# "Asteroid of Death" spaceship, by Frank R. Paul



## Frank2056 (Mar 23, 2007)

I'm a fan of Frank R. Paul's SF pulp magazine covers, so I decided to try printing a couple of his designs. The first one is his "flying saucer" from 1929 (in progress at Shapeways). 

The second is from Paul's cover for the Fall 1931 issue of Wonder Stories Quarterly, illustrating the story "The Asteroid of Death" by Neil R. Jones. The distinctive looking spaceship is clearly out of warranty:










This issue can be found at: Wonder Stories Quarterly here's the PDF: http://www.pulpmags.org/PDFs/WSQ_1931_FAL.pdf

The scene on the cover only covers a few pages - the rest of the story takes place on Mars and involves a zombie robot of sorts...
Neil R. Jones also wrote "The Jameson Satellite" which is pretty good.

After calculating the various angles in this illustration, I came to the conclusion that the cover artwork for the "Asteroid of Death" has an unrealistic (or impressionistic...) perspective - to be able to show both the end of the ship and the very front would require that the ship be curved towards the viewer... or that the "camera" have an extreme fisheye distortion. This is - after all - the cover for a pulp magazine and not a technical drawing of a spaceship.

Here's my first interpretation of the pristine ship. It's missing some details and some shapes are still wrong, but I had the opportunity to test Shapeways new DLP printer, so sent it off, warts and all. I designed it to be 1/350 scale:

















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The lower hull is a separate piece; I can have both a damaged and a "good" hull version.


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## Frank2056 (Mar 23, 2007)

Here are the results from Shapeways. The Shapeways DLP printer (black acrylate) is fantastic! The results are *far *superior to their ultra and extreme definition acrylics, mainly because the DLP printer produces such smooth surfaces that they require little or no post processing to remove printer artifacts. Their acrylics can print smaller details, but they'll probably be lost once the printer artifacts are removed. 

These pictures show the DLP parts, taken right out of the bag:



















The DLP printer uses support sprues that have to be removed and they will leave a mark. This picture shows the results. I'm going to suggest an option where they leave the sprues in place:










Very few printer artifacts are visible. The pipes around the lower portholes are 0.5mm in diameter:









The engine end shows some print failures, but I was working at or below the limit of the printer:









Overall, this is an awesome result from Shapeways. 

This is the second version, which is closer to the cover art. Based on the first run results, I'll have to tweak it slightly before I send it in:



















Thanks for looking!


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## Steve H (Feb 8, 2009)

That is a BEAUTIFUL thing, and shows that 3D printing is rapidly advancing, just have to get that resolution able to work even more fine. I would say, in my ignorance we're at the "300dpi inkjet printer" stage (for general use that is, I think there's some industrial printers that are VERY expensive and much better), I can't wait to see what's possible when we reach 'photo quality full color' stage. 

On that ship, I agree the angle is a bit wonky due to playing with perspective and I think you've designed correctly, but just as a what-if, what if the nominal 'bow prong' was actually two prongs, at 11 and 1 o'clock? 

Sure it would look goofy, but it's ALREADY a giant space tadpole, right?


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## Frank2056 (Mar 23, 2007)

Thanks Steve!
The more you look at this artwork, the wonkier it gets. The Frank R. Paul art book has a far better copy of the cover art (it's what I used as a reference) and I think you're seeing the ends of the spine fins going into the nose prong. 

The Shapeways DLP print quality is close to (or slightly below) the output from a Formslab Form 1+ printer  which sells for $2800. The Form 2 is far better ($3500). The resin is pretty expensive, though.


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## Steve H (Feb 8, 2009)

Frank2056 said:


> Thanks Steve!
> The more you look at this artwork, the wonkier it gets. The Frank R. Paul art book has a far better copy of the cover art (it's what I used as a reference) and I think you're seeing the ends of the spine fins going into the nose prong.
> 
> The Shapeways DLP print quality is close to (or slightly below) the output from a Formslab Form 1+ printer  which sells for $2800. The Form 2 is far better ($3500). The resin is pretty expensive, though.


