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1/144 Space & Rocket Center Saturn 1 **FROSTED 3D printed parts&#3


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Saturn I Block II - US Space & Rocket Center, Huntsville, Alabama

Resources to be utilized:

-Airfix 1/144 Saturn 1B kit

-Martin's Models Saturn 1 Block II resin conversion kit

-Space In Minature #6 Apollo spacecraft reference

-Scratch-built and other 3rd party components

In between my ongoing shuttle projects, I am beginning work on a 1/144 scale model of the Saturn I Block II as it stands in the rocket park at the US Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama. This is a rocket I have admired since I was a kid, and the the Block II variation is often overlooked.

This particular Block II Saturn I varies quite a bit from the rockets that actually flew. Most noticeably are the roll patterns on the upper stages, which appear to be somewhat of a conglomeration of SA-5 and SA-6. The rocket on display is also missing various pieces of hardware, including the conical fairing and the hydrogen chill-down ducts on the S-I stage and the hydrogen vent stacks, retro rockets and ullage motors on the S-IV stage. Also, one of the larger fins on the S-I stage appears to have been replaced with a stub fin.

The rocket stands on 8 Block I support arms, which I will have to scratch build, along with a base. I will use the Airfix Saturn 1B kit as a basis. I was originally going to use the Realspace Saturn 1 Block 2 kit, but I didn't want to pay $100 for it when I already had the Airfix 1B in my stash. I then found the Block II conversion kit for the Airfix 1B from Martin's Models for around $35 and decided to give that a try instead.

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Before I get started with the build, let's do a quick review of the kit parts.

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First of all, the Martin's Models resin pieces are a bit of a disappointment. The cylindrical parts for the S-IV are lopsided and asymmetrical. The S-IV shroud was broken and uneven as well. The thrust structure is skewed and one of the fins on the shroud fairing had chipped off. The kit was also missing one of the stub fins. I'm thinking I can use some of the pieces, but for the most part it looks like I'll be doing some scratch-building.

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Edited by Hotdog
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And now a quick glance at the Airfix kit.

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This is all you get for the antenna panels on the S-I stage. Something more detailed and accurate will have to be fashioned out of styrene sheet. Shouldn't be too difficult.

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Not only will the fins have to be removed from the tail of the S-1, but the stringers will also need to be removed and new ones applied to the appropriate areas below the new fins.

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The blast shield is going to have to be completely re-done. I will be creating a new engraved styrene detail set for this kit that will include the panel lines and revised holes for the engines so they can be spaced in a more correct manner.

DAYS 1-7

20.5 hours

Build cost to date: $85.91

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I started on the S-IV stage first. The Martin's Models part for the "interstage" section is too lopsided to be useable, so I'm fashioning a new one from scratch out of styrene sheet. Here you see a cylinder of styrene sheet glued together and reinforced with a strip.

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I found that the lid of a prescription pill bottle is almost the exact same diameter as the S-IV in 1/144, so I found a few of these and wrapped a couple of strips of Tamiya masking tape around the edges so they'd fit snugly inside. This saved from having to cut out and sand perfect circles of styrene to fit.

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Here is where I hit my first snag! It appeared the cement I was using to hold the cylinder to the pill bottle cap melted through the thin styrene. I created another one and used Krazy glue instead, and got the same results! Oh well, I decided to fill in the gap with putty and see if I could sand it back smooth again.

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Meanwhile, I went to work on the upper portion of the S-IV. I used a pill bottle cap again, along with a circle cut piece of styrene and the lid of a Crayola marker inserted into a hole in the middle to strengthen the inside more. I also scratch-built a shroud out of styrene to fit over the asymmetrical resin shroud that came with the Martin's Models kit.

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Using the drawings in the Space In Minature book as a guide, I created a detail guide for the Apollo boilerplate spacecraft in Adobe Illustrator. Here you see a dummy of it printed out and wrapped around the Martin's Models resin part, which I will be using (even though it appears to be about 4mm too long in length and will need to be trimmed down). I'll eventually create a decal using this drawing and apply it directly to the resin part so I can accurately place whatever detail bits and pieces I decide to stick on before painting.

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And here's how everything looks so far, after *hours and hours* of back-and-forth puttying and sanding. I've got the fins removed and the tail sanded down, and most of the putty/sand work done on the S-IV (but still a few pesky little spots to fill in).

Edited by Hotdog
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Interesting choice of subject. I will be watching this. Too bad that the Martin Model parts weren't up to the task. I was contemplating to buy one of their Mercury Atlas model but seeing this I will think about it again. Anyway I hope you will endure the tedious task of sanding and filling.

Cheers

Ralf

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DAY 8

2 hours (22.5 hours total)

Build cost to date: $85.91

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I've got the halves of the S-1 stage glued together and I strengthened the seams from the inside with thin styrene sheet. I've also got the preliminary puttying and sanding of the seams done.

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Here you see where I had to cut and sand off the top rim of the S-1 stage. This took about an hour or so to get right, using everything from a Dremel saw, sanding blocks, flat sandpaper and micro files.

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Here's a quick dry-fit to show the stack so far.

