1/350 Moonlander

[frank2056]

I've had a couple of the Pegasus 1/350^* Moonlander for a while, complete with the Paragraphics PE set. I've wanted to build it, but every time I opened the box, the number of sprues and parts made this kit feel more like a long term commitment than a 3-4 week build.

from Scalemates

However, I saw this great build (also on Britmodeller) and thought that it didn't look too time consuming. I figure I could start a quicker build if I lost focus or motivation.
I'm not concerned by the Paragraphics PE set - I've used their PE in other builds and they're well designed and easy to work with (in PE terms).
It didn't take long to get to this point yesterday -  all the engines and some fuel tanks:



I had some time today, and painted the engine deck and mounts in a mix of silver and black primer. The engines are in Vallejo dark aluminum. I then mixed some of the dark aluminum with some Vallejo Shifter paints. The effect wasn't very pronounced, so I shot a thin layer of the shifter paints on the nozzles to give the engines a burnt metal look:



Here's a closeup of the main engines:



And the steering engines:



I'll probably spray some of the blue shifter on the main engines, since it looks better than the red color. I'm not too concerned with the sparkly/grainy paint; it's not visible in person and much of it will disappear under more coats of shifter paint. So far it's been an enjoyable build, with excellent fit and no Gecko-ness.



* It says "1/350", but Pegasus is notoriously bad at the concept of scale. Compared to the original design, it's closer to 1/250 or larger. I'll just call it 1/350, and make it a 2nd generation heavy cargo ship.

[zenrat]

Dude, that's a lot of engines...
 

[buzzbomb]

Interesting paint on the engines, appears to work well

[NARSES2]

Interesting paint on the engines, appears to work well

Does indeed. They look good 

[Old Wombat]

Impressive start, Frank! 

[frank2056]

I added the PE to the nozzles:



Paragraphics PE sets rarely disappoint and this was no exception - they went on nicely. The glue is still wet on these (you can see some white globs here and there). The main engines are just pressed in place. I was going to glue them in, but they're held tightly and I'm fine with the slight misalignment. The steering engines are movable. I had to slightly enlarge the holes for the bars, but they move easily:



With the "Are we there yet?" probe installed:


The color shift on the engine looks great at just the right angle.

So far, this has been a very enjoyable build - the hardest part so far has been deciding which option to build and the colors. The four large fuel tanks on the sides are meant to be dropped off after leaving Earth orbit, which would require minor surgery to the support arms; I may do it so I can add the tanks to my spares box. I then have to decide between a cargo or passenger version. The cargo version replaces the central return(?) fuel tanks in the core of the vehicle with two large cargo cylinders.

My only complaint with this kit is the wildly off size; it's almost 50% larger than the original Von Braun design (especially when compared to the 1/300 drawings in "The Spaceship Handbook"):



I'll just make this an advanced heavy cargo version.

[Old Wombat]

The color poo-poo on the engine looks great at just the right angle.

I think you skipped an "f" there, Frank.   

Looking very good! 

[zenrat]

Working steering!
Cool.

[NARSES2]

Is looking good 

[frank2056]

Thanks, Guy. Fixed it - although the color shift is the poo-poo.

So far, it's been a very enjoyable build. I had to sand the bottom of the center leg to get all for landing legs to tough, but it was a minor fix. despite all the parts, it's building up quickly.

[frank2056]

The engine/landing gear section is finished and I started on the habitat/cargo module and the supports for the upper sections. Everything above the engine frame and landing gear (including the silver/gray square base) is just press fit. I'll take the base off so I can build the structures without putting too much pressure on the landing gear.



One very nice feature of this kit is that the parts press together firmly. Small sub-assemblies can be press fit together and they'll make a sturdy structure. When ready, a drop of glue at the joints locked it all in place.

[Old Wombat]

Woh!    Coming along really well, Frank! 

[Weaver]

If I may ask, what is the point of the grills on the bottom of the engine bells, as provided by the PE?

I understand that Paragraphics are just trying to represent the original drawings, but do we know what the original thought process in the design was?

[buzzbomb]

Really nice Frank, I was not aware of this kit, but it certainly offers a lot of potential

[Andrew Gorman]

From memory, the hexagonal engines were open.  At least the Mars ship's were-
https://www.fabiofeminofantascience.org/COLLIERS/COLLIERS3.html
Also from memory some engines were a dense pack of smaller hexagons, but that might have just been on the Max Valier rocket ship.  I'm not finding a good picture...