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Old 02-11-2013, 02:59 PM
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Baikonur Rollout 1970 - 1/400 diorama

Early dawn, still very cold and foggy. Far away from the rest of the world, at the steppes of Kazakhstan. The sun has not yet peeped over the horizon but yet there already is some light. The fog is clearing but still there. Close by, long threads of thin white mist hover low above the frosty ground, but further away both the weak light of the morning and the thin fog just take away pretty much of the surroundings. In the distance there is the low rumble of a diesel engine. Slowly, an enormous shape looms up behind it out of the fog. It is a Soyuz rocket, on its side, on a transporter on its way to Gagarin's Start. The steel wheels of the transporter calmly roll over the rails, while the welds in the tracks let the rocket produce sounds like a hollow metal cask, which, in fact it is, not yet fuelled. Behind it, a flat car to create some distance between the pointy white nose of the giant rocket and the green diesel locomotive, with its deep sounding, loud throbbing engine. The three piercing beams of its headlights shine a whimsical light on the rocket's body. Unhurriedly the train proceeds its slow trip through the awakening steppe to the bundle of metal masts and arms that seem to be sticking out of the ground in the distance. As the sun rises, and its first rays lighten up the scene, the grey rocket glows in the orange light and casts long shadows over the grassy fields. In a couple of hours the serenity will be shattered by the deafening crackle and roar of rocket engines.

That is, in short, what I wanted to create in a diorama. This atmosphere of an early variant of the legendary rocket. And I wanted to do it in 1/400.

Half of the fun was, as usual, the research. Digging into how the transporter looked in 1970, which locomotive they used and the configuration of the train itself. There are not a lot of pictures from that era that can really give a clear image of how and what. But on Spacefacts.de there were some nice big albeit grainy and sometimes retouched pictures of early rollouts of the Soyuz series.


This here is Soyuz-5 on the launch platform. Note how the shroud and Soyuz inside are not supported by the transporter. (credit: spacefacts.de)

I used those for modifying the transporter. The locomotive was a lucky shot. I found out it must have been the M-62 diesel locomotive they used there and then. Pictures proved I was right, there actually are a lot of M-62's on the tracks at Baikonur.


(this is Soyuz 19 (ASTP) being driven to the pad. The transporter here is the modern one. Note how the shroud is supported here. And there's just one flat car now. But the locomotive looks a lot like the original M-62, although I think this one here is is another model.


Just looking for a free paper model of this specific model seemed to be a needle in a haystack. But I found one. Here. (they also have the modern version they use nowadays but in another livery.) The flat car was found here and the transporter of course was Lars Folmann's.
Okay, enough chit-chat, let's take a look at some pictures here!

First one is my first drawing of how I wanted the scene to look. I made the mistake to let the train ride in the wrong direction, locomotive first, hence the headlights. In reality the locomotive pushes the train toward the pad.
Phase one of the build was easy, the diorama buildup. I made the base with paper maché and let it dry. I knew it would shrink but was amazed how much it did in the end. The rail road dyke looked like the spine of some devoured animal. No sweat, I was planning a thin plaster outer layer anyway.
First then, the locomotive, the flat cars and a little truck for transporting the hot shot Soviet generals and their soldiers to watch the rollout through the fields. I detailed the locomotive and the flat cars a little more than the original 1/87 model by giving it separate wheels. (I used some aluminium sticky tape and a 3mm hollow punch). The truck is a Tatra 813 8x8 which was a relatively new vehicle in 1970. I found it somewhere here.
last shot is from the base with its outer gypsum layer. Smooth.
Next entry: the transporter.
Attached Thumbnails
Baikonur Rollout 1970 - 1/400 diorama-baikonur-1972-dig.jpg   Baikonur Rollout 1970 - 1/400 diorama-p1050057.jpg   Baikonur Rollout 1970 - 1/400 diorama-p1050078.jpg   Baikonur Rollout 1970 - 1/400 diorama-p1050086.jpg   Baikonur Rollout 1970 - 1/400 diorama-p1050107.jpg  

