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Showing results for tags 'Martians Space Programe'.
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As members may be aware, I have been very unwell recently, which has driven a cart and horses through my concentration levels. As I don't want to mess up my projects that Involve high levels of detail and thus long periods of concentration, I decided to build something out of my comfort zone. This was prompted by Mrs Martian buying me the Airfix Saturn V kit for my birthday. As it was fifty years to the day since I build a rocket (coincidentally the same kit) I decided it might be a good idea to build a few simpler kits and get a feel for the genre before I go charging in with my size elevens and make a hash of things. Anyway, I thought it might be fun to model some of your quaint Earthling spacecraft. Incidentally there is the annual Veteran Spaceship Run from Planet Wibble to the Earth and back. This is not actually a race, it being considered quite an achievement just to complete the run without breaking down. There is however a small prize for the Alien who manages to frighten the most Earthlings by way of landing in remote parts of The USA and offering them a trip in their spacecraft. For those who actually succeed in taking an Earthling of a ride, also and quite unfairly known as alien abduction an extra prize is awarded. I began with the Horizon Models kit of the Redstone Mercury. This is a delightful little kit which, with the exception of the rocket for the escape tower, goes together like a dream. I will certainly be building another of these. I decided that it was quicker and easier to scratch build a new escape rocket. I also added a hatch to the capsule and opened out the windscreen ready for some Krystal clear after painting. I then had a fiddle about with the Dragon kit of the Gemini Space Walker kit. I have had to do quite a lot of work to get the interior parts of the capsule to fit properly but I have now got there and am ready to start detailing. I have mocked up how I want to display the model. There will be a photograph of sunrise over the Earth as seen from space on the base board. I have begun work on the Horizon Models Mercury Atlas kit but I seem to have a rogue example here. The locator pins for the main body of the rocket were very fat and wobbly and resulted in me losing them and using plastic card tabs to join the rocket halves together. The panel lines were rather woolly as well and I have been sharpening them up with a scriber. My Trumpeter tool proved the best fit for this. All this work left the rocket needing to be Micro Meshed to within an inch of its life as the finish will be polished aluminium in the main which will show every tiny scratch and blemish. Why do I think I have a rogue kit? I was Talking to @general melchett who has the ICBM version of the same kit and he has not encountered any of the issues that I have been struggling with. I will get some pictures of this build when I have progressed things a bit further. I have delayed painting the Redstone Mercury as I need to paint the capsules of all three models in a blue/black colour which I will need to get my Sister-in-Law to help me mix. My colour vision is pants and hers is uncanny. It therefore makes sense to mix up a batch of the colour and paint all three models at the same time. I will get another post up as and when I am well enough. Thanks for looking Martian 👽