Winter project - 1:64 Saturn 5

[Stones]

Just started into the wraps. I think there might be some pre-painting of the roll patterns if at all possible.

 

[loopy]

Man, that thing is impressive! Keep going man, don't stop! It looks awesome!

 

[Sirius Rocketry]

I love seeing this kit coming together!

Funny, in that last picture, it looks like your basement wall is the same color as the one in the Sirius Rocketry shop!

Brought me back to my prototyping days!

From the Sirius yellow shop....

Dave

 

[Sirius Rocketry]

Originally posted by KermieD
Not to hijack the thread, but I will definitely do so this time around.

You are a moderator dude, hijack all you want! Like Mr. Bundick said:

>>You get a second chance (wink)

I'll be back in Kenosha this coming March. The entire NAR Board of Trustees will be there as well, so don't hesitate to come up and say "hi".

Don't be intimidated by the title. I'm just a rocket guy with a hobby a little out of control . . .<<

Mark is one of the greatest guys, and you would enjoy talking to him. I first met him back in the early 90's when I was flying a lot with NIRA. You could not meet a more down to earth guy who just loves this hobby, and will remember you by name! Do yourself a favor, seek out and chat with Mark at NARCON!

Dave

 

[Sirius Rocketry]

...just start a "Meet Mark Bundick/Vern Estes/KyMichaelson and lots of other prominent rocketeers at NARCON" thread!

It is shaping up to be an even better event than last year! Narcon 2005 Web site

Not a reason to come, but even I will be there.....

Dave

 

[Sirius Rocketry]

Originally posted by Sirius Rocketry
...just start a "Meet Mark Bundick/Vern Estes/KyMichaelson and lots of other prominent rocketeers at NARCON" thread!

It is shaping up to be an even better event than last year! Narcon 2005 Web site

Not a reason to come, but even I will be there.....

Dave

AND lest we not forget, how about a little Midwest TRF folk get-together? Meet Kermie, Mark, Stones (maybe,) and other folk within range? It would be a nice opportunity for a Midwest TRF gathering...

Just tossing some ideas at you Kermie....get a TRF gathering together and contact Gabe, and I am SURE he would put a TRF gathering on the ajenda for NARCON.

Dave


Dave

 

[Sirius Rocketry]

Originally posted by KermieD
Not to hijack the thread, but I will definitely do so this time around.

Please let me know what that "fine line between hobby and mental illness" is Kermie.... I think I have crossed it!!!!!


Dave

PS, Watch your e-mail, formulating PDFs that will be to you shortly.....

 

[KermieD]

I'm pretty sure BOTH you and Stones have crossed that line, Dave. Stones, I'm thoroughly enjoying watching your progress. You're getting a little TOO good at this!

 

[Sirius Rocketry]

Originally posted by KermieD
I'm pretty sure BOTH you and Stones have crossed that line, Dave. Stones, I'm thoroughly enjoying watching your progress. You're getting a little TOO good at this!

Just what I was afraid of. But once you cross the line it is darn hard to ever go back... But I think I crossed the line in 1992, so this would be my 12th year of insanity.....

Hope it rubs off!

Dave

 

[Stones]

Originally posted by KermieD
...
Stones, I'm thoroughly enjoying watching your progress. You're getting a little TOO good at this!

Don't pass out any badges just yet...I haven't got to the roll patterns yet.
Seriously though, thanks for the cudos. Hopefully, when shes all done, it will be worthy of them.

 

[Sirius Rocketry]

Originally posted by Stones
Don't pass out any badges just yet...I haven't got to the roll patterns yet.
Seriously though, thanks for the cudos. Hopefully, when shes all done, it will be worthy of them.

Yup, those roll patterns are fun, but I have faith in you m' man!

You are coming to NARCON , are you not?

Maybe, if Kermie's and yours and my schedules coincide, we can caravan on down in a massive Northeast Wisconsin CONVOY! (Breaker Breaker Big Ben this here's the Rubber Duck, you got a copy on me Big Ben Come'on?......... )

Man I am dating myself!!!!

Jim Flis, I am SURE you remember that #1!!!!

