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  • 2 weeks later...

I've been busy with other things and haven't made a lot of progress on the Saturn V.  I did put on a coat of primer.  It highlighted a few areas that need to be cleaned up.

 

IDmfK8H.jpg

A view of the S-IC from POS 1.  The bottom is a bit out of focus.

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Here is POS 2.  My scribing lines leave a bit to be desired.  The tank seams might need a bit of work, at least on the LOX tank.  I can still see a couple of dimples.

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This is POS 3.

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POS 4.  The scribed lines look a little better on this side.  The tank seams look better too.

 

I decided to go ahead and add the resin LOX Feed Lines to the S-II stage.  Since I will be adding the black stripes with decal, masking won't be a big deal.

HyOQiNQ.jpg

Here is POS 1.  After primer I noticed an area on the upper insulation band that need some sanding.

moXDAHz.jpg

POS 2.  The New-Ware details really make the S-II look good.

XD5MnK8.jpg

POS 3.  The interstage fit isn't perfect but it would really be a big task to get it there.  This will have to do.

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POS 4.  The seam line that you can just make out on the right side has really been a pain.  It is almost where I can live with it.  Maybe just a bit more work.

 

The S-IVB is looking fine.  The tank seams look good.  It went together much better than the S-II.

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This is POS 1.  All the details are added except the APS pods.  They are silver in color and I think I'll wait until I put paint on the S-IVB before I attach them.

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POS 2.  It's not looking too bad.  Those tiny PE parts on the IU were tough to get in the right place before the CA set up.  Lots of work under the magnifying lamp.

OMCOXp2.jpg

POS 3.  You can see here that the seams came out nicely.  Not nearly as much sanding and filling as the S-II.  Both are Monogram parts.

ifGNvhO.jpg

POS 4.  A little bit rough where I had to remove one of the molded on antennas.  I might need to revisit that to see if I can smooth it out more.

 

The Spacecraft section looks nice with all the New-Ware PE parts added.

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POS 1.  There are a few tiny pinholes that I need to take care of.  Also, I have not added the RCS clusters yet.  I have not yet decided if I'm going to paint the SM or use BareMetal Foil.  If I use the foil then I'll put the RCS clusters on after foiling.  Otherwise I'll go ahead and add the RCS clusters and then paint.  I used foil on my Saturn IB build and it turned out pretty good.  I still haven't made up my mind yet for this build.

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POS 2.

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POS 3.

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POS 4.

 

I'm still working on the LES tower.   There is not much to show.  All I've done is get the styrene that I think I'll need.  Now I'm planning how to tackle it.

 

By the way, one of the things that has kept me way from this build is a project that I'm working on for the rocketry club I belong to.  We're building a flying 1/48 scale Saturn V.  We hope to have it done in time to fly on July 20.  One of my parts of the project is to detail the section from the IU up.  Here are a few pictures of the progress.

QZjBvew.jpg

The lower section is primed.  The bottom part is the shoulder that fits into the third stage.  The service module is .015 styrene sheet wrapped around the phenolic body tube and attached with contact cement.  At this point I have the panel lines scribed.

cCqtjLj.jpg

This is where I'm at now.  I have added the radiators, access ports and the hatches.

38u90qS.jpg

Here is a closeup of the work so far.  The CM and LES will be 3-D printed by another club member, then I'll add some finishing touches to that.  The SLA still needs all its details added.  This will be a bit bigger job than the 1/144 version since many more details are visible at 1/48 scale.

 

Anyway, sorry for the detour.  Thanks for looking and as always, more to come.

 

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This is really looking pretty good!! Those seams that you're worried about, you know that when the White and Black paint is on, we won't even notice 'em!

And you're right, the New Ware PE and Resin really make this model look great! The Black decals you'll be using, can I assume they'll be home made?

 

For the 1/48 Rocket, are those SM details from scratch? Those Rads look, um ... rad!   :whistle: ... and when it flies, is it a "do it once and scrap it" situation or can it be refurbished to fly a few more times?

