So last time I left you with a cliff-hanger. Sorry about that—the opportunity so rarely presents itself on this blog. You may recall that things were coming along well with my re-do of the paintwork on this kit, and I’d got to the point of masking off some of the RCS thrusters on the Command … Continue reading RealSpace Models 1/96 Apollo Block II Command/Service Module (Again): Part 4
Tag Archives: Saturn V
RealSpace Models 1/96 Apollo Block II Command/Service Module (Again): Part 3
Last time, I was contemplating how to add feedhorns to my High Gain Antennae from The Aerospace Place. The solution I eventually came up with was to use some 0.25mm fibreoptic strands, and to melt the ends into a blob by holding them close to a hot soldering iron. Sprayed white, these gave me something … Continue reading RealSpace Models 1/96 Apollo Block II Command/Service Module (Again): Part 3
RealSpace Models 1/96 Apollo Block II Command/Service Module (Again): Part 2
Last time, I was about to embark on applying the bright chrome finish to the Command Module. This went on over a coat of Xtreme Metal’s Black Base, and turned out looking pretty good. Deceptively so, as it turned out. There were some nice specular metallic reflections: I set it aside to cure for a … Continue reading RealSpace Models 1/96 Apollo Block II Command/Service Module (Again): Part 2
RealSpace Models 1/96 Apollo Block II Command/Service Module (Again): Part 1
Those of you who’ve been following my build logs for a very long time will recall that I’ve built this model before, back in 2016, when I started assembling the Revell 1/96 Saturn V—which I completed three years later, putting the finishing touches to the last component just a few days before the 50th anniversary of … Continue reading RealSpace Models 1/96 Apollo Block II Command/Service Module (Again): Part 1
The Coordinate Axes Of Apollo-Saturn: Part 2
In my previous post on this topic, I described how flight engineers working on the Apollo programme assigned XYZ coordinate axes to the Saturn V launch vehicle and to the two Apollo spacecraft, the Command/Service Module (CSM) and the Lunar Module (LM). This time, I’m going to talk about how these axes came into play … Continue reading The Coordinate Axes Of Apollo-Saturn: Part 2
The Coordinate Axes Of Apollo-Saturn: Part 1
As a matter arising from my long, slow build of a Saturn V model, I became absorbed in the confusing multiplicity of coordinate systems and axes applied to the Apollo launch vehicle and spacecraft. So I thought I’d provide a guide to what I’ve learned, before I forget it all again. (Note, I won’t be … Continue reading The Coordinate Axes Of Apollo-Saturn: Part 1
Revell 1/96 Saturn V: Fully Assembled
This is the final post of my three-year project to assemble Revell’s 1/96-scale Saturn V model kit. It’s intended to provide a few views of the completed model, and to act as a sort of index to the various sections of the stage-by-stage build log I wrote as I went along. The kit is fundamentally … Continue reading Revell 1/96 Saturn V: Fully Assembled
Revell 1/96 Saturn V: Lunar Module
After completing the entire Saturn V stack, top to bottom, I had one small additional component to complete—the Lunar Module. This sat invisibly inside the Spacecraft/Lunar Module Adapter during launch and translunar injection, and was revealed only when the SLA panels were discarded during the lunar coast phase. The LM that comes with the kit … Continue reading Revell 1/96 Saturn V: Lunar Module
Revell 1/96 Saturn V: S-IC Stage – Part 2
Last time, I described how I needed to extensively modify the front and back ends of the Revell S-IC stage, using resin parts from RealSpace and New Ware, combined with some custom decals and a little scratch building. Next, I needed to assemble the component parts of the stage—the fore and aft skirts, the intertank … Continue reading Revell 1/96 Saturn V: S-IC Stage – Part 2
How Apollo Got To The Moon
I’m posting this at 13:32 GMT on 16th July 2019—exactly fifty years after the launch of Apollo 11. It’s the last part of a loose trilogy of posts about Apollo—the first two being M*A*S*H And The Moon Landings and The Strange Shadows Of Apollo. This one’s about the rather complicated sequence of events required to get … Continue reading How Apollo Got To The Moon