Jump to content

Grumman Proposal LEM


Recommended Posts

Not at all necessary crackerjazz ... I prefer the nice, smooth surface of the acrylic balls, but certainly didn't think I'd have to wait 4 frikkin months for 'em ...

I hope I can get my build mojo back.

 

I had hoped to get this done for HeritageCon, but that ain't lookin' good either ... I hope to attend ... but it may not work out for me ...

 

Thanx again Joe!

Pete

Link to post
Share on other sites
On 12/7/2019 at 7:20 AM, K2Pete said:

 

And to check the scale, I had to have a side-by-side.

 

2v2H3n7wNxAnAAS.jpg

 

Now, all that's left to do is ... EVERYTHING!  :rolleyes:

 

Thanx for looking in gents!

Pete

 

Pete,

An ambitious looking project, but from what I've seen... you've got this! Not too many modelers

have the skills and patience in doing a complete 'Scratch-build' and having it look so right.

Link to post
Share on other sites
On 2/18/2020 at 6:53 PM, K2Pete said:

I am stilll-l-l waiting for these Acrylic balls to come in from Plastruct.

 

This ... is ... un-bee-leev-able! ... it's been 12 weeks since I ordered them ... :bandhead2:   :explode:

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.

 

Edited by Solo7
Spelling
Link to post
Share on other sites

Believe or not a lot of what we think for big companies in this hobby, are just small operations maintain for one or two people, that struggle a lot to be competitive and offer a good service to his clients. A lot of them have hard time to make it even, some don’t survive because, shipping issues, government regulations or the lack of good providers.

 

Hang in there Pete.

 

Ricardo

Link to post
Share on other sites
  • 2 months later...

To resurrect this build ... the Acrylic spheres, which I had ordered in mid-November, arrived in late March ... close to 5 months.   :bandhead2:

 

But as I was completing a different model, it mattered not.

 

 

Anyhoo, I needed the spheres to make the fuel tanks hanging off the side of the Ascent Stage. 

I had to cut a 3/4" tube in half ...

 

2v2HBkDNTxAnAAS.jpg

 

 

My apologies for the poor focus, but I wanna show the chamfer that I had to file into the tube for a better fit of the balls, which were also cut in half.

 

2v2HBkD8hxAnAAS.jpg

 

 

My little jig to glue the hemispheres to the half tubes ...

 

2v2HBk4oDxAnAAS.jpg

 

 

On the bottom of the Descent Stage are 3 fuel tanks which partially protrude and I'll use 2 tanks from the Revell Apollo Service Module's tanks.

I'll cut 'em off, and fit 'em on, a little later.

 

2v2HBkD5mxAnAAS.jpg

 

 

And, I'm still getting re-familiarized with this build but I think the major subassemblies are done, I can get onto the antennae and Reaction Control System ... 

 

2v2HBkDFixAnAAS.jpg

 

... but there's still a LOT of filing and puttying and sanding to go ... but it's looking good, so far!

 

Pete

Link to post
Share on other sites

Very nice!  Completely scratch built, too.  The early LM concepts were always so smooth, nothing like the angular LM that actually flew.  This model is really looking good.

 

Randy

 

Link to post
Share on other sites

Thanx gentlemen! 

Manfred, you're correct ... much LOVE ... but much more ... frustration!  :bandhead2:   :yahoo:... but still good, clean FUN!

 

 

 

Smoothing the transition from sphere to tube ...

 

2v2H638AjxAnAAS.jpg

 

 

A quick coat of Flat White as primer and starting on the thrusters ... the hemispheres will go on the bottom of the Descent stage.

 

2v2H6386qxAnAAS.jpg

 

 

Milliput was used to transition the cockpit ... it'll get sanded a bit later ...

 

2v2H638YdxAnAAS.jpg

 

 

Millput sanded and now I'm filling the big gap with Tamiya filler ... and smoothed out with some Nail Polish remover ( diluted acetone ) with a Q-tip.

 

2v2H6387yxAnAAS.jpg

 

 

Apologies for the poor focus ... this is showing how I made the thruster mounting cones. Styrene tubing in a drill running against a coarse file ...

