Okay, I’ve been working on Monogram’s 1/72nd scale Shuttle off and on for about four years. The reason for the long stretch is I’m replicating the tile pattern by using plastic strips of 0.010 X 0.080" Plasti-Strut cut into tiny tile shapes. There are 10 strips per pack; one strip will yield 126 plastic tiles; I’ve used 10 packages of strips. I tend to burn out quite often so I put everything away for a few months until I feel up to the task again.
Obviously, with the loss of Columbia, my desire to complete my shuttle has been re-kindled. The only tiles that have have left to lay are around the main engine bases. Afterwhich I turn my attention to the Nomex blanket material. Since the real vehicle carries different weights of material, I’ll be using different methods to recreate the same look and feel (tissue paper, embossed paper napkins, etc). Then I’ll finish-up the exterior by attaching the carbon-carbon leading edges and nose piece.
I have the RealSpace resin cargo bay set. What a beauty! Too bad that I filled in the model’s flight deck windows will plastic card and cut open new windows of the proper size and shape. The RealSpace set includes photo-etched windows to wrap around the cockpit. All the thruster locations have been drilled out and backed-up with plastic tubes.
The Main engines are completed. I cut away the molded on plumbing and added new pipes with copper wire and solder. I feel that these look better than the RealSpace resin engines and they’re cheaper as well. Last night I finished adding the para-brake housing under the vertical tail.
My goal is to model Shuttle Endeavor during the first Hubble repair mission. Plans are to scratch-built the Hubble as the Skilcraft kit is slightly larger than 1/72nd scale and won’t fit in the cargo bay. RealSpace is talking about making a set of Hubble repair accessories for the cargo bay. If this happens soon, that’ll be great. But I’m prepared to scratch-build these too as I don’t expect RealSpace to have these out anytime soon (I’m still waiting for their CSM which is six months late).
Anyways, I’m curious as to what anyone else is doing to their big scale Shuttles. I feel as though I’m building Endeavor in a vacuum as nobody else that I know is working on a Shuttle in 1/72nd scale. I’ve got some current photos of my Shuttle sitting in the camera. As soon as I shoot off the rest of the roll, I’ll post and share my work with all of you.
Best regards and let me know what about your Shuttles.
Hello Spacenut and welcome to the site. Check out my discussion under Greetings and solicitations. We are dealing with that very problem, I had not thought of cutting out each tile as you have, a very ambitious direction, I may do that myself, you are farther into yours than mine is.
Thanx for the replies guys. How ironic is this. Last night I tiled over the main landing gear doors and installed them. The kit doors don’t close-up tight enough so I had to cut new ones from plastic. Then in this morning’s newspaper I reading about heat penetrating Columbia’s landing gear door. Working on the nose wheel noses today. One side is finished. I didn’t realize this until now, but one door is wider than the other. Hopefully I can start on the rear engine bulkhead later tonight. I can’t believe that the tiles are almost finished. I have the Monogram Shuttle stack in 1/72nd scale as well. I don’t think I’ll do the tiles the same way as on this model. Life is too short…
I am a space shuttle nut as well. The Columbia tragedy has got me to get out all of my shuttle kits and ready them for building. I do have a question; why didn’t you use the Revell 1/72 kit as it has the tile locations on it, ver accurate as I might add, and doesnt look so much like a toy?
Cameraeye, the tile pattern on the Revell kit is overscale and based on what Enterprise had or was supposed to have. Also, you have raised tile edges, which is not right either. Spacenut’s way sounds good, if tedious and complicated.
My Shuttle is still very far from seeing the light of a show. The main parts are assembled but that’s about it. I had been planning to build the Magellan mission ( I even scratchbuilt the space probe, but it’s now on its own display stand) but I find it really hard to find enough pictures of all areas of the cargo bay, specific equipment and probe ‘holder’ for a kit that size that need to be extremelly detailled… The Galileo mission was another one I was thinking of (started scratchbuilding that one too, but gave up), but I ran into the very same problem.
I built mine years ago when I was teaching aerospace education and the history of flight… It held up well until another teacher had to move it… crash… time to start over, I guess…
My Shuttle model was featured in FSM Feb 2000. The full article detailing construction wasn’t published, but I’d be happy to send that out to any interested parties. That Monogram kit is a dog, needs a heckuva lot of work to get it looking right.
