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1/24 GEMINI 9A part 2


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I'm building this as part of the current Group Build in honour of Revellogram's passing ... you all should participate, if you have any Revell-Monogram kits that want to be built!

But I'm gonna post the progress here too ...

 

I built this kit 10 years ago and it got sold to a collector ... and I've always wanted to do it again. Plus, I have the ATDA ( the Angry Alligator ) just sitting by itself and it wants some company!

i am gonna ENJOY this build ... 

 

The Box art ...

 

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I'll be using LVM's interior and Real Space models resin Gemini updates

 

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The PE was given a Vinegar bath and the resin was given a washing too ...

 

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These awful seats had to be removed to be replaced by the PE brass

 

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I drilled out the RCS to be replaced with Aluminum Tubing

 

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The kit's part and Updated resin thrusters

 

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Real Space Models resin update. These are pretty good ... almost NO bubbles in the resin!

 

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The nose had to be cut off for the resin Radar piece

 

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The window coves need replacing too ...

 

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And I filled the hole for the stand with a piece of styrene ... it'll get filed to match the corrugations.

 

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Not too bad for a day's work!  :rolleyes:

 

Thanx for taking a peek lads!

Pete

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Thanx for taking a peek gents!

 

Adding access panels and the Real Space Models updated Thrusters.

 

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There's a helluva lot yet to do on this but the progress so far ... is pretty good!

Pete

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I installed a styrene tube for the mounting for the stand ...

 

2v2JGaM3WxAnAAS.jpg

 

 

... added some styrene bits to the upper rim ...

 

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... and some detailing to the lower rim.

 

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... and that should do it for the exterior of the Adapter. This'll get painted the same shade of White and then decalled later on.

 

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I think the LVM interior will be next. Lotsa PE and I may give Soldering a try on this thick material.

 

Thanx for looking in guys!

Pete

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The heat shield misses the tube by a millimetre or 2 ... pul-enty of room!

 

Thanx Zac!

 

 

I needed to sand off the detail from the overhead panel so I can replace it with the PE part.

 

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... but when I tried to solder it, the plastic just melted ... 

 

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... Aw c'mon ... I was joking!  :rofl:

 

 

But this bending of the Photo Etch ... My gawsh, I thought the soldering would be the hard part.

I can't figure out the order of bending and I've had to unfold and rebend a few times.

 

For you guys that have done complex folds, is there a tip or trick I should bear in mind?

 

2v2JGmGkMxAnAAS.jpg

 

 

... and are these folding instructions typical of complex PE folds. There is a specific order, I assume, to folding tabs and working from one edge to the other, or folding from the inside out ...

 

You can see the unfolded part as well as the completed one. But the finished one took about 35 minutes ... 

I've used the pro Bending tool, Needle Nose pliers and a Steel Ruler and Razor Blade ... and had made the assumption that the pro tool would do it all! I guess not!

 

2v2JGmGmLxAnAAS.jpg

 

These parts are the LVM PE for the Ejection Seats and the folding seems pretty complex ... for this old fart anyway ...  :rolleyes:

 

Any good advice you can offer would be most appreciated!

 

Thanx gents

Pete

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Hi Pete,

 

why do you want to solder, take Gator's grip, which is usable for brass to brass, plastic to brass, stainless steel to plastic, stainless steel to brass, and even plastic to plastic! up040577.gif

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With every build, I would like to learn some new technique. When I bought the LVM Photo Etch parts I wanted to solder the joints ... just to learn how to do it. Now, I've soldered my copper plumbing pipes, but nothing like model parts.

 

Yes, I could have used Gator Glue or CA Gel glue, but where's the fun in that?

 

Thanx for the suggestion anyway Manfred!

Pete

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2 hours ago, K2Pete said:

T

 

... but when I tried to solder it, the plastic just melted ... 

 

2v2JGmGhnxAnAAS.jpg

 

... Aw c'mon ... I was joking!  :rofl:

 

 

 

 

Pretty clever, I got a laugh out of this.

 

Nice work bending the PE, it is very challenging but very rewarding to see the completed part. 

 

 

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40 minutes ago, K2Pete said:

With every build, I would like to learn some new technique. When I bought the LVM Photo Etch parts I wanted to solder the joints ... just to learn how to do it. Now, I've soldered my copper plumbing pipes, but nothing like model parts.

 

Yes, I could have used Gator Glue or CA Gel glue, but where's the fun in that?

 

Thanx for the suggestion anyway Manfred!

Pete

 

Do you remember, when I had tested Gator's Grip for gluing a handrail?

 

That was truly fun! up040577.gif

 

 

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7 hours ago, Lunokhod 2 said:

Very good reference for any space modeler.

 

Speaking of references, what are you using for references on this build?

 

I built this kit OOB back when it came out.  Restored it a few years ago with a basic spraybomb repaint and new decals.

 

I have an unbuilt one with SMS decals, need to pull the trigger on the Realspace kit before (re)attempting it.  Good to see it all come together here.

 

fe5e4Mo.jpg

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Gee .. references ... I use the World Wide Web, 4 or 5 books on the Space Program, Mike Mackowski's SIM book, Spacecraft Films DVD and a whole raft of other sources.

When I built the Gemini 9A the first time, I accumulated a helluva lot of references and will use it all again. The thread is on this forum on ARC on Page 4 ... this one, however, will use LVM's interior whereas the first one's interior was built from scratch! 'Twas a lotta fun!

 

I hope when you (re) attempt the kit, that you'll post your progress here ... or somewhere online!

