ATV Johannes Kepler

[dhanners]

Well, first the good news. Having finally gotten off my butt to build the Orion/Cousteau NEO Mission model, I decided I was finally "back" and decided that the next model should be a 1/48th-scale version (like the NEO vehicle) of the ESA's ATV, again using Ton's model as a basis for my model. I've already built a version of the ATV so I thought, "Hey, this won't take too long. I've done it before, so noooo problemo." I spent a ton of time online getting detailed views of the ATV's top, the Russian Docking System and other things I'll have to model.

So now the bad news.... I printed out Ton's ATV model and headed down to my local Kinko's to get the thing enlarged 200 percent (from 1/96th to 1/48th) onto 11x17-inch paper and I'm standing at the counter and the guy comes back from the copying machine and says, "Well, I'll have to use our oversized paper because it's not going to fit on 11x17." I thought, "Gee, that's odd, because when I was in here before, the clerk fit it on 11x17 without any problem." I looked at his test copy and it struck me that the pieces were a lot bigger than the previous pieces I'd gotten enlarged.

In comparing the pieces, it hit me that the first clerk I'd dealt with had taken my request to "enlarge it 200 percent, onto 11x17 paper" as an either-or proposition, as in, "Either enlarge it 200 percent" or "fit it onto 11x17 paper." And she chose the latter. So I immediately realized Orion/Cousteau is not 1/48th scale. (I guess if I'd exercised a small corner of my brain and checked to see if Ton's 1cm/1" scale bar measured out to 2 cm and 2 inches, respectively, I might have realized that earlier. Oh well. You can think or you can model, but it's hard to do both at the same time....)

I finally wound up doing the 200-percent enlarging myself and came to the conclusion 1/48th scale is a really big scale for this model, especially when one considers the solar arrays. They're the main engineering challenge of a model this size because they'll have a span of more than 18 inches and building them so they won't droop or break will take some thinking. I thought I could use my telescoping-tube method I used on Cousteau, but in the research I did for building Kepler, I discovered the arms that connect the array to the vehicle aren't round but rather flat. (Which works just fine in zero-G. In fact, the ATV's solar arrays won't support themselves in 1 G, so they have to be supported when they're tested.)

Building the body of the model in 1/48th won't be much of a problem; I can find tubes that can be cut down to the right sizes. But building solar arrays that won't droop -- or break off entirely -- will be the problem.

So now I need to head off to the hobby shop to scope out various materials. I may wind up enlarging the pieces 133 percent (to 1/72nd) scale. That may be more manageable.

Now I just have to figure out what scale Orion and Cousteau are really in.....

[SJPONeill]

I don't know who produces it but I have seen rectangular section beams that could be fitted concentrically as LHS here that supply model railway hobbyists...maybe that will do the trick for the solar arrays...even a quite thin strip of brass can support quite a bit of weight if the weight comes down on its short edge i.e. so the wider edge is vertical...I'm sure some of the engineers here can describe better than I how to maximise the strengths of various structural shapes like strips, I/H beans etc...

[Retired_for_now]

You can make surprisingly stiff long paper beams if you fold a triangular profile. Lineoff and score a long piece of paper into four long skinny rectangles (say quarter inch wide by the full length of the sheet), fold with the two outer sides overlapped to make the triangular profile, apply glue to the overlap and press down on a REALLY FLAT surface (or it will warp). When the glue dries check out the stiffness.
Yogi

[dhanners]

Thanks for the tips. I think I'm going to go with thin strips of brass. They'll run the whole length of the array and support arm. I went for a 20-mile bike ride and biking always helps me think things through; I think I'll be able to do it.

And I'll be going with 1/48th scale. That'll be a cool scale for an ATV. In fact, before I went biking, I cut down some model rocket tubes to the right size for the Integrated Cargo Carrier and the Propulsion Module, glued them up and stuck rubber bands around them so they'd dry into a circular shape. I'm on my way....

[dhanners]

Got the Integrated Cargo Carrier largely done. To replicate the insulation blankets, I wound up using paper napkins. At least I think they were napkins. May have been Kleenex. The problem is I experimented with so many different papers that I kind of lost track of what was what. The experiments were largely to test papers and stiffening techniques, which included spray-on semi-gloss clear finish, a 50-50 mix of white glue and water, and spray starch.

I would tape large pieces of wax paper to a larger cardboard piece, then lightly tape the edges of the toilet paper/napkins/facial tissues to the wax paper, then spray with the different sprays.

When building the ICC, I started out with the intention of cutting each individual blanket, but they didn't look like I wanted them to, so I wound up covering the area with larger pieces, then replicated the edges with thin white strips of paper. When everything was dry, I sprayed it with a semi-gloss spray. The little black dots are the thingies used to attach the blankets on the real vehicle; I replicated them with a Sharpie.

