An amature scratch builds the shuttlecraft in 1/50

kryptosdaddy · Post by **kryptosdaddy** » Thu Mar 01, 2012 9:07 am

This is my first ground up scratch build. These were posted on another forum so if they seem familiar well they are`!

I'm posting this to help some of the folks here that would like to try scratching but feel daunted by the math- well I'm terrible at math!

Sometimes a little mechanical intuition is enough- enjoy CR

Based this on the OLD Technical manuals 2 pages on the shuttlecraft- copied the pages and made a paper form..

http://i1121.photobucket.com/albums/l50 ... escrap.jpg
http://i1121.photobucket.com/albums/l50 ... scrap1.jpg

Built a little frame into the top of the paper form out of sprue and then realized the solution was right in front of me- the centerline- as a plumber by reflex, the center is always a great place to start...

http://i1121.photobucket.com/albums/l50 ... pbase1.jpg

I 'm not that great at math, but I can measure- 5/16 brass came near perfect for the engines, a little wire and some .080 sheet built the 'plate' and a good bit of the supports ect.

http://i1121.photobucket.com/albums/l50 ... frame2.jpg

Now the fun part, building the thing- I started at the top, did the sides and corrected my errors then began the bottom.

http://i1121.photobucket.com/albums/l50 ... anels1.jpg

I used my drawings to cut a depth scale for the rear- now I'm building this according to those old Technical manual drawings, so this will differ from some of the other shuttle build ups I found online while researching- as the build progressed I began to add elements from other sources, after all it is make believe!

http://i1121.photobucket.com/albums/l50 ... fixed1.jpg

After several attempts I finally got a solution to the impulse engine that was satisfactory- I made a ladder and tied the ends together..
http://i1121.photobucket.com/albums/l50 ... ngine4.jpg
http://i1121.photobucket.com/albums/l50 ... ngine5.jpg

http://i1121.photobucket.com/albums/l50 ... prime2.jpg

Now I'm ready to finish!
nacelle ends were made from brass tube...

http://i1121.photobucket.com/albums/l50 ... lhell1.jpg

http://i1121.photobucket.com/albums/l50 ... lhell2.jpg

http://i1121.photobucket.com/albums/l50 ... lldone.jpg

Then some paint...

http://i1121.photobucket.com/albums/l50 ... pprime.jpg
http://i1121.photobucket.com/albums/l50 ... ryfit3.jpg

Alot of sanding and two coats of primer later it's painted...

http://i1121.photobucket.com/albums/l50 ... inted1.jpg

and then done!

http://i1121.photobucket.com/albums/l50 ... apdone.jpg

The wings were thickened, the windows and door are recessed, the globes at the ends of the nacelles are glass beads. Decals were made with a free graphics program.

About 6 weeks from paper form to finished shelf queen- there were times when I thought I had over stepped myself, but later i realized this was when I was at a point in the build where I was about to overcome a major problem. Just hang in there and try it out, you may be suprized! Be good CR

Joseph C. Brown · Post by **Joseph C. Brown** » Thu Mar 01, 2012 9:47 am

Nice build sequence - it really does help to show the steps of the process.

MillenniumFalsehood · Post by **MillenniumFalsehood** » Mon Mar 05, 2012 6:33 pm

The end product speaks for itself. Well done, and a very informative article.

kryptosdaddy · Post by **kryptosdaddy** » Mon Mar 05, 2012 9:07 pm

Thanks fellas, its a great feeling to beat something into shape from a pile of flat sheets!

Thundergod · Post by **Thundergod** » Fri May 17, 2013 3:40 pm

Great build log . The first scratchbuild I ever did was that very craft ! ( Obviously nowhere as good as yours !) I've long considered re-visiting the subject and doing another , your thread has pushed me that little bit closer . Good , clean build . Well done .

Tankmodeler · Post by **Tankmodeler** » Fri May 17, 2013 8:44 pm

Well done! One of the best things about scratchbuilding is the satisfaction of finding solutions to the problems that always come up in a scratchbuilding project.

Paul