That's a real nice looking job. Just out of curiosity—how many hours are in the build?

Foamy,

Not including glue or paint drying time, but including measuring and cutting time, probably about seven hours. My time total is a little off because I had to make new paper parts a couple of times. I have a VERY hard time with paper anything and goodness knows this rocket has alot of paper shrouds. Even the lattice really didn't take that long, about an hour to cut out and sand and another half hour to assemble.

I did have Pete Alway's The Art of Scale Rocketry plan and I highly recommend you get it if you're going to build an R-7 because even if you change things around a little as I have, it doesn't hurt to see how someone else did it.

The single thing I probably spent the most time on was reshaping the nose cone and it's still not very good. I hope I can talk Carl into making a scale bi-conic nose cone for future Vostok/Voskhod builds.

It's going to be a week or two before I get to the Soyuz but that's really just a matter of building a 12 point lattice and detailing the Semroc Soyuz balsa nose cone.

__________________
NAR 79743
NARTrek Silver
I miss being SAM 062

Awaiting First Launch: Too numerous to count
Finishing: Zooch Saturn V; Alway/Nau BioArcas; Estes Expedition; TLP Standard
Repair/Rescue: Cherokee-D (2); Centuri Nike-Smoke; MX-774
On the Bench: 2650;
Dream Stage: 1/39.37 R-7

Thank you for the reply, I would have thought quite a bit more in terms of hours. But then, I'm not that skilled. I'm working on it, though.

Again, really nice build. If you would/could post some photos of it's launch and flight (when that happens)?

You folks who build the Russian equipment always impress me.

Well, thanks to the snow, or more correctly, the ice, I'm going to get to work on the Soyuz tomorrow. So hopefully I'll be able to post some pictures and get it done soon.

Which brings me to the following musing as I sat watching the camp fire while the Cub Scouts fell asleep around me last weekend: The Soyuz is about 1/64 scale depending on where you measure. So a Long March-2F/Shenzou in more or less the same scale would be built of Semroc Series 20 tubing with Series 13 SRBs and a Falcon 9/Dragon would be BT-70 tubing. The tough part of the Falcon (other than the no fin thing) is the spacecraft has a distinct muffin-top bulge where it meets its service module. With enough time, silence and a mesmerizing fire, you too can do the long division in your head.

I could have all the manned launchers of the future in a more or less constant scale!

I may have a go at the Shenzou when the Soyuz is done. Anybody have any suggestions or drawings they'd like to share?

__________________
NAR 79743
NARTrek Silver
I miss being SAM 062

Awaiting First Launch: Too numerous to count
Finishing: Zooch Saturn V; Alway/Nau BioArcas; Estes Expedition; TLP Standard
Repair/Rescue: Cherokee-D (2); Centuri Nike-Smoke; MX-774
On the Bench: 2650;
Dream Stage: 1/39.37 R-7

I guess you said "of the future" so that you do not need to find a Space Shuttle in that scale. Or wait a few months and it will cease to be a current manned launcher.


Bill

There was a nice plastic model of the Shenzou stack in 1/48 scale, but it may be OOP as I do not recall seeing it in stores lately. But I haven't been looking for it either.


Bill

I've seen the Dragon Shenzhou 1/48th kit on eBay, but they want ridiculous money for it. Actually I was surfing around this morning and I've learned a couple of things:

1) The SRBs are really LRBs

2) There's enough data and pictures to build the booster, but

3) The spacecraft shroud will have to be guesstimated

4) It's spelled "Shenzhou"

And yes, I left out the shuttle because, well, it's a "lame duck" launcher. I am very afraid the last shuttle flight will be the last American manned space flight for a very long time. . . .

__________________
NAR 79743
NARTrek Silver
I miss being SAM 062

Awaiting First Launch: Too numerous to count
Finishing: Zooch Saturn V; Alway/Nau BioArcas; Estes Expedition; TLP Standard
Repair/Rescue: Cherokee-D (2); Centuri Nike-Smoke; MX-774
On the Bench: 2650;
Dream Stage: 1/39.37 R-7

OK Guys:

PICTURES!

Picture 1 is the now detailed Semroc Soyuz nose. Starting from the front: the tip of the escape tower is a piece of golf tee inserted into a piece of 3/16 launch lug. The jettison rockets are so small that I wrapped a small piece of cardstock around the tower to simulate them. The bottom of the launch lug is wrapped with paper until it fit very snuggly into a piece of Semroc BT-3 tubing that was in turn inserted into the nose cone. The escape rockets are 1/4 dowels that were sharpened in a pencil sharpener and then rounded off and glued on to yet another wrap of cardstock. There is a conduit on the back of the tower that is cardstock as well.

The nose cone (or more correctly, the shroud) is detailed with various chunks of balsa or cardstock. The big round piece is a piece of 3/8 dowel rounded off and glued on. The conduits on the third stage are 1/16 dowel or 3/32 sq. spruce. Everything has a coat or two of AeroGloss balsa fillercoat. I still need to add the four metal grates to the shroud but I wasn't happy with how the first few came out so I'm still working on that . . . .

The cast iron skillet (or in spanish, "comal") is resting on the partially completed lattice while the yellow glue dries. Extra dowel Vs are on the small cutting matt.

Picture 2 shows the freed lattice. I glued every other V between the base and the upper ring and let it dry overnight with the comal on it. In the morning, it was nice and dry and SOLID.

Picture 3 shows the completed lattice with the rest of the V's added and the small mounting struts of 1/12 dowel added to the top of the upper ring. Its not perfect, but it looks really cool. Note that I went with 12 V struts as I do think that's the correct number.

Its amazing how much work you can get done on a rocket on a snow day or three. I easily spend six or more hours just cutting the dowels and detailing the shroud. Luckily (for us) the snow is now almost melted and its 55 degrees and sunny.

Paint is next as soon as it warms up a little more.

Attached Thumbnails

     

__________________
NAR 79743
NARTrek Silver
I miss being SAM 062

Awaiting First Launch: Too numerous to count
Finishing: Zooch Saturn V; Alway/Nau BioArcas; Estes Expedition; TLP Standard
Repair/Rescue: Cherokee-D (2); Centuri Nike-Smoke; MX-774
On the Bench: 2650;
Dream Stage: 1/39.37 R-7

I have some extra "flop down" stabilizers that I had laser cut for my kits.

PM me your address and I'll send you a set.

BTW, the latest documentation I have is that there are 10 "V" sections.

__________________
"I'm a sandman. I've never killed anyone. I terminate runners when their time is up." Logan from "Logan's Run"

http://sandmandecals.com/

Uh oh or oh joy depending upon how you look at it, but you may have many more vehicles to build: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scaleroc/message/13247


Bill