MattTheGreat1997

Here is the completed model of Sputnik I by Cutting Edge; it has taken me 20 years to finally build this. 🥳 The rocket is currently on display in the family cabinet, so I can now move on to the next project.

I have managed to finish the model. It just took me time to take pictures. I'll post some more soon...

Having been on holiday for a few weeks, I haven't been updating my built. But, I have made a lot of progress. I have painted the parts of the rocket with Humbrol 28 Camouflage Grey since it was the closest colour in my stash; I would like to thank Mike, for providing me the colour needed for this build. Here is the painting process... As you can tell, I have painted some of the parts with Humbrol 11 Silver and, the insides of the engines with Humbrol 174 Signal Red, to replicate the orange coat. Now, we are ready to assemble it! After a bit of research and some problem solving, I managed to figure out how the support struts for the boosters went; there wasn't a clear idea on the instructions on how to assemble them; here is a picture for future reference: With that figured out, I started gluing and assembling it all together. The following picture, shows how I started assembling the various sections... It was quite a challenge fitting everything together, but I managed to succeed and is currently being given some clear varnish for final completion. I will post some pictures of the completed model ASAP... 😉

I have assembled the majority of the parts; they are now being given some primer and paint. Does anyone know what colour was the rocket for Sputnik was? Some pictures show it as olive green, whilst others show it as completely white. Here are the parts before painting: Two of the booster fins were broken, so I had to use plasticard to replace them. Can't believe this model is finally being built! 😀

Sorry if it's been a long time; I have been busy with life in general and have done little things here and there. But, I have decided to finally get around to building this small but mighty rocket. Believe it or not, I've had this since I was a kid and haven't built if for 20 years! My father was going to give this to charity shop but I decided to build it, after years of sitting on a shelf in the spare room. First, I removed the excess resin from the main parts and cleaned them up with a flat file. I have since started fitting some of the other parts since then; more to follow...

In the grand scheme of things, the America was never intended to beat the superliners of Europe, but was still a beautiful showcase of American design and art. She was in fact the first major liner to have interiors designed by women, it was quite a radical choice for the time and proved to be a great idea. To me, this ship was a work of art, even in its broken state on the beach in Fuerteventura. It would truly be a crime if she was to be left out of the history books and be forgotten forever.

Pretty much right there! @Space Ranger The following image shows how different the two ships were. SS America was 723 feet in length, whereas the SS United States was 990 feet long. 😲 I do actually have a Revell 1:600 United States in my stash somewhere. Out of the two ships, I prefer the smaller America.

@John Tapsell Wonderful memories John! It must have been quite an adventure for you. Do you remember much of your voyage? I have built a model of the ship as the Australis when she had the original white hull circa 1965. The model was 3D printed and is 1:600 in scale. The tricky part of the build was painting the white hull, which is ironic as that Chandris had exactly the same problem! I have also built a 1:1200 scale model of the Australis when she last delivered migrants in 1977. For the hull and superstructure, I used balsa wood and I used paper clips and pins for masts and king posts. I have done other versions of the ship if people are interested. 😀 @Bandsaw Steve Regarding her time at Timaru, here is a picture of the ship whilst laid up... This was just prior to her sale to Venture Cruise Lines in 1978, she would briefly return to New York for a series of short cruises as the "refurbished" America, you can guess why it didn't last long...

So, who here has seen or heard about this ship?

I was originally going to post this at a later date, but had an urge to tell you all anyway. 😁 Some of you might have recognised the classic ocean liner on my profile picture and it's one that really means everything in the world to me. The ship WAS the glorious and proud SS America of 1939/40, which became the surreal shipwreck American Star off the west coast of Fuerteventura in the Canary Islands. For me personally, this modest passenger vessel of 34,000 tons had possibly the most storied career of any ship known to humanity, it crossed the Atlantic countless times in war and peacetime and brought thousands of hopeful people to their new lives in Australia and New Zealand. Here is what the vessel looked like in its heyday... With her famous running mate, the SS United States of 1952... And this is what became of her from 1994 onwards, a sad reminder of another time... The old girl shines again for one last time. 🥲 She would soon be destroyed by the waves forever... As you can see, there is almost nothing left of the ship that was once the SS America, the sea has finished its job of dismantling it. The very image above was taken by me in May 2020 during my time on Fuerteventura. Ever since I came across the ship many years ago, it has been my mission to preserve its memory by recreating her in miniature. I definitely think that this ocean liner would make a great subject for scale modelling in general, there are so many different versions of the ship at various points in her life and by making a model, it provides a tangible link to its history. I have already built several models of this beloved ship and I will share them with you all very soon. 🙂 🛳️

Does anyone know how to create a link on a post message?

That was a mistake on my part, I didn't mask it before spraying it.

Finished! 😀 The model is now complete. Pictures of the finished model can be seen here:

After just 5 weeks, I have finished my first model to be featured on the group, the iconic Airfix 1:72 scale Supermarine Spitfire Mk.Ia. You can follow the build in the link here: All in all, it wasn't really a bad build, though some areas could be better. I must use the right colours and take extra care with the clear parts next time. It is currently on display in the family cabinet...

I have been building scale models for a while and have built several as of this time, but wasn't sure if I should share the ones that I haven't done build posts for. Can anyone suggest if I should post them and where should I post them? 🙂 Thanks!