Space Shuttle Launch Pad 39A with Challenger STS-6

[roma847]

Hello everybody,

 

since during my first test the Pattex Adhesive Spray came out of the spray nozzle in a strangely flaky way, today I did another Flour test with the UHU Spray Adhesive,

 

 

wherefore I've applied again the Pattern 2 (right) and Pattern 4 (left) on the rest dummy, which are my favorites so far.

 

Pattern 2 - single turns of 0,75 mm Tape, distance 0,5 mm, as a continuous spiral (Barber pole)

 

Pattern 4 - single turns of 0,75 mm Tape, distance 0,5 mm, on it one more layer  0,5 mm Tape, as a continuous spiral

 

 

Then it went back to the flour cellar.

 

 

This time around, the application of the spray adhesive looked more regular and smoother than when tested with the Pattex Adhesive Spray and was by no means flaky, but as homogeneous as I remembered it,  

 

 

as one can see here again at a slightly higher magnification. 

 

 

Then I've besprinkled the the Dummy again with flour from the sieve, while turning the dummy, and then lightly pressed the flour with my fingers.

 

 

And so looked the Dummy then after the knocking off the loose flour, and I think the result looks already more even than the first test.

 

 

After the glue will has been dried through, the remaining flour is then brushed off tomorrow, and then I can make a comparison.

[roma847]

Hello everyone, 

now I can also take a closer look on the result of the 2nd Flour test.

And my first impression when spraying the UHU Spray Adhesive did not deceive me. The floured surface of the Dummy looks much smoother and more fine-grained after brushing off the loose flour than with 1st Test with the Pattex Adhesive Spray, which I had suspected.   Presumably, the Pattex adhesive was not quite okay and the application worked so flocky.  

 

 

Maybe I should have sprayed a little more glue, so that more flour would have stuck, because the layer is indeed nicely even, but looks relatively thin.

 

 

On this image one can see very nicely the different heights of the two patterns, whereby the Pattern 2 rests relatively flat and the doubled Pattern 4 looks more like the half-rounded form of the SOFI Pattern, which might even prove more favorable in terms of the final look after priming/varnishing, depending on how much of the texture is covered by the primer/varnish.  

 

 

A close comparison of the patterns of both tests is somewhat difficult to accomplish due to the removal of both Dummies and the focusing of the autofocus, 

 

 

but on this image one can clearly see the finer and more homogeneous coating of the 2nd Test (right).  

 

 

And since today the white Vallejo primer has arrived too, I can now prime both dummies, 

 

 

and then one will see, what will be left to see from the patterns under the Flour surface, whereon I am again very curious.

[RichO]

What a great looking finish on the second test!!  Your choice of spiral band material #4 looks really good also.  

I think you're really on to something here.  This should only look a lot better after the primer/paint stage.  Let's go, Paint Dept.

[roma847]

Thanks Rich for your helpful comment. 

 

I've still thought about a little variation,  so I'll do a further layer with UHU Spray Adhesive and Flour on one half of the little dummy before priming and so I can then compare both halves. 

[roma847]

Hello friends,

 

no sooner said than done! Or- Never put off until tomorrow what you can do today.

 

After I had masked one half of the Dummy, 

 

 

I've sprayed the other half full with the UHU Spray Adhesive and then immediately besprinkled it with the flour.

 

 

After that, I've lightly pressed the flour with my fingers,

 

 

and then shortly after, I've carefully removed the loose flour from the Dummy by knocking off.

 

 

Now it's time again to await for the glue to dry, and then tomorrow it remains to be seen, whether a more intensive spraying with the spray glue before the flour apply makes sense, I think so ...

[DMC]

Hello Manfred,

 

I bought the Revell SCA/Enterprise combo the other day, mostly for the 747, but felt a stroll over to Real Space might reveal a shuttle build or two.  Then I stumbled onto your thread and I’ve been completely bowled over by your modelling skills and perseverance.  Absolutely amazing!

 

I’ve been looking and reading as fast as time allows, even skipping the bulk of the kudos, but I am still only on page 19.  You have managed to ramp up my interest in the Shuttle which has had the effect of me spending less time at the bench and more time researching the Shuttle Program.   Not a problem, however, and you have gained another dedicated follow.  

 

And, as an aside, back, way back, in 1981 I lived in Melbourne, Florida for a short while.  While on a day out just driving around I was quite astonished to see overhead, quite low and with gear down, the SCA with a Shuttle on board.   It was no doubt on final to Kennedy/Cape Canaveral.  I can’t remember if I ever knew which Shuttle it was but after I bought the Revell kit I did a little research and discovered that it was indeed the ill-fatted Columbia being ferried to Kennedy after its first orbital flight.  I can almost see it now even after all these years.   Sad to think of its eventual destruction on re-entry several years later.  