There are still a few bits and pieces to add, including RCS nozzles, docking targets, etc.

[dhanners]

Here's a question: Does anyone know what kind of paper/wood/cardboard is used to make the core of emery boards? It is thin, strong and flexible, and I'm wondering if the material (if I can find some somewhere) would be good for the core of my solar arrays....

[Paper Kosmonaut]

David, a big compliment of the way you make the insulation blankets look the part. It is beautiful. I already liked the toilet paper trick you did on the Cousteau, this is also a good one. Might be the stuff to use as insulation for a shuttle, I guess.
Might using the emery board itself not be an idea or is it too thick the way it is?

[dhanners]

An emery board itself might not be too thick if I could figure a way to get the abrasive paper off. I'm still searching for a material to use for the arms/core of the solar arrays. I think that's going to be the big challenge of this model.

[dhanners]

Spent the past couple of days scratchbuilding the Russian Docking System. I'll have to contemplate how it looks; not sure what I think about it, although it looks close. Ton's version is great simplified, so I kind of had to improvise.

[Paper Kosmonaut]

That's simply beautiful, David. Are you planning to model the screws on the latches too? (-;

[dhanners]

That's simply beautiful, David. Are you planning to model the screws on the latches too? (-;

I don't have a paper punch that small, and I've yet to invest in a punch-and-die set....

Seriously, I appreciate the comments. I figure next I should jump right into the solar array issue; I've been putting it off while I try to think through what might work. I think I may have hit on something and it'll still be paper. I'll have to experiment this weekend with the technique. Part of the problem is that the arrays themselves aren't just two-sided panels. There are details on them such as hinges, and there is wiring on the backside. The trick will be to add the detail without adding too much weight, which will cause the thing to bend. The other trick is to pick the right paper.

[dhanners]

Well, sometimes it is one step forward, two steps back. I thought I was pretty much done with the Integrated Cargo Carrier, but yesterday I came across a couple of good detail photos of Jules Verne docking with the ISS, and they showed details I hadn't picked up elsewhere, so I decided I better add it. It involved moving the RCS thrusters and building some sort of structure that may be some a protective device of some sort for the nozzles. I dunno. Anyway, I had to add fix the ICC.

This morning, though, I did spend a little time building the other modules. They still require a lot of detail, adding insulation blankets, radiators, etc., and then there's the whole issues of the solar arrays. I'm still trying to figure out how to build them -- particularly the arms -- and keep them close to scale thickness. I'm not sure it can be done in paper....

[dhanners]

Just have a few bits and pieces -- and the @#$%*! solar arrays -- to finish and I think I'm done. Got the Propulsion Module and the Avionics Bay done. I was going to use Ton's parts for quite a bit of these, but I wound up scratchbuilding pretty much everything. Built new radiator panels, with detail I came up by using Word. (I'm pretty high-tech when it comes to these things....)

I also used Word to make the titles. Fortunately, on the real vehicle, the ESA logos and the vehicle name are on strips of fabric that are attached to the insulation blankets, so I could just cut strips of paper and glue them to my model.

On the Avionics Bay and the bottom of the PM, the insulation blankets are napkins and/or facial tissue that I stiffened with a 50-50 mixture of white glue and water. Again, I dispensed with making individual blankets, and just glued on big sheets and replicated the edges with thin strips of white paper. The blankets on the side of the PM are stiffened Cottonelle toilet paper, which has the proper ridged detail.

The last couple of shots are of the model stacked together. I haven't glued the ICC/Avionics Bay to the PM yet because I still need to A) figure out how I'm going to make the solar arrays and B) figure out how to anchor them in the PM. But I figured I'd give you an idea of what the thing looks like so far.

[dhanners]

Added the RCS thrusters to the Propulsion Module. To make them, I re-purposed the RCS nozzles from Ton's Apollo CSM, then painted them silver with a Silver Sharpie. Had to make 20 of them because each of the four RCS housings have five nozzles. I hate repetitive work. (Which may be one reason I'm putting off the solar arrays....)

Alas, the model won't be complete without the arrays, though. I'm still mulling a couple of different possible approaches, and we'll see what works.

Threw in a couple of other detail shots....

[Retired_for_now]

Absolutely stunning work. If you can get some of that paper the Japanese were going to use for their "space-paper-airplanes" we can get Wee-Vikes or Dyna-Soar to put this in orbit for you!

FedEx to the ISS??

Yogi

[Paper Kosmonaut]

Just like Yogi said, absolutely stunning. The look of the thermal blankets is spot on, IMHO, and the detailing is very beautiful and looks almost like the real thing.

