# Moon Hopper



## BWolfe (Sep 24, 2013)

Found this drawing a few weeks ago and it got the wheels turning in my head:










I remember a friend of mine had a bunch of leftover 1/200 rocket parts from the AMT Man In Space set so I raided his stash and came up with this:










The main body utilizes a Saturn V second and third stage with a one inch wide strip of .040 evergreen sheet to make up the width, the engines are Saturn V first stage engines and mounts, the landing pads are made from the Mercury capsule and the heat shield from the Apollo capsules.










Details on the rear are upper and lower stage segments of the 1/200 Lunar Modules.










The landing gear struts are made from 3/32 in. evergreen tubing, 1/8 in. tubing and 1/16 rod. I inserted paperclip wire into the 3/32 tubing for strength and used coat hanger wire for the actual strut that connects the footpads to the 1/8 in. tube in the strut assemblies. The mounting points for the angled struts on the hull are made from 1/200 Saturn 1B first stage engines cut in half.










The nose section is made up of mostly .040 Evergreen sheet plastic, I did use one of the 1/200 Saturn V tank domes, cut in half to make up the rear section.










The framework on the underside is 1/8 in tubing, the landing rocket motors are from the 1/200 Titan II second stage. Still some work to do on this, have to make thruster quads, work out where the hatch is going to be and other little details. 
I see this model as an uprated SHADO Moonbase Moon Mobile, the drawing this is based on gives no real clue as to what it should be. This is in 1/48 scale, so it will make a nice display with the Eagle when it is released.




krl


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## BWolfe (Sep 24, 2013)

Got some more work done on the nose section, framed in the bottom half. I plan to build up the window recesses in the top half to make the windows slightly smaller.






























krl


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## fluke (Feb 27, 2001)

I like it!  :thumbsup:


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## John P (Sep 1, 1999)

Neat!!


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## pagni (Mar 20, 1999)

Nice mashup of UFO and Space 1999 !!


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## Proper2 (Dec 8, 2010)

That looks awesome!


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## BWolfe (Sep 24, 2013)

Getting the skin on the nose. Looks pretty bad now, but some work with a file, a little putty and sanding, it will be smooth.













krl


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## hal9001 (May 28, 2008)

:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

Carl-


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## Paulbo (Sep 16, 2004)

Cool!


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## Xenodyssey (Aug 27, 2008)

Really, really nice design and execution. Thanks for showing us. Wish I thought of the idea first.


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## BWolfe (Sep 24, 2013)

pagni said:


> Nice mashup of UFO and Space 1999 !!


I always wanted to do a model that bridged the two series and never could come with a good design. The drawing I found made all the ideas I had come together, when I saw it, I knew I had found what I wanted. The fact that the parts my friend had would allow me to do this in 1/48 scale was an added bonus since the Eagle coming from Round 2 is in that scale.


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## BWolfe (Sep 24, 2013)

Xenodyssey said:


> Really, really nice design and execution. Thanks for showing us. Wish I thought of the idea first.


I had been wanting to do a spaceship that bridged UFO and Space:1999 but I never could come up with a design that pleased me, when I saw that drawing, I knew I had what I was looking for. 
I can't claim this as an original design since I am basing it off someone else's work but I am putting a lot of my own ideas into it.



krl


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## BWolfe (Sep 24, 2013)

About 25 minutes with the file and it is beginning to smooth out, not going to need as much putty as I thought I might.












krl


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## fire91bird (Feb 3, 2008)

Very creative and inspiring.


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## scooke123 (Apr 11, 2008)

Like this a lot!!! Looking forward to the progress.


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## BWolfe (Sep 24, 2013)

Hope to get back to this either tonight or tomorrow, after three trips to the medical center I was finally diagnosed with a duodenal ulcer, you really don't want one of those.



krl


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## BWolfe (Sep 24, 2013)

Modified the window recesses, I think this looks much better than what I started with. A little work with a file and the inserts will blend right in to the lower hull. Posed with a 1/48 scale Apollo Astronaut to show scale.












krl


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## BWolfe (Sep 24, 2013)

First round of putty and sanding done, looking good.












krl


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## BWolfe (Sep 24, 2013)

Worked out the hatch/airlock, this is mirrored on the opposite side. This is just the basic shape, details, including the hatch itself to be made and added. I may make this a little wider before I finalize it, looks too narrow.












krl


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## Xenodyssey (Aug 27, 2008)

Hope you are feeling better now. Having the astronaut next to it shows off the scale nicely.


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## BWolfe (Sep 24, 2013)

Xenodyssey said:


> Hope you are feeling better now. Having the astronaut next to it shows off the scale nicely.


