Space Shuttle Launch Pad 39A with Challenger STS-6

[roma847]

This may sound like a very stupid question but is this a scratch build, or the Revel Kit. - Mind blowing work you have done, a true pleasure to read and over look all you have done, absolutely brilliant. Hope to see more of this build very soon.

Jamie.

Thanks Jamie for your nice compliments.

There are no stupid questions, so I can show you this picture here, where you can see one of the poor TSMs from the Revell kit (4911) from an earlier building phase of test fitting of the shuttle stack on the SRB holes.

For my MLP I use the templates from the paper kit by David Maier as an outer sheath and all the other details are scratch built.

Tomorrow I'll show you some construction detais of the rear double-ROFIs of the LOX TSM, with which I shall begin.

Source: NASA

[Samuran]

This (and your other threads on different forums) are some of the most inspirational (to me) work I think I've ever seen in scale building.

You are doing what one day I hope to do, and if when I attempt it it is half as acurate as yours is I shall be a very happy human.

My fiance and myself (she's German) will be moving to Leipzig in approx. October 2015 so I might, one day have to come and look through your window at this master piece.

Very well done and keep up the outstanding work!

Ben

[roma847]

Hello Ben,

nice to meet you and thanks for your kind laudatory words, which I am very pleased.

Yep, a little talent goes with it, but practice makes perfect, nothing is impossible!

And looking beyond one's own nose, what other guys are scratch building there day by day. The bike does not need to be reinvented.

BTW, and if you and your fiancé are next year in Leipzig, then hit the road to Filderstadt, close to Stuttgart Airport (5 km). Our windows are cleaned and our door is open, you are welcome at any time.

I hope that the MLP will be ready by then, also with lighting ...

[Samuran]

Thank you Manfred, that's very kind.

I think I will be picking your brain for possible techniques once I begin my real space voyage.

Ben

[roma847]

Okay Ben, let's talk about it when you're ready.

[roma847]

Hello friends,

last week, my PC has passed after 9 years faithful service, so I had to do something to get back to be able to act. But my son has built me a great machine.

Well, these little ROFI details are really tricky, but if you can't make it, you have to bite the teeth together and come up with something.

Therefore, first here's a picture to illustrate the dimensions of the ROFIs to be scratch built.

Left side you see a first attempt for the simple ROFI at the front with a ferrule, as I have already used for the MLP lampshades. The sleeve has an outer diameter of 1.6 mm, which could still accept. And therein is inserted no tube, but a 0.5 mm brass wire, but what you probably already could hardly distinguish.

And right beside it is a squeezed to about 1.5 mm plastic tubes (Ø 2.5 mm), which although again widens a little, but about the shape of the rear double-ROFIs results.

Maybe the shape is more successful if you heated the tube prior to compression, but maybe there is also another solution.

Now a little insight into the necessary preparations before I can start scratching, because for that I need the dimensions of the individual components without which otherwise nothing happens.

I will start with the Double-ROFI on the back of the LOX-TSM, which you can see in this picture.

Source: NASA

I've now looked more closely at the monitor and identified the main dimensions (mm), and I have chosen the width of the service box from my TSM with 4.3 mm (Purple) as a reference.

Red are the required dimensions and spacings of parts, and green is the most important mounting dimensions for the two feed pipes and the holder.

But so be it, the image should also give just a glimpse of how hard it is, before you can get started at all, apart from the dimensions altogether.

On my monitor I can see the numbers well, and therefore it can now actually go. And luckily the front ROFI will then be something easier to build ...

[RichO]

I knew that you would find an item around the house to build the ROFI's with! Nice job. I hope that installing these under the ladders is not to hard to do for you, but it will just add to the outstanding detail! Keep up with the great show.

[roma847]

Thanks Rich, you know me and my slogan too, Nothing is impossible.

But in 1: 144 these ROFI parts are nevertheless fairly small and I have to install the pipes under the thin and fragile PE ladders where is only 1 mm intermediate space.

[roma847]

Hi friends,

now I will continue with the rear Double-ROFI on the LOX-TSM, of which I have a very nice direct shot here, of which I have picked me further dimensions for the selection of suitable parts, so inter alia the diameters of the inner tubes and the casing.