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I have glued the S-IV parts together and now I'm wondering if it would be OK to go ahead and put a layer of primer on it, just to see how I did with all of the putty and sanding work? It's hard to tell if it's ready for paint or not, and I'd like to know now, before I start adding all of the little detail bits such as antennas and the systems tunnel. Once I add those, it will be hard to sand around them. What do you guys think? Any reason why I should not shoot this with primer yet? Is it OK to sand and putty some more after primering? I'm thinking I'll use Tamiya light gray primer. If there's another type that sands better, let me know. Thanks for looking.

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Check out these beautiful 3D renderings of the H-1 engines for the S-1 stage! My friend Josh over at Meatball Rocketry was nice enough to create these for me and put them on Shapeways. Along with the custom heat shield, they should really ramp up the detail of the first stage of the kit! If you have the Airfix Saturn 1B kit in your stash, you will want to get a set of these! I'll let you guys know how they turn out when I get the first set in a couple of weeks.

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Yes. I love the New Ware kits and wish they'd do a Block II Saturn! As far as using the New Ware Saturn I as a base to build a Block II, I believe the conversion would be more difficult, given that the tail section of the S-1 stage is so different on those early Saturns. The S-1 of the Airfix 1B kit requires less modification to get right. I'm loving the crash course in scratch-building that I'm getting though! The experience will serve well in the more ambitious projects I have planned for the future.

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Good point, I was just curious if you evaluated that particular option. Glad you are going the scratchbuilding route since in the end, your skills grow quite a bit because of it.

I need to get back to Huntsville one of these days. I visited a friend in town a couple years ago when I was heading home from STS-135 as he invited me to visit him at Marshall (got a chance to tour the test stands too) but I didn't have the time to visit the USSRC. I did take one long loving look just outside the gate though and I marvelled at just how much it changed since my visit for Space Camp Level 2 in 1985. That Saturn 1 Block 2 was and still is quite a fixture of the facility (even if the standing Saturn V and Space Shuttle Pathfinder stack might attract more attention).

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Jay, when you were there for Space Camp by chance, do you remember the Saturn I having a red flashing aircraft light? I remember it from my Space Camp days in the early 90s, before the Space Shot and the Saturn V mockup were erected. I think they may have moved the aircraft light to those taller structures at that time (1996, 1999). The reason I ask is I'm wanting to put the aircraft light in this model as an LED, but I can't get confirmation other than a couple of ex-camp counselors who vaguely recall it having the light in the escape tower which is how I remember it. I'd love to find a vintage night photo to prove it, but searches have turned up nothing. And yes, a query to the museum also turned up negative.

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I honestly don't recall the Saturn having a beacon light on top. It would have been a REAL challenge to make such a thing. When the stacked Saturn V mockup was erected, only minor non-scale thing they did was to make the LES big enough that a worker could climb up through it to the top to change the flashing beacon bulb in it as these bulbs do go out occassionally (so it is slightly fatter than a real LES).

Mounting such a beacon on the Saturn 1 would have been a very big challenge as I see no evidence of climbing rungs or a cable tray on the outside, or an access point from the inside and I don't know if a decades old LES structure could handle a load like that. Plus, usually the rocket park was back lit in such a way to make it pretty easy to spot the Saturn on the ground at night. I don't think the Saturn 1B at the Alabama Welcome Center just up the interstate has a beacon light in it either, and it is taller than the Saturn 1. Now the Saturn V being twice as tall and a structure designed to LOOK like a Saturn V rather than being an actual rocket probably needed a beacon added due to the way laws are structured for such features. But in that case, they were able to plan ahead for that.

At the same time though, I am not saying there WASN'T a beacon, but I really don't recall seeing one at all on the first night I arrived.

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Thanks for your insight Jay. Changing the bulb presents a good challenge. If the light was housed inside the jettison motor of the LES, it would be difficult to reach. I'm assuming they would have used a large cherry picker of some kind to get up that high. I think that's how they change the bulb on the taller Saturn 1B at the Alabama Welcome Center, which does have an aircraft light, along with a ladder extending from the CM cover up the side of the LES.

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So despite not being able to prove my recollection of the aircraft light, I think I'm going to go ahead and try putting a small nano LED inside the tower jettison motor of the LES. That's likely where it would have been hidden if my fuzzy memory is indeed correct. I don't see how they could get away with not putting a light on the rocket somewhere. It was the tallest structure in the area for a long time! And both the Saturn 1 at the nearby Marshall Space Flight Center and the Alabama Welcome Center both have them.

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Check it out! My buddy Josh over at Meatball Rocketry has done it again with his 3D skills and fashioned up a set of support arms in 1:144 scale for the base of the rocket! You can get your own set here. I plan to add the rivets, panel lines and other details primarily with decals. There may be a few styrene bits added as well. These support arms will be part of a platform base that will include spotlights powered by a 9-volt battery.

When I started this project, I thought I was gonna have to create each of the 8 support arms from scratch out of styrene. Quite honestly, I was not looking forward to that! I'm getting all of the scratchbuilding lessons I need right now from the S-IV stage and instrument unit. I'm excited about 3D printing and the seemingly endless possibilities!

