Dr. Zooch Lifting Body build thread

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NJRick

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Of all of the awesome Dr. Zooch kits, the Zooch Lifting Body is one of my favorites....its just a gem! It is fun to build and even more fun to fly! What is really neat about this kit is that there is no official paint scheme.... I like to paint mine to look like fighter aircraft...for this one, I would like to try to make this an Israeli Mig Killer....only because I always liked the paint scheme on their aircraft.
Luke Strawalker has a great build thread on this kit and I will attach his here....https://www.rocketryforum.com/showthread.php?2092-Dr-Zooch-Lifting-Body-build-thread

here is a picture of the cool box art!
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and here are the contents of the kit....time to start filling and sanding the balsa nose cones and the body tube
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I hope you guys enjoy the build and thanks for checking it out!
 
I find that Elmer's Carpenter wood filler in a tube works pretty good....comes in the consistency of toothpaste
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first coat of filler is on...we'll let this dry and then start the sanding process...
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OK...I actually have a fairly warm day up here so I broke out the rattle cans and I have a coat of paint on the body tube and the nose cones which are drying now outside....there are not a lot of Israeli booster rockets to make for this build..so I decided to try a rocket called the Shavit...I'll post a picture here of what I will try to make my booster look like

stars.jpg

should be fun...I have some images saved from surfing the web and I'll make some decals for her in a few days....I think she will look pretty cool. For me, this is one of the neat things about this kit...you can make it anyway you want!
 
OK...sorry for the delay up here in posting some pictures....the Zooch Lifting Body booster is very similar to a Space Shuttle main tank and SRB...the first step in the build is to make you SRB's. Dr. Zooch provides a neat wrap for the SRB body...I am going to deviate slightly on this build because the wrap provided with the kit has UNITED STATES going down the side...so I used one of his wraps from his Space Shuttle kit....its the same wrap, basically, but without the wording...(Its alos a tad bit longer so I had to trim it to fit)

the first step is to draw a vertical line on the SRB body tube...this will help you line up the paper wrap when it is time to glue it on

000_0770..jpg000_0771..jpg


then it is time to trim the wraps...I recommend that you always make extra copies of the wrap sheets in case you mess one up. the pictures show the Shuttle wrap and the second shows it against the wrap provided in the kit. just take your time and cut the wraps with a straight edge

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next step is to glue the wraps to the tube...you will want to line up your wrap with the straight line that was drawn on the tube earlier...I like to glue just one edge first making sure it is lined up correctly...use as little glue as you can to make it adhere...it prevents the paper from "puckering" on you...and then glue the remaining edges only and roll the wrap onto the tube.

since the wrap I am using is a copy from the Zooch Shuttle..I rolled it gently suing a dowel to put a bend in it without creasing it.


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then I glue just one edge onto the straight line drawn on the tube...you'll want to line this up as straight as you can...and then once dry, apply glue sparingly to the edges only and roll the wrap onto the tube

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the wraps aren't difficult ...just take your time with them
 
Dr. Zooch makes a suggestion that you trim small strips of the card stock and glue it around the SRB's....it gives a 3 dimensional look to them ...its easy to do but I think worth the effort

sorry for the blurry picture
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I hope these pictures show the effect..I trim both black and white strips for the SRB's..
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the next step is to trim the SRB skirts...I roll them around a dowel to get them into shape
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progress! the skirts are on but not yet glued...but the end result is a cool looking SRB I think!

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the next step for this project will be to try to convert what is supposed to look like a Space Shuttle fuel tank into an ICBM...
 
OK...sorry for the delay up here...its been a busy week. The next step is to assemble the booster. Dr. Zooch uses what is to look like a Shuttle main fuel tank for the booster. I like to make the fuel tank look like an iCBM. With a little bit of decal trim its fun to see what you can do with this kit!

the engine mount is pretty standard stuff
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next you have to use the handy tube marking guide to mark the area where the SRB's will be glued, the attach pad for the Orbiter and where the engine hook is supposed to be aligned.

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basically, the SRB attach point becomes the sides of the rocket and the engine clip and the attach pad for the Orbiter line up between the SRBs. I put a strip of tape down where the SRB's will later be glued.

000_0776a.jpg 000_0783..jpg

the engine clip is lined up to be directly between where the SRB's will be glued in the upcoming steps
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I have found that some sheets of simple plain color decal is very handy. There really are a lot of uses for it, especially with a kit like this. These sheets can make roll bands, Orbiter windows etc.
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now..what I am trying to do here is make a Shuttle fuel tank look like an ICBM. The real Shavit looks like this
stars.jpg

a couple coats of white paint later, it is time to trim some decal sheet. I also went to the web and found some pictures of the Shavit logo, Israeli flag, lettering etc and made a small decal sheet of my own. The decal sheet does a pretty good job for making roll bands, especially the kind carried by the Shavit. A little artistic license helps too!
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the nose cone is drying and I will do some work on that tomorrow....making progress! Thanks for checking it out!
 
