having a go at 1/144 SA-1 (another resin offering by martins models)

[jetboy]

Hi again ,right im having a go at some resin models lately as ive been a bit bored with the mainstream offerings lately,this is the first of the saturn apollo rockets ,the end game man on the moon,so this is the first of about 24 different rockets before the moon rocket.most of the vehicles were the same with subtle variations,ie payload,testing water instead of fuel,different stages etc...testing different paint designs because of spiking on heat monitors etc the history is quite fascinating,Most of these were unmanned,.So this is saturn apollo 1,basically a redstone missile with a load of fuel tanks strapped to it.

Sa1-sa3 basically the same paint design,black and white alternate tanks on first stage then a small chequered pattern on the interstage,then a all white second stage,which was water filled to test the stability in flight,and ballast.first stage thrust was1.3 million lb,and i believe the flight lasted 8 mins 4 secs.

The kit is all resin,pretty simple,but effective its all down to sanding and painting so enjoy,theres more to come(did i hear stifiled groans)..have a look at history,cheers Don

First off,clean up resin and wash and dry,then having test fit to see what needs sanding/removing

the kit parts

keep sanding and testing to see how it fits

seeing how it will align

cheers Don

[Wayne]

That's looking very interesting Don, great work.

Wayne

[JMChladek]

Ahhh yes, the original "Cluster's Last Stand" in all its black and white roll patterned glory. Nice work so far!

[Mike]

At the risk of sounding sensible, is it my imagination or do those top sections of t'rocket look a bit out of alignment? The impression I'm getting from that last photo is that the base of the first cylindrical section is tilted to the left, the base of the first conical section to the right, and the conical top-cap to the left. Could that be down to the moulds, or do you think it could be your sanding of the bases & casting blocks off? Option 3 of course could be some kind of complex trick of the light of course You're the man on the spot, so you should be able to have a look and decide. It's very difficult aligning consecutive cylinders of any size, as most modellers know, and it's even more difficult to keep a surface square while you're sanding

If you don't fancy correcting any misalignment at this late stage, d'ya think the checking would hide it?

p.s. Please don't think I'm having a go Don - I'm just trying to help out

[Ian Shumsky]

Very interesting looking build, but I agree with Mike that the top sections after the main base are slightly off. Is it the camera angle? If not, if may be better to try and fix that now before the painting starts

[Mike]

i havenot glued the upper part yet,so i just placed them and never aligned them

That's good news - nothing worse than realising you've got summit scew-whiff after the event.

[GordonD]

The ratio of posts on BM seems to be 1,750 on Spitfires for every one on real space subjects (which probably represents the number of people who build these things!) so it's good to see something like this. Resin models are still beyond my capabilities at the moment (though I have used some of Martin's aftermarket parts on my Airfix Saturns) so I'll just follow this build and admire it.

[jetboy]

looks straight to me boss?

[jetboy]

The ratio of posts on BM seems to be 1,750 on Spitfires for every one on real space subjects (which probably represents the number of people who build these things!) so it's good to see something like this. Resin models are still beyond my capabilities at the moment (though I have used some of Martin's aftermarket parts on my Airfix Saturns) so I'll just follow this build and admire it.

Hi gd,they are a bit of a pig to do,but a bit more satisfying when finished than plastic kits?,but i think they are beyond me at times,i have some right complicated ones coming up,so keep watching,cheers Don

[JMChladek]

Cheers Jay,i like clusters last stand,was that von braun,s description?.Now why didnt you mention i wasnt aligned,all help gratefully received,dont hold back.hope your keeping ok..Don

The model turned out well. I see that Slash, Brian (I think) May, Brian Johnson and Paul Stanley of KISS seem to approve. Talk about heavy metal. An Ace Frehley figure would be most appropriate as well since he wants a "Rocket RIDE!"

LOL, sorry I wasn't looking too close at the alignment at the time. As for the "Cluster's Last Stand" bit, some other rocket engineer labeled the Saturn 1 that after seeing it had eight engines clustered in the first stage. I can't recall if this person worked for von Braun or a competing rocket program at the time, but it was somewhat unique and there were concerns that it might not work. The Titan II was sort of in direct competition with the Saturn 1 for use in a couple programs (this was in the pre-Apollo program days) and the Martin corp (builder of the Titans) was trying to sell their rocket on it potentially being less complicated in certain critical areas than the Saturn. In aviation circles, more engines tends to result in reduced reliability rather than increased safety as pilots sometimes like to joke that if you lose an engine, the remaining engine keeps you flying just fine to the crash site.

