Why am I suddenly hungry now??
LOLLater! OL JR
Hey Rick, got some questions...
I was wondering where you got the pinstriping tape you mentioned for the Apollo BPC on the capsule, and for the SLA panels... What width, type, brand, etc... and where you got it please??
Also, I was wondering if you could tell me more about your tower... How you built the "X over inverted "V" ones (not like the recommended method in the instructions that are the "Z over Z" type). Those look AMAZINGLY cool... certainly as close as ANYBODY could hope to get to the real tower shape at THIS small size! (As you know, but someone else reading might not, the real Apollo/Saturn LES tower used four "V" shaped tubes welded to a ring in the middle of the tower legs, held up by four inverted "V" tubes going from the ring back out to the midpoint of the legs, then horizontal tubes between the legs, supported by an angled tube from the leg base up to the horizontal tubes). What material did you use there?? Wood?? Or is it plastruct rod?? More info would be greatly appreciated!!!
Keira has been on a rocket building binge lately... I helped her build an Estes "Freefall" and a "Neon" tubefin rocket. We're actually still working on the "Neon". In tinkering about over there I picked up the tower kits I got from Wes a few years back and looked over at my uncompleted BT-80 Saturn V and Saturn I-F, and decided I should dive in on the towers... I got one done per the Saturn IB instructions, (though I modified them a bit-- I did all that "cut the tiny wire with nail clippers" thing on the Freedom 7 and Mercury Atlas, and kept thinking "there's gotta be a better way"... So I came up with an idea and tried it... works okay, but the tower doesn't look like a Saturn LES is SUPPOSED to look, ya know?? Yours, on the other hand, looks AMAZING!!! I have the legs gluing up on the second tower now, and haven't done any of the cross-bracing... so I'm curious how you did it... I'd like to go for that look on the second tower...
I've also been doing some other tinkering... have to upload the pics and post them...
I'd appreciate any info you might have! Thanks!
OL JR
Got the idea "why not cut the thruster quads out of cardstock" only to see in rereading the threads this evening that you did that, using the RoskoRacer superdetailed SM wraps as a guide. I freehanded some, and didn't like how "flat" they looked... got thicker cardstock and they looked some better. Used a bit of spare centering ring board from Keira's kit and cut some out with the hobby knife, and they were TOO thick, and didn't look good at all. Returned to some 110 lb cardstock and cut one out, and got the bright idea, "cut a tiny rectangle to glue on top of it, above the nozzles and center "box" section, to give it a more 3D look." Tried it and it's okay; they're pretty quick to cut out and do, but the final result isn't anywhere NEAR as impressive as your plastic rod ones. I still have my plastic molded ones from the heated sprue forced into a home-made wooden mold... Now if I could just make a better mold...
Looking forward to it!!
I've been messing around with some parts for the Saturn V and I-F. I've built one tower but it's pretty much identical to the instructions on the Dr. Zooch Saturn IB. I'm not thrilled with the "Double Z" shape. I'll post pictures of what I did that's new maybe tomorrow. I did add some stuff to it. I was really curious about how you did the "X over inverted V" tower legs... but I found it in the other thread. Really cool stuff... I have some rod, so maybe tomorrow I'll try to work on that one... I was gonna cut hay this week, but they're predicting an incredibly rare July cool front to make its way into the area and stall out... so if I cut hay, Murphy's law states that the probability of heavy rainfall ruining the hay increases in inverse proportion to how close I am to being finished, approaching infinity as I start to bale. So, rather than risk it, I decided (with my brother's advice) to just wait another week and let whatever it wants to do this week pass... The thing is, now having decided NOT to cut the hay, the weather will remain perfect the rest of the week... such is life I suppose.
Anyway, I've been tinkering with the Saturn builds, and learned a LOT by re-reading your threads Rick! Thanks! I also "reinvented the wheel" at one point here... LOL
Anyway, thanks again and looking forward to your GbLV build! It'll be classic, I'm sure-- your paint jobs are SUPER cool!
Later! OL JR
Yep, it's a neat little kit... been thinking about breaking out a Saturn IB and doing it myself... I'd love to do a 20 foot tank stretch version as well... that was the basis for most of the "upgraded Saturn IB's" that were proposed... Need to finish what I have on my plate first...
Had eyelid surgery about ten days ago... my right eyelid sagged to the point it covered over half my pupil, and was starting to really impinge on my vision in that eye enough that I couldn't see well. Of course my eyes were nearly swollen shut the first day, too goopy to hardly see the second day, watered so much I could barely see the third day, and have gradually watered less and less since then, in addition to turning black... now I'm more or less "back to normal" and got cleared to go swimming yesterday from the doc, but today I'm having a little more trouble with watery eyes and a bit of goop. Getting better though. Sometimes I can see clearly up close, and Keira and I will work on her rocket (and I'll work on towers when we have to wait for glue to dry between steps on hers) and then I'll get watery or goopy eyes and can't see clearly and have to stop. Rather aggravating. Sure threw my astigmatism off... I need new glasses, but no sense in doing that until I get my the outer eyelid part done-- he tightened the muscles on the inside, but still has to get rid of excess skin on the outside. Already can tell it's better than it was... just not 100% yet...
Anyway, thanks for any advice or help you can give me... sounds like I need to make a hobby shop run Wednesday after Keira's swim. I don't usually buy much there, but if they have the tape, it'll probably be cheaper and faster than ordering it online. Just need a good shopping list before I start...
Later! OL JR