[dhanners]

I'll probably start building the solar arrays in the next couple of days. Spent the past day or two A) trying to figure out how to build them and B) building a jig to build them once I did figure it out.

Here's what I'm going to do: Each solar panel (and there are four per array) will be a piece of silver metalic paper for the back and a piece of stick-on 3D design that looks like solar cells on the front, with a thin piece of brass sandwiched between them. The brass sheet will run the length of all four panels, and then it will be super-glued into a slot I cut into the arm, which will be glued to the slots in the Propulsion Module.

Got that?

The first photo is of the jig I built to insure that all four arrays come out the same. I'll slip the four pieces of silver paper in the slots, then super-glue the brass piece across all four. Then I'll put the stick-on piece over that and, in theory, all four will come out the same.

The arms, however, will be over-scale thickness. I just couldn't figure out how to make them scale thickness unless I took a crash course in learning how to photo-etch metal. (Which I seriously gave some thought to, but then I decided that would be straying too far from paper. I feel bad about adding the brass pieces, but it was a compromise I had to make for strength and rigidity.) For the arms, I wound up using wooden stirring sticks (I think I got them at Starbuck's) and cut them in half length-wise. Then I glued a piece on the end, which will hold the solar array.

The wood seemed to have the strength I was looking for, and it can bend without breaking. The end piece will be the weak link, but I glued each one on with wood glue, then spread wood glue over the joint. Once that was dry, I sanded the surface smooth, then spread superglue over both sides and cured it with accelerator. After sanding them smooth again, I super-glued silver paper onto each face and then trimmed the excess. The thing seems pretty strong.

The last photo shows the arms with the brass pieces stuck in them. Nothing has been glued yet.

Made one other change to the Integrated Cargo Carrier, but I didn't take a photo of it. On Jules Verne, each insulation blanket along the side of the ICC was held down with three black thingies, which I replicated by just making little dots on each blanket segment with a black Sharpie.

But I came across some photos of Johannes Kepler, which is the one I'm modeling, being unloaded at the launch site, and it appears ESA has now attached each blanket with 16 little black thingies (LBTs). They are in four rows of four LBTs, and they're not all in an even row. So I took out the Sharpie and added more dots. Lots of little dots.

I will say that in the in-flight photos I've seen of Jules Verne, some of the blankets seemed to be ripped away at the edges and flapping, so perhaps ESA decided they needed to add LBTs so the same thing wouldn't happen on Johannes Kepler.

[dhanners]

Making progress on the solar panels. In the first photo, you can see how I laid the silver pieces of paper into jig. I then put a couple of small drops of superglue on each piece, down the centerline, and after I'd done all four, I laid the brass strip down across it, as you can see in the second photo.

The silver will be the back of the solar array, and I've still got detail to add to it; there are hinges and wiring on each panel. I'll do the hinges with gold paper and the wiring with black thread.

In the last photo, you can see the 3D stick-on material I'll be using for the solar cells. It is a paper made for decorating Pinewood Derby cars.

There's light at the end of the tunnel....

[rbeach84]

Do you recall the brand? I picked up some also, plus some of their other effects stuff (carbon fiber, etc.) Seemed like something good to have in the "tool box".

[dhanners]

Can't recall the brand; I removed the hanger card and tossed it, keeping only the bag. I think there are a couple of different outfits who make the stuff.

[Paper Kosmonaut]

That's looking really good, David.
I like that glossy stuff you use for the solar panels itself. I am going to look for something similar over here in Grunn.

[dhanners]

Well, all I can say is, "Thank goodness for superglue and accelerator...."

The Propulsion Module is drying right now, and when it is done, I'll glue it to the ICC/Avionics Bay. Finished the solar panels and got them installed. Cut out the 3D material and applied it to each of the 16 panels. I noticed the panels on the real deal have a thin strip of gold down them, so once all the 3D material was on, I cut out a thin strip down the middle to achieve the look.

I was going to replicate the wiring on the back with thread, but when I got to looking at photos (and my thread) I decided the thread would be too much, plus it was kind of fuzzy anyway. So I drew the wires on with pencil. The wiring isn't straight and is kind of squiggly, so I tried to replicate that.

Once the array portions were done, I glued them to the arms. Had to use accelerator to get a good, tight bond. Only glued my fingers to the arrays/arms a couple of times....

There's a spiral of wiring that goes from the array, coils down the arm and attaches to the side of the PM at each arm, so I replicated that by cutting really thin strips out of copper metallic paper.

I got the arms glued to the holes in the PM and hardened the bonds with superglue/accelerator. Once that was done, I closed up the PM with a big round disk; once it is dry, I'll glue the PM to the ICC/Avionics Bay assembly.

