A few years ago (2011), Ken L. West designed a magnificent model of the Apollo command module, which I hastened to buy as soon as it was made available. Since then I have never built it believing it beyond my abilities. But this year marks the fiftieth anniversary of the moon landing and I would like to celebrate it properly, so I thought to give myself courage and try to build it. First of all I had to decide the scale because the original one (1/12) produced a model too big, so I decided to try to reduce it to half (1/24) by printing four pages per sheet. This involved first to decide which paper weight to use to respect the thicknesses compared to the new scale as much as possible. Fortunately, in the instructions are given weight and thickness and then after some attempts I seem to have defined the new dimensions.
Then I wanted to understand if reducing the model, I could still reproduce the many details that make the design beautiful or if I had to get off to too many compromises that detracted from its appearance. So I had to identify a part of the model that could give me answers for both problems: thicknesses and details. The choice then fell on the door that presented challenges both for the choice of the thicknesses for the different layers represented, and for the reproducibility of the complex closing mechanism.
So I started the test which, through numerous attempts and compromises, led me to a credible result. In the end, what was supposed to be a simple test and prototype of solutions, I decided that it will become the first part of my model.
Below are some pictures of the various steps and attempts that have brought me to this point.
Best, Nando
