. I'll paint 'em later on. Buran and Shuttle. They've captured the subtle differences in these 2 Orbiters ... like Buran is a little shorter and a little pointy-er. And now ... back to the relatively HUGE 1/144. The Payload Bay is gonna get just a little attention and I just wanted to subdivide the 13 sections. The PE Payload Bay doors were attached and one panel of Radiators was a trial for Bare Metal foil. It's too bright, so I'll just prime and paint with Aluminum. I love the structural detail New Ware has etched into these ... a shame they'll be covered up for the most part. They were also made for the Revell kit and so, are a little short. I didn't think of a fix till after they were glued on ... but I'm sure they'll look just fine as they are. A little paint and bingo! I attached the panels under the OMS pods and added the 2 little thrusters on the aft part of the Pods. Thanx for taking a peek lads! Edited January 11, 2018 by K2Pete Quote Link to post Share on other sites
K5054NZ Posted November 10, 2016 Share Posted November 10, 2016 Great work, Pete! I've not seen many Airfix orbiters so this is a welcome treat. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
crowe-t Posted November 10, 2016 Share Posted November 10, 2016 Hey Pete, It's great to see you back building again! So you are just using this to get back into things. Hmmmm! You are scratch building the payload bay and I'm sure this will be a work of art as are your other shuttles. You make all this look so easy. Mike. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
K2Pete Posted November 27, 2016 Author Share Posted November 27, 2016 (edited) Thanx gents! This is NOT gonna be a work of art Mike ... I just need a little project to get me thinking again ... The strips in the Payload Bay (PB) are .010 styrene These will be the little junction boxes The New Ware set for the PB upgrade includes a map for the handles on the bulkhead. I copied it, cut it out and attached it as a guide. Same for the Forward Bulkhead. Notice the installed vents and junction boxes in the PB. The New Ware handles installed. Man, these tiny things are delicate!! The Aft handles. I'm not sure how I'm gonna do the blankets ... maybe I'll see if Hotdog's decals are ready for a beta test! I'll make a new RMS, Canadarm. Kit arm is the lower one. And the rests that the RMS sits on. Thanx for taking a peek guys. Not much building left on this, it's close to Paint and decals. Hotdog ... are the Airfix 1/144 Shuttle decals ready for a test? Edited January 11, 2018 by K2Pete Quote Link to post Share on other sites
K2Pete Posted November 27, 2016 Author Share Posted November 27, 2016 (edited) While looking at my next project, the Tamiya 1/100 Shuttle, I found a decal sheet for the 1/144 inside the box! So Hotdog, you're off the hook! but if you still wanna see how well the belly decals fit, let me know! The Tamiya will be a little more involved ... Payload Bay opened and maybe a satellite, or the LDEF or a scratch built Hubble. Plus, there's an ARC Group Build coming in January for pre 1980 kits. Seeing as ALL these Real Space kits, almost, are pre 1980, I'm gonna build a 1/72 Shuttle with all the resin I've collected ... so, keep the GB in mind fellas. The Airfix decals on top, JBOT decals on the bottom. I'll use the cockpit windows from JBOT and mix and match the others. Edited January 11, 2018 by K2Pete Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Hotdog Posted November 29, 2016 Share Posted November 29, 2016 Looking great so far, Pete! I'd love to see ya do an LDEF... I hadn't planned on making payload bay decals. Perhaps I will consider it when it comes time to get back to working on that project. I'm currently busy finishing up the 1:72 tiles. In the meantime, you might consider the Lake County Spaceport solution for the payload bay decals. They look pretty decent. I can send you the decals I have for the Airfix shuttle. I don't have decals for all of the LSRI yet, nor do I have the tiles for the nose area. Just haven't gotten around to tackling those areas yet. But I have just about everything else, including more accurate markings than the ones on the JBOT and Airfix sheets. Same goes for the Tamiya shuttle if you want those too. Just let me know and I can get you those when I get back from vacation later this week. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
K2Pete Posted November 29, 2016 Author Share Posted November 29, 2016 (edited) Thanx Hotdog! I wasn't even thinking about Payload Bay decals ... this model is way too small to detail it like that, plus, the kit's Payload Bay is already full ... there would be no market at all if you did decals for it. I was just looking for your belly decals and whatever you have for exterior surfaces ... I'll send you a PM. Thanx man! I've masked this little Orbiter and will give it spray of Gunmetal ... on the aft, the blue squares is just tape to cover the mounting divots for the engines. Edited January 11, 2018 by K2Pete Quote Link to post Share on other sites