 

Cheers and keep posting your amazing project.

 

Dennis

 

 

Edited February 28, 2019 by DMC

[roma847]

Thank you, Dennis, for your detailed and interesting post.

 

I am glad that you like my report so much and I hope that you'll stay tuned. 

[roma847]

Hello everybody,

 

here's the result of the "double" Flour test after I've brushed off the loose flour.  

 

As one can easily see, the flour layer has become denser after the more intensive application of spray glue, which was to be expected. Consequently, one has to develop a certain sense of time for the duration of the spraying, which is why it is called not for nothing: The proof of the pudding is in the eating!

 

 

This is the view of the "double" floured half of the Dummy.

 

 

And here is the comparison of the two Flour tests, on the left the flour layer after the first test (in fact it was the second test) after a relatively short spray adhesive application and on the right the flour layer after the more intensive spraying.

 

 

And tomorrow I will then prime both Dummies in the hope that one can then recognize more and better evaluate the patterns.

[roma847]

Hello everybody,

 

now it was time to try the white Vallejo primer out of the can.

 

By the way, it's been a felt eternity, since the last time I primed/painted something about which I can barely still remember ... In addition, these are my first attempts with Vallejo colors/primers, which I want to use shortly.

 

Each can of Vallejo primer contains two spray heads, namely a Pocket Cap for larger flow rates and medium line widths, ideal for larger surfaces, as well as a Skinny Cap for low flow rates, recommended for fine lines and small details, as one can read in the manufacturer's flyer.  

 

Since these caps are unfortunately not marked and their nozzle openings appear almost the same size, one has a problem or spoiled for choice.  

 

After a long search, I then still found pictures of both types, of which I then haave used the Pocket Cap (left).  

 

 

On this occasion, I then subjected my Suction device (Wiltec) to a first practical test, whereby I started with the small Dummy on the rotary spit.  

 

 

After switching on, the LED lighting comes on first, and then the fan comes slowly up, which is unmistakeable.

 

 

After shaking the spray can for about 1 minute, I started spinning the spit and spraying, but it began quite fogging in because the Dummy was a bit outside the roofing. Maybe I should have used the Skinny Cap with the finer nozzle.

 

Since I did not want to spray too much primer, I preferred to stop after a few turns, especially as light splashs of primer occurred, which may also have been due to the fact that I had not previously warmed the spray can, which I should rather have done ...  

 

And this is now the result of the priming based on the Patterns 2 and 4. 

 

 

While I can make friends with the Pattern 2 already,

 

 

I think that the Pattern 4 with the double tape layer (0,5 mm onto 0,75 mm) seems to be a bit too raised, even though the surface profile will even further be leveled by means of the following airbrushing.  

 

 

Since the primer layer seemed a bit too thin for me, I also sprayed a second primer to achieve better coverage, whereby I heated the can in the water bath before and shaken it for about 2 minutes.

 

As one can see in this picture, the layer has also become noticeably denser, which means that the stripes of my favorite Pattern 2 are not so clear visible anymore.  

 

 

If I now still imagine a multi-layered airbrush finish above, then the surface profile could already go in the right direction, which comes closer to the original images of the SOFI pattern.  

 

On this picture you can see the area in the lower part, which I had twice floured. 

 

 

And this is now the larger Dummy with the five patterns after comparable (short) priming time, for which I had used the Pattex Spray Adhesive, which might not have had the optimal adhesive power, what led to a slighty too thin flour layer.

 

 

On this picture one can see, that at the Pattern 3 the MEK-gluing of the Evergreen Strips has partially resolved.

 

 

And so it looks after the two-time priming.

 

 

 

 

The result is:
After all, what I have seen so far, I would prefer the Pattern 2.

 

Now it remains to wait for the effect of the airbrushing, whereby I slowly have to think about the orange-brown color mixture,   although for the test-painting initially a simple color is sufficient.

[RichO]

This a really cool experiment Manfred.  I'm sure I can use this technique for something, really nice effect!

[roma847]

Thanks Rich, I'm glad that you can benefit from it as well. 

[roma847]

Hello everybody, 

 

with the orange-colored shades of the External Tank (ET) we have been engaged oftener already, and it is known that the increasing discoloration of the ET towards darker shades is related to solar radiation, the Shuttle stack is exposed to, while he is standing on the launch pad waiting for the launch.

 

Consequently, one will not be able to get along with one hue alone, because the Intertank is darker anyway, but rather one needs some more or less intense orange-brown color blends, depending on which Countdown situation one wants to display on the launch pad, which is a matter of opinion.  

