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Three V2 Rockets from the Post War White Sands Test Program The models are displayed alongside a flown fragment from a V2 test-flight in 1946, and a postal cover that bears the signatures of four of the original launch crew members Working left to right 1. Takom 1-35th kit with a 3D printed WAC Corporal second stage, Built as Bumper 5 which at the time of its flight set a new altitude record of 248 miles 2. Kora Models 1-72nd, Built as test flight No47 which was one of the Blossom series of rocket that had a lengthened body which was to accommodate a parachute recovery system for experiment retrieval. 3. Pegasus Models kit 1-48th scale, built as test flight No13, which is credited with taking the first picture of the earth from outer space Bumper 5 No13 No47 The build thread is here https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235085813-v2-rocket-at-white-sands-a-triple-build/

After my last build that took a long time to complete, I decided to tackle something a “little less stressful”. I had been doing quite a bit of reading up on the V2 test program conducted post war in the USA at White Sands. I had a few variants in my stash so decided to build three at once. Working left to right 1. Takom 1-35th kit with a Kora models WAC Corporal second stage, Built as Bumper 5 which at the time of its flight set a new altitude record of 248 miles 2. Pegasus Models kit 1-48th scale, built as test flight No13, which is credited with taking the first picture of the earth from outer space 3. Kora Models 1-72nd, Built as test flight No47 which was one of the Blossom series of rocket that had a lengthened body which was to accommodate a parachute recovery system for experiment retrieval I got hold of a copy of this book by Peter Alway as a guide to colour schemes, it’s a great resource First one on the bench was the Pegasus Models, the kit is designed as a snap together kit with no glue required. The mouldings are crisp and the fit is surprisingly good. It lacks a little detail and has a slightly “chunky” look to it. Parts all cleaned up and ready for assembly, the main body has already been snapped together The main section of the airframe required a bit of work at the seam line. I went with applying some sprue goo, and was then that I found that the plastic used in this kit may be ABS as it is nearly impervious to most types of glues and solvents, and the sprue goo just laid on the surface and peeled off A mixture of thin CA and Acrylic nail powder did the trick A template was made up for use in re drilling the rivet holes There were far too many panel lines at the top, remedied with some perfect plastic putty Next up was the tail section, the two small seams received the same treatment of gap fill with CA and Acrylic mix, a rescribe followed by the drilling of the rivet detail And a few dabs of perfect plastic putty at the fin roots was all that was needed It’s at this point where the engineer in me gets going and for no better reason than I can I start to tinker. Rather than just gluing the thing together a few mods are done and now the rocket is modular To assemble it a couple of small screws, secure the joining section to the main airframe, and then the central screw in the tail section is screwed home into the tapped hole in the joining section The tinkering does have a few advantages inasmuch as it saves a bit of masking and makes the painting of the model a wee bit easier. The next job was to tackle the firing table, this being the support frame that the rocket was stood on when it was launched. The one supplied with the kit is a representation of a type that was used during the rockets development stage in Germany during the war, and not the table that was used to launch the V2’s across the English Channel, and also used at White Sands. The kit supplied table A 3d render of the later table So out came the saws and files and knives………………. Base all squared up and a new undersection with tabs to complete the square ready to be epoxied into place Start made on the support legs Out came the trusty Dremel to mill the profile in the leg supports Completed legs Next the top deck pattern drawn out and attached to a sheet of styrene ready for cutting out Next up was the gearwheel, a pattern drawn and attached to a disc of styrene. Set up on the Dremel with a slit saw to cut the teeth The finished article in place on the table

HI,....ITS been shown before,but it is intresting,yesterday channel 11-00 - 12-00,tonight,The v2 rocket scientists,and some nice early film of the Redstones,Ajax,and early NASA...its worth watching,if not for History,as it is a bit sanitized?...just because its space History... cheers Don