 

Both of these are looking terrific Randy! No need to apologize for the "detour"!!

Pete

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Pete,

 

Thanks for the kind words.  Yes, the decals will be home made.  I've got an old ALPS printer and some decal paper from Tango Papa Decals.  I used a similar technique on my Saturn IB and it turned out looking pretty good.

 

The 1/48 Saturn V SM details are all scratch.  I used some .005 styrene sheet to back the radiators.  They were attached with Plasti-Zap CA.  The pipes are half round styrene rods attached with liquid weld.  The access hatches are cut from .005 sheet and attached with liquid weld.  The square/rectangle hatches are cut with square corners and then I sand the corners round.

 

The rocket for the club will be recoverable.  It will separate into three sections.  The main tube consists of the S-IC and the S-II.  The next part is the S-IVB and the final part is the spacecraft section.  It has two altimeters on board to control the separations.  The S-IC aft skirt is removable.  We have a flight version with larger fins to make it stable in flight and a display version that has scale sized fins and the F-1 engines.

 

Randy

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  • 3 weeks later...

Here is another update.  I tried a few times to scratch build an LES tower out of styrene rod, but each time ended in disgust.  To do it properly I would need to build a jig.

 

After thinking about it I gave the PE tower from Realspace Models a go.  After the folding and gluing it looks pretty good.  I think I'll go with that.  I did add a ring of copper wire to the tower PE to finish it up.  I saw that in another build thread (can't find it just now).  It makes the tower look pretty good.  The only problem with the PE tower is that it doesn't quite match up with the BPC attachment posts.  I'll need to do a little filling and sanding to make them come out better.

 

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This is the RealSpace PE LES Tower.  Looks pretty good, I just need to modify these two mounting points to line up better with the tower legs.

 

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Notice the copper wire ring added to the tower.

 

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Sanded and filled the posts to line up better.

 

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Primed the tower and now I should just need a bit more sanding to finish it.

 

Here is a quick view of what has been eating up all my time the last two weeks.  It is now all finished except for the RCS clusters that are being 3D printed and then I'll add those.  The SLA details are all scratch built styrene shapes.  The main lines are .010 strips that vary in width from .040 to .080 depending on which lines they represent.  The antennas on the IU were a challenge to build.  Some of them were very thin but needed a taper sanded in.  Some of them were of a size that needed to be built up and then sanded.  They aren't perfect but I'm pleased with how it all turned out.

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View from just to the right of the POS 1 (+Z) line .

 

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View to the right of Pos 4 (-Y) line.

 

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View to the right of the POS 3 (-Y) line.  The hole in the side of the Service Module is for a sheer pin that will hold the Command Module in place until time to deploy the parachute.

 

OqGcWqV.jpg

Close up of the Service Module near POS 2, showing the umbilical connection.

 

Now that this is done, I hope to have more time to work on the Saturn V.

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Your PE LES structure looks pretty dang good! 

And the added detail on the SLA and IU looks perfect! 

 

Question, when I built my 1/48 Apollo 'stack', SLA and up, I couldn't find specific reference for the SLA and IU details. I watched launch videos and took screenshots but couldn't get my -Y and -Z co-ordinate landmarks.

What are you using?

 

All the extra detail you're installing makes this model look a lot bigger than 1/144 ... Well Done Randy!!

Pete

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Thanks guys.

 

Pete: I bought a set of David Weeks Apollo Spacecraft drawings from Glenn at RealSpace Models.  They are drawn in 1/48 scale.  This drawing set is not included in the Saturn V set.  The spacecraft set has drawings for the LM, CSM (both Block I and Block II), and the SLA.  There is a note on the drawings that the spacecraft Y and Z axis were diametrically opposed from the Saturn vehicle axis.  So that -Z on the Saturn is +Z on the spacecraft and the same for the Y axis.  The IU drawings came from the Saturn set so they are Saturn axis, but from the SLA and up everything is spacecraft axis.  His drawings always show where the axis lines run on the vehicle.  I found the easiest way to keep everything straight is to use the POS numbers.  POS I runs vertically down the entire stack through the Command Module hatch window.  The rest of the POS numbers then go counter clockwise around the vehicle.