Thanks, doing much better. I plan on modifying the astronaut to resemble either a SHADO Moonbase Astronaut or an Alpha Moonbase Astronaut to display along with this. I have several of these, so there are some diorama possibilities.



krl


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## BWolfe (Sep 24, 2013)

Decided to go with the wider airlock door, got everything built up, the basic shapes are done, time for the details.












krl


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## BWolfe (Sep 24, 2013)

Got the bondo spot and glazing putty on the nose, after sanding, this will be nearly perfect. I plan on adding raised panels and details similar to the Eagle and Hawk nose sections.





















krl


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## BWolfe (Sep 24, 2013)

Hatch details added, I also plan to make a working folding stairway, still have to work out the details.










Final putty work and sanding done on the nose, time to start adding the panel detail.


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## BWolfe (Sep 24, 2013)

Started the panels on the nose section, on the underside, with the compound curves, I will fill in with strips and putty to make the raised panels.


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## BWolfe (Sep 24, 2013)

Attached the nose to the main body, added some more detail bits to the body, still have some panel detail on the nose and main body to finish. I may add a spine framework similar to what is on the Hawk.








































krl


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## robn1 (Nov 17, 2012)

This is very cool, even if it does look like a short fat Hawk.


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## BOXIE (Apr 5, 2011)

Amazing work.I will follow your thread because I was a fan of the show.Inspires me to try a build of my own.


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## SUNGOD (Jan 20, 2006)

Cool. Be interesting to see it finished.


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## Fozzie (May 25, 2009)

Really starting to look like something btw UFO and Space: 1999 now! Very cool.


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## BWolfe (Sep 24, 2013)

Made the ladder part of the framework for the top, after seeing it sitting on the model I may leave it off, not sure yet.


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## BWolfe (Sep 24, 2013)

More details added, still have a bit more I want to do to this before I call it finished. Have to work out the boarding steps detail, the doors need a little putty work, plan to add some more panels and finish the solar battery/radiator detail on the rear section. That part will resemble the part on the Hawk that fit in the same area. Decided against the spine framework, it just did not look right to me.


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

Nice work! Surprised I didn't see this sooner. Would be nice to see a diorama of the entire base per that drawing in your first post.


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## scooke123 (Apr 11, 2008)

Coming along nicely!


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## BWolfe (Sep 24, 2013)

Got all of the panel work done, still needs a little putty and clean-up here and there. Next task is to make the working folding steps.


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## Owen E Oulton (Jan 6, 2012)

How does that side door work? In the "real" vehicle, I mean. I know it probably isn't an operating feature on the model. The doors were usually sliding doors on Space: 1999, but there's no place for this door to go.


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## BWolfe (Sep 24, 2013)

Owen E Oulton said:


> How does that side door work? In the "real" vehicle, I mean. I know it probably isn't an operating feature on the model. The doors were usually sliding doors on Space: 1999, but there's no place for this door to go.


I imagine that they would swing in, against the rear bulkhead. There would be a sliding door inside connecting the airlock to the corridor that connects to the command module. I also imagine at least two seats in the corridor. This would be a cramped little vehicle, capable of short hops around the moon like the SHADO Moonmobiles, suborbital hops to anywhere on the moon and if needed, lunar orbital flights to service satellites.


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## BWolfe (Sep 24, 2013)

Decided to go with a ladder, easier to make than folding stairs, pictures show the ladder deployed and stowed. Need to make handrails next, down to the last details before paint.


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## BWolfe (Sep 24, 2013)

Construction almost done, all that is left is the handrails for the ladders and the window frames. Here is a close-up of the nose section maneuvering thrusters, there are 4 on the nose and 4 on the rear section. They are made from the Launch Escape tower motors from the 1/200 scale AMT Apollo Spacecraft and a short length of 1/16 rod through the center to make the fifth motor.










Window frame detail done:


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## BWolfe (Sep 24, 2013)

A size comparison with the Apollo Lunar Module:


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

What about using a ramp instead of a ladder? You could even have it slide out of a slot under the door frame. Might look a little neater.


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## BWolfe (Sep 24, 2013)

Trekkriffic said:


> What about using a ramp instead of a ladder? You could even have it slide out of a slot under the door frame. Might look a little neater.


I had actually thought about a similar idea and have enough room under the door to do it but the thought occured after I had sealed up the bottom. To add the ramp and keep the ground clearance that I have would mean major surgery to that section and I don't know if I really want to do that. 
Im my mind, the vehicle is very utilitarian and has few creature comforts so the ladders at each door fits with that idea. I could redesign the way the ladders are attached, have them hinged to the side so that they fold up against the side of the ship instead of the doors, now you've done it, the wheels are turning in my head, I can already see how to make that work. Better yet, have them fold up under the airlock section, easier to do than making the side folding mechanism.


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## BWolfe (Sep 24, 2013)

Modified the boarding ladders, they now stow against the underside of the airlocks. The modifications also add a larger porch area.


