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Apollo Saturn V with LUT Countdown Inc. 1/290


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Hello Space - Friends!

 

My model for the 50th Aniversary GB will be the old (toy-)kit of the "Saturn V with LUT" by Contdown INC.

 

I bought it via ebay and found it much like a simple toy:

 

SVLUT001.jpg 

 

It wasn't built very well...

 

SVLUT005.jpgSVLUT009.jpg

 

...l and even broken in some areas:

 

SVLUT013.jpg

 

 

So I decided to rebuild it completly. Some parts will stay as they are, most parts will be reworked or rebuildt.

 

Regards from Germany

 

Ralf

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited by Ralf Spacenut
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Thanks, Pete!

 

The first I did was filling the gaps in the tower structure, adding missing parts and repairing the broken ones.

 

After that the tower was painted gray and red:

 

SVLUT015.jpg

 

Next the Launch Pad was cleaned up and primed:

 

SVLUT020.jpg

 

The area around the recess in the platform where the rocket stands is surrounded by a yellow area before launch. I made this with a thin sheet:

 

SVLUT022.jpg

 

It was painted yellow and glued to the platform:

 

SVLUT016.jpg

 

First impression:

 

SVLUT114.jpg

 

More to follow!

 

Ralf

Edited by Ralf Spacenut
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  • 4 weeks later...

Sorry , I had a bad cold an could not go on for a while.

 

The Countdown Inc. - Kit includes a little "Crawler-Transporter" which is very simple.

 

crawler006.jpg

 

But it is still better than the Revell - parts included in the "Space - Shuttle with Booster" Kit in 1:144:

 

crawler001.jpg

 

crawler000.jpg

 

To make it a little more realistic, I closed the upper side:

 

crawler005.jpg

 

 

Here is a picture of the original crawler treads:

 

Crawlertreds.jpg

Source: Wikipedia

 

And this is what the parts of the kit look like:

 

crawler007a.jpg

 

So I did a little detailling:

crawler007b.jpg

 

crawler011.jpg

 

Finally some colorworks:

 

Crawler007c.jpg

 

I used the original railing and reassembled all parts:

 

crawler009.jpg

 

First impression:

 

crawler007d.jpg

 

That's all for today!

 

Ralf

 

--- More to come ---

 

Edited by Ralf Spacenut
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Next step: adding some details to the platform:

 

Out of these parts (some leftovers and a relais):

SVLUT045.jpg  SVLUT046.jpg

 

I built a little "air conditioner ":

 

SVLUT047.jpg

 

I scratched the tubes by solder wire and everything else is made of plastic:

 

SVLUT030a.jpg
 

SVLUT038a.jpg

 

SVLUT037a.jpg

 

Some decals and some more aging later:

 

SVLUT053.jpg

 

I took some parts of weapons and tried to scratch the hold-downs for the Saturn V:

 

SVLUT048a.jpgSVLUT049a.jpgSVLUT052.jpg

 

This is the result:

 

SVLUT057a.jpg

 

Overall:

 

SVLUT056.jpg

 

To compare this with the original look at this picture:

 

zub011.jpg

Source: http://www.jrbassett.com/apollo/APCW05.JPG

 

That's it for today!

 

Ralf

 

Edited by Ralf Spacenut
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You sure seem to be having some fun with this Ralf! And it's looking GREAT!

All these little, tiny details are really bringing this tiny model to life! And the backdrop painting with the VAB in the background is a really nice touch!

 

I really enjoy enhancing something from scratch and seeing what you're doing here, brings a smile to my face!

 

Keep doing what you're doing!   :thumbsup:

Pete

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Next step was mounting the pipes and supply lines on the narrow side of the tower. I have used a former connection cable for a CD-ROM drive from an old computer. The color is not really original, but I take this "artistic freedom".

SVLUT064.jpg

 

The tubes (the individual cable strands) were pulled through and glued according to the original tower.