The ROFIs are identical on both TSMs, which you can convince yourself, by scroll once around in the panoramic shot.

Source: NASA

Here are some parts to be seen, which might also be considered for the ROFIs, such as ferrules, brass wire and U-profiles.

For the casing of the double-ROFIs I then tried it out a few variants. In my estimation this should be about 1.5 mm high, 2.2 mm wide and 2 mm deep. The two inner tubes could be made from brass wires (Ø 0.5 mm).

In the first attempt I have a strip of aluminum foil 7.0x2.0x0.1 mm gradually rolled in my bending tool.

Here you still have to stick the sleeve together below.

Here, this sleeve is trial basis placed on the TSM, but it is still a bit too wide through the adhesive seam.

In the second attempt, I have an aluminum tube (Ø 2.0 mm) gently compressed to 1.5 mm, which looks relatively well in shape and the solution comes closer. Now you would have them only to separate a 2 mm long piece.

Here is another attempt with a paper strip but a bit too wide and probably more likely to retire.

And here are the aluminum tube with inserted brass wires (Ø 0.5 mm) for the two inner tubes, what my expectations quite close to that.

And finally, another attempt with a ferrule (2.1 mm diameter), which was a 2 mm long piece separated and compressed to 1.5 mm. And this variant I will now probably take, because the sleeve is a little more thin-walled.

That's it for today with the experiments, and tomorrow then follow the bent pipes and the bracket.

[RichO]

I agree Manfred, the ferrule looks the best of the examples you have shown. Once again the mixer comes out. Nice find!

[noeyedears]

Omg, i hope i live long enough to see this completed ;-) its amazingly complicated.

[roma847]

Thanks Rich and noeyedears for your kind words.

It is actually not so easy with these little details, but I'll do my best, that we will all live to see the pad completed.

[roma847]

Hi Guys,

and the construction of the rear LOX-ROFI I will now continue, the installation can be seen in this picture here very nice. This protrudes due to its double version substantially further outwards than the front ROFI and is directed slightly inwards, while the holder is perpendicular to the box.

Source: NASA

After careful consideration of these views, I have realized more and more that I must perform the installation in two steps.

First I have to install the bracket to the base plate and the "double tube" with the inner tubes directly on the front edge of the box with the angled bracket sits a bit under the ladder. And in the second step, I can then install from the other side, the two bent pipes which run beneath the ladder and attached to the service box, as you can see here again.

Source: NASA

For the holder I initially wanted to use a U-beam, which can be seen in the following image, either a piece of Evergreen profile 1,0x1,5 mm or a self-built profile 1,5x1,5 mm with slightly higher sides because the ROFI must continue to protrude outward. In addition, the housing is located on a pattern of the base plate of paper.

For the manufacture of the pipes I have now drawn their position in this template from the Paper Kit,

then bent them from brass wire (0.5 mm),

and tried temporarily together with the sleeve, but even without the base plate.

And it seems also so far already times completely good to fit.

And here I've tested with my pattern, the position of the holder that sits on the box next to a support bracket.

The place is already times right, but the final shape and the seat I have to think again and test in conjunction with the sleeve.

That's why I started to build the front half with the holder and drawn the base plate to 0.3 mm sheet on which the double pipe stands with the two inner tubes, initially everything again on a trial basis.

If the holder will then be mounted, I can make the fitting on the box and see if or how well fit the part.

Edited September 6, 2014 by roma847

[RichO]

The master bender hard at work! This looks good, and of course more details. Great job!

[roma847]

Thanks Rich for the nice words.

Hello together,

today I have taken the holder up again in more detail, I will now scratchbuild from individual parts, because the Evergreen U-profile does not match yet so right.

First of all I want to try building from paper, and this is the blank of the tiny holder, for which I have used the lower sketch.

Here it is cut, and next to the double tube sleeve on the base plate. Below is an evergreen strip 1,0x0,3 mm, which I will use as a base in the final plastic holder. For the sides I suppose then also 0.3 mm sheet.