Baikonur Rollout 1970 - 1/400 diorama-p1050110.jpg   Baikonur Rollout 1970 - 1/400 diorama-p1050112.jpg   Baikonur Rollout 1970 - 1/400 diorama-p1050139.jpg   Baikonur Rollout 1970 - 1/400 diorama-p1050129.jpg  
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Old 02-11-2013, 03:13 PM
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Then the transporter. I once did it in 1/100, the designated scale. It actually was one of the first paper models I made. I think it was the third. Anyway, it was not that hard to reduce it to 1/400 and build it. In fact, it was almost easy. Which means Lars designed an outstanding model.
After that, the Soyuz itself. I used Lars Folmann's recoloured Vostok launcher with Laszlo Vadasz' Soyuz part on top. (Laszlo's site seems to be off the air, though...)
Very much fun to build it in 1/400, I even managed to add some details. I used orange paper for the central core booster's engine fairings. I doubled it up twice and used my Dremel to sand off part of the top to make it into the pointed shape it has. The body needed not much reinforcement in this scale, of course.
Attached Thumbnails
Baikonur Rollout 1970 - 1/400 diorama-p1050142.jpg   Baikonur Rollout 1970 - 1/400 diorama-p1050146.jpg   Baikonur Rollout 1970 - 1/400 diorama-p1050150.jpg   Baikonur Rollout 1970 - 1/400 diorama-p1050171.jpg   Baikonur Rollout 1970 - 1/400 diorama-p1050187.jpg  

Baikonur Rollout 1970 - 1/400 diorama-p1050200.jpg   Baikonur Rollout 1970 - 1/400 diorama-p1050229.jpg   Baikonur Rollout 1970 - 1/400 diorama-p1050231.jpg   Baikonur Rollout 1970 - 1/400 diorama-p1050246.jpg  
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Old 02-11-2013, 03:20 PM
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Back to the diorama base now. When we left it, it was white and with a relatively smoothed out rail road dyke (at least that's how we call them here in Dutchyland. We love dykes. We got quite a few of them here and there.). I took my paint bottles and brushes and took to work to make it look like a steppe. Some grass fibre stuff for electric rail roads completed the look.

I used some fiberfill (stuff normally used in filling up winter coats and garment) and ripped it loose to make waves of fog.
Mor on that later. The most tedious work came when I had to lay down the tracks. Sleeper after sleeper. It took me a whole day. The rails itself were made from silver paper, cut in very fine long strips.
Tedious it was, but it looked quite nice.
Attached Thumbnails
Baikonur Rollout 1970 - 1/400 diorama-p1050155.jpg   Baikonur Rollout 1970 - 1/400 diorama-p1050159.jpg   Baikonur Rollout 1970 - 1/400 diorama-p1050261.jpg   Baikonur Rollout 1970 - 1/400 diorama-p1050263.jpg   Baikonur Rollout 1970 - 1/400 diorama-p1050267.jpg  

Baikonur Rollout 1970 - 1/400 diorama-p1050269.jpg  
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Old 02-11-2013, 03:27 PM
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Now everything was ready for the putting together. So here's the end result. This morning the light was cold and blue outside so it was the perfect moment to make some dramatic shots of the scene.
I added here a shot to get all into perspective again, it all is just a regular photo frame with some tiny paper stuff glued on and with some fluff added.
Oh, and a photosouped picture of the setting in actual digital sunrise light I did just a couple of hours ago.
Hope you like it! I sure did building this!

Now it slowly gets time to get back to building Mir.
Attached Thumbnails
Baikonur Rollout 1970 - 1/400 diorama-p1050275.jpg   Baikonur Rollout 1970 - 1/400 diorama-p1050278.jpg   Baikonur Rollout 1970 - 1/400 diorama-p1050280.jpg   Baikonur Rollout 1970 - 1/400 diorama-p1050281.jpg   Baikonur Rollout 1970 - 1/400 diorama-p1050288.jpg  

Baikonur Rollout 1970 - 1/400 diorama-p1050284.jpg   Baikonur Rollout 1970 - 1/400 diorama-baikonur-rollout-early-dawn-1970.jpg  
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Old 02-11-2013, 03:37 PM
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PK, you are still the undisputed Heavyweight Champ!

That is just stunning! How you manage to build that beautifully at such a small scale just astounds me. Simply brilliant!


Mike
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Old 02-11-2013, 03:42 PM
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Mind-blowing!
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Old 02-11-2013, 06:14 PM
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Stunning execution of a great concept!
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Old 02-11-2013, 06:22 PM
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Thumbs up Incredible... beyond belief ! Awesome stuff !

O.M.G..... this is so freakin good i can't stop looking at it. YOU are THE man !
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Old 02-11-2013, 06:48 PM
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Prachtig mooi man
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Old 02-11-2013, 08:04 PM
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That is sick! I love your dio skills man. Wow!
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