K2Pete Posted December 31, 2016 Author Share Posted December 31, 2016 (edited) I still have this "warm up" model on the bench and wanna show you how I paint the tip of the nose. I had been waiting for Hotdog's decals, which came in and look great! After the paint, I'll spray on a coat of Future to give me a gloss coat for decaling and then this'll be in the home stretch. The purpose of this model was to get be me back into the swing of things ... and rediscover the fun of this hobby! I wondered if it would work on this small 1/144 and it did. It'll be easier on the 1/100 and 1/72 shuttle.. From start to airbrush cleanup, took about 15 minutes. I mask the nose area I'm using Gunmetal to spray this area. It's not as Black Then I spray my Grey over it. Here I'm using Light Sea Grey Then using a strip of Electrical tape, about 1/8" wide, I wrap around the nose's RCC panel. I have also made a bit of a guide, nothing too accurate, using a Pencil so I can follow it with the tape. Stretch the tape a little too. And when you peel off the tape, there you go, a nice smooth line of Grey paint. This should get decalled and completed in the next couple weeks. Till next time ... Edited January 11, 2018 by K2Pete Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DutyCat Posted December 31, 2016 Share Posted December 31, 2016 On 11/27/2016 at 11:29 AM, K2Pete said: While looking at my next project, the Tamiya 1/100 Shuttle, I found a decal sheet for the 1/144 inside the box! So Hotdog, you're off the hook! but if you still wanna see how well the belly decals fit, let me know! The Tamiya will be a little more involved ... Payload Bay opened and maybe a satellite, or the LDEF or a scratch built Hubble. Plus, there's an ARC Group Build coming in January for pre 1980 kits. Seeing as ALL these Real Space kits, almost, are pre 1980, I'm gonna build a 1/72 Shuttle with all the resin I've collected ... so, keep the GB in mind fellas. The Airfix decals on top, JBOT decals on the bottom. I'll use the cockpit windows from JBOT and mix and match the others. Looking good Pete. You have an older boxing of the Airfix kit. I have that boxing and the newer red boxing. The instructions and decal sheet in the red box are far superior, but, we build what we got! Also, in that scale, you are correct to fill in the windows completely and just go with the decals...just like an airliner. The window shapes on the plastic are obviously way off. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
K2Pete Posted January 4, 2017 Author Share Posted January 4, 2017 (edited) I received Hotdog's decals and finally put 'em on. I've heard of really thin decal film but this is the first time I've used it. Wow, it releases from it's backing paper really quick. After a dip in water for 10 seconds, it's ready ... but I wonder if the adhesive had time to activate. But Hotdog's decals fit per-fect-ly! Ab-so-loot-ly PER-FECT-ly! And what a treat it was to lay them down. Eezy-peezy! The wing. It was all just one decal. The windows and upper thruster area The tail was a fiddly son of a gun, but they went on as easily as could be. I'll have to paint some Gunmetal, probably with a brush, onto the hinge area. I was missing the US flag for the port wing and used decals from the other sets I have. Getting' ready to glue on the PB doors. I'm in the home stretch now ... no more building, just attaching SSME's, PB doors, RMS and we'll call it. I have to tell you, I'm wishing I had put a little more care into this little model because the decals make it look so-o-o good! But as a 'warm-up' to get back into the hobby, to get me thinking again ... to realize the 'fun' aspect again ... it has succeeded! till next posting! Edited January 11, 2018 by K2Pete Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Hotdog Posted January 4, 2017 Share Posted January 4, 2017 Hi Pete! You really made those decals look good! They are still very much a work-in-progress. You'll have to let me know which decals need adjusting or how they can be further improved. I want them all to fit like a glove when I finally release them publicly. One thing I need to do is make the blanket detail a bit more subtle. I noticed your windows are white. Did you have trouble with the clear window plastic? I know first-hand they can be a pain. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