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Today I recieved the 3D printed support arms from Shapeways. They are excellent! It's hard to appreciate the detail in these photographs due to the translucent material they are printed in.

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The surface has some ribbed detail from the manufacturing process that will need to be removed. I'm hoping this material is as easy to sand as styrene or resin. I'm going to try and paint the insides before sanding, so the ribs will be easier to spot visually. Then I'll shoot one with some primer and take a better picture.

Any tips for sanding or painting is appreciated. This is my first time ever working with 3D printed parts. Does acrylic work as good as enamel? If I mess up, can I still use brake fluid to strip the paint? Those are the types of questions floating around since I've never worked with this material.

I'll post pics of the H-1 engines when I get them tomorrow. Thanks for looking.

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Hi Hotdog, I find all this very inspiring - makes me want to start drawing again. The printed parts look excellent. Frosted ultra detail, right? The ribbed layers should be fine with some putty (might be difficult to just sand). Never tried enamel but acrylic works really nicely. You have to make sure that they are free of that oily residue. I used dishwashing liquid and a toothbrush. Even soaked them in rubbing alcohol (they say lacquer thinner is better).

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Hey Hot Dog, on the FUD parts I've messed with, they take sanding very well. On the first SRB attach rings I modeled, I left the model too faceted and they printed out ridged like that. with a good pass of some 400 and then 600 grit I was able to get them smooth. Polished with a fingernail buffing kit and they actually had quite a sheen. I used Rustoleum and MM enamel right out of the can with no problems. I've also painted this material with Citadel acrylics with good results. I did find if you have to actually cut the parts with a knife they actually chip away more than cut. It's made of tiny little layers almost like beads and not laminated layers like polystyrene, so it cuts a lot different.

This is coming along great, can't wait to see more.

Bill

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After receiving those parts from Shapeways a few days ago, I soaked them in Goo Gone for about 45 minutes to remove the waxy oily substance. I then rinsed them in warm water. This was recommended by someone on the Shapeways forum. As the parts dried out, they slowly began to frost over. The above picture shows what they looked like after a couple of days. They are even more white and frosty now. Yuck!!!

The support arms are not too bad. The ribbed detail on the flat surfaces seems to even out the effect of the frosting, and the flat surfaces can easily be sanded. So I should be able to make those parts useable.

The engines, however, are a different story. Take a look at these pictures:

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As you can see, the texture and thickness of the frosting is much worse on the engines, and not consistent all the way around. Due to the detail, shape and small size of the engines, it's almost impossible to try and sand them. It's my understanding that the inconsistency is due to the orientation of the parts during printing. I am going to contact Shapeways and see if they will do a reprint, but other than that, I am at a loss on what to do.

I've tried a few techniques to remove the frosting, such as scrubbing with MEK (Plastruct cement), Tamiya extra thin cement, and paint thinner with a dry toothbrush. The frost disappears only because the part is wet. When it dries, the frost becomes visible again. I'm thinking I may dip the engines in Future in the hopes it will permanently "wet" the appearance of the surface. Then I'll hit the parts with some light gray primer and see what that does.

So that's where I am, learning a lot about 3D printed parts! Thanks guys for your input, let me know if there's anything else I might could try.

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  • 2 months later...

The Saturn I Block II at the USSRC consists of the following hardware:

First stage: S-IB D/F (upgraded from S-ID5); dynamic test stand vehicle.

Second stage: S-IV D5-D9; hydrostatic/dynamic test stand vehicle.

Apollo spacecraft: boilerplate BP-27.

When it was put together at the USSRC, some of the large fins of the S-IB D/F stage were replaced by stub fins (possibly to save space or allow a walkway?) The S-IV D5-D9 stage is painted in the unique roll pattern of S-IV-5.

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Thanks for your insight Jay. Changing the bulb presents a good challenge. If the light was housed inside the jettison motor of the LES, it would be difficult to reach. I'm assuming they would have used a large cherry picker of some kind to get up that high. I think that's how they change the bulb on the taller Saturn 1B at the Alabama Welcome Center, which does have an aircraft light, along with a ladder extending from the CM cover up the side of the LES.

8008607762_cf03da2c9d_h.jpg

HPIM0108.JPG

So despite not being able to prove my recollection of the aircraft light, I think I'm going to go ahead and try putting a small nano LED inside the tower jettison motor of the LES. That's likely where it would have been hidden if my fuzzy memory is indeed correct. I don't see how they could get away with not putting a light on the rocket somewhere. It was the tallest structure in the area for a long time! And both the Saturn 1 at the nearby Marshall Space Flight Center and the Alabama Welcome Center both have them.

Normally, obstruction lighting is not required on structures less than 200 feet tall, unless near an airport. Redstone Army Airfield (KHUA) is just to the northwest of the rocket park within MSFC. The Saturn IB at the Alabama Welcome Center and at the Saturn V replica on vertical display outside the Davidson Center for Space Exploration are over the 200 feet requirement, thus they require obstruction lighting. I think the Saturn IB only has the red obstruction lighting; the Saturn V replica at USSRC has red lighting and white strobes.

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