 

2v2H638tFxAnAAS.jpg

 

2v2H638PrxAnAAS.jpg

 

2v2H638R5xAnAAS.jpg

 

 

A screenshot from a Grumman LM documentary, to refresh your memories ... this image is squished vertically ...

 

2v2HoccWJxAnAAS.png

 

 

... and dry fit with a Thruster assembly. Drilling those little spheres for the thruster bells was one ... large ... pain ... in ... the ...... neck!   :boohoo:

 

2v2H638frxAnAAS.jpg

 

But this is getting closer and closer to paint. The subassemblies are done, now it's the smaller stuff ... 

 

Thanx for taking a peek gents!

Pete

Link to post
Share on other sites

One cone was styrene ( 4 tubes of varying diameters ) and the other was Milliput ... both turned out nicely!

 

 

Shimming the fuel tanks using .005" styrene. They'll get trimmed and sanded later ...

 

2v2H6YgzFxAnAAS.jpg

 

2v2H6YWohxAnAAS.jpg

 

 

The footpads were cut off from necklace beads ... and as the last cut was made, my Dremel's drive shaft broke ......

I use a Dremel so rarely that I may not replace it.

 

2v2H6YgjGxAnAAS.jpg

 

 

Starting the platform ... drilled out the holes and establishing the placement of the struts.

 

2v2H6YW3LxAnAAS.jpg

 

2v2H6YW9GxAnAAS.jpg

 

 

With footpads and platform fitted ...

 

2v2H6YgMqxAnAAS.jpg

 

2v2H6Yg8nxAnAAS.jpg

 

 

With the platform done ...

 

2v2H6YWunxAnAAS.jpg

 

 

I needed to beef up the attaching edges of the aft section ...

 

2v2H6YgNgxAnAAS.jpg

 

 

... and using Mr Surfacer that's at least 10 years old, I filled some little divots in the Milliput patch ...

 

2v2H6YgrWxAnAAS.jpg

 

With the platform done, the building is done, now it's the finishing ... filling ... sanding .. priming ... sanding ... but getting there!  :thumbsup:

 

Pete

 

Link to post
Share on other sites

Gee whiz CJ, thanx so-o-o much ... I don't know how much you'll be able to assist as it's a 30 year old Dremel but ... it's the Flexible Coupling ...

 

It doesn't seem to be so flexible does it? It's item #5 on the Parts List.

 

2v2H6ydE5xAnAAS.jpg

 

 

 

Anyway, filling some more gaps with 0.05" styrene sheet and I'll trim and file and then Prime it ...

 

2v2H6ydarxAnAAS.jpg

 

 

First sanding after priming it ...

 

2v2H6ydJyxAnAAS.jpg

 

2v2H6yd9FxAnAAS.jpg

 

 

And added a few shims to the Descent stage too ... trim, file, sand, re-prime ... but it's getting there!

 

2v2H6ydejxAnAAS.jpg

 

 

Link to post
Share on other sites
  • 2 weeks later...

I used to use lots of putty but after seeing this solution somewhere online, this works better ... for me.

 

 

I'm just now watching the Dragon docking with the ISS ... dang, these images are so-o-o incredible!

 

 

After gluing the Ascent to the Descent stage the seam at the front needed to be patched.

I used some scrap sheets of styrene after seeing gaps ...

 

2v2HthrS8xAnAAS.jpg

 

 

Filled the glued seam with a length of 0.020" styrene rod ...

 

2v2Hthr4NxAnAAS.jpg

 

 

... then filled and sanded ... a few times.

 

2v2HthrTjxAnAAS.jpg

 

 

The side window was made from a sphere cut in half and sanded then attached.

The entire assembly got primed too ... it's looking good!

 

2v2HthrhzxAnAAS.jpg

 

 

Then a couple light coats of White ...

