Leo's Saturn 1B

**Mechanic** · #1 07-05-2022, 01:05 PM

Well it's here and ready to get started. I've been lagging a bit, it took me a while before I took it to a print shop to get reduced to 1/48th. Once again wondering where to start. I think I need to study the instructions a little bit more.

Btw, can anyone translate?

.

**The Mole** · #2 07-05-2022, 04:03 PM

Are you going to build the display stands first?
If you do that's a task by itself.

**rkelterer** · #3 07-06-2022, 10:51 AM

For translation I use Google-Lens 😁 on android as well as ios

**Mechanic** · #4 07-06-2022, 05:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Mole

Are you going to build the display stands first?
If you do that's a task by itself.

I hadn't really thought about when to assemble the display stand. Was thinking to start at the base of the body, maybe then the engine nozzles, and then working my way up.

Quote:

Originally Posted by rkelterer

For translation I use Google-Lens 😁 on android as well as ios

Thanks, I will look into that.

.

**Mechanic** · #5 07-07-2022, 07:14 PM

Off to a descent start, I think. The skin and backing strips are fitting fine, but I'm having trouble wrapping my head around how to put the formers/bulkheads in. This section, at only about three inches tall, has five of them, two of which are slotted to interface with the fins. Clearly Leo meant this to be strong to carry the whole weight of the rocket. But two pairs of the bulkheads have approx one quarter of an inch separating them. All of them have to be accurately clocked.

Btw, Google Lens is amazing.

.

**SAustin16** · #6 07-09-2022, 10:55 AM

Hello Mechanic. Super-clean job already, Sir. Watching with interest.

**Mechanic** · #7 07-10-2022, 05:54 PM

Hi SAustin16, and thanks!

I'm trying to have some patience putting this one together. I have the tendency to to try and rush it once I'm sitting down and cutting the pieces out. I was having a little bit of trouble trying to get an order for assembly. The slotted formers were throwing me for a loop. My solution was some temporary tabs to hold the alignment before gluing. Started with the middle former and then flipped the assembly to do the bottom formers.

The bottom formers were actually the first time I've glued pieces to some thicker cardboard as opposed to just doubling up the cardstock. Really took my time cutting them out. I added a small spacer at the center to help keep the bottom-most former stiff. Flipping the assembly right side up again I put in the second slotted former, leaving just the the top former that mates to the tanks.

Suffice it to say I've been handling the assembly very gingerly so as not to disturb the tabs.

.

**Mechanic** · #8 07-12-2022, 11:48 AM

Last night I finished laminating the tank support formers and cutting the circles out. In cutting the circles out I had to make as many as four passes before I got through cardboard. Really made my fingers sore from the pressure.

While waiting for the former to dry I made some spacers to support it. Once the former was dry enough to handle I did a dry fit. At this point I realized I'd made an error. The spacers were too tall and the former was interfering with the tabs ability to fold inwards. After a while of thinking about it, figured I could cut a chamfer on the underside of the former allowing it to sit deeper in the body. A couple more dry fits and I glued the former in place.

.

**Mechanic** · #9 07-14-2022, 06:29 PM

I decided to save the engines and fins for later so I could have the nice flat base to work with for a while. I put the tank fairing on, which I thought was going to be a real bugger but it practically fell into place.

Next, the main tanks starting with the center. Not much to look at, just a plain grey cylinder. All the tanks consist of three segments, with only two formers. This felt a little thin to me, so I added a top and bottom former.

Just eight more to go!

.

**Mechanic** · #10 07-20-2022, 11:10 PM

The last few days have been all about tubes. Then some more tubes. And then putting the tubes together to make longer tubes.

Btw, has anyone mentioned today was the anniversary of the moon landing? I saw one post on Reddit about it.

I have no idea how Leo meant the (tubes) fuel tanks to go together. The tab and slot just felt like everything literally had to be done in the same step. I gave up on the slot and tabs and put a couple of spacer rings on the center tank. This kind of allowed the tanks to be pressed against each other and hold itself in place at the bottom of the stack, and then I was able to put an elastic band around the top to keep them from splaying out. I did a few practice fits but there was no way I was going to get all the tanks together before the glue would set up. Then I had one of those nice "a ha" moments; once all the tanks were in place dry, I could remove one tank at a time, glue it and then replace it without disturbing the other tanks.

Sorry about the wordy explanation, but it was a real relief to get past that point of the build.

.