Then I folded the holder and glued to the base plate with the sleeve, which is seen here from the front,

and here from behind.

As I said, that's all for now only provisionally, to see whether and how the size fits.

And here I have put the ROFI to the TSM, and I must say, so similar could fit that already.

Or what do you think?

[Kallisti]

Proper job!

[RichO]

Great job Manfred! It gives me hope for my steering wheel.

[noeyedears]

looks the buisiness!

[roma847]

Thanks guys for your nice words and staying tuned, nothing is impossible!

BTW Rich, you will scratch this crazy wheel!

[roma847]

Hello guys,

today only a short remark.

The prototype of the ROFI looks not bad, but it seems to be slightly oversized.

Meanwhile, I have the dimensions specified something else, thereby the sleeve becomes slightly shorter, whereas the final styrene construction will make the holder something of filigree. And for the pipes I'll use 0.4 mm copper wire instead of 0.5 mm brass wire. Then the ROFI will certainly better fit for the TSM design.

Edited September 9, 2014 by roma847

[RichO]

GO MANFRED, You da man!!

[roma847]

Hi folks,

now I know a little bit more abaout the ROFI details.

During detailed definition of the dimensions I unexpectedly found still new close-ups from a different perspective on which I could detect and measure the ROFI details more clearly.

It has struck me suddenly that the holders of the rear and front ROFIs distinguish. While the rear holder has a u-shaped construction, which I was not previously aware,

Source: NASA

can be seen at the front holder that this only has a slanted stiffening up, and down is open. Without this knowledge I had built this holder u-shaped too.

Source: NASA

Here are now the new parts for the ROFIs, in the middle of 0.5 mm brass wire (gray) and 0.4 mm copper wire.

Above are the parts for the rear double-ROFIs and in front that for the front simple ROFIs. For the holders I take 0.2 mm sheet, and for the sleeves I use ferrules, Ø 2 mm (rear) and 1.5 mm (front).

Now I just have to shorten the sleeves and flatten slightly the rear ROFI, followed by the assembly, which I'm very excited.

[RichO]

Nice save Manfred! A guy can never have enough photos. Your TSM's project will look like the real thing! Great Job!!

[roma847]

Hello together,

thanks Rich for your nice words. Yep, that brings me again a little step closer to the real TSM.

Let's go on with the next update. First, I have separated the sleeves (1.8 mm) with the Dremel cutting disc, which I've left a few tenths as a precaution supernatant. For cutting I have kept the ferrules on both sides with toothpicks and slowly brought up to the cutting disc. Although I am going again proceeded with extreme caution, the first sleeve piece is flown away shortly before cutting, never to return, what could possibly have been due to low speed. In the second experiment with a much higher speed it worked well even better.

After I had filed down the supernatant to 1.8 mm, I have compressed the sleeve together with toothpick in the sliding gauge with a lot of feeling to 1.5 mm, which is apparently the best way to avoid kinking of the sleeve. Under the sleeve is already the base plate, the shape of which I modified according to the original.

And the size and shape of the sleeve fit quite well to the base plate.

For gluing the tiny side parts of the holder to the center bar I had to borrow again the headset magnifier of my nice secretary.

And nevertheless I had some problems here, because these particles let keep hardly in tweezers or fix, so they can easily slip and had to be corrected several times.

Because I was not really happy with the result but I was thinking that it would be better if I did not clipping the the center bar to the final length, but leave a little longer and fix with tape, whereby the side parts should be positioned easier and especially more accurately. No sooner said than done!

And that worked actually better,

so I was able to adjust the base plate and then glue.

In this form, the holder can also be handled much easier, as here at the fitting on the LOX-TSM. And also during painting the longer center bar is very practical as a holder.

Then arrived just in time the ordered brass tube Ø 0.5 mm for the inner ROFI tubes, whose optics I've tried the same times as compared to the brass wire (0.5 mm), as you can see here.

Although this is only a tiny detail that will probably barely recognizable at the model later, but it corresponds to the real thing much better than the wire.

Edited September 15, 2014 by roma847

[noeyedears]

Agree the tube makes a big difference, its the small things that make this so good. Its nice to see how its all done too !