 

By the way, the Apollo Spacecraft drawing set is amazing.  It has drawings for the BPC layout, a typical foil pattern around the Command Module, full set of LM detail drawings, drawings of the SIM bays for Apollo 15, 16 and 17, LES drawings, and more.  I think I have all of the David Weeks drawings now except the Skylab drawings.  They have been worth every penny.

 

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Another recommendation for the David Weeks drawings, they are an excellent resource. I have the Saturn V and Apollo sets. Next will be the Skylab set. 

 

The drawings are large, E size I think, and a bit unwieldy to look through.  You need a large cleared table where you can roll them out flat.  I photographed each page with a short telephoto lens on a 24MP digital camera and assembled the images in a pdf file. I can now view the drawings on my PC and tablet, much easier to look through, clicking on pages and zooming in at will. 🙂

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On 4/20/2019 at 11:22 AM, as205 said:

Thanks guys.

 

Pete: I bought a set of David Weeks Apollo Spacecraft drawings from Glenn at RealSpace Models.  They are drawn in 1/48 scale. 

 

That's something I haven't got ... well I'll be darned. I guess it's a little late for me too, I can't foresee where I'm gonna be building too many more models where I'll need these.

The snippets of Mr Weeks drawings that I have seen are truly eye-candy though.

 

Thanx

Pete

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  • 3 weeks later...

Time for an update.  Painting has begun.  I painted the entire stack with Tamiya Pure White for a start.  From there I'll mask and paint some of the black and silver details.  Some sections will be decal.  This is the slow part for me.  There are so many ways to screw up a model when it comes time to paint.  Fingers crossed.

 

Here I have started masking the S-IVB.  At this scale, masking all the antennas on the IU would make me crazy, so most of the antennas will be painted individually after the black goes on.

4spTx7q.jpg

 

The S-IVB interstage is also getting its paint masks.

YYllbC0.jpg

 

For the horizontal lines on the interstage I used some Tamiya flexible tape.  It can follow gentle curves without making creases in the tape.

lUkh7m7.jpg

 

I've applied some Tamiya Metallic Silver to the F-1's.  The inside of the bells have not been worked on yet.

NhhieFQ.jpg

 

Here are the S-II and S-IC with their coat of white.  Some of the S-II black details will definitely be decal.

UcbVtfJ.jpg

 

I've been having some problems posting so I'm going to end here and finish the update in a second post.

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Ok I still  seem to be having problems posting.  It may be one of the pictures I'm trying to post.  So I'll be breaking this post up into smaller sections to see where my problem is.

 

Here is the S-IVB with its black applied.  There were only a few touch ups needed.  The Tamiya yellow masking tape covered the stringer sections very well.  On the left in the picture you can see one of the S-IC fins.  They have been painted and will be installed after the S-IC has it's black details added.  You can also see the tiny RCS quads from New Ware.

Mg90lbO.jpg

 

If you look closely you will see that I've added the APS pods to the S-IVB.  The SM still needs to be foiled.  That comes later.

4jn1lZQ.jpg

 

The rest of the update will be in the next post.

 

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This is looking really really good! The coat of paint really brings out those lovely details! And I keep forgetting this is gonna fly! I've always thought a flying model just hinted at details as opposed to them actually being added ... all these gorgeous details makes this Saturn V stand out.

 

I wonder if it would be accepted into a Model Contest? It would do very well! The build quality, the perfect masking, (which can be difficult due to the corrugations) and the overall look, and size, of this ... yup, it would do very well!

 

Thanx Randy

Pete

 

 

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Pete - Thanks.  Maybe one day I'll try a contest.  By the way, this one is my 1/144 Saturn V, it won't be flying.  The other one I've talked about is our club project - 1/48 scale Saturn V.  If it is OK I'll start another thread for that one.