 

SVLUT060.jpg

 

Next step are the tubes on the opposite side of the Saturn. Here is the original:

SVLUT100.jpg

Source: Nasa

 

The tubes are also from an old computer. As you can see I started some detailing:

 

SVLUT085.jpg    SVLUT091.jpg

 

The original toy only had four "swing arms" looking "toy-like" and having all the same length:

 

SVLUT012.jpg

 

As there have to be nine swing--arms, I decided to replace or rebuild them all in the correct size:

 

SVLUT073.jpg

 

I know, they are not quite correct, but I think they are better than before. Still better after detailing the tower and the arms:

 

SVLUT075.jpg   SVLUT080.jpg

 

The swing-arm with the white room will be glued later. I started to scratch it with these parts:

 

SVLUT081.jpg

The right one is a H0 chimney 🙃.

 

SVLUT082.jpg

 

SVLUT071.jpg

 

Further detailing:

 

SVLUT110.jpg

 

SVLUT112.jpg

 

I have to repaint the Saturn V first, before I glue it to the tower.

 

That's all for today...

 

Ralf

 

--- more to come! ---

Edited by Ralf Spacenut
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2 hours ago, Ralf Spacenut said:

 

I know, they are not quite correct, but I think they are better than before. Still better after detailing the tower and the arms:

 

Oh dear ... don't feel like you have to say this.

You're doing an incredible job on this teeny, tiny toy. All these little details, solved very creatively, Ralf ... well done .. VERY well done!   :thumbsup:  :worship:

Those swing arms and the White Room ... wow! 

 

And I'm a little surprised that you'll be re-painting the Saturn V. Does that mean you'll be re-decalling it as well?

 

I'm really enjoying seeing your updates Ralf!

Thanx

Pete

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Thanks, Pete! Yes, I decided to repaint the complete Rocket. It also will become new decals.

 

The part in the kit to represent the colby crane is very simple. As you can see in one of my pictures, I tried to give it some details with wires and a big hook. But in the end I didn't like it... so I did it again:

 

This is the original crane:

SVLUT132.jpg

Source: Wikipedia

 

with some colorworks, a little wheel from a tank and other parts from the spare box it now looks like this:

SVLUT131.jpg

 

I designed the Colby Crane decal with the simple old "MS Paint" and it is printed on paper.

 

SVLUT128.jpg

 

Well enough... I think 😉

 

Ralf

 

--- more to come ---

Edited by Ralf Spacenut
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Repainting the Saturn V:

 

This is what the Rocket looked like, when I bought it:

 

SVLUT007a.jpg

 

The black is not painted but thick rubber-decals. So are all the other decals with text and flags:

 

SVLUT106.jpgSVLUT107.jpg

 

The Command-Module was poorly glued:

 

SVLUT009.jpg

 

I did not change the LES, but filled the gap and repainted the CSM:

 

SVLUT011a.jpg

 

After that I removed the original decals. I airbrushed it overall gloss white, then I prepaired the rocket for the black fields to be painted:

 

SVLUT108a.jpg

 

After painting:

 

SVLUT101a.jpg  SVLUT102a.jpg

 

Next I painted the silver at the bottom of the rocket and added the decals. I had some fitting flags in my spare box. The  "USA" and "United States" are made of single letters!

 

SVLUT122.jpg  SVLUT121.jpg

 

In my kit the central F1 engine was missing. I scratched it and dressed them all with aluminium foil. Unfortunately they are rarely to be seen in the end. So I show them here:

 

F1_02.jpg  F1_01.jpg

 

I always continue to add more details to the tower. This is what the platform looks like now:

 

SVLUT117.jpg

 

Hope you enjoy it!

 

Ralf

 

 

--- more to come ---

Edited by Ralf Spacenut
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I ... don't ... believe ... this! 

 

This was my first thought while looking at your results Ralf! I don't believe what I'm seeing! You've done a superb job on this tiny toy. 

In one of your next pix, show one of your fingers or your hand holding it, or a paint bottle, to show scale ... To show just how small this is! Your crane, and the lovely little decal ... and the masking and painting of the Saturn V, fixing the seam on the CM, plus adding the radiators on the Service Module ... WOW! :clap2: this is a real treat to see all your improvements!

