Plans and Details

I ordered some Apollo plans, scale drawings with color schemes, produced by David Weeks (RealSpace Models). 1:48 scale, Block I and Block II, including (some of) the details on the EVA rails. Along with a couple of other diagrams and mission photos (in hand now), I’ll have enough details, I think, to model Apollo 15 […]

Apollo 15 Details

As I get closer to finishing building the Saturn V’s structural components and beginning the finishing, it’s time to think some more about Apollo 15’s details. Apollo 15, 16, and 17 included a space walk for the Command Module Pilot during the trip back from the moon. (This wasn’t just to give the CMP one […]

To Fill and Sand?

The end of construction is in sight! I might even wrap up this evening, completing the LES and building the RCS nozzles (gotta love NASA’s plethora of TLAs, eh?). Soon, I’ll need to decide whether to fill the spirals in the body tubes or not, or maybe to fill just some (e.g., the S-IVB). Sure, […]

LM Shroud Done

We’re building the stack from the bottom up. Most recently, I’ve completed the LM shroud transition, atop the S-IVB. Next up will be applying the SM wrap. The rocket is starting to look like a Saturn V! There’s a long way to go yet, but with the CM atop the SM tube, even without the […]

Mis-aligned Wrap!

Oops. I mis-understood one of the alignment instructions. It was plenty clear: I merely blew it. The S-IVB has two wraps to model the ribs, one on the forward end of the stage, one on the aft end. There’s a tunnel cover that stretches between them (overlapping each). So, the alignment mistake—about 20° off, rotated […]

Are the Wraps Just Old?

I applied the S-IVB transition wrap this evening. It cracked. There was a little stress on the wrap, tangentially, in order to keep it tight. The CyA created a few cracks in the forward (small) edge. (Side note: I probably should have just glued this wrap down to the paper transition with canopy glue. I’m […]