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Apollo 7 50th Anniversary S-IVB


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On 10/15/2018 at 5:09 AM, HansReggelsen said:

A great build and a fantastic presentation! :goodjob:

 

Now I know where they got the idea from for the spacecraft in 'Diamonds Are Forever'! :winkgrin:

 

Cheers :bye:

Hans J

Actually, I think they might have got it from this:

 

5-s66-37966-b.jpg

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The film you are thinking of is "You Only Life Twice" released in 1967, so prior to Apollo 7 but after the flight of the  Augmented Target Docking Adapter (as shown above) which was in June 1966. You Only Live Twice script was written before the flight of ATDA, so it might be a case of fiction coincidently anticipating real life.

 

Keith

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7 hours ago, saturnapollo said:

The film you are thinking of is "You Only Life Twice" released in 1967, so prior to Apollo 7 but after the flight of the  Augmented Target Docking Adapter (as shown above) which was in June 1966. You Only Live Twice script was written before the flight of ATDA, so it might be a case of fiction coincidently anticipating real life.

 

Keith

I stand corrected! :worthy:

I got the two movies mixed up because in 'Diamonds Are Forever' there is also a satelite involved, but in 'You Only Live Twice' they actually kidnap austronauts in space.

Maybe this is a good reason to spend the evening watching the old Bond movies again! :winkgrin:

 

Thanks to VMA131Marine for the great picture! :D

 

Cheers :bye:

Hans J

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 2 months later...

Keith, I'm very impressed.  I've been following your work on space-modelers, and the end result is superb.  Which LM are you doing as the encore?  I'll PM you with some questions on the s on the SIVB, if you don't mind.

Regards

Tim

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Thanks Tim. not sure about which LM kit I will use as both aren't very accurate. The Airfix window areas are too large, but the Dragon LM windows are far too small. Got an old Airfix Ascent Stage someone gave me and I will build a spare Dragon oine and probably go with the one which best looks like LM to me and modify from there. I know I need to use the Airfix Descent Stage as the Dragon one is too small.

 

Keith

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Hi, Keith, 

 

 if it helps, here is my list for the Dragon 1/72 LM Ascent Stage:

 

  •  Middle section sides taper - should be vertical. Probably too difficult to fix.
  •  Windows too shallow - need extending down about 1.5 mm
  •  No EVA rail
  •  Forward RCS clusters wrong. 

 Too short vertically by about 3 mm 

 Should taper to rear

 Horizontal nozzles are 45 degrees out from the correct angles.

  • Rear RCS cluster should be extened the same amount.
  • Docking tunnel and probe too narrow.  Should be 32 inch so 11 mm dia
  • Port side mid section tank cover too low by 1.5mm - horizontal top should align with bottom line of bulge on forward section.  Again, probably too difficult to fix.
  • Port side mid section tank cover incorrect at rear
  • Port side mid section front lower corner needs a facet
  • 2 small protrusions needed on starboard middle section.
  • Umbilical connection needed.
  • "Gills" to be added to forward hatch flanges.

By the way, there 2 different versions of the Dragon LM.  The J model H model ones have different profiles at the lower starboard side of the middle section. 

zu1NMCb.jpg

 

I have a bit of a production line going!  I've not yet made all the fixes, but I'm working on it.  I wish I could justify buying two more New Ware correction sets, but they are a bit expensive. There have been several cases of one step forward, 2 back but I think that they are now going OK.   Trying to review various drawings and on line images has been a challenge, but I think I have the forward RCS quads about right now.   I should be able to start painting/foiling soon. 

 

XU2yEK8.jpg

 

Regards

Tim

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That is extremely helpful Tim (like the production line). Vincent Means just pointed out the top section is too high. It certainly looked it, but just measured it and it is 2mm too high (and that is a lot to lose at this scale) you would need to redo the triangular/pyramid bits either side. Also interesting about the various thruster quad problems.I hadn't got round to looking at them in detail.

 

I was always skeptical of the Dragon LM and found the 1/48 just unuseable. Thought I might have got away with the 1/72 version, but increasingly looking like I need to use the Airfix one and maybe cannibalise a few Dragon bits. The rear compartment section might be useable.

 

Really poor show from Dragon. They had a chance to do an accurate kit of the first and only vehicle to land on the Moon and they blew it. No-one will now.

I'm afraid it confirms my original impression of the Dragon Apollo kits.; Someone had a look at drawings/photos and went away and worked from memory and made the moulds without refering to the reference material again. Some nice detail, pity it is either wrong, in the wrong place, the wrong size or the wrong shape. They couldn't even get the size of decals right..

 

cheers,

 

Keith

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