Wednesday, January 31, 2018

Gemini Capsule: Decisions, Decisions

Two related questions arose immediately: Which Gemini mission to model and how to display the finished capsule? There were twelve Gemini missions--the last ten were manned. In reviewing the literature, it seems that a lot of emphasis has been placed on Gemini VII, perhaps due to the first-ever space rendezvous (with Gemini VI-A).

I've aways thought about doing Gemini 3, the first manned Gemini flight, mainly because of the corned-beef sandwich incident. John Young smuggled a corned-beef sandwich on-b0ard and, once in orbit, both he and Gus Grissom took several bites before restowing the sandwich before floating crumbs could wreak havoc with the capsule's electronics. Both were reprimanded when they returned to Earth and all future crews were warned not to pull the same stunt. I can see Young and Grissom in their seats with a sandwich floating between them :)

That leads to the display question. I want to be able to show the added improvements and details of the kit. That means that doors would both be open and that one or both of the crew would be absent. I also want to show the detail in both the retrograde and equipment sections. So... my preliminary idea is to show the capsule in an "exploded" display with the three sections moved slightly apart from each other. Maybe a corned-beef sandwich on the center console? I won't make the final decision quite yet. I want to see how construction proceeds.

Starting with the capsule interior, the first thing that needs to be addressed are the seats. As you can see below, the Revell kit seats are rudimentary, at best. Compare that with a drawing of the actual seat:





Thankfully, the seats are addressed by the LVM Interior Detail Kit. The seats on the kit bulkhead will be cut away and the resulting hole covered by Part A. Parts B & C will be fabricated into much better seats.


That's it for this chapter. Now, where did I put that Dremel tool?

Tuesday, January 30, 2018

Revell's 1/24 Scale Gemini Capsule


I've never attempted a project this wide-ranging and I'm viewing it as an opportunity to increase my modeling skills in quite a few areas. I'd seen photos of several finished models of the Gemini capsule on the Space Modeling Facebook page and decided to look into it.

The original 1/24 scale Revell kit was issued in 1966 and has undergone several re-boxings since then. The one I settled on was kit no. 1835 issued in 1993. I found it for a great price on eBay with free shipping and a guarantee that all parts were present. I was doubly glad about the parts guarantee when I first opened the box:



I immediately went through the instructions and bagged the individual parts step-by-step and found that they were all present and accounted for:



The Revell Gemini capsule was modeled after McDonnell Aircraft Company's mock-up and does not resemble the capsule as flown into space. Reading the posts and comments on Space Modeling led me to order several aftermarket sets. I'll cover each of these and the need for them as I get to them in the build but here they are:



Gemini Interior Detail Kit, LVM Studios, www.lvm-studios.com

Gemini Detail Set (Exterior), RealSpace Models, www.realspacemodels.com

Ultimate Decals, Gemini, Space Model Systems, http://www.culttvmanshop.com/Space-Model-Systems_bymfg_70-0-1.html

More to follow on my preliminary research, my initial approach to the kit, and the start!

Thursday, July 4, 2013

StuG III (Fl): Paint At Last!

Finally got the opportunity to do some initial painting on my Fl. This was my first experience with trying the modulation technique. Let's just say I learned some valuable lessons for "next time"!

Next up are decaling (not many on this beast), tow cables, antennae, and then painting the wheels, tracks, and on-board equipment. Then the final weathering and basing which will finish up this project.

Here's a shot of the Fl as it sits right now. For more pictures please see my build log on Tanks and Things, http://tanksandthings.niceboard.org/t5314p30-stug-iii-f1-mark-groth


Friday, May 31, 2013

KV-2 Finished (For Now)


Well, I made it under the wire for the May Braille Scale build on Tanks and Things. Still some little things to correct/do to totally finish it up, but for now, this is it. I need to clean up some paint wear on the turret roof, fix the grime on the front of the hull, add some graphite to parts of the tracks and MGs, and finish the headlight lens. Oh, and maybe add it to a scenic base.

For more photos you can check out my build log here: http://tanksandthings.niceboard.org/t5559p15-trumpeter-kv-2

Now back to the paint booth for my StuGs!

Thursday, May 23, 2013

Finnish StuG III Ausf.G

Arrrrgh, just realized that I haven't posted ANY updates on my Finnish StuG III and it's ready for painting. To see in-progress photos please jump to my postings on the Tanks and Things forum, http://tanksandthings.niceboard.org/t5315-stug-iii-ausfg-finnish-army-mark-groth

Here's a shot of where it stands right now:
 
The logs are not yet attached, they're simply leaning against the hull for illustrative purposes.

KV-2 Update

Here are some update photos of my KV-2. More details can be found on my posts on the Tanks and Things forum: http://tanksandthings.niceboard.org/t5559p15-trumpeter-kv-2#60371

The turret showing the grab handles I fabricated to replace the molded blobs:

Lower hull with the road wheels, return rollers, drive sprockets, and idler wheels attached:

The completed model:

Primer coat sprayed:

Fading finished:
 
Next up: adding the decals to the turret, painting the tracks, MGs, and tow cables, and final weathering.

Friday, May 3, 2013

Trumpeter KV-2


The Tanks and Things website is hosting a 72nd-scale quick build during the month of May. My build is going to be the Trumpeter KV-2 M1940 Russian "big box". The parts count is fairly low and the only additional work I intend to do at this point is to replace the blobby grab handles with wire and perhaps replace the tow cables.

Here's a shot of my initial work building the assorted wheels and sprockets: