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Old 07-29-2013, 02:15 PM
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Space Shuttle Launch Pad 39A with Challenger STS-6 (1:144)

Back to the Beginning of NASA's Space Shuttle Program

Tribute to Challenger's Maiden Flight - STS-6



L-R: Donald Peterson †, Paul Weitz †, Story Musgrave, Karol Bobko
Source: wikipedia.org

To the prehistory:

After conclusion the NASA Shuttle program with the last Atlantis-Mission (STS-135), I dedicate my first real space modeling project to the beginning the legendary space shuttle era before more than 30 years.

I was inspired to this major project by similar space modeling projects in the German forum Raumfahrer.net.

I decided for the STS-6-Mission with Challenger (04/04/1983) as guidance version for my build, because I would like to build the tower version from the initial years of shuttle era with the red lattice windows and the partial red FSS grating structure inclusive hammerhead crane, which fascinated me somehow.

The following picture shows the Challenger during the Roll-out in the fog on the way to the Launch Pad 39A,


Source: NASA

during the countdown on the pad,

,
Source: retrospaceimages.com

as well as after the lift-off to the STS-6-Mission.


Source: NASA

To the project:

To be built is the Launch Pad 39A with Launch tower, Shuttle stack, as well as Mobile launcher platform (MLP) and Crawler transporter (CT). Basic module for my project is thereby the Revell kit 4911 in "scale1:144", in quotation marks and red, because one already is thereby for the cardinal problem of the old Revell kit, the scale dilemma, to which one could be written its own chapter and therefore some more words.

For the addition of the launch tower FSS I've bought the Detail kits No. 1-5 of LVM Studios.

Since I decided for the STS-6-Mission with the Challenger, with the Detail kits of LVM one can represent thereby the elevator shaft of the tower in the original building technique with the red lattice windows, as it in the early years the shuttle era looked quite. In addition Detail kit No. 1 contains parts for the complete staircase in the tower, which is completely missing with Revell's 4910/4911.

The LVM kits contain photo etched parts (PE) from thin brass sheet metal, with which very finely detailed structures can be produced as well known.

For building MLP and Crawler I use cardboard-model kits by David Maier from EDU-Craft Deversions on scale 1:144. The kits consist in each case of 13 colored building sheets of cardboard (27.5 cm x 42.5 cm) as well as a building guidance on CD-ROM.

To the scale problem:

As most of you will know, Revell kit 4911 is seriously underscale and not true to scale 1:144, which lead inevitably to problems with the building.

Therefore one has two possibilities, if one liked to use the Revell kit.

Either one builds the kit Out Of Box (OOB), because in such a way the building groups FSS, RSS, shuttle stack and MLP fit to each other from the size, only stop is not everything on a scale 1:144, but only shuttle stack.

Or one is compelling by partial scale adjustment to compromises and to scratch building, if one liked itself to orient halfway at the original. Of course one can do the build also without the Revell kit by overall scratch building.

As way out of the scale dilemma I decided for a compromise settlement. Therefore I made myself first of all own assembly drawings, in order to receive a better overview.

Starting point for my considerations was the following drawing of member Halbtoter in the German Raumfahrer.net forum, which shows a comparison between the Revell kit 4911 and the FSS/RSS in the true scale 1:144.


Source: Halbtoter

The black design originates from the Revell building guidance, and the red version is drawn by Halbtoter by original plans of NASA in 1:144. It becomes clear one when exact looking that the red MLP (1:144) does not fit no more into the Revell RSS.

Since this line tangle can confuse one first however and in addition the mini MLP of the Revell kit is not with drawn in, I made myself in addition the following designs:


This design illustrates clearly the descriptive scale dilemma of the Revell kit 4911, if one would build all OOB. The serious error is evenly the much to small MLP (1:200!!!) of the Revell kit, which does not fit somehow at all the total proportions. In addition it comes that also the FSS Tower (RSS probably similar) is too low approx. 7,6 cm thereby only one scale of approx. 1:168 corresponds. The image quality must accept your stop, because there two transparency sheets lie one above the other.

The next design shows now a comparison of the RSS/FSS with MLP in 1:144 (with me black!!!) and in contrast to the Revell conditions in 1:168 and/or 1:200 (red).



Considering this awkward situation I came to careful consideration in the long run that one does not come with the scale around a compromise unfortunately around, if one liked to use at least the FSS and RSS as main components of the Revell kit.

And in such a way now past planning for my project looks as compromise settlement, with which I will build MLP and Crawler in 1:160 and in addition FSS and RSS in the height are supplemented around approx. 3 cm. I hope now that the result will then contently place me also to some extent.



So, now however enough the preface and thus finally to the building and to the first parts and pictures.

First part of my project will be the MLP, for which I procured myself the cardboard model kit of EDU-Craft Diversions on a scale 1:144, with which one the MLP-2 used with the mission STS-6 can build. Since I will build however MLP and Crawler transporter on a scale 1:160, first I went with the 1:144 cardboard sheets into the copy shop to reduced it to 1:160. Here is a small selection from the 13 MLP sheets.



The two following pictures show now what then from it is to become, the MLP, first without


Source: EDU-Craft Diversions

and here at the same time with shuttle stack as impressive comparison with Revell's mini MLP.



Source: EDU-Craft Diversions

And in my next post I will show you first pictures of my building site, if you are interested in this mixed media build.

__________________
Greetings from Germany
Manfred
Under construction:
Launch Pad 39A with Challenger STS-6 (1:144)

Last edited by spacerunner; 11-15-2018 at 05:36 PM.
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