In this build I am making a minor modification to the kit. Dr. Zooch 's instructions call for you to add a small paper shroud or fairing to the base of the engine mount to simulate the rounded bottom of the Shuttle tank. Since I am going with an ICBM look, I decided not tot use the fairing and rather to try to paint the engine mount to look something like a rocket engine. I have flown other Zooch Lifting Bodies without this fairing and it has no impact on stability. I painted the engine mount with some gunmetal paint, put a wrap of Bare-Metal modelling foil and then used some chrome pins strip to make the hatbands...
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next the instructions ask you to roll the nose cone on a flat surface. The nose weight is placed off center to account for the orbiter being attached to the booster. I asks you to mark a line on the cone about 15 degrees off of true vertical. I put a corresponding strip of pinstripe n both the nose cone and the booster body to help me make sure that the nose cone is always put on in the right position so that mt CG remains where it is supposed to be

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here a few shots of my Shavit booster
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once I glue the SRB's on it will look sorta like this
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I think it looks kinda cool....pretty soon we'll start the Orbiter. Hope you guys like it. Thanks for checking it out.
 
thanks Hornet! This is a neat little kit...I am kinda thinking that Israeli F-4 desert paint scheme for the orbiter...I have picked up some extra sheets of balsa and may make a US navy F-4 or F-8 ...would love to make Randy Cunningham's Showtime 100 if I could get my hands on the decal sheet!

Beautiful so far !!
 
Thanks Luke..hope all has been well! I think this is one of Wes's neatest kits!!

Yes, thanks... I'm in Indiana helping my BIL with the corn/soybean harvest... been doing a lot of trucking in the 13 speed straight truck, got in some combining this year in the Deere 9600, and been driving the auger cart some... lil bit of everything. Been VERY busy and haven't had much time to check in here...

Looks like another fantastic build you have coming along here... One of these days I need to do a SOVIET version of this lifting body... :)

Later! OL JR :)
 
It`s always a nice treat to watch you do a Zooch build Rick !

Like your other builds ,this is shaping up to be another fine project !

Take care



Paul T
 
I'm enjoying this so far, but I'm really looking forward to seeing the lifting body build pics!!!

Great job on the external tank man, it looks great!
 
Luke....no one can ever say that you are not a hard worker! sounds like a lot of work going up there...but glad to hear you are helping out your BIL.

would love to see a Soviet LB....hmmm...maybe I might have to try one of those!



Yes, thanks... I'm in Indiana helping my BIL with the corn/soybean harvest... been doing a lot of trucking in the 13 speed straight truck, got in some combining this year in the Deere 9600, and been driving the auger cart some... lil bit of everything. Been VERY busy and haven't had much time to check in here...

Looks like another fantastic build you have coming along here... One of these days I need to do a SOVIET version of this lifting body... :)

Later! OL JR :)
 
thanks for the kind words Paul! means a lot coming from The Master! as you know...this is one of my fav Dr. Zooch kits. I think its my 4th LB..but that is what I like about this little rascal...each one feels like a totally different build. amazing what a little paint and some left over decals can do to a build. This kit is a blank canvas!

It`s always a nice treat to watch you do a Zooch build Rick !

Like your other builds ,this is shaping up to be another fine project !

Take care



Paul T
 
Thanks Mushtang! I can't wait to get at the orbiter myself! Going to be a really busy 2 week span for me up here...so I will try to do what I can with her. This is just an awesome kit!!
I'm enjoying this so far, but I'm really looking forward to seeing the lifting body build pics!!!

Great job on the external tank man, it looks great!
 
thanks Hornet! This is a neat little kit...I am kinda thinking that Israeli F-4 desert paint scheme for the orbiter...I have picked up some extra sheets of balsa and may make a US navy F-4 or F-8 ...would love to make Randy Cunningham's Showtime 100 if I could get my hands on the decal sheet!

I like the idea of the Israeli paint scheme--very cool----A 60's-70's navy bird would be cool though--lots of color--personally I have an affection for the F-8--saw them as a kid-they just look right- and one of my good friends flew them back in the day--
 
the Mig Master! the F-8 is one my favorite Navy aircraft. I grew up outside of a tiny little Navy base in Johnsville, Pa...the Naval Air Development Center (NADC)....talk about heaven for a kid who loved anything with wings...lots of A-4's, (The Scooter!!) P-3's (lots and lots of P-3's) (even P-2 Neptunes droning over)....they also flew an F-8 and I can still see that baby roaring over. Hornet, you could hear them take off and as an 8 year old I would drop what ever I was doing and jump on my bike and pedal as fast as I could up through the adjoining neighborhood where there was a spot you could watch them do touch and go's near the end of the run way....watching that F-8 come in was cool because it had such a long fuselage with the canopy right at the nose...flying that bird must have been like sitting on a telephone pole. I have always loved that plane. Just sitting on the ground that thing looks like its going 1000 mph...I actually have a F-8 in 1/72 scale (Academy F-8E) sitting here...its probably next on the build stack. Did your buddy enjoy flying the F-8?


when I get to the Orbiter..my hope is to build three orbiters at one time...the Israeli scheme for this booster, and some Vietnam era orbiters for some of my earlier Zooch LB builds; my Air Force Titan II booster and for my Navy Polaris booster...I was thinking of a camo scheme (like the F-105 for the Air Force variant) and a F-4 of F-8 for the Polaris...