BTW Jim, I am sure that Gabe contacted you about the cover of the Program Guide, send the "cover featured pic" as soon as you can! This should be a Cool program cover, and I think I will be placing the rockets on the cover in order of receipt, which means you would be dead center at this point! (I got the spot just to the right...)

Dave

 

[Sirius Rocketry]

"Uh yeah Big Ben fur sure fur sure it's clean from here down to Flagtown Come on?"

 

[Sirius Rocketry]

Originally posted by Stones
Don't pass out any badges just yet...I haven't got to the roll patterns yet.
Seriously though, thanks for the cudos. Hopefully, when shes all done, it will be worthy of them.

Badges? We don't need no stinkin' badges!

 

[DumasBro2]

David,
To date myself even more, that would be "Pigpen..."

steve

 

[Sirius Rocketry]

Originally posted by DumasBro2
David,
To date myself even more, that would be "Pigpen..."

steve

THANKS for clearing that up for me guy!!!! Funny, but back then I was playing records that were so "burned" from playing them, I am surprised I could understand the words at all! Remember THOSE days!

I love my son. "A record? What is THAT? You Used to PLAY them with a NEEDLE?"

LOL!

Always sounded like Big Ben to me, but the later lines about "hauling hogs" make a LOT more sense now!

Love Cue Burn!!!!!

Ex-Radio Guy Dave

 

[Stones]

I'm off all this week so I suspect I'll get a little done on the Saturn. I've been checking all my options on painting before attaching the corrugations.
Painted up the fins recently. Went with an aluminum color on the "flight" fins and Bare Metal Foil (same as on the service module) for the "display" fins. It's a little hard to see in the pic but, the foil conforms to all the details on the fins.

 

[Chilly]

That's nice detailing. Are those hinges for control surfaces on the trailing edge? If so, I had no idea they used that on the Saturn. Guess it makes sense though.

 

[Stones]

Originally posted by Chilly
That's nice detailing. Are those hinges for control surfaces on the trailing edge? If so, I had no idea they used that on the Saturn. Guess it makes sense though.

That would be my guess. Although, I suspect the control is handled by the on board 'puters, as opposed to "flying by the stick".

 

[Stones]

Here she is masked. Talk about patience, I had to fold the tape around each corrugation to get a good line. Fluid mask would have been the way to go but, the local hobby store had everything but that and using Bare metal Foil would be a bit to pricey for masking.

 

[Stones]

Came out not too bad. Just need to touch up the retro covers.

 

[loopy]

Wow! Great job!

 

[Chilly]

Masking was the hardest part on my Estes Saturn V. I put it off for weeks 'cause I just didn't want to deal with it! Three or four hours to mask, and maybe 30 minutes to paint. It came out well, though. The blue tape worked great and I imagine it would be even better on a larger model like this one. I just cut it into thin strips to hold the curvature of the outlines, then filled in with full size tape. Pressed in hard with my fingernails and had no runs.

This is a great thread. The more I see of this kit, the more I want one. Probably can't afford to even think about it 'til next year but it looks sturdy enough to be well worth the $$. Can it be flown with the escape tower & engine bells intact?

 

[Stones]

Originally posted by Chilly
...
This is a great thread. The more I see of this kit, the more I want one. Probably can't afford to even think about it 'til next year but it looks sturdy enough to be well worth the $$. Can it be flown with the escape tower & engine bells intact?

Escape tower, yes. It's an intrinsic part of the commond module. The engine bells are for show only. You could remove the center bell and if you could find a way of protecting the others from the heat of the motor... not a viable plan....imho.

 

[Chilly]

I did it in my Estes version, but it certainly doesn't look "scale". It's upgraded to a 29mm mount, and the mount is extended about 1/4" past the end of the bells. It's all painted the same silver so it doesn't look too bad. It required putting a hefty amount of clay in the nose, though.
The Estes kit was built last year as kind of a "test bed" for mods to a larger version. Thought that would be the Apogee kit, but the one you're building is probably better suited for what I want to do. Plus it's bigger.