I've still got a few small bits and pieces to do, including the position beacons.

[dhanners]

Still have to add the beacons -- which I'll replicate with paper and 5-minute epoxy -- but I thought I'd get a few photos posted. When everything is done, I'll take some "proper" portraits. So, with apologies for the messy workbench (which I'm sure none of you have ever been guilty of having), here are the first shots of my 1/48th-scale ATV Johannes Kepler.

[dhanners]

On the drive in to work I realized there is an antenna I need to add, too....

[Tapcho]

This is a great model. I love the deatiling and I especially admire your work with the different brands of tissue to reproduce the thermal blanketing. This build gave me a lot of new ideas. First I was a little afraid of your material choice for the solar panels because it seemed a little too 'festive and sprinkly' but it turned out ok and I believe that in natural light the effect is quite convinsing. Congratulations on a great model and thaks of all the backround information you shared with us.

Tappi

[dhanners]

In theory, I'm done. So, without further ado, here is my interpretation of the European Space Agency's ATV Johannes Kepler, in 148th scale. (Real 1/48th scale this time....)

It was a fun build and were I to do it over, there are a few things I'd do differently and there's an experiment or two I'd like to try. But hey, we learn as we go, so I'll have to save those ideas for the next model.

I've got to thank Ton for designing a fine model and for his inspiration. I used his parts (enlarged to 1/48th scale) for templates for my own. However, as a nod to Ton and his great contribution to our genre of the hobby, I used two of his parts relatively unchanged -- radiator panels D and F.

The ESA website has a nice photo of the logo for the Kepler mission (which is due to be launched later this year) and I might try printing it out on good paper and fixing it to the base. Otherwise, I think I can put this model in the "done" column.

Now to build a 1/48th scale Ariane 5....

[Paper Kosmonaut]

Just amazing work! It looks so realistic with the addition of the tissue. Superbly crafted and a joy to look at. What can I say more without using another superlative? You need a big pat on the back! Now go and take the weekend off. (-;

[Hans Christian]

Sir, do you have plans of tackling the entire ISS? :)

Excellent work sir!

[dhanners]

Sir, do you have plans of tackling the entire ISS? :)

Excellent work sir!

The ISS? I wish.... Too danged many parts. Thanks for the kind words, though.

Discovered I wasn't done. Came to the conclusion the star trackers (two of the things protruding from the top of the ICC) were too long, so this morning I carefully cut them off, removed a few millimeters from each one, then glued them back on. They now look proper.

[NYC Irishman]

Hats off again to you again

John John

[Hans Christian]

The ISS? I wish.... Too danged many parts. Thanks for the kind words, though.

You won't let that stop you right sir? :D

since every module and component is a model in itself, why not do it like that sir, then combine them to make the whole enchalada... :D

but that may be for the future... for now, excellent model sir! :D

[dhanners]

Four some high-res photos of Jules Verne on approach to the ISS and discovered I had gotten the colors on my solar array arms reversed. I had silver arms with bronze-colored wiring; it should've been the other way around.

Since it bugged me, I decided I had to fix it. I cut the wiring off the old arms, and then made some "sleeves" for the arms from bronze metallic paper. I was able to slip them around the arms and glue them. Then I cut very thin strips (strings, almost) of silver paper, curled them and spiraled them around the arms.

These models are seldom done, even when they're done....

[Retired_for_now]

Man, the OCD always wins ... but your results are amazing!

Yogi (I have to go check a light switch somewhere ...)

[Jean]

Beatifull model !!!

What do you imagine for stand ?


Metal, Paper or wood ?

[dhanners]

Beatifull model !!!

What do you imagine for stand ?


Metal, Paper or wood ?

Thanks for the kind words. The stand is a piece of wood spray-painted black. I drilled a hole in it and inserted a piece of brass tubing in it to hold the model. When I was building the model, I stuck a piece of the next-largest size of brass tubing in the Propulsion Module, so the model can slip over the tube on the stand.

[Jean]

OH !!!
Thanks, I had many troubles to stand my different models ...Spot, Hubble .... You give me the solution for new one !
It's simple but I dont think it !!! :)
All the best.
JP

[dhanners]

OH !!!
Thanks, I had many troubles to stand my different models ...Spot, Hubble .... You give me the solution for new one !
It's simple but I dont think it !!! :)
All the best.
JP

I know how you feel. I've learned a bunch of techniques on this forum that were simple but I sure never would have thought of them on my own. That's one of the powers of this forum; It makes everybody smarter. (As opposed to most political-discussion forums, which seem to make everyone dumber....)