**Picture Heavy** 1:96 Buran-Energia, 1:96 US Shuttle and 1:48 Greelt F1 Engine

This is my first post on Zealot so hello.

I started to build the excellent 1:96 scale Buran orbiter from Leo Cherkashyn about a year ago, but only finished it last month. Having finished the orbiter though and with a set of discworld audio books to get through, I decided to build the Energia Launcher. A fortnight later I was done. I really like the completed pair, really well designed. I love some of the fiddly details on the energia, around where the zenit boosters attach. I plan to try and find some form of base, either a scratch built pad, or smart wooden block, possibly with plaque, for some display.











I'll add the other models in seperate posts to organise a little easier.

Once I had complete the buran-energia I decided that I really wanted the american shuttle to go alongside. I think that the russian one looks much cooler, but the shuttle is the one that I saw as a flash across the sky in orbit, and that I watched launch when I was younger. (I'm in uni now but remember the tail end of the shuttle program)

Leo's model is in 1:96 scale, so I wanted a shuttle model to match. I didn't find many options at the size and considered a slightly re scaled version of the fortrezza shuttle, but didn't want to build another complicated model right after the buran-energia. Instead I decided to rescale Alfonso X. Moreno's 1:144 shuttle in photoshop, to get the right sized model. As his website includes some great resources on all the missions flown I was free to choose which I wanted to build. As I planed to build the fortrezza shuttle with a detailed orange stack in the future I decided to go for the distinctive white stack of the sts-001 colombia launch.

This model isnt as detailed as the buran-energia at 1:144, and I also didnt do all of the detail that was designed, but it does give a great comparison. The orbiter is stuck to the stack on this model however. I don't know if I will build any display for this one, as I said before I plan to later build a very detailed version of the shuttle from the fortrezza 1:100 model in the future, which will be my display model.





Next up, Greelt F1 Engine

Having finished these two models I decided to try something else. Making those wings is stressfull! I really like the work that Greelt did on his F1 engine from the Saturn V, so decided to give that a shot as it's a little smaller and makes a great display piece. I got it from the great webpage here. I've built the main engine so far, but plan to add to this by creating a trolley type display which will hold the finished engine more horizontal than the display base from Greelt. I think that the vertical display obscures too much of the pipework and the struts. The last photo shows the begining of my trolley mock up. I have built some I beams by supergluing thin strips into the right profile. From this I am constructing the frame which will prop the engine up as shows, which is currently achieved by a strategically placed model clamp. The finished trolley will support the engine at the gimble and possibly by the wrap around exhaust shroud.








I think when the trolley design is finalised I might build it from yellow, to match the museum piece here. I think I need to add more bulk to the trolley.

Once that is done I'm not entirely sure what to tackle next. I feel that the full 1:48 Saturn V is a bit to big for my student room to handle, but like the idea of a large detailed model. I think that I might try and design something, currently I'm leaning to wards a V2 rocket. There's lots of information about the rocket so I think I might be able to design a cutaway version a bit like the uhu02 models. That's just an idea for the time being. I may also try the proton M or K from Leo's site.

If anybody has any criticisms or praise for my models then I'd love to hear it.
-Rory

Thanks Rhaven Blaack,

Today I played around with a bit of model building. Somebody wanted a globe of the plant from kerbal space program, so I made a papercraft Kerbin. Using a kerbin texture map I put it onto a globe in blender and unfolded in pepakura to make the model.