 

Originally, I had thought of the Countdown phase right before the launch for my Diorama and so far I had oriented myself by my often shown STS-6 Reference photo, on which the shades of the ET appear relatively bright, but without knowing which phase this photo comes from exactly.   But since the Payload canister can be seen, the photo should be from the beginning of January 1983.

 

Source: retrospaceimages.com (STS-6)

 

Similarly bright shades can be seen on the pictures at the Roll-out of the ET-8 (10.09.1982), 

 

Source: forum.nasaspaceflight.com (Jester)

 

as well as during the Roll-out of the Challenger (30.11.1982), here in the fog shortly in front of the pad 39A.  

 

Source: NASA

 

On this photo from the Lift-off (04.04.1983) the ET shades appear much darker, a detail that I did not attach much importance to for a long time, because the whole mood of the photo appears somehow darker, which might have been due to the weather or to the photo itself.

 

Source: NASA

 

However, this strong discoloration of the ET becomes plausible given the unusually long resting time of the Shuttle stack on the pad, which  at STS-6 in contrast to other missions with 4 months lasted much longer than originally foreseen, which would have been the main reason.

 

The reason for the delay in the launch, which was originally scheduled for the end of January 1983, was a hydrogen leak in the area of the main engine SSME No. 1 of the orbiter that occurred during a test run, Flight Readiness Firing (FRF, 18.12.1982), but which could not be localized exactly at first.

 

In this Flight readiness test, which every orbiter has to complete before his maiden flight or after major technical overhauls, i.a. the three main engines are tested to prove their full functionality for approx. 20 seconds and then shut down.

 

Here is an image of this FRF, which I initially thought was a launch image, but with its brighter color shades of the ET it does not fit to the Lift-off image with the dark hues, what has been pretty confusing me at the beginning.

 

Source: NASA

 

Luckily, in the NSF forum there is a special, very detailed and highly interesting thread  Challenger STS-6 – A Walk into History with a lot of photos and information over the entire course of this first Challenger mission, which was a great support for me for understanding all the operations.

 

This leak and its exact locating has kept NASA busy for quite a long time and led to a delay in the launch date, as major maintenance work had to be done on the orbiter's main engines.

 

Therefore, it was necessary to perform another FRF test (25.01.1983), where it can be seen on this photo that the colors of the ET had darkened further.

 

Source: forum.nasaspaceflight.com (Ares67)

 

But even during this FRF, a hydrogen leak occurred, which was caused by a 3/4 inch long hairline crack in the combustion chamber manifold of the engine SSME No. 1. Since in the other engines further leaks occurred too, which were obviously a problem of the welds of these new engines, then at the beginning of March 1983, all three main engines were dismantled on the launch pad. 

 

Source: mainengine.de

 

While the welds at the two engines SSME No. 2 and No. 3 were reinforced, engine SSME No. 1 was replaced by a new engine whose welds were also reinforced for safety's sake.   

 

After detailed error analysis and a problem-free test of the last 16 hours of a normal countdown, the engines were reinstalled on 10.03.1983, after which the Challenger finally could start for her maiden flight on 04.04.1983.

So I know now, when the ET-8 had which kind of shades, and I can decide accordingly, whereby today I tend but rather to the lighter shades.  

[DMC]

I’m starting to experience withdrawal symptoms, Manfred.  Meanwhile, if you don’t already have the following, I thought it very interesting.  Several useful drawings also. 

 

Dennis

 

https://www.capcomespace.net/dossiers/espace_US/shuttle/ksc/MLP/MLP_structure.htm

[roma847]

Thanks Dennis for your helpful support. 

 

On capcomespace.net there are a number of very interesting sites with lots of great photos and drawings around the Shuttle program, which I have collected meanwhile, a truly inspiring source for scratch building. 

BTW, they must have updated this site, because I did find some of my posted photos. 

 

 

[roma847]

Hello everybody,

 

and thus again back to the color shades of the External Tank, wherfore I've looked at my STS-6 Reference photo once again more exactly, to be able to assign them to the available Vallejo colors, whereto I am focused on the sprayable colors from the range Model Air (MA).

 

Source: retrospaceimages.com (STS-6)

 

After careful viewing, I have come to the conclusion that this image is not so well suited for determining the color shades, since half of the ET is more or less covered by the shuttle or the right half of the ET is also still shaded.

 

Therefore, I have now selected this photo of the first Flight Readiness Firing (FRF, 18.12.1982) for the further detailed consideration, on which the ET seems to be illuminated relatively evenly.  

 

Source: NASA

 

As one can see, the ET colors are in my opinion less orange-brown color shades than rather yellow-brown shades.  