Pete

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Merci Vincent!

 

11bee, nice to see ya here. Pull up a chair, set a spell ... there's a lotta interesting techniques and builds here, including 3D!

 

 

This PE folding is ... um ... fun ... kind of. When folding the first seat, I folded a couple folds the wrong way and when I bent it back ... it broke. I glued it using CA to hold it temporarily, till it gets soldered.

 

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... the jig ...

 

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... after gluing ... this was all one piece. Those folds were ... interesting to decipher.

 

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... the Ejection Seat PE parts so far ... LVM included the styrene bits as well in their kit.

 

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... the hatch interiors ... there's still a lotta details to add. Those are the tools I needed to use to fold these pieces.

 

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This is the top of the Ejection Seat ... those folds are gonna be a bugger!

 

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I don't know how I'm gonna get in there to solder those joints. I get the feeling, it's gonna be messy!

 

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Thanx for looking in, gents!

Pete

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The kit had the embossings for the hatch latches and I carved 'em out with some old carving tools I have ...

 

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The LVM PE on the bottom of the hatch is in the wrong position and I didn't realize it till after sleeping on it. The instructions are not clear on this at all.

 

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So I used some de-bonder and removed and repositioned the PE parts. I also added bits of styrene to the PE as standoffs.

 

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The PE upper latch 'mechanism' was added too. Again, I added bits of styrene to give it some thickness and dimension ...

 

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Getting ready to learn to solder these tiny complex pieces, I see that there's not a lot of room to clamp and then solder. I'm realizing that CA or Gorilla Glue, ( it's like Gator Glue as Manfred suggested )  may be the solution. At least on these little, complex folds that need clamping too.

 

2v2JnwF6FxAnAAS.jpg

 

 

This initial result is not good enough at all. I hope it'll just take some practice. I've watched a Paul Budzik video, he's a modeller that posts on ARC too, and he's a very experienced modeller. I'll keep playing with this for a little while more, but it looks like a glue will do for these little bits.

 

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I see LVM's website is gone and I wonder about their support for their Apollo Saturn LUT. I have to say, their instructions on this little update are poor and it was quicker for me to build the interior from scratch out of styrene the last time I built this Gemini kit. This PE is a complex kit in itself.

 

Thanx gents!

Pete

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Hi Pete,

 

I did try to reach Leon van Munster via eMail to store@lvm-studios.com: no valid MX hosts found!!! 

According to the motto: It's better to make a painful break than draw out the agony ... smiley_crazy.gif

 

What a disappointment, that's not the fine Dutch way ... up043952.gif

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Manfred, I must say that I'm a little surprised with LVM. No notice or explanation ... oh well.

 

aircommando130 ... thanx!

 

 

Here's a reference image of the aft end of the Adapter section. I'll be putting in the structure as well as the AMU which'll get tucked in to the centre part ...

 

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Starting to cut out the centre part ...

 

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I'll use Real Space Models vac-formed aft 'curtain' and use just a bit of it ...

 

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The foothold for Astronaut Cernan is at the bottom. There's still some tweaking to do, but for all intents and purposes, it's done.

 

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The Overhead Switch panel has PE that just sits on the surface, so I carved out the holes for the hatch latches

 

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The Overhead Switch panel with the PE glued on ...

 

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When I made the decision to not try to learn how to solder these tiny pieces and glue 'em instead, with CA, things are moving along nicely.

The PE for the hatches. Still some styrene details to add.

 

I must say that LVM's engineering is really good. These hatches fit like a glove over the curves and various surfaces.

 

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This goes under the Ejection Seat and the joint at the tip was glued and will be the only bit seen ...

 

2v2JnmMePxAnAAS.jpg

 

Thanx for looking !

Pete

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The instrument Panels PE was attached ...

 

2v2JnjZngxAnAAS.jpg

 

 

The Astronaut will be cut up and repositioned to be Captain Gene Cernan in the aft Adapter section ...

 

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I'll use Milliput to sculpt his arms and legs.

 

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Made the Handholds out of styrene channel ... and installed.

 

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Glued some fiddly bits to the Ejection Seat ... 

 

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And the repaired Glue joint broke ... darn it!

 

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But while deciding what to do with it, I wanted to see how the fit would be of the PE into the interior ... and ... it didn't fit.

 

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I do remember reading that there will be some fit issues with LVM's Photo Etch but ... this isn't even close. It won't be a matter of trimming and sanding a little bit off here and there ... it's off by at least 3/16 inch. Shucks!  

 

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I’m godsmacked!

I’ve spent the last 10 days or so fiddling with this Photo Etch interior and this morning, I was curious to see the fit.

The Ejection Seats don’t fit. I can’t believe it. Now, I did read somewhere, 3 or 4 years ago when I bought this kit, that there were some fit issues. But this … aw geez. I must be doing something wrong. The interference is substantial.

 

I want to detail this interior … I need to buy another set of Mini Drill Bits because my .3 mm bit broke a while ago and I want to drill out the PE and insert wire, supplied in the kit, as the switches. Now, I’m gonna postpone it and try to figure out what’s going on.

 

I was debating as to whether or not BOTH hatches would be open to show off this lovely interior … now, the decision may have been made to keep one closed. Which will definitely make assembly and display much, much easier … but … I … am … so-o-o disappointed!

 

Thanx for taking a peek

Pete

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It is really disappointing to see the fit issues after all the work you put into the model. I hope you find a way to correct the problems.

Keep up the good work.

Ralf

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