Ton Nooteboom's Voyager in 1/48

[Daedalus]

Originally Posted by Paper Kosmonaut

What I like most of this particular build is that I used to look at photos of Voyager and it almost looked an inextricable contraption. Frames all over the place, instruments on all protrusions. Now when building this marvellous probe, everything becomes clear. You even get to learn where which instrument is and what it does. Perhaps that's one of the aspects of what I seem to enjoy in building models and which I was not aware of actually enjoying so much.

That's exactly why I started modeling as a kid. And that's exactly why I think educators should use models in the classroom and parents to encourage their kids to build models on their own...I'm working on mine. You truly do get a better understanding and an appreciation of a thing when you build your own, in any scale.

As per the laser etched boom from the SCI Voyager kit, I've built it. It's a straight forward build, a nice model. But that boom is not easy to support. I definitely need to revisit that one. Compared to Ton's kit, it doesn't hold a candle, though. And the work you're doing... is phenomenal!

Keep up the good work!

[jparenti]

Originally Posted by Paper Kosmonaut

What I like most of this particular build is that I used to look at photos of Voyager and it almost looked an inextricable contraption. Frames all over the place, instruments on all protrusions. Now when building this marvellous probe, everything becomes clear. You even get to learn where which instrument is and what it does. Perhaps that's one of the aspects of what I seem to enjoy in building models and which I was not aware of actually enjoying so much.

I agree wholeheartedly. I've noticed the same thing myself. The mystery gets peeled back a bit, even if the model is simple, and allows you to understand the spatial relationship between the parts. And having a visual aid when explaining something regarding a spacecraft to someone else is helpful, too -- I may know how a magnetometer boom works, but it's easier to show someone else a model and then explain why it has to be so far from the spacecraft body, and balanced with the rest of the structure, etc.

[Retired_for_now]

And it all folded up for launch - so those "dangling" struts are critical.

Yogi


A photo from jparenti's archives, I think

[Paper Kosmonaut]

Heyyy.... Is that the flown article? the Radio-isotope Thermo-electric generator is white here while in Ton's model it is all black. What do I do now? I am on the brink of starting it, so now it still is possible to make it white. Nice picture. I am going to add that little wire on the top, too.

BTW, Joe, the magnetometer-boom was triangular, I remember you saying. Is the simplest solution to just remove one of the four sides of the boom in Ton's model?

[Retired_for_now]

Tough thing with spacecraft photos - unless they launched from the shuttle bay there's no picture of the "in flight" configuration. Testing is often done using mass simulators for some parts (I doubt the fueled RTG was used in the test, but ...). Insulation may be missing depending on the stage of assembly. Etc.
Another photo - clean room so should be one of the two flight articles - with color. May still be some insulation, etc to be added. I'd trust Ton's design rather than recolor.


Yogi

[Paper Kosmonaut]

Thanks for the quick reply, Yogi! I Guess it'll remain black. Esthetically better, anyway. (-;

[Retired_for_now]

Glad to help - there's a simple kick motor included with the simple 1:48 Voyager in the download section as well as photos (deep in about page 8).
Yogi

[Retired_for_now]

Try these pages in the wiki media - a few pictures of RTG modules under the Voyager spacecraft section.
Category:Voyager program - Wikimedia Commons
Yogi

[Paper Kosmonaut]

Thanks again! Wahey! Bare aluminium struts! *gets the paintbrush out*
The vibration test picture tells in a caption that the white thing is a simulator. That might explain the colour.

[jparenti]

The RTGs are indeed black. This is the one in the National Air and Space Museum.



As an aside, I was playing with making mine more complicated than the stock parts. I spent forever trying to determine color, usually being thrown off by this picture:

File:MHW-RTGs.gif - Wikimedia Commons

I eventually decided that the grayish color was a result of lighting, and stuck with black to be safe.



Still need to work on those...