1/48 Mercury Atlas  

by David Weeks

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Here are some shots of my 1/48 Mercury Atlas model.  The model depicts John Glenn’s three-orbit mission, flown on February 20, 1962.

 

The Atlas is completely scratch-built.  Wooden masters were created for the propellant tank, booster section, spacecraft adapter and engine nozzles and these major shapes were then vacuformed out of .040-styrene sheet.  All of the stringers and other exterior details were added using various sizes of Evergreen sheet, rod and strip.  Plastistrut tube was used to create the turbine exhaust pipe and several portions of the LOX supply line.  This LOX line turned out to be the most complicated assembly on the model, incorporating over 40 individual pieces.  The vernier engine parts and their fairings were mastered and then resin cast for the model.

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The mercury spacecraft is from a Revell re-boxing circa 1996 using the launch configuration portions of the RealSpace Models Mercury Detail Set.  Each of the three marman clamp fairings around the base of the capsule were cobbled together from various hunks of Evergreen styrene.  The hooded piece of equipment on the adapter is the LOX propellant tank vent.

 

Testors Model Master paints were used on the Mercury spacecraft and escape tower while various shades of Alclad II as well as Floquil Old Silver were used on the Atlas. The decal stenciling came from the spares box while the UNITED STATES lettering and the booster serial number were taken from an old Scale-Master sheet, "U. S. Air Force Lettering Sheet #1 Serials & Low Visibility Code Letters" in 1/72 scale.  

This is my second attempt at scratch-building an Atlas model. While my first attempt was done in early ’90s, this model was finished this past July and entered in the 2006 IPMS Nationals were it won first place in its category and the Best Space and Science Fiction in Show award.

David

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Photos and text © by David Weeks