 

For this update I've only got one more photo to show.  I wanted to show the detail in the New Ware RCS quads.  Here is a close-up.

17lgCLH.jpg

 

I tried to use the quad from the RealSpace set but I broke off a couple of the nozzles.  The RealSpace quads attached to the pour plug on the nozzles making them hard to remove without breaking.  Of course, the age of the upgrade set could have something to do with it.  I think I bought that set about 4 years ago.

 

The New Ware quads shown above attach to the pour plug differently, so they should be easier to remove without breaking a nozzle off.  Also, there are 8 of them and I only need 4 so I should be able to do it.

 

That's it for now.  As I've mentioned before, this is the part that takes me the longest to finish.  In truth, it is my least favorite part of model building, although in the end it usually turns out pretty well.

 

Thanks for looking.

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I got encouraged by the way the paint on the S-IVB turned out, so I started applying decals.

 

I started applying some decals to the S-IVB.  They are from the SpaceModelSystems 1/144 Ultimate Saturn V decal set, available from CultTVman.  They include A LOT of decals.  Here I've applied the ones that go on the S-IVB.  They are really tiny and hard for my fat fingers to work with, but with patience they go on nicely and look great.

 

aCK0xzF.jpg

You can barely see the "-Y" decal on the IU.  If you look closely you can also see the labels for the umbilical door and the access door.

 

6blhbOC.jpg

The black and white sway targets on the interstage are made very long on the decal sheet for anyone who wants to actually apply scale stringers.  For this application I just needed to trim them square shapes since the molded stringers are pretty flat.

 

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I painted the RCS quads with Tamiya silver metallic and then when that had cured I painted the bells with some Tamiya Smoke.  It is a transparent color so it just darkens the silver underneath.  I think the effect works here.

 

Remember in a previous update I said that I was definitely going to be using decals for the black on the S-II?  Well, I lied.  The S-IVB came out so well that I decided to try masking the S-IC and the S-II.

bHwLHB3.jpg

It was a bit difficult, but I think it will work.  Wish me luck.  We'll see how it comes out in the next update.

 

That's all for now.

Edited by as205
Misidentification of +Y instead of -Y
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15 hours ago, as205 said:

Remember in a previous update I said that I was definitely going to be using decals for the black on the S-II?  Well, I lied.  The S-IVB came out so well that I decided to try masking the S-IC and the S-II.

I do remember and ... I'm crushed! Crushed I tell ya ... why, I just don't get no respect!  :crying2:

 

You've already done the masking on the SIV-B and know what to look for, and how to prepare it, so, to me, this is a better decision. You know that big decals have their own problems especially on textured surfaces ... like trying to line 'em up correctly over all those corrugations and even trying to get them to settle properly.

 

This is really looking gorgeous Randy! ... Rick Sternbach's decals never disappoint do they?

 

Thanx

Pete

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Time for an update.  It is getting closer to the end for this project.  I have to keep my excitement level in check so I don't make any stupid mistakes in a rush to finish.

 

First here is a look at the S-IC and S-II with the black paint applied.  Turned out well, just a few minor touch ups to be made.  The very busy area near the systems tunnel was where I was apprehensive about the masking, but I like the way it turned out.

 

nixBveT.jpg

Very little seepage around the masking.  Here is the stack looking toward quadrant A.

 

EtLMc6e.jpg

The bottom of the stack.  The engine fairings were hard to get into a proper curve.  I was surprised that I didn't have any seepage on the holddowns that are at the boundary between the black and white.

 

SV5pVst.jpg

This is a closer look at the S-II aft skirt and interstage and the S-IC forward skirt.

 

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This is the busy area next to the systems tunnel.  The masking was tough to put in place but it looks like it did its job.

 

QlAabUp.jpg

Here is the bottom of the S-IC where I have started masking for the sliver that will cover the bottoms of the engine fairings.  The flexible Tamiya tape is at the bottom of the masking area.  It makes masking curved areas a little easier.  It is harder to get it to conform to the details but if I'm careful it should work fine.