I'm sure you're right, just basic balance would call for that point to be, well, a point. 

I'm rather impressed by the spacesuit on that cover. That wouldn't take much tweaking to be a viable modern design (the porthole at the back of the head would have to go, for one thing)

So, was there any thought about what made that ship go in the story, or was propulsion nothing more than "it was a rocket and something happened" ? '31 was too early for anything like the 'Dean Drive', that cluster at the back makes me think it might be a 'torch ship' with some kind of fusion drive but maybe even that concept came later.

Huh. 

Hey, FWIW, keep digging old pulp covers for inspiration. It's a welcome break from all that stuff that looks like other stuff, if you know what I mean.


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## Xenodyssey (Aug 27, 2008)

The way of the near future.

I'm thinking of those Flash Gordon 1980 spaceships I'd love to have in my collection when I look at your work.


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## Frank2056 (Mar 23, 2007)

Thanks for the comments!

I glued the ship together and there was some warpage on the lower hull, but that was relatively minor. I also had to trim some of the resin away from the printer sprue attachment, but I eventually got everything together.

Steve, I have several covers I want to model. The Paul stuff is fun and he was relatively careful with his perspective work. A Google image search of his work is fun.

I'm slowly working on Ed Emshwiller "Follwo Me" cover : 










Another (non F.R. Paul) cover that I just modeled is the "Flying Wing of Pluto"



















It has some issues, but each work is a learning experience.

Thanks for looking!


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## lunadude (Oct 21, 2006)

These are wonderful!


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## Neverendingmods (May 31, 2006)

Very nice!


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## Buc (Jan 20, 1999)

Really, really great work!!


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## Frank2056 (Mar 23, 2007)

Thanks for all the comments! I did a painting and masking test on this version. I have a second version printing now that is closer to the magazine cover. It will include a damaged lower hull.

Since this isn't the final version, I didn't worry too much about the paint seeping under the tape. I just noted the locations.




























I did almost no surface prep, other than fill in some of the divots left by the printing support structure. There are some printing artifacts visible, but they're either hard to see or add visual interest to the surface (from some angles it looks like plating).









It came out OK. Masking some of the curved sections was an issue and I may just generate a mask on the computer and cut it to fit.

I also experimented with a new acrylic primer by Badger. It has a ridiculous name - Stynylrez - but I was impressed with the coverage and durability of the primer (I used the white primer, since the resin is black). The other colors are Vallejo reds and yellows, which are not "masking friendly" but they both stuck well to the Stynylrez (I guess it stands for "Styrene, Vinyl and Resin").

Thanks for looking!


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## Steve H (Feb 8, 2009)

THAT is sharp. Really sharp. This may sound odd but it doesn't look as archaic as one might think!

Very clean. You deserve an award. Love that 'Pluto' ship as well. 

Now do more.


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## Krel (Jun 7, 2000)

Frank2056 said:


> I'm slowly working on Ed Emshwiller "Follwo Me" cover :


I don't know why, but for some reason that painting has always haunted me. It is just so sad, I'm going to have to look up the story one day.


David.


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## JediPuju (Oct 12, 2009)

Very Nice ! - a welcome break from the 'norm'  Im very impressed with the results of the 3d print, I hadn't expected that kind of resolution to be available !


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## Dr. Brad (Oct 5, 1999)

This is very, very cool! Great work and certainly unusual. Thanks so much for sharing this with us!


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## SteveR (Aug 7, 2005)

That's, well, amazing! Great work.

When I first saw it, I thought the back end looked familiar ...


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## Frank2056 (Mar 23, 2007)

Thanks for all the comments! Steve, put a ping pong ball in the jaws of that wrench and it's 80% there...
David - when I first saw the "Follow me" artwork, I thought that the robot was telling the dead astronaut to follow him. I think it's the other way around and the astronaut told the robot to follow him, which it did - and is still doing - faithfully. 

Shapeways just shipped the second version of the "Asteroid of Death" ship (I think it needs a name - "Lucky 13" or "I told you I was sick"). This version has a damaged lower hull and a rudimentary interior to match the cover art.


