Discussion Mk II

[Weaver]

China has some interesting spacecraft and lunar vehicles.

Indeed, and there've been quite a few kits of them to use as a starting point for something whiffy, some of which were still in Hannants the last time I looked. The space vehicles/stations tend to be adaptions of Russian technology, but none the worse for it.

GWH Tiangong 1 space station in 1/48th: https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/GWHL4805?result-token=XYDR3 (still in stock and not unreasonable at £20)

Trumpeter Shenzhou spacecraft in 1/72nd: https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/TU01615?result-token=XYDR3 (currently out of stock)

[Weaver]

While I was looking for the info on that last post, I noticed that this is back in stock      :

https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/AMCH1828?result-token=QzTtt (Atlantis, 1/150th scale, £30)
Designed by Krafft Ehricke, another real rocket engineer.

Background info: https://fantastic-plastic.com/convair-space-shuttle-by-revell.html

[Mossie]

While I was looking for my old Pilgrim Observer thread, I found an old thread by Atlantis. This is the Saturn V-21, a heavy launch vehicle with boosters and using the Pilgrim Observers nose cap to create a bulbous cargo section.
https://www.whatifmodellers.com/index.php?topic=37581.msg609401#msg609401

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[PR19_Kit]

While I was looking for the info on that last post, I noticed that this is back in stock      :

https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/AMCH1828?result-token=QzTtt (Atlantis, 1/150th scale, £30)
Designed by Krafft Ehricke, another real rocket engineer.

Yeas, I KNOW I said I wasn't up for this GB, but I DO like that, a LOT. 

I can't remember it as the Revell kit first time around at all.

[kerick]

While I was looking for my old Pilgrim Observer thread, I found an old thread by Atlantis. This is the Saturn V-21, a heavy launch vehicle with boosters and using the Pilgrim Observers nose cap to create a bulbous cargo section.
https://www.whatifmodellers.com/index.php?topic=37581.msg609401#msg609401

You cannot view this attachment.

Looks like two Atlas rockets as boosters.
The old L39 launch pad wouldn't be up to launching that monster. NASA would have to take up a bunch more of Florida real estate.

I've also found that between the stuff I brought home from the last club meeting and stuff I already have I have six of what appear to be Bf-109 wheels. They have that funky tread pattern that will work as moon wheels quite well. It looks like 1/72nd scale so the rover will be small.
The hopper will have to match the seated astronaut figure I have which appears to be close enough to 1/35th scale for whiff purposes. I sorted out a whole kit box full of possible parts for these two. I'm also experimenting with glueing together pairs of water bottle caps to see if they will work as moon rover wheels. The ribs on the caps would make interesting tread design. The problem is the plastic doesn't take glue of any kind. Gorilla glue is holding so far but if it pull or twist it I'm sure it will come apart. I might take the best one and make resin one piece copies.

[frank2056]

@Mossie - I have an original issue "Pilgrim Observer" that I bought off ebay 20 years ago and the re-release. It's a great kit. One thing it isn't is 1/100 scale. I think 1/144 is probably the closest.

The base does like like Vesta!

[Mossie]

@Mossie - I have an original issue "Pilgrim Observer" that I bought off ebay 20 years ago and the re-release. It's a great kit. One thing it isn't is 1/100 scale. I think 1/144 is probably the closest.

The base does like like Vesta!

Yeah, I agree. The scaling is a bit allover the place, 1/144 seems to be the best compromise. Hope you get around to building yours.

Its impressive how much it looks like Vesta, especially since it was around 40 years after the kit was produced that before any decent images were available.

[PR19_Kit]

While I was looking for the info on that last post, I noticed that this is back in stock      :

https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/AMCH1828?result-token=QzTtt (Atlantis, 1/150th scale, £30)
Designed by Krafft Ehricke, another real rocket engineer.

Yeas, I KNOW I said I wasn't up for this GB, but I DO like that, a LOT. 