 

First of all, I tried using my Paint Shop Pro (Jasc) to determine the RGB codes of the different color shades in order to get a better feeling for the colors.

 

 

Concerning the indicated RGB values, it should be noted that the values in the vicinity of the destination vary slightly and thus can not be considered as absolute values.  

 

One can also consider the classic RAL Color Chart what I've tried in this image for three places on the LH2 Tank/Intertank based on the color Ochre brown RAL 8001. And as one can see, one gets quite close to the ET color shades by adjusting the brightness.

 

 

In all these comparisons, however, it is important to note that even the normalized RAL colors do not appear completely authentic on PC monitors and the color rendition depends on the respective screen settings anyway, whereby color comparisons are complicated or have to be taken with care.

 

Since one can not get any further with the RAL colors in the practical color selection, I finally got back to the Vallejo-Model Air assortment to find corresponding colors, which I then also can order. 

 

Thereby I came across the following three colors, whose brightness I then adjusted gradually, resulting in the darker shades. 

 

– Vallejo Model Air 71.033 – Ochre Yellow for the LO2/LH2 Tank with the color shades B-20, B-30, B-40,

 

– Vallejo Model Air 71.077 – Wood for the Intertank (B-20),

 

– Vallejo Model Air 71.076 – Skin Tone for the lighter areas (B-20)

 

 

In this image, the selected color shades (marked blue) are placed on the appropriate places on the ET that match well with the ET shades.    

 

 

So I'll order these three airbrush colors first, and I'm curious how they even come out. The only question is, what other colors I should mix with the original colors to get the darker shades?

 

Here is an overview of the Model Air colors, in which I have marked the three colors. 

 

 

Perhaps for the MA71.033 and the MA71.077 the darker neighbor color MA71.034 would be suitable, and for the MA71.076 maybe the MA71.077?  

 

For useful hints or suggestions I would be grateful.

[Richard E]

Manfred

 

One day in the distant future you will finish this masterpiece.  

 

Although you will generously share many images of the completed model, unless it embarks on a world tour of major model shows it's a great shame that most of your "fellow travellers" won't be able to see it in the flesh. 

[roma847]

Thanks Richard for your nice words. 

 

Speaking of the distant future, my goal is 2023, the 40th Anniversary of Challenger's maiden flight. 

 

I hope I can do it by then, but the answer my friend ... 

 

So stay tuned and keep your fingers crossed! 

[Mark Szeman]

I'm new here and have been posting a little and lurking mostly , reading up on older threads.  I finally managed to get up to date on this MEGA build I've read everything and looked over every picture with such gusto, you remind me of a workshop teacher I had that made lessons fun and insightful, his class was one of my favourites and this build is by far my favourite. This is an amazing work Manfred.  The definition of patience and attention to detail! Thanks for sharing this with us, I'm going to be on the edge of my seat for the future to see more

[roma847]

Thanks Mark for your kind comment. 

Nice that you like my work and it may inspire you, and I hope you also will have the patience to stay tuned. 

[Mustermark]

Great work on the colours! I will be putting an order in soon, too. ☺️

[roma847]

Thanks Mark, 

then let's paint it together. 

[roma847]

Hello everybody,

 

after I've printed out my new Reference photo with the selected brighter ET color shadings, 

 

 

now I'm going to order the matching Vallejo Model Air Colors together with the associated Airbrush Thinner.

Source: modellbau-universe.de

 

Actually, I had so far assumed that the Model Air Colors in the practical dropper bottles are already sprayable.  

 

That this is not the case, I have learned now in this interesting video by Jens Kaup, in which he gives important tips for working with Vallejo colors that should be considered.  

 

Important tip for working with Vallejo colors

 

The video is unfortunately only in German, but it is very vivid and therefore hopefully understandable.

 

In that he says, that as practical as the dropper bottles from Vallejo are, the poor color mixing is a problem, wherfore relief is provided. The consistency of the Model Air colors is too thick for fine airbrushing. Here it helps to fill up each new color vial simply with Vallejo Thinner, 

 

 

and to insert a Stainless steel hex nut M5 as shaking aid for better mixing.   

 

 

Of course, Stainless steel balls (0.25 inch) fulfill the same purpose.

 

Conclusion:
Two simple measures with great effect!

[roma847]

Hello everybody,

 

my ordered Vallejo colors (7x Model Air, 2x Model Color, 1x Thinner) have arrived meanwhile, and I did buy a handful of Stainless steel nuts M5 too, 

 

 

so I could actually start with some mixing tests.

[Mustermark]

Paints on order here too! 😀

[roma847]

A good choice, I think.