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1/72 Shuttle and Hubble Space Telescope


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I managed to use the slide glasses with success.  I think I had to do it several times, but if I remember correctly the glass fits on the inside, not in the opening.  

I’ll get some close up pics later.  About to go into an online meeting until 11:30.

For tiles elsewhere, I actually cut out individual tiles from Evergreen stock, glued in place and then shaped them into place with a jewelers file and then fine sanded them.  

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10 hours ago, K2Pete said:

 

I decided to not use a decal for the tile pattern and to try something else.

I had a CD case and used the Dutycat supplied window guide to scribe and cut out the window glass from the CD case.

 

2v2Hw9mMMxAnAAS.jpg

 

2v2Hw9mzzxAnAAS.jpg

 

... filing them to shape. Needless to say, there was a lotta test fitting.

 

Initial test fit of all the windows

 

2v2Hw9TUUxAnAAS.jpg

 

2v2Hw9T99xAnAAS.jpg

 

Rather than use decals for the tile pattern, I decided to paint it on ... Tamiya Tape mask

 

2v2Hw9mrUxAnAAS.jpg

 

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... and painted ... I was thrilled with the result!

 

2v2Hw9TZvxAnAAS.jpg

 

And with the Glass installed. I just used Future to 'glue' them in.

 

2v2Hw9Ta2xAnAAS.jpg

 

Later

Pete

 

Pete,

The entire nose of your Shuttle looks magnificent. Everything you've done to this point

has worked in your favor. I'll be taking notes of what you've accomplished, and I'll use

some of these techniques on my Shuttle build projects as well. Amazing "Work of Art"

you've been able to create, and adding the Hubble Space Telescope will be - "The Icing

on the Cake!"

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Thanx a lot gents!

Underdog, I've learned from everyone on these fora ... and the guy who posted immediately above was an enormous influence. Jay posted builds of the Shuttle before I got into this hobby 12 or more years ago. His solutions, to me, were "outta the box" solutions, they allowed me to think past "I didn't know you could do-o-o THAT!" and solve my own 'problems' ... in this hobby that is ...  :whistle:

 

 

I started the time consuming process of wrapping the payload with foil ...

 

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I wanted to try M Meens method using double-sided tape but went with my One Coat Rubber Cement instead.

 

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To wrap this one piece, took 2 complete Joe Rogan podcasts ... about 5 hours ... sheesh!   :doh:

 

2v2HwnoPMxAnAAS.jpg

 

 

Wrapping the capture fixture for the HST ... 

 

2v2Hwno7rxAnAAS.jpg

 

 

... and almost done. Still needs some tidying up.

 

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Adding the fixture to the bottom of the HST. A brass rod will support the HST in the Payload Bay.

 

2v2Hwno6yxAnAAS.jpg

 

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A dry fit of the Payload

 

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To refresh your memory, here's an image of the real thing ...

 

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... and with the HST ...

 

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I still wanna glue up the PB doors but I have to figure how to display this ... so there'll still be a lot of manhandling ... but man, I can't wait!

 

In the meantime, I have details to take care of ... the handholds, and there are a lot of 'em, to go onto the cargo ... once the doors go on, then hinges, wiring, Ku Band, RMS and OBSS and a whole bunch of small stuff ... still quite a few hours to go on this build ... but, I'm getting down to the short strokes now!

 

The PE handholds from Real Space Models are being beefed up a bit with 0.020" styrene rod. The handholds are just sitting on a styrene piece as the jig ... it was coated with Rubber Cement to keep the tiny PE items in place ... but it was still a tedious effort ... my steady hands impressed the heck out of me!

 

2v2Hwnow8xAnAAS.jpg

 

Thanx for stopping by!

 

Till the next post!

Pete

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The tedium continues ... but it's one more step closer ...

 

I used Real Space Models' PE handholds and I felt they were too thin so I glued on strips of 0.020" styrene rod and ... what a @%$#&*!! pain THAT was. I thought I had cleaned the PE prior but the fact that the styrene wouldn't stick leads me to believe that the PE was NOT.