But, the Saturn 1 worked its magic and it lead to the Saturn 1B and elements of the Saturn V. But even von Braun and his rocket engineers realized there were limits to how far clustering could go and they paired down the engines as best as they could for reliability versus power requirements. The Soviets on the otherhand with Korolev's N-1 design were very badly hampered by the need to cluster a LARGE number of smaller engines (30 in the first stage) and they paid the price with the complex engine systems I believe being the direct cause of at least two of the four N-1 launch failures. But, if the N-1 hadn't failed, I'm convinced the Soviets would have ended up killing a couple cosmonauts on lunar flights anyway as their Lunar Landing program literally could be described as a "crash" program with how many shortcuts they were taking.

Edited December 17, 2012 by JMChladek

[Ian Shumsky]

I think you straightened that up perfectly! Looking forward to your next builds.

[jetboy]

The model turned out well. I see that Slash, Brian (I think) May, Brian Johnson and Paul Stanley of KISS seem to approve. Talk about heavy metal. An Ace Frehley figure would be most appropriate as well since he wants a "Rocket RIDE!"

LOL, sorry I wasn't looking too close at the alignment at the time. As for the "Cluster's Last Stand" bit, some other rocket engineer labeled the Saturn 1 that after seeing it had eight engines clustered in the first stage. I can't recall if this person worked for von Braun or a competing rocket program at the time, but it was somewhat unique and there were concerns that it might not work. The Titan II was sort of in direct competition with the Saturn 1 for use in a couple programs (this was in the pre-Apollo program days) and the Martin corp (builder of the Titans) was trying to sell their rocket on it potentially being less complicated in certain critical areas than the Saturn. In aviation circles, more engines tends to result in reduced reliability rather than increased safety as pilots sometimes like to joke that if you lose an engine, the remaining engine keeps you flying just fine to the crash site.

But, the Saturn 1 worked its magic and it lead to the Saturn 1B and elements of the Saturn V. But even von Braun and his rocket engineers realized there were limits to how far clustering could go and they paired down the engines as best as they could for reliability versus power requirements. The Soviets on the otherhand with Korolev's N-1 design were very badly hampered by the need to cluster a LARGE number of smaller engines (30 in the first stage) and they paid the price with the complex engine systems I believe being the direct cause of at least two of the four N-1 launch failures. But, if the N-1 hadn't failed, I'm convinced the Soviets would have ended up killing a couple cosmonauts on lunar flights anyway as their Lunar Landing program literally could be described as a "crash" program with how many shortcuts they were taking.

Cheers jay,you were close but no cigar?,theres another easy clue for you,in the enclosed photo,i just had to dig these out,there still covered in dust.

best wishes Don.

[JMChladek]

Ahhhh, Jimmy Page, my mistake (the big hair fros seemed to be the thing back in the 70s for A LOT of bands). I'm digging the KISS figures a lot. I especially love Gene with that battle axe bass of his.

[jetboy]

Ahhhh, Jimmy Page, my mistake (the big hair fros seemed to be the thing back in the 70s for A LOT of bands). I'm digging the KISS figures a lot. I especially love Gene with that battle axe bass of his.

Well done,now go for the full house,whose the drummer at the front,theres two more band members on the left,give you a clue,his wife was more famous.Don. ps have you heard of spacecraft 76,dealer on e.bay,ive just got his latest kit,its a bit different,i,ll post some pics later,if you get the drummer,s name right...Don

[Norman]

Don

Firstly great work (as always) on your Saturn series project there can't be many people on the planet doing that fantastic group ( well, compared to Me 109's that is) i agree with you sanding resin mating surfaces and getting proper alignment

Secondly your collection of figures MUST be approaching legendary / epic proportions mate !

Enjoy your posts very much and i don't think they are boring

Cheers from an Old

Skippy

[JMChladek]

Tommy Lee of Motley Crue perhaps? Otherwise I'm drawing a blank.

[jetboy]

HI,GOT THIS FINISHED,not happy so have scrapped and started again,so will start thread again,im quite happy with it this time,though still get a bit confused with old photo,s showing different details,either that or someone hasnot labelelled the source photo,s right?i dont know its a mystery,to me im just a mere moggeler? cheers Don