 

The attention that you're giving to this little "toy" is most appreciated by me! And it's going to look GREAT on display ... or I hope, in a Model Contest!

 

I'm now curious to see what you mean by "more to come" ... what else can you do with this? It seems like you've added a LOT of new details ... I shall be watching!

Thanx Ralf!

Pete

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Many thanks!

 

But that's too much praise!  I just do my best to let it look like a real Saturn V.

 

Here is a picture of the rocket in comparison with a pen before the final painting:

 

SVLUT144.jpg

 

The radiators are made of tiny pieces of a special duct tape called "Putzerband" in german. ("plasterer tape")

 

The tape has little flutes in it and I use it to simulate the tubes of the radiators. Here is a detailed Picture:

 

SVLUT145.jpg

 

 

Ralf

 

 

 

 

 

Edited by Ralf Spacenut
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Pete asked what more I will do:

Well, the swing-arm no.9 is still missing! I showed you some updates ago what I planned to do and now it is ready and glued to the tower. Here is the result:

 

SVLUT116a.jpg

 

Back side:

SVLUT120a.jpg

 

As usual, I added some more details to the tower. (I have to admit: most of that is pure phantasy)

 

SVLUT129.jpg

 

By the way, all the yellow vehicles are scratched from parts in my spare box.

One more "tower-down" picture:

 

SVLUT126a.jpg

 

I'm quite happy with that.

 

So that's nearly all for the "Saturn V with LUT". Last step will be a base...

 

Hope you enjoy it!

 

Ralf

 

--- more to come ---

 

 

Edited by Ralf Spacenut
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Uh huh ... adding that White Room swing arm was "the cherry on top"! All your added 'details' really enhance the LUT and that "tower-down' view certainly makes the model look a LOT bigger than it is! 

 

And I must say, your photos are excellent! Thanx for that! Very clear, no cluttered background, easy to see all the work you've done!

 

I'm glad you're happy with this ... I would be happy if it was mine too!  :thumbsup2:

 

Very well done Ralf! You've really made a terrific model out of nothing!

 

Thanx for posting this thread!

Pete

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Here we are: the last step to complete the model is the base.

I didn't want to create something complicated. I just wanted to show the complete stack on the crawlerway on its way out to the pad.

Something like that:

 

Apollo11toPad.jpg

Source: Floridatoday

 

I had a peace of wood, which fits my needs:

 

Base%20Roh.jpg

 

I filled some gaps, sanded it and airbrushed it gloss grey. On the top I painted pale yellow and green stripes:

 

SVLUT133.jpg

 

SVLUT134.jpg

 

Finally some sand and grass - and some time to let it dry:

 

SVLUT135.jpg

 

Grass, road and vehicles are some railway accessories. It's simple, fast and doesn't take much room...

I added a little  plaque :

 

SVLUT146.jpg

 

Here is a first picture of the completed model:

 

SVLUT136.jpg

 

And a picture with a water bottle for size comparison:

 

SVLUT137.jpg

 

 

Thanks for watching!

 

Ralf

 

--- better pictures to come ---

 

Edited by Ralf Spacenut
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I just created a folder for your completed builds. Please place your pix there.

 

This turned out most excellently! You've done a superb job revitalizing this tired old toy. And to use the old adage, you've "made a silk purse out of a sow's ear!"

The base really does finish it off beautifully! It's a lovely little display model!

 

I'm very pleased to have watched this come together and really impressed with your skills too, Ralf!

 

Thanx

Pete

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It looks GREAT Ralf! ... and your photos of it really make it look bigger than it is!

The last 3 images of the before, the actual rocket and your model is perfect!

I'm amazed that the little Countdown model scales out pretty well judging by the images!

And your attention to detail is remarkable! The perfect masking, the LUT's pipes and swing arms, the launch pad ... all wonderful!

This was a real treat to watch come together!

 

Thanx Ralf!

Pete

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