 

hw80dMi.jpg

The base has been masked.  The inside of the fairings needs to be silver as well.  Now all I have to do is wait for the weather to cooperate.  The rain this week has been crazy.  Waking up at 5:30 am to the sound of the tornado sirens going off is not the way I like to start the day.  At least we are not about to be flooded like some of the folks to the north of us.

 

a43qKS1.jpg

IPhptPP.jpg

I applied the decals to the S-II stage.  Not many to apply but they sure add to the the visual of the stage.

 

After studying a bunch of S-IVB photos I picked a color for some of the antennas on the IU.  I went with Testors Model Master Jet Exhaust.

 

XlCK2gb.jpg

DIRQOZ9.jpg

Now it is done and ready for a clear coat to protect the decals from the dullcoat.

 

I applied Bare Metal Foil to the SM.  It is not a perfect application but I think I'll keep it.  I also started applying more of the tiny decals.  I didn't apply all that were provided.  If I had gone microscopic and added more detail to the SM then I would have applied all the decals.

 

ryv5LG7.jpg

I will add the RCS quads after I'm finished adding decals.

 

Here is a close up of the SM decals on the other side.

AhVnbY7.jpg

The CM-SM umbilical cover is not foiled.  That was brush painted with Testors Model Master Chrome Enamel, which turned out to be a good match for the Bare Metal Foil.  I don't know exactly what shade the foil is.  It is from a sheet I bought about 15 years ago and it was not labeled as to a specific shade.  It does appear to be a close match to what they now call Matte Aluminum.

 

npOhXVG.jpg

The Q-Ball area at the top of the rocket is painted with Testors Model Master Steel enamel.

 

sSOL8Dh.jpg

Here I've added the RCS Quads.  Now it is ready for clearcoat to protect the decals.

 

Thanks for looking and any comments are appreciated.

 

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The decals really make the model 'pop' ... and your masking job is terrific!

All the aftermarket bits on the S-ll look perfect! Rick Sternbach does excellent, detailed decals and I was pleased to see decals even on the LES ... nicely done Randy!

 

You're down to the short strokes now, and it's gonna be an impressive model!   :thumbsup:

 

Thanx Randy!

Pete

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  • 3 weeks later...

I got the silver painted on the bottom of the S-IC.  It turned out pretty well.  I've now started applying the decals to the S-IC.  Once again, some very tiny detailed decals.  Here is a close up of applying one of the forward skirt vent decals over the vent warning decal.  You can get a feel for how small some of these decals are here.  I'm zoomed in pretty tight, even the toothpick looks rough at this level of zoom.

M8TlSnU.jpg

 

I've completed the S-IC decals.  Here is a look at some of the details.

l3cvc5Q.jpg

An overall view facing POS I.

 

bEApFHy.jpg

The forward skirt and the LOX tank flag.

 

fKHCvGw.jpg

The umbilical and personnel access door on the intertank.  I need more practice scribing.  I have a tendency to go too deep.

 

rAf9PM1.jpg

Here is the aft skirt and shows one of the first motion targets on the engine fairings.

 

T1BO5kI.jpg

Here is a view of the aft end looking at POS I.

 

Here are all the sub-assemblies.

nIfgNVn.jpg

 

I'll be putting on a clear coat to protect the decals, then dull coat to take the shine off.  Once that is finished I'll attach the F-1's and final assembly will be complete.  All that will remain is to put it on the stand I've made.

 

Thanks for looking.

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This is a thing of beauty! It's shaping up to be one of the overall best 1/144 Sat V's I've ever seen. Keep going, you're reaching the finish line!

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Thanks, Hotdog and crackerjazz.  Kind words.

 

The white is Tamiya Pure White in the rattle can.

 

Hopefully I can put this one to bed soon.  I'll be delayed a bit while I focus on finishing the details on my part of our club's 1/48 Saturn V.  I'll have a post on that in my other thread, 1/48 Saturn V Apollo 11 - Flying model

 

Thanks for looking.

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