 

The PE handholds were then CA'd onto squares of PE ...

 

2v2Hf6jPzxAnAAS.jpg

 

 

I also made shorter ones from 0.020" styrene square rod ...

 

2v2Hf6jTjxAnAAS.jpg

 

 

... and attached 'em ...

 

2v2Hf6jiyxAnAAS.jpg

 

2v2Hf6jkdxAnAAS.jpg

 

2v2Hf6jD5xAnAAS.jpg

 

 

In the process of thinking how to display this thing, I recalled that I had a display stand from an old partially built 1/72 Shuttle stack ... found it and tried it and ... I think it'll do nicely.

 

I sprayed on some Easy-Off, stuck it in a Ziplock bag  to remove the chrome lettering and ... 

 

2v2Hf6j4NxAnAAS.jpg

 

 

... it's better than I coulda made ... 

 

2v2Hf6jmrxAnAAS.jpg

 

So with the display stand selected, I can put on the PB doors and ... I'm in the home stretch!

 

Still a lot of things to do, but ... it's getting there.

 

Thanx for taking a peek!

Pete

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To clean the Photo-etch parts, I leave them attached to the fret and immerse the whole thing in White Vinegar, the same stuff you put on your Salads!

 

I'll leave them in the Vinegar for a few hours ... 3 or 6. I used to leave them in for just 1 hour, as I read somewhere, but that didn't clean the surface of any residue well enough. Now, this PE was very thick stuff, New Ware's PE is very thin, so you may want to adjust the time in the Vinegar ( it's a mild acid ) so it doesn't damage the thin PE.

 

Then I take the PE out and give them a good rinse under running water, pat them dry and let them air dry thoroughly. 

 

Cleaning the PE really makes an enormous difference!

 

Pete

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Underdog, a few years ago I did a 1/72 Spitfire that my Uncle had flown and compared 'em side by each ... and to be honest, I STILL don't have a firm grasp as to the size of the Shuttle.

 

Ret, thanx much! I'm glad to share everything I do and ... i hope we see some of your results!

 

 

Some of the small stuff includes ... foot restraints.

 

2v2HAomUqxAnAAS.jpg

 

 

I'd like to include an Astronaut for scale. So I'll rebuild another one ...

 

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The PB doors have been installed ... and the PE actuators for the PB doors as well

 

2v2HAomvnxAnAAS.jpg

 

 

But in getting the final fit of the cargo, I realized that the pallet interferes with the OBSS.

If you look at the far end of the OBSS, you can see it doesn't align with its rest ...

 

2v2HAom9FxAnAAS.jpg

 

 

... this may be a little clearer ... darn it ... but, it never fails, right?

 

2v2HAomudxAnAAS.jpg

 

But, slowly but surely, it's getting closer to being done ... i can't wait to see how this'll all look!

 

Pete

 

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On 2/24/2020 at 10:14 PM, Solo7 said:

This may be a little off topic, but I called Plastruct last week because my order was also delayed.

I talked to the women of a husband & wife team that had just purchased Plastruct and was in the process of relocating stock & manufacturing machines to Des Plaines, IL.

In addition they also own Evergreen, so they have the market for hobby plastic material cornered.

If you check they just launched a new website for Plastruct, sine the old one was not working very well with orders.

Just give them a call you will get the stuff the next day like I did.

 

 

On 4/19/2020 at 12:11 PM, K2Pete said:

The tedium continues ... but it's one more step closer ...

 

I used Real Space Models' PE handholds and I felt they were too thin so I glued on strips of 0.020" styrene rod and ... what a @%$#&*!! pain THAT was. I thought I had cleaned the PE prior but the fact that the styrene wouldn't stick leads me to believe that the PE was NOT.

 

The PE handholds were then CA'd onto squares of PE ...

 

2v2Hf6jPzxAnAAS.jpg

 

 

I also made shorter ones from 0.020" styrene square rod ...