 

[Sirius Rocketry]

Originally posted by Chilly
Masking was the hardest part on my Estes Saturn V. I put it off for weeks 'cause I just didn't want to deal with it! Three or four hours to mask, and maybe 30 minutes to paint. It came out well, though. The blue tape worked great and I imagine it would be even better on a larger model like this one. I just cut it into thin strips to hold the curvature of the outlines, then filled in with full size tape. Pressed in hard with my fingernails and had no runs.

This is a great thread. The more I see of this kit, the more I want one. Probably can't afford to even think about it 'til next year but it looks sturdy enough to be well worth the $$. Can it be flown with the escape tower & engine bells intact?

Well, The escape tower and such as Stones said, is kind of an intrinsic part of the CM. For flight, we have kind of a recommendation for a little tether thing to keep it attached, yet let it pop off the SM if need be, it has survived about 9 out of ten flights that way. Stones could describe it a bit more from the instructions. As far as the engine bells, they are for show/display, although you could probably clear our standard 38mm mount and it would be about right to replace the center bell. Things were getting kind of hairy if we thought about those resin engine bells being carried along for the ride. I have never flown it that way myself, just the standard bell-less Estes way, but I would admit that would be cool. But I cannot recommend that because I have to CYA to keep on producing that kit, and if anyone wishes that, they are majorly on their own. But I think to offset the weight of the bells, we are probably talking another 1/2 pound of noseweight at the very least. But that is just my guess, the balance point would still have to be ahead of what is recommended in the kit, probably another inch forward to be safe, and by the time that much mass is forward, I would think that carrying the engine bells would risk a lot of mass in the CM/SM just flying around and banging into things and kill the front of the model. We did try this in several configs, and really settled upon what we have. You are on your own with any modifications, but I am not saying they cannot be done. But if I produce any more of this kit, you are majorly on your own and heads up! The kit was designed for the recommended motor, an internal lug (to as not detract from the kit) and the combo works when following instructions. Anything else, put some rail buttons on the outside, fly it from a rail, and check and double-check the CG/CP.

Besides, with an I-284 in the back of that thing, even without the nozzels, it looks GREAT going up!!!!

 

[Sirius Rocketry]

Originally posted by Stones
Escape tower, yes. It's an intrinsic part of the commond module. The engine bells are for show only. You could remove the center bell and if you could find a way of protecting the others from the heat of the motor... not a viable plan....imho.

And I would agree with that. I would also think it would take away from the effect of the flush-mounted motor. On the recommended motor at the baseplate, I gotta tell you, bells or no bells, it looks like a Saturn going up! The White Lightning is just too cool! Stones has got a real good point here, that a lot of factors come into play with mods. You are definitely on your own at that point. I would think that the MM would have to extend to the end of the bells to do what you want, which would be nice, add would require some noseweight (and necessitating rail lugs and such) and would risk messing up those nice bells with heat and such! And you start getting into a vicious circle there. Add bells, have to add noseweight. Add noseweight, have to think of bigger motor. Add bigger motor, add some more noseweight. Have to add bigger motor.... Catch 22 here, which is why I will say that major mods you are on your own here. Our flight fins are just enough for what there is here, if one wants to add some fin area, or do whatever, than, more power to you, but that is in the expert area, and we will not recommend anything else but the stock kit.

Besides, most folks, once they build this thing, they don"t even want to fly it, just put it on display!

The beat-up prototype is retired now, but has survived multiple flights stock, and that is what we recommend.....

 

[Stones]

I can't believe this week I had off went by so quickly. None the less, I didn't manage to get quite a bit done. All the wraps and tunnels are on along with a few other detail parts. Wraps were done with 3M 77 adhesive followed by thin CYA on all the seams and the tunnels were done with epoxy.
Here she is ready for primer. Good thing my other half didn't see me trying to fit this baby in the spray booth

 

[Stones]

And here she is with a couple of coats of primer. You'll notice the last section of the upper stage is not done to make it easier to mask and tape the roll patterns. Once this is done, I'll tape off the entire bottom section and concentrate on the upper part.

 

[Karl]

Very nice! I realy carn't wait to see the final product
Karl

 

[Stones]

The bottom 3/4 of the airframe is painted white. I've taped off the upper section for priming after the wraps and details were attached.