K2Pete Posted January 4, 2017 Author Share Posted January 4, 2017 As a work-in-progress, these are more than acceptable! The fit of the Wings, the Fuselage sides, the Belly, the Aft Bulkhead were per-r-r-fect! The Tail was a little tricky. I didn't use the Drogue 'Chute portion because my Drogue 'Chute addition was eyeballed and yours didn't fit my structure. The first side of the Tail that I did was a little tricky, but the other side went on without any trouble at all. It's just a little bit of a learning curve. As I was putting them on, on the first side, I thought that you could have combined the shapes, but when the 2nd side went on so easily, I changed my mind. The Windows are your decals. The whole front end was sprayed White because the kit's windows needed a lot of work with filling and sanding that it was just easier to leave White. And I think I used another window decal as a sacrificial decal, and it wouldn't come off after a few coats of White and so I had to sand it off. About the only suggestion I would make, is, if you include a guide or instructions, suggest a base paint colour. The Aft bulkhead, I painted Gunmetal and your decals don't show at all. All in all Hotdog, these decals are just fine! Thanx lad ... you did a terrific job on 'em! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Hotdog Posted January 4, 2017 Share Posted January 4, 2017 Good input! I have already begun creating a "before you begin" guide to painting and finishing the Airfix shuttle so that it will work best with my decals. Painting the black areas a neutral gray is one of the features included in this guide. Also thrown in is a 1:1 cutting template for the stabilizer with drogue chute. This will help modelers be sure they get the tail just the right shape to fit my decals. My apologies if I did not include this in your shipment!! The stabilizer decal is chopped up into sections for a reason. I'm making them in this "modular" way so that I don't have to have 3 different stabilizer blanket and tile patterns taking up valuable space on the final decal sheets. Instead, modelers can piece together the stabilizer of the orbiter/mission they choose to depict. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
crowe-t Posted January 4, 2017 Share Posted January 4, 2017 Hey Pete, Great job on the paint and decals! You can always spray some thinned white over the blanket decals to blend them a bit but otherwise they look nice and accurate. Hotdog is doing an excellent job on the shuttle decals. Mike. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Hotdog Posted January 4, 2017 Share Posted January 4, 2017 Hey Pete, Can you take a better photo of the wing decal? That's one I haven't actually tried to apply to plastic yet, so this is my first time seeing it being used. It looks like it fit amazingly well. (FYI- the wing decals will probably end up being modular too, like the stabilizer decals, since there were so many mods to blanket/tile patterns on the wings over the years) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
K2Pete Posted January 5, 2017 Author Share Posted January 5, 2017 (edited) Thanx a lot Mike! Hotdog, you're doing a really comprehensive job on these ... I sure hope you sell a whole bunch of 'em! Here's a couple of close-ups ... as you can see I already attached the PB doors, but you'll still get a good idea ... I didn't notice till I took the pix that the Port wing's decal, at the Elevon hinge is off. Now, when I lined up the decal, I was concentrating on the RCC wing panels and the decal aligned perfectly with that. It may be my installation error, but the edges of the elevons line up perfectly too ... Port wing Starboard wing ... this one is spot on, so the Port wing's misalignment must be my error. Hope these help! Edited January 11, 2018 by K2Pete Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Hotdog Posted January 5, 2017 Share Posted January 5, 2017 Interesting. When I drew these decals, I used a tracing of the starboard wing shape as my guide. I did not make a tracing of the port wing, I just flipped the artwork for the starboard wing and went on my merry way. So, it may be that the elevon hinge on the port side of the kit is not in the exact same place as the starboard? This may not be an issue once the decals are cut up into the modular system and are placed individually. But I'll keep it in mind when I get back to working on this project. Thanks for posting these images! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
K2Pete Posted January 7, 2017 Author Share Posted January 7, 2017 (edited) This little Shuttle is done. I attached New Ware's Ku Band antenna, and all those tiny hinges. As this model was to be, for me, a warm-up, to get me back into the research and 'thinking' aspects ... It has succeeded wonderfully! With that in mind, this is a nice model ... but it won't be entered into any contests, it's a little rough, but ... it ... was ... FUN! Thanx for watching guys ... and Hotdog, these decals of yours make this kit ... look good! Edited January 11, 2018 by K2Pete Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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