 

2v2Hf6jTjxAnAAS.jpg

 

 

... and attached 'em ...

 

2v2Hf6jiyxAnAAS.jpg

 

2v2Hf6jkdxAnAAS.jpg

 

2v2Hf6jD5xAnAAS.jpg

 

 

In the process of thinking how to display this thing, I recalled that I had a display stand from an old partially built 1/72 Shuttle stack ... found it and tried it and ... I think it'll do nicely.

 

I sprayed on some Easy-Off, stuck it in a Ziplock bag  to remove the chrome lettering and ... 

 

2v2Hf6j4NxAnAAS.jpg

 

 

... it's better than I coulda made ... 

 

2v2Hf6jmrxAnAAS.jpg

 

So with the display stand selected, I can put on the PB doors and ... I'm in the home stretch!

 

Still a lot of things to do, but ... it's getting there.

 

Thanx for taking a peek!

Pete

Magnificent Job! Pete

I think that it’s a little late, but a coat of gloss varnish protects the foil paper  for future discoloration

 

Ricardo 

 

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Ricardo Thank You! This foil is REAL foil, not paper and if it discolours, nobody's gonna ever  know ... 

And Thank You for your photos of Atlantis at KSC ... you may have noticed your views on Flikr going up, that was just me. 

 

Thanx Underdog ... I'm happy with the way this is coming together ... it looks pretty good ... from 2 feet away!  😉

 

 

I wrapped Bill's airlock in Grocery Bag plastic ...

 

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... and extended the airlock tunnel with styrene tubing ...

 

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I'm ready to attach the cargo and had made these semi-circular brackets but ... they were too big, so I made new ones that are half the size ...

 

2v2HAn3LLxAnAAS.jpg

 

 

Their scale is better too ...

 

2v2HAn3CCxAnAAS.jpg

 

 

These little brackets were painted Gunmetal and attached. I had to glue 'em all in to see if I could get the OBSS to fit correctly. I did get it aligned properly but it took about 2 and half days of adjusting here and there ... but it now fits!

 

2v2HAn3nnxAnAAS.jpg

 

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And I had to see how the HST fits on it and ... it's SOLID! Such a good feeling!

The HST is supported on a thick brass rod ... and I wanna camouflage it somehow ... maybe.

 

2v2HAn3hhxAnAAS.jpg

 

 

And while reaching for my coffee, my arm jerked and ... knocked over the HST.  It's festooned with handholds and all kinds of delicate thingys and a few of 'em broke off. And it took another 2 days to repair 'em all but, this HST was built in 2007 and at the time I didn't know Evergreen had all sorts of shapes and size of styrene. So this little model was made from Brass rod, Piano Wire, Aluminum sheet and is pretty solid, surprisingly ... so there was no big damage ... but all those little breakages took time to fix.

 

2v2HAn3mGxAnAAS.jpg

 

2v2HAn3ddxAnAAS.jpg

 

 

The High Gain antennae needed an extension added  and I used a short length of styrene tube.

 

2v2HAn3VFxAnAAS.jpg

 

I was pleased at all the details I had included in this old HST build ... For instance, the attaching points for the 2 Hi-Gain antennae were right where they were supposed to be ... all the handholds were too. If anything, I've gotten a little sloppy over the past few years!  :whistle:

 

This long build is almost done ... I think!

Pete

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Pete,

Now that this project is almost completed, I'm looking forward to seeing the "beauty"

shots of the finished model... in all its splendor. I know at times during the build, you

were challenged but you stayed with it and overcame with tremendous results. Do U

have a special place to display it in your collection?

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Thanx a lot Gents!  :thumbsup:

 

Underdog, this won't get displayed. I'll post it to just a 2 or 3 other fora and then ... it gets put in a box waiting for a contest to get shown. I enjoy showing my builds at a show to educate and, hopefully, get kids curious about the Space program. If it wins an award that's a Bonus, but not my goal. For instance, I'll be happy if I overhear someone say " Gee, I didn't know the Hubble was so-o-o BIG!" 

