McDonnelDouglas LIM-49A Spartan

[nando]

Hi to all.
Some year ago, precisely in 2006, visiting the site of Jonathan (“The Lower Hudson Valley - Paper Model E-Gift Shop”), I found a page in the FAQ section that gave me the first directions for design a model without using sophisticated and expensive softwares, but using the standard Office tools and some bit of mathematics.
The results were the Sprint and the Hibex missiles that Jonathan kindly hosted in his site.





I choose those subjects because they were simple and easy to design, but also because I’m always fascinated by the ABM (Anti Ballistic Missile) projects and in particular by the Safeguard project. But the last missile component was missed: The McDonnel Douglas LIM-49A Spartan, the biggest, the most powerful one,but the most complicated.



In the meantime I choose another way to design the model, using Sketchup and other tools, all but free.
Now it was time to complete the asset and so I designed and built the last component.
First of all the bigger difficulties was to find the right documentation, such drawing, pictures of the real hardware, and in this years I collected a great amount of material but not all so useful.



Then I had to chose wich version to reproduce. Some picture represents a mockup, some other a display wearing, then others some operational versions but not complete or clear.

So I used the general dimensions I found in Wikipedia and in other sources and a feature of Sketchup: Photo Matching. With this feature We can use a picture of the real subject ,



then we have to define the parameters of the perspective, and finally we can design our subject



When the general forms was defined, I added some detail mainly on the first stage. I found some detail of the engine of the first stage that I used to design some particular (forward dome and nozzle).



I choose the look of this picture that is a compromise between mockup, test and operational version



I found a sample of official US Army font that I used to stamp on the missile





At the end the project was ready






for the unfold



and the beta-test build.

The base

[nando]

The first stage


The second stage



The business end



It seems to me that the final result, in this case, well reproduces the reality



Finally the instructions



Now the model is ready for the release and I asked Jonathan if he is still interested to host this model on his site, for complete the triade. I’m waiting for his answer, but if You agree I can publish this model for free, also on the download section of our forum.





More pictures are available on my Web Album

Best regards,
Nando

[cMags]

Very nice! Thanks for sharing your process. If you want to upload it to the Downloads section, go ahead, I guarantee it'll get approved (I'll do so myself if I get to it first).

[legion]

That is a mighty missile! Nice work, nando!

[SJPONeill]

Very nice - a neat design and a generous designer!!

[Darwin]

Great looking model. There will be interest in the kit.

[APA-168]

A lot of interest

[nando]

Originally Posted by cMags

Very nice! Thanks for sharing your process. If you want to upload it to the Downloads section, go ahead, I guarantee it'll get approved (I'll do so myself if I get to it first).

Ok, I uploaded two zip files (Instructions and Parts).
Let me know if I did all well, because it's the first time I'm uploading something in the forum.

Best, Nando

[rickstef]

files uploaded fine, and they have been approved, so you can download when you want to

Rick

[nando]

Originally Posted by rickstef

files uploaded fine, and they have been approved, so you can download when you want to

Rick

Thank You, Rick, but I found an error in the file name, I edited it and now the file of the instructions is again in your queue.

Sorry and thanks, Nando