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## scooke123 (Apr 11, 2008)

Thanks for the comparison picture - gives a better sense of size.


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## BWolfe (Sep 24, 2013)

Finally decided on a handrail design, thought way too much about this detail and just went with a simple design. I have to add these to the opposite side, clean up some of the edges of the panel details and perhaps add a few more small details and this will be ready for paint.


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## BWolfe (Sep 24, 2013)

Got the first of the primer on, still have to flip it and do the underside. So far I see only a couple of minor glitches that will need attention before the final painting, I am thinking of going with a really light gray for this instead of white, perhaps camouflage gray.










After getting the primer on the underside I found only 4 small areas that needed additional putty work, 2 on the nose and 2 on the underside of the airlocks.


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## pagni (Mar 20, 1999)

looking super super nice....this would have made a great kit. : )


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## Fozzie (May 25, 2009)

You did a great job both imagining this and bringing your vision to life. Very impressive. Certainly fits in nicely to the UFO and Space:1999 universe.


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## BWolfe (Sep 24, 2013)

Decided on Testors Flat Light Aircraft Gray for this. I did mask off some random panels to leave as the primer gray and I may do some others in other shades of gray.


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## BWolfe (Sep 24, 2013)

Blacked in the window recesses, removed masking tape from the darker gray areas. Will need only a little touch up around the windows and around a couple of the dark areas.


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## BWolfe (Sep 24, 2013)

More panel details painted. I remembered after I started the detail painting that I had made a decal sheet for my last Space:1999 Eagle model that had shades of gray and very light blue that I used for the panels on that. I am going to print that to use to finish this model, that will be a lot easier than trying to paint some of the underside detail panels.


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## BWolfe (Sep 24, 2013)

Slowly getting the decals in place, almost done with this side. Have some red pinstripes I plan to add, similar to the markings on the SHADO Interceptor and Moon Mobile. Still have a lot of items to pick out with detail painting.


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## BWolfe (Sep 24, 2013)

Got most of the paneling decals done, still a few more on the bottom. May have to replace a few due to silvering. still have to work out where I want to place the pinstripes and pick out the details with paint.


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## scooke123 (Apr 11, 2008)

This is really shaping up nicely!!!


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## StarshipClass (Aug 13, 2003)

Wow! Neat design! :thumbsup:


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## Xenodyssey (Aug 27, 2008)

Looking more and more real. It's always fun adding all the little details.


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## BWolfe (Sep 24, 2013)

More decals on, have to repaint the door, I did not like the way it looked, still have a lot of detail painting left to do.


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## pagni (Mar 20, 1999)

looking great tho ! bravo


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## BWolfe (Sep 24, 2013)

A little more work done today on this, should have it finished in a few days.


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## Fozzie (May 25, 2009)

Really good job with the decals. They match the feel of the model quite well.


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## BWolfe (Sep 24, 2013)

Fozzie said:


> Really good job with the decals. They match the feel of the model quite well.


I have a few more marking decals to the underside and rear from an Eagle decal sheet and I have some fine red pinstripe decals I am considering adding to the nose but I can't decide if I really want to do it. I crudely added them to the photo, it would look something like this:


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## BWolfe (Sep 24, 2013)

After trying it out in Windows Paint, I decided to add the red pinstripes around the window recess. Port side done, need to add them to the starboard side.


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## BWolfe (Sep 24, 2013)

Almost done, more detail painting done, a few more decals added, including the white base decal for the cabin windows. I still need to make the decals for those windows, also need to paint the rectangles on top of the solar battery at the rear and paint the handrails.


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## BWolfe (Sep 24, 2013)

Almost done, added some more markings, decided to paint the airlock doors a solid color and painted the handrails. Also added the navigation lights, red and green on either side, two white lights on top of the nose, one amber one on the bottom and a white light on the rear section. Also added forward facing landing lights to the two front landing gear. Still have to make the window decals and the decals for the solar battery section.


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## DaneBramage (Jun 27, 2010)

That is outstanding work!!! Thumbs up mate.


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## BWolfe (Sep 24, 2013)

DaneBramage said:


> That is outstanding work!!! Thumbs up mate.


Thanks! Sometimes I like to take a basic drawing, like the one this was based on, dig around in my spare parts box and see what I can throw together (this also helps me clean out and consolidate my spares boxes). I even surprise myself sometimes, this turned out better than I had hoped, I knew I had a winner when I put the nose framework up next to the main body, it just clicked in my mind. I have done a few things that turned out to be total duds and they went back into the spares box before they were even finished.


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## BWolfe (Sep 24, 2013)

Almost finished, still need to make the window decals and do some paint touch-ups here and there.


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## Xenodyssey (Aug 27, 2008)

Thanks for taking us along on the build. I've enjoyed the ride and your work has been very inspiring.


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