The lower outrigger trusses on Eagle where covered with 2-mil VDAL kapton with a layer of Clear 5-mil Kapton. I do not have any clear 5-mil Kapton (exept for a small reference piece that Vincent so gratiously sent me) So I have to cheat a little. I covered the trusses in 1/2 mil kapton (because it crimples better) and then i used a combination of some colored theater lighting film and kapton tape to get the desired color of the struts.
The upper trusses have a primary coating of 1/2-mil VDAL kapton and then three cuffs made out of pyromark painted inconel foil wrapped over that. I used some of my 1/2 mil VDAL kapton and some blackwrap for the cuffs.
The left strut only has its initial 1/2 mil kapton layer applied so far. hoping to get that fixed tonight.
I have made a bit of a blueprint for the blackwrap bits but this time it was not done on the computer. …the old pen and paper… will scan and put it with the others.
I just gotta tell ya, this is spectacular! And you’re moving so quickly toward completion … I’m just amazed!
As a member of the Yahoo Group, I read about this project, and have been following Vincent’s progress regularly too … but I’m thoroughly impressed with the speed you’re moving at. Not to mention the accuracy of this model.
Your landing gear great looks terrific. I sure hope it supports all that weight. I did a 1/48 LM cutaway, in addition to a few other 1/48 LMs, and would love to do up a big one like you and Vincent.
Keep up the great work Mattias! You’ve got one more fan! 🙂
Pete
(near Niagara Falls)
Thank you Pete!
Its a real boost to get such encouraging comments!
I think the landinggear will do fine in the short term. But how the metal will do over time is anyones guess… There are a couple of weak points that might bend over time. I hope not…
You don’t happen to have a link to that cutaway model? sounds interesting! Where did you find references for the cutaways?
I think its hard to find closeup pictures of the LM:s.
Paul Fjelds page has some good ones but i sure could use some more. especially for the Ascent Stage.
/M
Hello Mattias,
I am also following the build progress thread of Vincent since the beginning and discovered your project on the Yahoo Spacemodellers group. Really very nice work you do there!
Like you, I also have (started) to build a digital LM from the blueprints Vincent provides on his website. You can see some of it in this thread:
http://www.ibiblio.org/mscorbit/mscforum/index.php?topic=1480.0
It is for a free Apollo Add-On for the freeware spaceflight simulator “Orbiter” by Martin Schweiger.
The more I see of Vinent’s and your work, the more I feel the wish to build my own 1/24 scale LEM. I’d like to do Apollo 17’s Challenger then. May I ask you, where to obtain the various Kapton foils? I live in Germany, I’ve already found several companies selling this stuff, though I wasn’t sure, wich foils are needed. Can you give some pointers, what the exact product names of the foils are? I would like to order some here. As a kick-starter, you know 🙂
Thank you and keep up the beautiful work!
Greetings from Germany, Rafael
Hi Rafael!
I have most of the ascent stage ready for you there in the Blueprints section. feel free to do with it what you want.
As for the Kapton foils:
There are 3 main types. All have an aluminum coating on the inside (VDAL = Vaccuum Deposited ALuminum)
1/2 mil VDAL Kapton
used on the lower part of the legs and on the top of the descent stage.
2 mil VDAL Kapton
Used on the quads and bulkheads of the descent stage
5 mil VDAL Kapton
Used on the bottom of the descent stage.
Then there are some untreated transparent 5 mil Kapton on the lander legs and the lower outrigger truss struts.
there are also a lot of kapton tape all over the place.
I got mine from an american company. I got a few square feet of it for free so it feels a little wrong to post about it on the internet. I dont want them to be flooded in requests for freebies. (they only sell the stuff by rolls and a roll cost about $900)
If you find a place that sells it in smaller quantities please do not hesitate to tell me!
I hope you get started on a 1:24 lander. its a lot of fun! I am thinking about doing a J-series lander as well because i really feel like building the LRV.
Rafael
I also posted the descentstage as a 3dsmax file and an OBJ.
/M
My LM cutaway has been on the website ARC, as well as being featured in Fine Scale Modelers annual publication Great Scale Modeling 2010. It is also on New Ware’s site featuring the 1/48 LM MESA and other New Ware goodies.
WIP pix are also on the Yahoo Group’s site in the PHOTOS section. Again, I have a few more spacecraft models there, including a 1/48 LRV scratchbuilt as part of an Apollo 15 diorama.
Here’s a link to ARC. You’ll have to go to the GALLERY at the top of the page and then to the ‘SPACE / SCI-FI’ section. You’ll see a few of my spacecraft models there. For references, I mainly used the CD included with the book Virtual LM.
http://www.arcair.com/
Keep up the great work Mattias … I enjoy following your progress!
Pete
…a cutaway model… rather THE cutaway model!
very impressive. I have seen it before while googling for reference photos. really nice level of detail!
The LTA pictures from Virtual LM are really good. I think its strange that there are so few pictures from the construction and checkout of the LM:s on the internet. (not that i have found anyway)
Mattias, your work is amazing plus the speed. I just completed tonight the +Y outrigger assembly and watching your pictures I was looking at my own model. A quite strange feeling. With Rafael wanting to make his own 1/24 model. We will have a complete collection in Europe. I expect to finish coating the descent stage to-morrow and then I will start the landing gear and the various detail and RCS plumes. Still a lot of work
Ah the +Y!
I have been saving it for last. I only have one reference picture of the strange little thing hanging from the SLA connections. What does it do? is it some kind of release mechanism? It looks a little home made in the picture that I have from LM9. strangely bent and with almost sloppy pieces of tape on it…
I’m really looking forward to seeing your landing gear. it will be styrene rods with some kind of metal core right? I almost wish I did it that way now. My metal ones are really heavy and I’m a bit concerned that they will bend over time. The styrene will probably keep its shape longer. especially if they have brass rods inside or something. but it sure was fun creating the molds. I wonder if its possible to use the molds to cast some kind of hard plastic or something.
I might make the styrene core of another landing gear pad tonight. And hopefully not have another glue incident. I used my dremel today to sand away the last bits of glue from my hand. 🙂
I like it that we are almost at the same phase in modeling. Is almost surreal when you add pictures on your site of a part that i just finished on my model.
The spacerace is not over yet 🙂
/M²
Sorry Mattias for the late reply. Thanks for all the information. The descent stage file (*.obj) you posted seems to have lost all smoothing groups when opening in 3ds max. Also, I get an error message when trying to open the *.max file. May I ask which version of 3ds max you used? Maybe I have an older, incompatible version. Just curious. Thanks again for your reply. Real life commitments have drawn me away from starting anything recently, but it is still on my mind 🙂 Best wishes to you and Vincent! Keep going! Rafael
Legacy. The words you penned have betauy, yet there is so much more that we do not know or see. God is so good to give us hope in loss, joy in the midst of suffering, and helping us to continue running this race in the hardest of times. Keep pressing on, Dana. You and your family have encouraged me much these past two years, even though I cry for y’all.Much love and prayers for y’all!Love in Christ,MarshaTo God be the glory!
ohhhh niceee