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One Giant Leap For Mankind, Just A Pootle Round The Garden For A Martian


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I have now separated the astronaut's seat from the Revell part, tidied it up and cemented it to the cabin bulkhead. I then built up the sides from plastic card and blended it all together with Miliput. I shall clean this up at such a time the putty decides to set and then get to building up the racking for all the equipment that was stored on each side of the seat.

 

 

 

I have now got the putty on the inside of the capsule sanded down as well.

 

Thanks for looking.

 

Martian 👽

 

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Here at Cape Martian, work has been continuing on the 1/48 Mercury capsule. I have now constructed the racking that goes on either side of the seat. A lot of time was spent cleaning up the inside of the capsule, I had to use the smallest of my tentacles here.

 

The Mercury had an inner and outer window, the outer being the longer of the two. In this scale it should be possible to reproduce this and accordingly, I have carved out the kit window to the correct size. I do have a plan for replicating this feature but I suspect Mrs Martian's photographic skills will be called upon to illustrate this.

 

Thanks for looking.

 

Martian 👽

 

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On 2/3/2021 at 11:43 PM, Pete in Lincs said:

"Floating in my tin can" Which to all intents and purposes, is what it was.

 

Indeed it was. Perhaps - in kit review terms - one could say "assembly starts with the cockpit - and finishes with it, too!"

 

 

On 2/3/2021 at 9:04 PM, Martian said:

The Mercury had an inner and outer window, the outer being the longer of the two.

 

If I recall correctly, about the only major external difference between the early Mercuries (Redstone-launched) and the orbital ones (Atlas) was the window, which changed from a porthole to a rectangle, pretty much by pilot demand.

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22 minutes ago, Norman said:

Nice work indeed !

Thanks Norman, I do have some more eye candy almost ready for this thread. One more session at the bench should bring me to a convenient  point where I can get some pictures taken.

 

Martian 👽

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59 minutes ago, Martian said:

I do have some more eye candy almost ready for this thread.

Oh you big tease you. 😁

 

You're encapsulating this very smartly Martian - looking forwards to seeing that window work.

 

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As promised and to keep @The Baron from being in suspenders any longer, here are the promised pictures. Only two but I am quite pleased as to how the instrument panel went. Some Airscale decals for the dials and the job should be a good 'un. I still have bit of structure to add and to plumb in the instrument cases on the back of the panel, the rear of the panel is very visible through the open hatch, and to complete the structure of the capsule. Then on to populating the racking either side of the astronaut's seat. I think I will take a look at the Simoun and Canberras today. More in the future.

 

Thanks for looking 

 

Martian 👽

 

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A certain dipstick of this parish forgot to add that he also sorted out the windows for the capsule. The craft had a longer outer window and a shorter inner one. I elongated the kit window, deepened the hole, added an inner frame from .30 'thou plastic strip and shortened the inner part of the frame from a sliver of .10 'thou card. The inner window will butt up against this. I am aware that the inner window was at a different angle to the outer one but  it was very difficult to get in and work in this area, the capsule being about two inches in diameter, and this fix should give the right appearance when viewed from the outside, We shall see but I'm not going to get too stressed about it as, after all, these space builds are supposed to be relaxing therapy for a health condition. This seems to be working as I am really enjoying my modelling again and this in turn is making me want to get back to the Canberras again.

 

Thanks for looking again.

 

Martian 👽

 

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It still astounds me that the astronaut was basically lying directly on the heat shield, which iirc was composite, only an inch thick. 
 

Found some nice photos of John Glenn’s Friendship 7 on the Smithsonian website, and whilst I’m sure our tentacled friend has already assimilated all the available data by downloading directly into one of his brains, some of my fellow puny Earthlings might enjoy them? 
 

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https://airandspace.si.edu/stories/editorial/getting-closer-look-mercury-friendship-7-spacecraft

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

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Thanks for those pictures Rob, I had not seen them and they show a different arrangement for the inner window and cover for the same that does not appear in the Haynes book. I shall have to make a decision on which mission to model as the book states that capsules tended to vary in detail depending on the mission.

 

Martian 👽

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I love all the handwritten and typed paper notes stuck all over the place, the wires and bits of extra control panel screwed on, it all seems a bit of a lash up...😬

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On 07/02/2021 at 15:17, Martian said:

. This seems to be working as I am really enjoying my modelling

Splendid to hear Martian. :clap:

On 07/02/2021 at 21:17, Martian said:

they show a different arrangement for the inner window and cover for the same that does not appear in the Haynes book.

You tend to forget the manner in which each mission came to embody the experiences/results of its direct predecessors as knowledge grew from mission to mission. The machines evolving around us....

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I have now managed to get the bulk of the rear of the instrument panel wired up. A bit on the simplified side but it should suffice. There's a lot of wiring in there and not much room to work. There is a large wiring loom that goes down the port side of the capsule which I still need to add but that is for another day as a battle with a recalcitrant Canberra nose undercarriage assembly has left me pretty well wiped out. No big deal though as I am pretty sure how I am going to tackle the job, I just need to be on the ball when I tackle it.

 

Sorry about the size of the pictures. PostImage is down and Flickr is playing silly buggers. Thanks for looking.

 

Martian 👽

 

Totally hacked off with Flickr, I tried ImgBB, much easier to use.

 

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20 hours ago, TheBaron said:

The machines evolving around us....

Yep, good old suck it and see. Of course a British capsule would be littered with old fag packets, with notations in pencil all over the inside.

(The pencil was lick it and see)

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40 minutes ago, Pete in Lincs said:

Yep, good old suck it and see. Of course a British capsule would be littered with old fag packets, with notations in pencil all over the inside.

(The pencil was lick it and see)

That's where you are wrong Pete, the notations would have been in wax crayon.

 

Martian 👽

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Those fingers are well over scale Martian...

 

Quote

Of course a British capsule would be littered with old fag packets, with notations in pencil all over the inside

You're forgetting the teacup rings on the Blue Prints, crumbs, empty crisp packets, curled up ham-and-pickle sarnies and expended chewing gum, stuck under every surface.

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2 hours ago, general melchett said:

Those fingers are well over scale Martian...

 

You're forgetting the teacup rings on the Blue Prints, crumbs, empty crisp packets, curled up ham-and-pickle sarnies and expended chewing gum, stuck under every surface.

Sounds very much like Sarah-Jane's cockpit just before Mrs Martian makes me get her valeted.

 

Martian 🤭

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Quote

Sounds very much like Sarah-Jane's cockpit just before Mrs Martian makes me get her valeted.

 

Double entendres aside, I know what you mean, back in the day, Neville, my faithful Rover P6, used to suffer the same sort of abuse. The Mem would only board the old girl if the ashtrays were emptied of home-made ciggies, all dead bong-pipes removed, dry-roast peanut bags sent packing and strategically placed empty packets of Gauloises and Gitanes that usually littered the floor, binned. Odd things, women...   

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2 hours ago, general melchett said:

 

Double entendres aside, I know what you mean, back in the day, Neville, my faithful Rover P6, used to suffer the same sort of abuse. The Mem would only board the old girl if the ashtrays were emptied of home-made ciggies, all dead bong-pipes removed, dry-roast peanut bags sent packing and strategically placed empty packets of Gauloises and Gitanes that usually littered the floor, binned. Odd things, women...   

Never did understand the chaps with the lumpy chests that ny Father warned me about.

 

Muddled of Mars 👽

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