Spaceplane!

[PR19_Kit]

LOVE the recycling there! 

[Weaver]

That looks great!

I love the use of "found objects". Plastic Christmas ornaments as a source of spheres never struck me before, but of course, you're right.

[kerick]

I have ping pong balls in the stash too!

I spent the evening searching the parts boxes for little bits that will be needed soon. No luck at all. There will be scratch building! I drew an outline on the desk for the space plane which I outlined using dimensions of the Dream Chaser. I'm going to transfer that to paper and then to plastic. I also found a couple basic shapes to glue to the plastic outline and the rest will have to be filler. The Dream Chaser has a very organic shape so lots of sanding will be required. The latest version of it has no cockpit windows and folding wings so it can fit inside a shroud. I think I'll go with an earlier version with space shuttle type windows that will be represented by decals.

[NARSES2]

LOVE the recycling there! 

As do I   

[kerick]

Thanks!
I try to find parts wherever I'm at. You never know what will fit to something else.

[Rick Lowe]

LOVE the recycling there! 

As do I   

Ditto!

[kitbasher]

Late in checking in on this build but....this is proper modelling (and like others I love the recycling).  Well done so far, keep it going! 👍

[kerick]

There's been a little bit of progress here. I've started on the space plane. I lucked out and found a battery cover from some sort of remote that fit the dimensions I wanted perfectly. A couple of F-14 outer wings will provide the stabilizers. I've used parts of these wings in lots of projects but it looks like this will use them up.





Here's a shot of the X-38 half scale drop test simulator. This is another angle of what I'm going for. Lots of sanding and filling to do before these things resemble each other.

[Gondor]

That is Dreamchaser not the X-37. The X-37 has wings similar to the shuttles wings, it's also longer and more regular than the blended shape shown above.

[kerick]

Right, this is definitely the X-38. The X-37 is quite different. The full size X-38 was designed to be the emergency escape vehicle for the ISS. It got cancelled in favor of a Soyuz vehicle to keep the Russians happy. There was the drop test vehicle and a full size one under construction at Johnson Space Center when we visited 20 years ago. There are photos on Prime Portal.
http://www.primeportal.net/space/kenneth_erickson/x-38/

The design eventually ended up at Sierra Nevada Space which they have redesigned into Dream Chaser.

Here's a comparison.

[kerick]

A ton of putty has been applied. I sanded and carved away a bunch of the Aves Epoxy Sculpt but there is a lot left. This thing will be top heavy! Tomorrow will be mucho sanding. I'll have to do it outside to avoid the dust. I need an air filter or something like a paint booth for sanding. It will be a little rough doing it outside when the temp drops below freezing!

[Rick Lowe]

Try sanding in a tub of water, or keep the sandpaper/model well doused with water.
Something I heard a while back, and have yet to implement - I'm too impatient.   

[Old Wombat]

I use wet-&-dry sandpaper, & keep the sandpaper wet when in use.

This has two benefits;
1) No dust!
2) It prevents/minimises the sandpaper clogging up with resin, so it lasts longer & works better.

I have a bowl of water next to me when using it & sometimes need to rub the residue off the sandpaper with my thumb, if I let it go a bit too long between dippings.

Every now-&-again wipe down the sanding area with paper towel or a cloth.

[PR19_Kit]

Old School Rules OK. 

[kerick]

Talk about rough! This is fugly! Nothing sand paper can't fix.



I do need a new tube of putty. A good excuse to go to the auto parts store.