Here’s a link to some photos of my latest scratchbuild, the Ares 1 Crew Launch Vehicle, in card, in 1/96th scale. The model is of the latest (and probably not final) iteration of the Ares 1, with 5-segment SRB and the bullet-shaped Launch Abort System fairing. I used several types of papers, including an orange textured art paper to replicate the foam insulation on the second stage.
While most artists’ renderings of the Ares 1 depict it with the NASA meatball and other logos on the second stage, I left them off mine. For one thing, it was less work. For another, it struck me you never see logos (or any other markings, for that matter) on the foam insulation of other launch vehicles, including the shuttle’s External Tank and the Delta IV. If the Ares 1 winds up flying with logos on the foam, I can always add them later.
After building it, it really hit me – the Ares 1 sure is gonna be tall…
Thanks for the kind words. Card modeling can be addictive once you get into it. And you know it’s not the smell of the glue you’re addicted to…
One of the nice things about the hobby is that it is really in a Golden Age right now; with various CAD tools, there are some pretty talented designers churning out some great models. In fact, one guy is working on designing a 1/48th-scale XB-70 (yeah, that’s 1/48th, and some people had wanted him to go for 1/32nd…) and he’s done some amazing work so far. You can follow the progress here: