Just about done with the interesting bits - still need to print and assemble the solar arrays, PVA radiators, and thermal radiators. Then we have to rig it for display (that should be hilarious as it will be 6 ft tall - solar arrays; 8 feet wide - truss; and 5 feet long - spine). Gonna need to sink another hook in the garage cieling.
For a quick recap (dry run for the instructions, too):
Modules are simple capped cans. Two parts glued up for the cylinder and two flat cones for the end caps. The 4.5 inch (11.4 cm) bore of the cans is sized to use a 2-liter soda bottle for either a building form or as inner reinforcement (cut an appropriate sized section of the center, parallel sided part of the bottle). That 4.5 inch bore, combined with the 175 inch diameter of actual station modules, gives us the conversion factor (0.0257) or the scale (1:39) used to convert dimensions from the NASA ISS modelers' pages.
Modules are assembled quickly by gluing up the two cylinder parts then rolling/gluing them. Form and glue the conic end caps. Bend in the tabs on the cylinder and glue on the end caps (helps to use a 2-liter bottle as a forming stand even if you don't use it as a permanent stiffener).
The modules are then threaded onto a 1-1/4 inch PVC backbone tube. Where needed, PVC junctions (T, X, elbow joints) must be inserted into the modules before they are closed up. Also, you may need to do some trimming since the fittings are (obviously) larger in diameter than the tubing.