 

2v2HthrL2xAnAAS.jpg

 

2v2Hthrg3xAnAAS.jpg

 

2v2HthrWNxAnAAS.jpg

 

2v2HthrGrxAnAAS.jpg

 

 

The thrusters weren't attached because I have still a lot of fiddling to go. The Windows are next. I think I'll go with airbrushing and not decals. Because of all the compound curves on the 'face', the decal material won't conform ... so I need to determine the size and shape of the windows. 

This is a test fit ...

 

2v2HthjG8xAnAAS.jpg

 

 

And this seems to work nicely. The sheet is a printout of the decals ... just on paper for now. The windows went through quite a few subtle iterations ...

 

2v2HthjdyxAnAAS.jpg

 

This is in  the final stretch ... I hope!

Pete

Link to post
Share on other sites
  • 2 years later...

Well ... it's been over 2 years of having this unfinished project staring at me ... so, I finally had the attitude adjustment I needed to git 'er dunn.

 

For these 2 years I wondered how on earth I was going to get the windows done. I though decals would be the obvious answer but ... I wondered how much the decals would distort when putting them on ... and that was my roadblock.

Masking off and Spraying the windows on, would be too time consuming.  Now, what you see here is Tamiya tape which has been on the model for over 2 years, and another mental roadblock was 'what if there's adhesive residue under all this and I'll ruin the paint while cleaning it off?'

 

Well none of that happened, so ... a couple weeks ago, that's what I decided to do ... Mask off and Spray on.

 

image.jpeg.eafcafac2e445714f591befb9b3a723e.jpeg

 

One other stumbling block was my decal film. I needed some more and finally ordered a few sheets from Bare Metal Foil. Now, I used the White film and here's how it looks. I tried to remove it and re-do with Clear film, but this wouldn't come off, so, I'm leaving it on.

 

image.thumb.jpeg.e4dc880c328df1f55f310875d52917e2.jpeg

 

 

And after a lot of touch ups and double checking, I put on all the thrusters and antennae and called her DONE!

 

image.thumb.jpeg.1dc7218f59fb12a4e235433e7c0dae2b.jpeg

 

 

I'll get a few other beauty shots of this Prototype with a LM that went through its evolutionary design process in the next posting.

 

image.thumb.jpeg.cbdccbdda5e57a2eaf537ed9c3c48530.jpeg

 

image.thumb.jpeg.7b432510107ffce7b3ab8305370abeca.jpeg

 

There's quite a few little divots and slight imperfections, but I'm quite happy with this. I have my 'Final LM', Apollo 10, to finish and my LM collection will be complete.

 

Till next time

Pete

Link to post
Share on other sites

I thought I had taken pix of the masking and the first result ... which I kind of expected.

 

The Tamiya tape, which had been on for over 2 years, with just regular Masking Tape over it as a guide for cutting ...

 

image.thumb.jpeg.2371de690bb226e22e577bb78cd0b8db.jpeg

 

 

image.thumb.jpeg.56ce509784e0f421f9c6335af9a08fc1.jpeg

 

 

This build-up on the edges was not acceptable so I sanded down these raised edges ... carefully.

 

image.thumb.jpeg.8a8e0817d2759d5e3e3f08471b9f7b64.jpeg

 

 

After sanding down those edges, Black lines showed up which was where the Primer and Paint had lifted off when I removed the Tamiya tape ... but I touched those edges up and re-masked the windows and resprayed.

 

image.thumb.jpeg.6c19a0124b705cc5f17f96be0518194a.jpeg

 

 

After repainting, applying decals, I sprayed on a coat of Future to seal the decals, added the antennae and thrusters, and I called it DON!

 

image.thumb.jpeg.71bb5853e3d6e42f42127fdd81123878.jpeg

 

image.thumb.jpeg.f1e70863aff3ffebbebf881c18840ace.jpeg

 

image.thumb.jpeg.46ebb60af9b03d38a40150bfebcce2a6.jpeg

 

And here's one with a finished LM ... this one's Apollo 16's.

 

image.thumb.jpeg.f2c8ee45cb465df3d8bf037d67a97eb4.jpeg

 

And that'll do it for this model ... thanx for taking a peek gents!

 

Pete

Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...