Model of the Week: Another 1/4 scale Merc..the journey begins

Well I finally worked up the determination to build this awsome design. I aquired the grey and black paper several weeks ago, but I've been putting off and putting off, I needed to hone my skills a bit, I have since gathered enough info and ideas from other models and builders to complete it. There is ALOT of parts.

The Journey Begins.
 

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Mercsim

New Member
Awesome work Closet! Closet seems a little impersonal...What is your first name? I think it makes sense to post your build on the other thread? There were a few other builders that posted there and it will be easier for new people to follow along instead of jumping around.

Paul started a new thread for his full size project which kind of makes sense. I think it would be better to keep all the 1/4 stuff together.

Scott
 
Hey Scott

I sent you a PM my first name and e-mail is on there.
I'm not sure if you maen to post on the thread you started? I didn't wnat to hijack your thread. I figured another thread would give viewers a chance to see three different stages of the building process. If there's another thread I haven't seen it.
 

Mercsim

New Member
You are not hijacking 'my' thread. Its everyone's thread. Paul (PaperAir) started a new thread for his full scale build. This was a good move as he will face different challenges. For example, he will need to make support pieces from scratch. He already has done a great job modifying the instrument panel to fit into the capsule with some additional full size parts. Because of the larger size, he added more detail to the Periscope. In 1/4 scale, a lot of that detail gets missed but when you blow it up, it makes a difference. When I build my full size model, I'll be adding lots of detail that isn't currently in the paper model.

I have said it before but this is an Engineering model designed to help me track and design the full size parts. Very little has been done to make a 'paper' model for the masses. Most of the instructions were written after building the parts. The extra parts I have built have just been to get dimensions and fits correct. Again, I am always thinking about the full size model more than the 1/4 scale one.

Viewers identify builds with people, whether its PaperAir, Tim, Scott or Closet. You are the only one currently building the 1/4 model on this (that) thread. There are a few more builders working but they do not participate in discussion groups. I do not check my PM's. I participate in several discussions on various topics and it gets hard to follow. I say in almost every post, email me if you have private questions.

There are some duplicate pieces. When I first started making paper parts, I would often lift geometry from a drawing and paste it onto a print sheet. This was mostly to avoid a million pages with just a few parts each on them. I usually made each part 2 or 3 times to make sure it fit right. I often made sub-assemblies out of order to verify fits within assemblies that couldn't really be used. Sometimes I would plan on doubling or tripling parts to find out they were strong enough with one less layer. So there could be a few 'extras' floating around. I spent hundreds of hours on paper parts to try to come up with instructions and such. The drawings for full size parts are arranged completely different.

The screens on 51a seem to be part of the snorkle assembly. They are not seen in the paper model and I may not have finished them here. Looking a little closer, it appears there may be enough parts to finish one. There are two in the capsule. The Familiarization guide can help. The baroswitch bracket is on Card10a, to get the color right. This is a misprint in the instructions. Sorry. The photo shows them well. The other parts are on Card53b but the color won't match the picture. By now, you should be able to use some scraps to finish the parts. For Paul's sake, he'll probably re-design these for the full scale model because they are easier to see and could use a little help...

I noticed the forward hatch parts on Card 53b. The hatch is NOT done. I lost some files and need to re-create them. Its not a big deal and I'll try to get it done in the next few days.

Paul, I see you also PM me several weeks back. Sorry I didn't see it. I stumbled across Closet's while cleaning out a trash folder. My spam blocker was (and will continue) filtering the notifications.

Scott

scott at spacecraftreplicas dot com
 
Thanks Scott
I do understand about the purpose of the paper model, I do keep this in mind while building, my goal here is for display and conversation. I think the questions I have will be mostly curiosity. I already have ideas for the thruster pack and straps, I plan to use Tone's 1/24 scale parts and try enlarging them, I believe I can also make a heat sheild, but the stage of work you are currently on I don't have the software ability to do.

I have a pretty good ability to make thing using only photos, I know you have a slew of photos of the real thing, I'm wondering if I could find these with an internet search, the more photos I have the better off I'll be.

Things are going smooth, mounting stringers on inner skin today, should be posting photos of progress tomarrow.
 
Main structure inner skin

Assembling the stringers and inner skin, everything fitting well. I made a mistake on the stringers, going by the photos showing the stringers glued to the skin looks like the strait ends go to the bottom and upper edge of the main structure.....wrong... I didn't catch this untill the last ten stringers. All the stringers have tapered ends, the short taper goes at the top, the steep taper goes at the bottom. After studying one of the photos of the structure a few pages later..at 300% zoom...and doing a little commonsense thinking I realized the mistake, the sharp taper at the bottom for the bottom ring. Not to worry, an easy fix
 

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Comming together

The main structure here being held toghether by tape, nothing glued yet, just sitting together for the photos.

A scale comparison..Tone's 1/24 to the 1/4

Some ones getting impatient. sign1
 

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Working on the support and front bulkhead. In the instructions for the support it's indicated to glue the bands (or strips of paper) to the curved flanges, to glue two pieces of paper together edge to edge is difficult and a royal pain, I had to do this on Tone's 1/48 Gemini. Instead I used the tab pattern from the large flange drew it on white card stock then glued the flange part to the card stock, I will use the bands on the inside to cover the tabs.
 

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E

ekuth

This is looking AWESOME.

In fact, I'm gonna spotlight this little project... Model Of the Week!
 
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WOW....I klick on the Zealot forum and what do I see? Front page...I'm humbled...to be picked as motw among all the great builders and works of art I see here on a regular basis and at such an early stage of the project...WOW.
We must give credit where credit is due, thanks to Scott for his great design, and Paul for his help. There's more to come.
 

PaperAir

Active Member
You deserve it your doing a great job and I,m looking forward to all the details your going to put on it.
 
Hey Paul I've been studying the photos of the Merc capsule done by Phil Smith on the astrozoic web site, I see so much I want to do but the problem I'm running into is the programing and soft ware ability to replicate the parts. I have the free pepakura program but I can't even figure out how to import a photo to the program, I've tried converting to different formats but that doese'nt work either. I'm curious to what you are using and how you are duplicating the parts, I saw you'r thread on the thomson machine gun and others. I'm at the point where I don't want to rely on others for for needed parts. I know how to srink and enlarge parts and do a little manipulation with photoshop but thats about it. I figured I can enlarge parts from other models I have downloaded for some stuff but the details I want to do I'm going to need to make from scratch, or photos of the parts I need. How are you doing what you're doing?
 

PaperAir

Active Member
Hey Paul I've been studying the photos of the Merc capsule done by Phil Smith on the astrozoic web site, I see so much I want to do but the problem I'm running into is the programing and soft ware ability to replicate the parts. I have the free pepakura program but I can't even figure out how to import a photo to the program, I've tried converting to different formats but that doese'nt work either. I'm curious to what you are using and how you are duplicating the parts, I saw you'r thread on the thomson machine gun and others. I'm at the point where I don't want to rely on others for for needed parts. I know how to srink and enlarge parts and do a little manipulation with photoshop but thats about it. I figured I can enlarge parts from other models I have downloaded for some stuff but the details I want to do I'm going to need to make from scratch, or photos of the parts I need. How are you doing what you're doing?
If you look close in my pictures you will see I,m working on a drafting table.I use diagram and photos and find a know measurment and scale the object up to scale that way.drafting it out with pencil and drafting tools.I have no cad experence wish I did.
 
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