My next project for Fantastic Plastic: a revival of the previously-released 1/72 scale “Whispercraft” helicopter. As originally released, it had no interior; the re-release will have a full interior, re-worked surface detailing and additional parts to make dedicated military versions.
Wow.
http://www.dragonmodelsusa.com/dmlusa/prodd.asp?pid=DRW50388
http://www.flyingmule.com/products/DM-50388
As impressive as the real Saturn rocket system is, viewers of this Space Collection item from Dragon will cause jaws to drop and draw gasps of astonishment! While the model makes use of the Command/Service Module (CSM) and Launch Escape System produced earlier, the rest of this monstrous 1/72 scale rocket comes from brand new toolings. All the relevant detail is carefully reproduced on the three rocket stages, and the completed model comes with accurate painting and markings. The Saturn V is most suitable for display at home as a centerpiece of any space fan’s collection. It comes with a stable circular base to allow it to be freestanding on the floor. This is no miniature model, for it’s absolutely enormous even in 1/72 scale! Indeed, the fully built-up model stands almost 5 feet tall.
WANT.
Modeling of the Space Station V is done. Still a bit of work yet… the photoetch layout (it will be steel, not brass) is being tinkered with, and the Orion III spaceplane needs a few more details. But the station CAD model, all 220 meg of it, is basically done.
Just about there.
A photo of a display model of a Vought transport aircraft using the ADAM (Air Deflection And Modulation) system for vertical thrust. Note six small turbojets – two in the forward fuselage, four in wingtip pods – drive four large fans embedded in the wings. Process essentially the same as the V-460 design.
Thanks to Mark Nankivil.
The skeletal regions of the Space Station V model will be done in photoetched brass. Just about done laying out those bits…
In 1957, Darrell Romick of Goodyear produced the “Meteor Jr.” design for a three stage fully reusable manned launch vehicle, a smaller version of the “Meteor” design from 1954. The designs were straightforward, with simple but gigantic delta wings.
The Air & Space Museum Udvar-Hazy facility has a Goodyear display model of the Meteor Jr. vehicle on display.
The Space Station V CAD model is just about done. And not a moment too soon… the complete unified model clocks in at 190 megabytes. It’s big enough that my computer is just about to the point where it’ll just give me a blank stare when I try to do something with the model. The conical faces of the hub need some detailing, the Orion III needs a fair amount of surface detailing (note: that part won’t be detailed enough to print off as a model on its own… it’s being made to be detailed enough at 1/1400 scale), some noodling around will be needed with the structures flanking the “spokes” (I’m assuming at this point that those bits will have to be photoetch).
As can be seen, the model features the “unbuilt” rim. Photoetch parts are planned for the skeleton of the structure shown in the movie. I understand that additional completed rim parts will be provided so that the station can be shown in its final finished form.
A few years back I got to poke around a little bit in the NASM Garber facility. Lighting was not the best and some areas were photography-discouraged, but there were a few things that I got some photos of. One was a large model of an early Boeing Dyna Soar configuration. It may have originally been a wind tunnel model that was repurposed into a display model, or it may have been a display model from the get-go (kinda big, though).
The hub of the SSV is just about done. The parts in yellow shown below will have to be done in photoetch. The hub will be in four parts… two identical “faces,” and two different central parts. These are hollowed out to help reduce the volume needing to be printed and thus the cost of the kit.
The little purple sphere is just a modeling aid as opposed to being something in the kit.