# My old Shuttle model kit



## treddie (Nov 17, 2008)

Just thought I would post images of my Shuttle kit here, just for the heck of it. This was built in 1981-1982 (Early Columbia).

I'm a fan of using real glass for windows. I used cut glass for each window pane for this model. A real "PANE" to cut...I probably broke 5 times more glass panes than I actually successfully made. But the quality is well worth the extra work. You can't believe the difference it makes.

The ID's on all of the tiles were done with a "ooo" brush (back in the days when I had amazing closeup vision. I know the scale of the tiles on this kit are way too large for the real thing, but then it would have taken 10 times longer to do them all! All in all, I spent maybe 2-3 months just doing the ID's...about 45 minutes to a couple of hours every day was all I could do without going crazy.

Also hand painted all of the control panels to match the real deal, although it is almost impossible to see here with the crew cabin roof glued down.

The 2-tone treatment of the main engines is not correct, but it just looked so cool when completed, that I didn't have the heart to destroy it.

A few of the black line details and the aft umbilical plates were done with the old, 3M INT Transfer process (don't know if they still make that product, but it was a great way to make your own decals, and as you can see, they have held up well over the last 28 years).

The cargo bay was finished off in aluminum mylar film. The radiator panel tubes were X-Acto knife scores.

The entire model was airbrushed with Future Wax to seal the decals down and give it a hard fairly indestructable coating. They're slogan was "Doesn't yellow!" Can't tell if they were lying or not.

But age has definitely yellowed the decal flattener, which is now painfully obvious.

The frustrating thing was that if you look at the 2 greys used for the wings and fuselage, I had inadvertantly gotten the two 2 tones switched (I accidentally got the colors reversed due to being tired). Oh well...

My only other regret, was that the seam where the roof meets the crew cabin is really bad. Trying to avoid sanding down the tile boundaries while sanding down the putty BETWEEN the boundaries was just about impossible.


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## aric (Jun 23, 2009)

Holy crap!!!
The tile numbering!!!


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## bert model maker (Feb 19, 2002)

WOW, very nice. Do you have any more interior pictures ?


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## treddie (Nov 17, 2008)

Yes aric...a complete case of irrecoverable OCD.

bert > I'm really torn about trying to get good interior pics. I should have done that when I built it. These recent pics are from my digital camera. The problem is that to get to the interior, I would have to break the seam around the roof line, and that would mean the destruction of the decals over the seam and probably totally cracking the putty as well. But it was so cool how the cockpit turned out, I think that I was always hoping that the windows would be big enough to get good interior views. Such is not the case as it has turned out. I wonder if it would be possible with a fiberscope put right up against the windows. If not, the interior may only live in my memories.


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## alex1485 (Feb 13, 2009)

Try using the Macro mode and zooming in (but not too far zoomed [on my camera, I can zoom in only about halfway, if I zoom in more, it won't focus - it helps to have a 2.0 teleconverter as well using the printer button] and DON'T use digital zoom) a little bit for maybe a shot of the cockpit at an angle like you tried with light shining on it. 

Hope that makes sense.


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## bert model maker (Feb 19, 2002)

The removable roof is a nice feature. Your tile work is OUTSTANDING !


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## Nick_Karatzides (Jun 1, 2009)

What is the scale?


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## treddie (Nov 17, 2008)

alex1485 said:


> Try using the Macro mode and zooming in (but not too far zoomed [on my camera, I can zoom in only about halfway, if I zoom in more, it won't focus - it helps to have a 2.0 teleconverter as well using the printer button] and DON'T use digital zoom) a little bit for maybe a shot of the cockpit at an angle like you tried with light shining on it.
> 
> Hope that makes sense.


I tried that, but the problem was trying to get the manual focus correct while holding a big flashlight with the other hand steady. I might still be able to get it to work, by setting things up better. Teleconverter would not work (My Nikon CoolPix does not have interchangeable lenses).

