Help with a Tintin rocket!

[strobez]

So as part of my ongoing Tintin-related 1/72 build, I've been thinking about building the icon red/white rocket. In case it's not that icon to you... it looks like this:



Now, incidentally, since I want this to be in 1/72 I've decided to go with the XFLR test rocket, which is considerably smaller than the actual Tintin moon rocket (which would be about a meter long or so in 1/72).

The XFLR (based upon my extremely scientifical and precise calculations) in 1/72 would sit 190mm total from base to tip.  The actual rocket part is about 148mm and it's roughly 23mm wide at its widest part.



So here's the question... what's the best way to go about constructing this? Getting the shape accurate is obviously the most important part.  It's not just a tube with a pointy end.  Now one idea I had was to use a centre post and drill some holes into some styrene disks and place them along the post at regular intervals.  They bigger trick would be to skin it properly.  Do I try to wrap it with thin styrene sheets? lots of little strips and then putty and sand the hell out of it?  Fill the gaps between the disks with epoxy putty and sand the hell out of it?

Anyone else got any brilliant ideas?

[Weaver]

Those dimensions almost perfectly suite a 1/72nd V-2. You could get the Pegasus one, modify the tail fins to be a bit longer, and off you go.

[zenrat]

I wondered when you'd get to this.

I'd turn it.  Either with my metal lathe or with my BiLs wood lathe.
However, my first thought WAS "hmmm, V2".

[strobez]

Well, obviously the Tintin Rocket is an essential part of any collection.  I just couldn't imagine squeezing it into a 1/72 scale one... until I remembered there were actually TWO rockets.

Now, if I HAD a lathe... I might even attempt the full-sized one.

I've looked at the V-2 kits, but a) they don't seem easily available and b) the V-2 (upon which Hergé based his obviously) is a bit sharper around the nose.  Of course modifying that might be easier than just creating it out of thin air and a pile of plastic sheets...

[Mossie]

Yeah, you could combine a 1/72 kit with your post and disc method for the nose cone.  The Condor kit comes up on ebay quite often..

You might be able to eventually do the moon rocket using a 1/35 kit?

[Weaver]

Just realised that the Pegasus V2 is  1/48th, not 1/72nd. Sorry.

Revell did one in 1:69th that comes up on Ebay quite often.

[strobez]

After some thinking... I think I'm going to try something a little different.  I was able to secure a template for the Tintin moon rocket that is intended for someone making a paper model.  Using that template and some thin (maybe 0.3mm) styrene sheets, I think I'll be able to cut out each of the segments.  Then, with a bit of glue and some internal reinforcements, I think I can glue the whole thing together.  With a bit of PSR to cover over the seams...

Hmmm....

What could possibly go wrong?!

[Mossie]

Our own Paper Kosmonaut did one:
https://paperkosmonaut.blogspot.co.uk/2011/12/tintins-moon-rocket.html

[Hobbes]

A paper model (or the same construction method in styrene) will allow you to create a straight cone, but not a curved cone as needed for this rocket. You'd have to use the cone as a base and put putty on top to create the final shape.
Also, 0.3mm styrene is too thick to be bent easily. The glue joints would be under too much stress (I've tried this). 0.15mm works, but creates a different problem: it's so thin, styrene cement warps it immediately, and you get an uneven surface on the glue joints.

It'd be easier to create a skeleton from styrene (cut out the front and side views, glue them together) and fill in the spaces with scrap styrene (sprue), then putty.

[zenrat]

I can't help thinking you'll be able to find a toy rocket that's about the right size and shape - it's a classic design.

[strobez]

I saw the Paper Kosmonaut build as part of my research, and that's mainly what inspired me to attempt this.

Despite Hobbes' well-reasoned advice, I decided to laugh in the face of danger and give it a go anyway... It's still early days, but the initial thoughts are positive.  I was able to cut out the styrene 0.3 mm sheet into the required pattern (albeit after constructing a paper test model and then doing some calculations in order to re-scale the template to the correct size).

Then I carefully glued each of the ends together, using a thin styrene strip on the inside as a support and clamped them like there was no tomorrow.  Afterwards, I got out my trusty new circle cutter and made disks to insert into each section to act as support structures.  This was a bit tricky as my cutter doesn't really work with the level of accuracy (fractions of mm) necessary for a true frame.  So I just had to get as close as possible and file each disk to fit.... carefully trying to maintain the circle shape by filing in an uniform (if monotonous) pattern.

In the end, I have a collection of stacking cups.  I thought about running a tube down the centre, but a) I don't have a drill bit big enough to do the job and b) I suspect I will need some wiggle room for each section... something that would be constrained by an (imperfect) centre skeleton.

[strobez]

I can't help thinking you'll be able to find a toy rocket that's about the right size and shape - it's a classic design.

I had the same thought... but it doesn't seem to be proven in reality.  All the toy rockets I can find are long skinny tubes with very sharp noses and fins all the way at the end.

[PR19_Kit]

 Nah, real old school would be to carve it from balsa, coat it with sanding sealer and then paint it. 

[zenrat]

I think Steve might have hit on something.

Glue a rod up the centre of a styrofoam block/cylinder, chuck it in a drill, clamp the drill in a vice and Robert is your Mother's Brother - a simple lathe.  The styrofoam would be soft enough to "machine" without doing anything nasty to the bearings in the drill by applying excessive lateral force.  you would probably need to come up with something to support the end of the rod but that shouldn't be too difficult for a man of your talents.

[loupgarou]

Nah, real old school would be to carve it from balsa, coat it with sanding sealer and then paint it. 

Nah, real  real old school would be carving it from a mammoth bone, with flint tools, like I usd to do when I was young...