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.
Click on
images below to see larger images
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
Click on
images below to see larger images
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