I can't remember it as the Revell kit first time around at all.

After perving the Big H site 3-4 times, and realising they only had ONE of these in stock, I bought it. 

Doesn't mean I'll build it for the GB, but it might get my thoughts going on the subject to come up with an idea using it before the GB starts.

[Weaver]

While I was looking for the info on that last post, I noticed that this is back in stock      :

https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/AMCH1828?result-token=QzTtt (Atlantis, 1/150th scale, £30)
Designed by Krafft Ehricke, another real rocket engineer.

Yeas, I KNOW I said I wasn't up for this GB, but I DO like that, a LOT. 

I can't remember it as the Revell kit first time around at all.

After perving the Big H site 3-4 times, and realising they only had ONE of these in stock, I bought it. 

Doesn't mean I'll build it for the GB, but it might get my thoughts going on the subject to come up with an idea using it before the GB starts.

Thank you - that's removed the temptation for me to buy it when I've already spent too much money lately.  

[frank2056]

Another Moon lander kit - The Pegasus "1/350" Moonlander



I put it in quotes because Pegasus kits rarely match the listed scale. This model (and the Space Ark) both have well documented "real world" lengths, but the kits are way off. For the Moon lander, it scales out to 1/250 or thereabouts.

great build on Briymodeller: https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235061210-pegasus-1350-von-braun-moon-lander/

[PR19_Kit]

Thank you - that's removed the temptation for me to buy it when I've already spent too much money lately.  

Glad to be of help H, any time. 

Now I'll just HAVE to build it, or use it for the GB somehow, so you can see how it goes together!

[Weaver]

Thank you - that's removed the temptation for me to buy it when I've already spent too much money lately.  

Glad to be of help H, any time. 

Now I'll just HAVE to build it, or use it for the GB somehow, so you can see how it goes together!

Excellent - I'll have to try to remember how it goes together for when they re-pop it in 10 years' time...

[jcf]

Specifying no sci-fi yet including the Von Braun Colliers magazine articles, Viking books and
Disney stuff is walking a fine line.

The three-stage rocket, space station and the bunch o' tanks in a frame stuff etc. were all adapted
from The Mars Project which was published in 1953. That book was originally the appendix to the
science fiction novel he wrote in the late '40s: Project Mars: A Technical Tale. It was rejected by
every publisher to which it was submitted and remained unpublished until 2006. It's pretty cheesy.
The winged Mars "landing boat" etc. first show up in the novel. The mission is launched because
"clear signs" of intelligent life are spotted, they get to Mars, after various travails, and find the
"Martians" who look like short people with big-heads, big to hold their superbrains, of course, and
so on and so on. The eyerolling text is headache inducing.

You can read it here for yourself on the Internet Archive. It's also downloadable:
Project Mars: A Technical Tale



 

[Weaver]

Specifying no sci-fi yet including the Von Braun Colliers magazine articles, Viking books and
Disney stuff is walking a fine line.

The three-stage rocket, space station and the bunch o' tanks in a frame stuff etc. were all adapted
from The Mars Project which was published in 1953. That book was originally the appendix to the
science fiction novel he wrote in the late '40s: Project Mars: A Technical Tale. It was rejected by
every publisher to which it was submitted and remained unpublished until 2006. It's pretty cheesy.
The winged Mars "landing boat" etc. first show up in the novel. The mission is launched because
"clear signs" of intelligent life are spotted, they get to Mars, after various travails, and find the
"Martians" who look like short people with big-heads, big to hold their superbrains, of course, and
so on and so on. The eyerolling text is headache inducing.

You can read it here for yourself on the Internet Archive. It's also downloadable:
Project Mars: A Technical Tale



 

The "no sci-fi" restriction has been removed: see NARSES2's latest post on the rules thread.

[McColm]

To save a bit of time I've bought the 1/72 Amodel White Knight & SS1 model kit, this will be heavily modified to resembling something in a much smaller scale.