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## Steve H (Feb 8, 2009)

Frank2056 said:


> Thanks for all the comments! Steve, put a ping pong ball in the jaws of that wrench and it's 80% there...
> David - when I first saw the "Follow me" artwork, I thought that the robot was telling the dead astronaut to follow him. I think it's the other way around and the astronaut told the robot to follow him, which it did - and is still doing - faithfully.
> 
> Shapeways just shipped the second version of the "Asteroid of Death" ship (I think it needs a name - "Lucky 13" or "I told you I was sick"). This version has a damaged lower hull and a rudimentary interior to match the cover art.


Another interpretation of 'Follow Me'. A robot discovering that skeleton and learning his civilization wasn't the first...


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## lunadude (Oct 21, 2006)

Are these available through Shapeways? Links Please.


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## Frank2056 (Mar 23, 2007)

Lunadude - Sorry, they're not. This ship was designed to test and print in the new high def acrylate, which is only available to the makers right now.


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## Frank2056 (Mar 23, 2007)

I got the second print of the "Asteroid of Death" ship today. It's slightly larger than the first ship and I think, a little closer to the cover artwork. Black plastic is hard to photograph at night...

The printing artifacts are greatly exaggerated and most will disappear with light sanding a coat of primer or both:










The new engine end. It's larger than on the first ship. Each rocket tube is 1.8mm in diameter. The holes are 0.5mm in diameter:










I made up a basic interior that I can spruce up later. The little pips are printer artifacts, but I think they add interesting surface details, so I'll leave them:










This is the front end, with the control panel shown in the illustration below. The printing is superb. 


















Here's the hole, in detail. The bits inside the ship don't quite match the cover, but the cover doesn't match the interior illustration, so I combined the two:










There are three other parts I didn't photograph - the upper floor, an undamaged lower hull (with two 2001-style circular airlocks) and a set of slotted circular disks that appear on the cover, inside the ship.

The printer supports were on the inside this time, which means less surface prep before painting, but there are little support pips in the joining surfaces that will have to be dealt with, and some minor warping of the very thin tip of the fins.

I intentionally made some of the details at or below the limits of the printer, so some of the "damage" is real - they're printer failures. I let the Shapeways people know this and since they weren't in structural areas, they were OK with it. This means that each ship printed would be just slightly different.

This was expensive (around $70) but it will require much less work to finish and it was certainly worth it for the experience with this new material. It would be much cheaper with only one lower hull, or with the undamaged hull. 

Thanks for looking!


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## Krel (Jun 7, 2000)

Frank2056 said:


> David - when I first saw the "Follow me" artwork, I thought that the robot was telling the dead astronaut to follow him. I think it's the other way around and the astronaut told the robot to follow him, which it did - and is still doing - faithfully.


 
My assumption has always been, that the robot was following the human. Then when he died, the robot started it's lonely vigil until it ran out of power.


David.


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## Steve H (Feb 8, 2009)

Funny story. Here there was all this discussion and I had completely forgotten that I had a copy of Frank R. Paul: Father of Science Fiction Art sitting on my shelf!

A quick flip-through shows me that Mr. Paul seemed to draw a lot of spaceships being cut in half or otherwise severely damaged!

He also enjoyed drawing topless women. Man, THAT sure wouldn't fly in a 'mainstream' publication (as the pulps were) in this day and age! THINK OF THE CHILDREN!


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## lunadude (Oct 21, 2006)

Steve H said:


> ...He also enjoyed drawing topless women. Man, THAT sure wouldn't fly in a 'mainstream' publication (as the pulps were) in this day and age! THINK OF THE CHILDREN!


Ha! And to think, children would have come from women who were topless at one time or another. Time have changed.


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## Frank2056 (Mar 23, 2007)

Steve H said:


> A quick flip-through shows me that Mr. Paul seemed to draw a lot of spaceships being cut in half or otherwise severely damaged!


He also had many, many phallic looking spaceships. But at least he wasn't undermining Western civilization by depicting naked female breasts... but who knows how many aliens civilizations he toppled by depicting naked aliens?

And then there's this...


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## publiusr (Jul 27, 2006)

Keep up the good work


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