Some Fantastic Plastic model kits that I made the master CAD parts for are back in stock:
Northrop M2-F3, 1/48 scale
Soviet LK Lunar Lander – 1/48 scale
SHIELD Helicarrier – 1/1400 scale
Some others of interest after the break…
Feb 072021
Feb 032021
A model I CADded up last year for Fantastic Plastic is coming along in the process. This was a design that was constantly flacked by Krafft Ehricke of Convair back in the late 1950’s, included in everything from small Atlas-derived space stations on up to lunar landers. The references for it showed the design wandering all over the place in terms of shape and dimensions; whether this was due to the design constantly changing or – as seems more likely – artistic license is not entirely clear. Evidence suggests that the design was improved and evolved to become the “landing boat” for the larger Project Orion vehicles designed int he very early 1960’s by General Atomic. GA was a division of General Dynamics, and there was some crosstalk about various aspects.
Convair Space Station Lifeboat
The model is not yet now available for sale, but will be soon. It will be a pretty straightforward kit in 1/48 scale.
Jan 262021
“Squadron Shop” *was* one of the biggest retailers (mail order) of model kits, for more than 50 years. They are apparently no more.
https://www.facebook.com/111310803863763/videos/243100640551113
Jan 102021
A few seemingly random (because they are) photos. First: a display model of an early General Dynamics concept for what would become the F-111.
And then… two photos of the Convair XB-46 in flight.
I’ve uploaded the full-rez versions of these to the APR Dropbox, into the 2021-01 APR Extras folder. This is available to any APR Patron or Subscriber at the $4 level and above.
Dec 292020
As I’ve made mention numerous times over the years, I am – or at least was, back when I had the time – a builder of models. As such, I watched a lot of YouTube model building videos to pick up new skills, new ways of casting parts, new ways to paint details. A lot of the videos are pretty redundant of course… you can only watch so many vids on the dot filter process using oil paints, for example. Yet there are always new things to see. It’s good to sometimes step outside your own niche. Me, I’d build mostly airplane models, spacecraft, some sci-fi and, long ago, armor. Japanese anime characters? Giant fighting robot mechs? Meh, not for me. Nevertheless, sometimes it’s worth watching videos showing someone building and painting such models. Sometimes there are interesting things to see.
Sometimes two things.
Dec 082020
Eaglemoss has released information on their “subscription” model of the Enterprise-D:
It’s big, to be sure, at more than 2 feet long. Like other Eaglemoss kits, this thing shows up a bit at a time (four kits per month), taking you a while to amass all the components to complete the full model. Each kit costs about £11 each (doubtless there’ll be a USD $ option soon enough). Which doesn’t sound too bad, until you scroll waaaaaaaay down to the bottom and click on the FAQ and they kinda shyly point out that this thing is composed of 120 separate kits. That’s 120 times £11 which is… £1320, or about $1770. Yikes. Plus it’ll take 30 months for all the bits to get to you.
This Enterprise was first announced nearly two years ago, if it sounds vaguely familiar. Note that the final product does look substantially better than the earlier-shown prototype.
Nov 202020
UPDATE: “Good” news: a link in the comments section explains what happened here. Bleah.
I recent bought a model kit of a tank (a 1/35 Dragon T28). it has been *decades* since I’ve built a tank model, and right now with the Book projects building models is not a high priority, but what the heck. So I popped open the box, started looking at the parts and realized there was a problem.
The tracks are supposed to be flexible bands of molded vinyl. Fairly standard for a model kit… the two general approaches are either bands of flexible vinyl, or individual tracks and links. The tracks and links approach can produce the best looking model, but it can be a time and brain consuming nightmare to link hundreds of parts.
But there was a problem with the tracks. Instead of being flexible vinyl… they’re more like brittle cast resin. They actually shatter and crumble in the packaging:
As best as I can determine, this is the legit actual part. Based on YouTube videos of other people doing reviews and assemblies, the color is spot on, the vacuum-packed plastic sealed bag is right. The molding is crisp and clear, far better than would be expected if I somehow got someone’s resin recast of the vinyl tracks. But as you can see, the tracks are extraordinarily brittle… and they’re wet. They’re soaking in what seems to be some sort of oil.
So what am I looking at here? Is this some sort of weird manufacturing mistake… a set of resin tracks instead of vinyl? Or could this be vinyl that has degraded to a phenomenal degree? Is the oil the cause of the brittleness… or did the vinyl exude the oil and become brittle?
I’ve contacted the manufacturer and *might* get a set of replacement tracks in a couple months. That would be nice. But I am really curious about what the problem really is here. Anybody know of a series of reasonably safe tests that could determine what the oil is (silicone? hydrocarbon?) and whether the tracks are vinyl or resin. The easiest test I can think of: burn some resin, burn some vinyl. Then burn the tracks, which does it smell like? Simple, straightforward likely toxic as all get-out, so, yeah, no.
Oct 182020
I saw this photo in a book, article or paper *years* ago, but for the life of me I can’t find it. Familiar to anyone?
Aug 262020
This set of models was recently sold on eBay. It depicts a proposed concept for extending the utility of Apollo hardware… in this case, the Command Module and the Ascent Stage of the Lunar Module, by using them in Earth or Lunar orbit in conjunction with a small space laboratory. The Lunar Module would be used as a little space lab of it’s own, with a bolted-on telescope… this idea transformed into the Apollo Telescope Mount on Skylab, which began life as a modified LM. This probably dates from 1965-66. The purpose of the lab was to provide living space for the crew of three, because missions were contemplated lasting several months, providing detailed examination of the Earth or moon. Scientifically useful to be sure, but were the crew packed solely into the CM and LM for that period they’d likely kick the walls out.
Aug 172020
From 1965, two Boeing-Vertol Heavy Lift Helicopter concepts in model form, to scale with a Chinook (at far right). At far left is the Model 227 which carried loaded internally; in the middle is Model 237, designed as a flying crane. note, though, that even though the Model 237 is designed to carry payloads externally the vehicle is so large that the reduced fuselage still has room for a substantial passenger load, windows and all.
