1/100th MPC Titan IIIc heavy lifter

[general melchett]

Hi chaps,

 

Here's another launch vehicle I built last year for AMW magazine's 'Real Space Special' (specially posted for Norman). This time it's the ancient (1971) MPC Titan IIIc Heavy Lift launch vehicle. Though a little basic by today's standards it's not a bad kit for its time...lends itself perfectly to a little scratch building. I decided to add ribbing to the inner faces of the upper portion of the first and second stages using plastic strip and card as well as adding missing details to the engines and their shroud. Thankfully this reissue included a quality decal sheet which was a considerable improvement over the original. I've included a few build images along with the final model.

 

A little history:

The Titan IIIc (SLV5-C) was an expendable heavy-launch system used by the United States Air Force from 1965 until 1982 with the first successful launch made from Cape Canaveral on June 18th 1965. The vehicle consisted of a three-stage core vehicle with two solid propellant ’Stage Zero’’ strap-on boosters attached on either side. The Common-Core Vehicle consists of two stages evolved from the Titan II with a new propulsion vehicle, the Transtage, as a third stage. All three liquid propellant stages used storable propellants, which can remain on the vehicle for extended periods. The fuel is a 50/50 mixture of hydrazine and UDHM (unsymmetrical dimethyl hydrazine) with nitrogen tetroxide used as an oxidizer. These propellants are hypergolic, meaning that they burn spontaneously upon contact with each other. Titan IIIc developed into a highly successful launch vehicle while serving with the USAF, before being replaced by the even more capable Titan IV series.

 

I wish a few more of the mainstream companies would pay attention to these early launch vehicles, it would be nice to see more Titans, particularly the IV in its various guises, along with Thor Deltas, Protons and UK Black Knight and Blue Streak. 

 

Hope you approve and thanks for looking.

 

Melchie

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some build images;

 

The two LR87-AJ9 main engines prior to fitting the wiring and plumbing. 

 

 

 

 

Interior ribbing details were added using Evergreen card, strip and rod.

 

 

 

 

 

Reworked interstage section, prior to wiring detail.

 

 

 

 

 Core-stage almost finished, just need to add the two small box fairings that were fitted to the checkerboard sections of the transtage outer cover.

 

 

 

 

 

 There was a fair bit of masking involved. The missing strengthening strips were also added to the SRM nozzles using 1mm plastic strip.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 The completed SRM boosters.

 

 

Edited July 19, 2020 by general melchett

[Jeddahbill]

Very nice - especially the painting details!

Bill

[KevinK]

4 hours ago, general melchett said:

UDHM (unsympathetic dimethyl hydrazine)

UDMH is indeed unsympathetic, but I think auto-correct probably prevented the correct name of "unsymmetrical dimethyl hydrazine".

 

Excellent model of a neglected subject.

 

Kevin

 

(ex-Martin Marietta and Aerojet-Rocketdyne)

[general melchett]

Thanks guys, appreciated,

 

Kevin, thanks, you’re quite right of course, if anyone would know it should be you,  auto-correct, manually corrected.