Yeah… no thanks

 AARRRGH, art, Crazy, critters, Meh., models, science, science fiction  12 Responses »
Jun 112018
 

Ugh.

Meet Mrs Perfect: Scientists reveal what a ‘superwoman’ really would look like – complete with bat ears, slimy frog skin and a kangaroo pouch

So, it’s an article about what *one* scientist thinks a “perfect” human would look like if said human was genetically engineered with bits of other animals. Granted, some ideas for genetic engineering upgrades make some kind of sense… stranger hearts less susceptible to attacks, better immune systems, more acute hearing, better eyesight, blah, blah, blah. But those could be done with, presumably, little to no change to the actual *form* of the baseline human. But this suggestion goes a little further than that:

Yeah. Ummmm… no.

In order for a human to be “better,” it would need to be able to reproduce. It seems very likely that a human modified to such an extent would not be genetically compatible and physically able to reproduce with a stock human, so this would be effectively a new species. But even if it was compatible, and the major changes were made genetically dominant so they would carry over unchanged into the next generation, there is another problem with reproducing this type of human:

Yuck.

In order to breed, ya generally gotta *want* to breed. Granted, I speak for nobody but myself, and I know there are a lot of guys who’ll do just about anything, and a lot of guys who are into furries and such, but the concept shown here is not exactly… inspiring.

 Posted by at 9:26 am

Who wants an Orville?

 art, awesomeness, models, news, science fiction, spacecraft  No Responses »
May 192018
 

OK, physical prep work on the 3D printed parts is now complete and the model is ready to be shipped off for casting. Below are photos of the model parts simply taped together (the lower loop is bent upwards a bit due to being simply held together with tape). The model kit should prove fairly straightforward to build; there are only a few pieces:

1: Top shell

2: Bottom shell

3: Bridge

4: Lounge

5: Top loop

6: Mid loop

7: Bottom loop

8: Underside of shuttlebay

And that’s it.

If you want one – and you really should – it will be available from Fantastic Plastic. Send them an email to reserve a copy. this is an important thing to do… let’s ’em know roughly how many to make. Like a lot of kits like these, only a limited number will be made.

 Posted by at 3:49 pm

Reusable Atlas model photos

 history, models, Patreon, projects, rockets, spacecraft  4 Responses »
May 182018
 

In the 1960’s, prior to the Space Shuttle program, General Dynamics/Convair studied using the Atlas ICBM as a space launch system. no surprise there. But one concept called for a nearly fully reusable Atlas, equipped with wings, jet engines, landing gear and a cockpit to recover the booster in one reusable piece. It would be topped with either an expendable Centaur and satellite/space probe upper stage or a smallish manned lifting body spaceplane with its own built-in propulsive capability. At the time General Dynamics released sizable “educational” cards with information and photos of models of the reusable Atlas. Unlike the normal Atlas, this version did not drop the outboard “booster’ engines, but kept them throughout the mission. An inflatable, deployable afterbody was proposed to fair over the engines after burnout to reduce base drag.

I have uploaded righ-rez scans of both sides of this poster-sized card to the 2018-05 APR Extras folder on Dropbox for APR Patrons at the $4 level and up.

Additionally, a report on this concept is available as Space Doc 52.

If you are interested in these Reusable Atlas model images and a great many other “extras” and monthly aerospace history rewards, please sign up for the APR Patreon. What else are you going to spend $4 a month on?

patreon-200

 Posted by at 11:15 pm

Trashing a Star Destroyer

 art, awesomeness, Hmm..., models, science fiction, spacecraft  No Responses »
May 132018
 

Some weeks back I posted photos of a preliminary experiment using “black light” paint to illuminate starship models. Included was a small Bandai Star Destroyer model, which had windows on the left side of the ship and the engines painted and lit up with UV to demonstrate that it could make a convincing lighting system. After taking the photos I tried to put the model back on its shelf, fumbled, and broke one of the “shield generators” off of the bridge. Whoops. But that presented an opportunity to try something new… modeling the ship as being under attack and exploding.

The photos kinda stink, largely due to being shot under dismal lighting conditions (what do you want… it’s 4 AM) and the camera being handheld. So everything is blurry. Even so, I think it turned out pretty well. This would certainly be a hell of a chore to light up using LEDs.

 Posted by at 4:38 am

Convair VL-3A model photos

 aircraft, history, models, Patreon, projects, rockets, spacecraft, US Spacecraft Projects  2 Responses »
May 102018
 

The Convair VL-3A was a 1966 concept for a space station logistics spacecraft. It was a sleek, flat-bottomed lifting body featuring a twin tail and flip-out wings that would deploy shortly before landing to reduce the landing speed. It would be fitted with flip-out turbofan engines for range extension, self-ferry and control during landing. General Dynamics released sizable “educational” cards with information and photos of models of the spaceplane showing how the wings would deploy from within the lower fuselage.

I have uploaded righ-rez scans of both sides of this poster-sized card to the 2018-05 APR Extras folder on Dropbox for APR Patrons at the $4 level and up.

I also wrote about and illustrated the VL-3A in US Spacecraft Projects #2, showing the general arrangement of the design along with the disposable propulsion stage and the launch configuration atop the Titan III.

USSP #02 can be downloaded as a PDF file for only $6:

If you are interested in thes VL-3A model images and a great many other “extras” and monthly aerospace history rewards, please sign up for the APR Patreon. What else are you going to spend $4 a month on?

patreon-200

 Posted by at 1:06 am

Lighting The Orville

 art, models, science fiction, spacecraft  7 Responses »
Apr 252018
 

A question has popped up from time to time about that Orville model I’m working on for Fantastic Plastic: can it be lit internally? It’s a fair question since the Orville is a brightly lit ship. But with those relatively thin and long loops, making a resin kit hollow seemed like a nightmare, especially since it would have to be cast in very difficult transparent resin. But as the photos show, an alternate approach is possible. This is the result of a few minutes tinkering, a half-assed effort with a spare 3D printed engine loop and one of those really nice but really small Bandai Star Destroyer models.

Precisely zero points for guessing the system used, because, c’mon, it’s pretty obvious. But if you’re thinking “Photoshop,” no, that’s not it… this is the real lighting, simple flash-less camera phone photos, no trickery.

 Posted by at 3:09 pm
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