I have to drop a word for a great online store. I buy all my paint from there, and they are extremely nice.
They sell just about everything space wise. I was thinking, when you set up a stand for your shuttle… would be kind of cool to order a patch from them, and put it on the base for a diorama kind of thing.
I disscused my approach to the tile issue in the other forum, but something else that I ventured into was the crew cabin interior. I found the Monogram kit to be fairly accurate but lacking in detail and the Revell kit to be a very over simplified… so like any good modeler, I built my own cockpit. Fortunately I planned ahead and decided to make some RTV molds of my scratch built parts and pour them in resin. So now I have a small collection of shuttle cockpit parts including a new instrument panel, payload control panels, more accurate seats and some walls that exist just to the side of the pilots missing from both kits. While most of the detail is hard to see, with proper painting and a little sun light it can always be pointed out to the untrained observer. I will try to post some phots when I find them (lost in cyber space somewhere).
I agree with you on the cockpit it does need work, ya say you got extra pieces you made, would ya be willing to part with some maybe? I hadn’t deceided what I was going to do with the cockpit, tho I did reduce the windows they’re way to big for the scale.
Yeah, for anyone who wants my “Shuttle Cockpit Detail Set” e-mail me and I can see if I might be able to send you a set. Only real problem I have is casting the seats. The thin struts for the back tend to tarp bubbles, but with some time and a little work I can usually get 1 of 3 to work well… or a combination of several.
I might have to charge a small fee for the cost of resin and shipping, but I am willing to give it a try.
caine@colorado.edu
[:)]
I’m totally new to this website but this thread (and the fact I bought Cutting Edges 72nd scale decals for the Shuttle just yesterday) makes me want to get the kit out of the attic. Anyone seen the bit from Cutting Edge about tile pattern decals? Any thoughts on that? I have to say I’m tempted as (great idea as it sounds) there’s no way I’m tiling that sucker with individual plastic tiles [:)] Anyone got any thoughts on these bits, BTW?
And finally, what’s the difference between the Revell and Monogram 72nd scale shuttles, I kinda assumed they were the same kit in a different box. Not so?
I don’t know anything about the Cutting Edge decals, but I have both the Monogram and Revell shuttle kits and they are noticably different. There are some advantages to each. The Monogram has realatively few “panel” lines on it and is overall a smooth surfaced model. The cargo bay doors are hinged over the length of the doors similar to the real shuttle and I think fits together the best of the two. However, the windows are out of proprtion and need to be modified or just painted over properly if you want a realistic model.
The Revell kit has raised tile lines in all the areas that it should, but they are over sized by about a factor of 2. If you don’t care about accuracy it still makes a good kit in terms of the tiles. The windows are better sized, but I recommend replacing the clear parts from the kit with clear sheet styrene. The cargo bay doors are hinged only at the ends of the cargo bay and the mechanism make for an unrealistic cargo bay. That isn’t really a problem if you plan to build it witht he doors closed though. Finally, the Revell kit has movable rudder and body flap… a nice feature if you plan to show the shuttle in flight or landing.
That should give you a good idea of the differences in the kits. Overall I think the Monogram kit is more accurate, but the Revell kit is more detailed. Take you pick, but I think the Monogram kits are out of production, so if you want one start looking!
Thanks for the info, I actually have the Revell kit but I’m amazed they’re different molds! Was this before the Revell/Monogram tie in? (I guess it must have been). Quite a coincidence those two should be the people to do 72nd scale shuttles and then join forces later…
Did someone say they had the booster stack? In 72nd? I never knew that existed, must be huge! Must go and dig the kit out of the pile…
Hey everyone!
This is my first time to this site and it looks very informative. I’d like some suggestions on texturing the external tank and it’s color. I’m aware that there is no “exact” match, however I’m looking for your suggestions.
I haven’t gotten to my tank yet, but I was planning to try using a technique that some use for making rust on tanks. Mixing in talcum power with the paint. I still have to go dig through my FSM collection to find the article with it before I can say how its done.
The color is dependent on how accurate you want to be and which tank you are modelling. The newer tanls have more of a yellowish color to them than the older orange. I would recommend just finding a coulpe of orange paints that you think might mix well to create the proper color. Or you could always go with the STS-1 and paint it white.