Nick > The model was the 1/72 scale, I believe. Nice and big.

Bert > Thanks for the tile comment. The removable roof idea still scares me though at this point.


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## Guy Schlicter (May 3, 2004)

Very cool and impressive,I like it!


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## StarshipClass (Aug 13, 2003)

Wow! Stunning work! And done the HARD way! 

(Thank goodness for modern scanners, printers, and ink jet decal paper!)


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## treddie (Nov 17, 2008)

Really! This was definitely done "Old School", back before telephones and automobiles and TV, back when the dinosaurs ruled the Earth.


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## StarshipClass (Aug 13, 2003)

treddie said:


> . . . "Old School", back before telephones and automobiles and TV, back when the dinosaurs ruled the Earth.


Hey! I think I resemble that remark!


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## Y3a (Jan 18, 2001)

What a GREAT JOB!!! I work at NASA HQ and deal with many of the media folks including the Photographic library and NASA-TV. I HAVE seen a bunch of the Orbiter photos that were high rez, and video of the tiles being replaced, made, tested etc. This model could be a SPFX model. Super job. I have sent a link to some of the NASA folks who might be interested in just looking at your great model. I never made one due to the variaton and labels on the tiles and the hard to reproduce finish the orbiters have. I liked the erosion and heat damaged look after several re-entries.


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## Marko (Jul 11, 2002)

Wow, that is truly one for the record books! Outstanding job, thanks for posting the pics!


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## treddie (Nov 17, 2008)

I just want to say thank you to all of you, for your positive and gracious comments. It's not a perfect build by any means, but was definitely a labor of love.



Y3a said:


> What a GREAT JOB!!! I work at NASA HQ and deal with many of the media folks including the Photographic library and NASA-TV. I HAVE seen a bunch of the Orbiter photos that were high rez, and video of the tiles being replaced, made, tested etc. This model could be a SPFX model. Super job. I have sent a link to some of the NASA folks who might be interested in just looking at your great model. I never made one due to the variaton and labels on the tiles and the hard to reproduce finish the orbiters have. I liked the erosion and heat damaged look after several re-entries.


By all means let anyone know. I am going to shoot some more pics of it and I think I have an idea how to look back into the cockpit.


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## alex1485 (Feb 13, 2009)

treddie said:


> I tried that, but the problem was trying to get the manual focus correct while holding a big flashlight with the other hand steady. I might still be able to get it to work, by setting things up better. Teleconverter would not work (My Nikon CoolPix does not have interchangeable lenses).
> 
> Nick > The model was the 1/72 scale, I believe. Nice and big.
> 
> Bert > Thanks for the tile comment. The removable roof idea still scares me though at this point.


no, on my canon Powershot A650IS, there is a way to put a 2.0 Teleconverter in the camera without changing the lens by using the printer to camera button. Its not digital zoom... so it helps a little.


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## treddie (Nov 17, 2008)

Oh, OK...I see what you mean now. I just did a quick search and realized it doesn't have to go in between the camera and lens. They make an adapter and teleconverter for the Nikon Coolpix 8700, too.

Neat.


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## John P (Sep 1, 1999)

I... thought the numbers were decals.


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## treddie (Nov 17, 2008)

John P said:


> I... thought the numbers were decals.


Nope...just one of those VERY special "ooo" brushes that had a perfect taper to it and lasted for the entire Shuttle build. As you may already know, all brushes are not created equal. This one was one of those rare perfect brushes for the task.


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## mb1k (May 6, 2002)

Treddie,

You have given me cause to build my own 1/72 Revell out-of-the-box with raised tile detail and all! Very, Very nice work. Two things:

1. Have you considered laying it outside on clear days to have the sun bleach out the yellowing decals. Worked great on a lot of my 40 year old decals.

2. I'm determined to try out your "real" glass on mine as well. What did you use? Slide cover glass? Write us a quick "How To"!


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