When a judge looks closely at it, if they even know what they're looking at, my builds aren't perfectly clean ... they're a touch on the rough side ... but for me, they've all been fun builds! True recreation!

 

 

Just tidying up some final details ...

 

I glued the RMS joints into a position and this is my jig ...

 

2v2HA5Vn8xAnAAS.jpg

 

 

The shoulder joint was weak so I drilled it out and stuck in a 3/32" styrene tube. It wasn't till a bit later that I realized I had some 3/32" ALUMINUM tubing ... but when this Canadarm sags, I'll replace the styrene with the metal ... I won't glue the shoulder joint in to the Payload Bay and will remove it for its long-term storage.

 

2v2HA5VyyxAnAAS.jpg

 

And then guess what ...

 

 

 

 

 

 

It's DONE!  :yahoo:

 

2v2HA5VWrxAnAAS.jpg

 

 

Here's a few pix of it ... they were taken quickly and I may, just may-y-y, take some better ones later on.

 

2v2HA5VPdxAnAAS.jpg

 

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Here's a screen shot from the STS 125 Hubble Repair Mission video ... 

 

2v2HA55J5xAnAAS.png

 

Yesterday, I was adding decals to the RMS and OBSS as well as the Astronaut on the side of the HST, and buttoning this build up and ... a feeling of withdrawal washed over me. I'm almost sad it's over. Solving the various issues has been on my  mind so much over the past few months, that I'm going to miss the thought process.

 

I can imagine how Manfred will feel when he completes his magnificent build!

 

But, I have the Grumman proposal LM to do now, the acrylic spheres came in about a month ago ... so I'll see you over there!  :wave:

 

Many Thanks for your comments and suggestions Gentlemen ... I really appreciate 'em!

 

Pete

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Hey Pete - really great stuff here - I always appreciate the time, level of detail, research and ingenuity you bring to these projects - thanks so much for sharing.  I consider myself lucky to have seen your work "in person" and up close.

 

Thanks again - and hopefully we'll be meeting sooner rather than later!

 

Ret

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Thanx Ret ... I sure hope it's sooner than later ... I won't be building too many more as my vision isn't getting any better, so for me, it's just a matter of time. 

 

Thanx Slartibartfast ... 

 

 

Here's a few beauty shots ... the entire model is mounted at a bit of an angle, say 5 degrees, so in this image, the HST looks off kilter. It is in fact at right angles to its mount and nice and solid! All in all, I'm quite pleased with how this turned out!

 

2v2HBvNNTxAnAAS.jpg

 

2v2HBvNFLxAnAAS.jpg

 

2v2HBvNyWxAnAAS.jpg

 

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And here's an actual photo from the mission ...

 

2v2HBv8bgxAnAAS.jpg

 

Thanx for taking a peek at this build  ... now, what's next?

Pete

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Pete wrote:

Underdog, this won't get displayed. I'll post it to just a 2 or 3 other fora and then ... it gets put in a box waiting for a contest to get shown. I enjoy showing my builds at a show to educate and, hopefully, get kids curious about the Space program. If it wins an award that's a Bonus, but not my goal. For instance, I'll be happy if I overhear someone say " Gee, I didn't know the Hubble was so-o-o BIG!" 

When a judge looks closely at it, if they even know what they're looking at, my builds aren't perfectly clean ... they're a touch on the rough side ... but for me, they've all been fun builds! True recreation!

 

Pete,

I've really enjoyed, "The Mission" - of you creating this wonderful looking model. This huge

1/72 scale Space Shuttle, is a great complement piece for your HST and vice-versa. You've

done an amazing job on the project, and the "Beauty Shots" are proof-positive. That photo

of an actual shot of the mission, at first I thought it was the model with an Astronaut figure.

If it were, I wouldn't been surprised. Thanks for sharing the process... outstanding results!!!

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