I like the idea of the Israeli paint scheme--very cool----A 60's-70's navy bird would be cool though--lots of color--personally I have an affection for the F-8--saw them as a kid-they just look right- and one of my good friends flew them back in the day--
 
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the Mig Master! the F-8 is one my favorite Navy aircraft. I grew up outside of a tiny little Navy base in Johnsville, Pa...the Naval Air Development Center (NADC)....talk about heaven for a kid who loved anything with wings...lots of A-4's, (The Scooter!!) P-3's (lots and lots of P-3's) (even P-2 Neptunes droning over)....they also flew an F-8 and I can still see that baby roaring over. Hornet, you could hear them take off and as an 8 year old I would drop what ever I was doing and jump on my bike and pedal as fast as I could up through the adjoining neighborhood where there was a spot you could watch them do touch and go's near the end of the run way....watching that F-8 come in was cool because it had such a long fuselage with the canopy right at the nose...flying that bird must have been like sitting on a telephone pole. I have always loved that plane. Just sitting on the ground that thing looks like its going 1000 mph...I actually have a F-8 in 1/72 scale (Academy F-8E) sitting here...its probably next on the build stack. Did your buddy enjoy flying the F-8?


when I get to the Orbiter..my hope is to build three orbiters at one time...the Israeli scheme for this booster, and some Vietnam era orbiters for some of my earlier Zooch LB builds; my Air Force Titan II booster and for my Navy Polaris booster...I was thinking of a camo scheme (like the F-105 for the Air Force variant) and a F-4 of F-8 for the Polaris...

He did enjoy it ! I managed a little stick time in the RF right before they were retired. He had a ton of time in the bird and loved her. I only had a few hours in them but I can tell you , it was a nice stick and rudder plane and very predictable--Oh yea, damn near could not see the wing tips no matter how hard you tried to turn your head, you were at a spear point. It was a long time ago, but I can tell you, they were rock steady at low altitude and high knt-- Nothing at all like the 14 or 18 but a couple generations removed she was impressive.
 
Nice work! Love the old IAF Mirage camouflage with the big yellow deltas to distinguish them from the Arab Mirages. Lots of bad arse aftermarket decals and you have to get just the right shade of that light minty green.
 
Daddy! the old Mirages and Kfir's....that is a GREAT suggestion and I am going to go with those deltas! I have the paints for this one..I hope...but I have Model Master acrylic paints and I think I have the FS numbers matched (so they say that is..) Thank you for the suggestion!!


ps- How is Hauptmann Kitty doing? still playing the shrage muzik at your Lancaster?



Nice work! Love the old IAF Mirage camouflage with the big yellow deltas to distinguish them from the Arab Mirages. Lots of bad arse aftermarket decals and you have to get just the right shade of that light minty green.
 
Thank you for the kind words Owen..I am glad that you enjoy them...I have a lot of fun posting them. Can't say enough about the Dr. Zooch kits...they are fun to build and fly...this particular kit, the Lifting Body...is one of my favorites. Just cool design!

thanks again!

NJRick's build threads are always great. Can't wait to see how this one turns out.
 
Hornet....great post! was the F-8 maneuverable? I don't think we had anything in the inventory that could turn with a Mig-17 back during the Vietnam war....I am not a pilot, but seems like the F-8 community kept the art of dog fighting alive back in the '50's and early '60's. Just seemed like the F-8 was a HUGE jump in performance compared to anything the Navy was flying in the mid to late 50's.


He did enjoy it ! I managed a little stick time in the RF right before they were retired. He had a ton of time in the bird and loved her. I only had a few hours in them but I can tell you , it was a nice stick and rudder plane and very predictable--Oh yea, damn near could not see the wing tips no matter how hard you tried to turn your head, you were at a spear point. It was a long time ago, but I can tell you, they were rock steady at low altitude and high knt-- Nothing at all like the 14 or 18 but a couple generations removed she was impressive.
 
OK...time to finish up the SRB's and glue them to the booster...I am skipping around on this build and assembling her a little out of the order suggested by Dr. Zooch....the kit provides a centering ring as a support for the SRB skirt.
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you will want to sand these down a bit so that they will slide over the base of your SRB. I attach the SRB skirts at this time with a small film of white glue and push these gently in place trying to line the seam with the wrap seams
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then I sand the upper edge of the ring so that it will fit better into the SRB skirt....basically rounding the outer edge of the top of the ring and slide them up into the SRB skirt.

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here is the finished SRB now ready to be mated to the booster!

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