Yogi's builds - to boldy glue, where ...

[Retired_for_now]

J - I think launching under the shroud represents a (refreshing) engineering decision to use what you got, rather than spend a million bucks on aerotesting, etc. Atlas V is designed to launch with a shroud atop the booster - enclosing whatever you care to blast into space (satellite, upper stage + payload, alien bodies, etc.).
Yogi

[Paper Kosmonaut]

Originally Posted by jparenti

Apparently they were concerned about aerodynamics during launch? It will make a great display to have the whole setup.

Besides what Yogi already said, the X-20 would be way bigger than the X-37b, so it wouldn't be exactly easy to launch it under a shroud. The X-20 wasn't planned to go upon a Titan III for nothing. With such a shape you would expect it to be much harder to get to space so they needed brute force. Just like the shuttle.

The idea to combine it with the Centaur looks marvellous! Great idea, Yogi.

[Dyna-Soar]

Are you planning to do the whole Atlas V?

[Paper Kosmonaut]

Now THAT would be something I would like to make in 1/48. With the LCROSS/LRO set on top.

[Retired_for_now]

Originally Posted by Dyna-Soar

Are you planning to do the whole Atlas V?

Well .... lll ... lll
I thought I'd do some of it and try and trick silveroxide into starting the build - thus guaranteeing a superbly detailed finished work as he creates all the extra parts required (have you SEEN his dropship?).

Seriously, it'll take me a while just to get the shroud done (something about big parts just slows me down, go figure - plus it's about to get very busy here for the holidays).

At 1:48 the Atlas would be a 3-inch-and-a-bit diameter cylinder almost 27 inches tall; capped by the interstage/fairing assembly adding another 27 inches or so. Even in 110lb card, that's going to require drawing up a lot of internal reinforcing structure (more time). Just the shroud (about 5" dia) will require at least ten stacked sections (straight and conic) with joiner strips, ring frames top/bottom of each section, and some kind of optional tongue-and-groove joint along the entire length to close the shell if desired.

If you haven't noticed, extreme detailing is not my specialty so anything I ended up with would still need quite a bit of work to meet your standards.

Yogi

[silveroxide]

[QUOTE=Retired_for_now;180745]Well .... lll ... lll
I thought I'd do some of it and try and trick silveroxide into starting the build - thus guaranteeing a superbly detailed finished work as he creates all the extra parts required (have you SEEN his dropship?).


On another occasion I might have taken the challenge, but I expect to deploy on a contract in February and that will not give me the time to complete it. I am rushing my present models right now before I leave. I believe that I will have internet access where I am going so I will keep up with the forum chatter and if any free time, I may do some short builds. But that is for the future and next year. Thanks for the vote of confidence Yogi.

[Dyna-Soar]

Originally Posted by Retired_for_now

Well .... lll ... lll
I thought I'd do some of it and try and trick silveroxide into starting the build - thus guaranteeing a superbly detailed finished work as he creates all the extra parts required (have you SEEN his dropship?).

Seriously, it'll take me a while just to get the shroud done (something about big parts just slows me down, go figure - plus it's about to get very busy here for the holidays).

At 1:48 the Atlas would be a 3-inch-and-a-bit diameter cylinder almost 27 inches tall; capped by the interstage/fairing assembly adding another 27 inches or so. Even in 110lb card, that's going to require drawing up a lot of internal reinforcing structure (more time). Just the shroud (about 5" dia) will require at least ten stacked sections (straight and conic) with joiner strips, ring frames top/bottom of each section, and some kind of optional tongue-and-groove joint along the entire length to close the shell if desired.

If you haven't noticed, extreme detailing is not my specialty so anything I ended up with would still need quite a bit of work to meet your standards.

Yogi

.

Well, I was thinking more a long the lines of 1:100 or 1:144 scalewise.

[Paper Kosmonaut]

The shroud halves *could* be done with a very sophisticated tongue and groove joint, (that is a true papermodeler's thought Yogi, I salute you for that) but there's nothing a couple of good small magnets can hold together. I use magnets a lot in my models to get rid of ugly non-realistic joints.
As for the reinforcements: that only makes it more realistic.
Oh, and 1/96 is good, too. Upscaling is always possible. (-;

[Retired_for_now]

Back for a new year - after a short hiatus to take "she who certainly deserves it" on a cruise down under. Progress (if so it may be called) should resume shortly, though it'll have to fit between prep for the upcoming teacher workshop. Got drafted to teach/demo the stomp rocket lessons. Physics, math, trigonometry and chaos!
Yogi

[Retired_for_now]

Doggedly continuing - I know why it takes so long to get someone to do a rocket. Few challenging shapes but lots of precise sizing required on mating cylinders, cones, connectors, and general fiddly bits.
Never the less ...

Interstage is a 151" (3.15" scale) cylinder - same diameter as the Atlas V main tube. The part is shaped by a narrow bottom ring (all rings laminated to thick/cereal box card) and a wide top ring. The top ring supports the Centaur connection - an open cylinder sized for the Centaur to rest on.





The boattail widens to the main fairing diameter of 5" (a bit larger than scale but sized to easily fit the X-37; probably leave as is until I get better X-37 dimensions).



All these parts are glued up - main fairing halves separate above the boattail (by the diagrams I've found, anyway). Fairing above the boattail is constant section (cylinder) for most of its length. To connect the conic to the cylinder I'm trying a rim glued around a former that is, in turn, glued inside the top of the boattail cone. If I get the size right, I'll have a vertical ring that will fit inside the upper cylinder.

Constant sections are still in work (thinking, drinking ... whatever). First attempt will glue up half cylinders (shaped with narrow formers) to form the two pieces and use a tongue and groove joint to close the assembly. When that doesn't work I'll try something else (alternating tabs/teeth; ??).

Yogi