ALT 1977 1/400 [17]

Yesterday I have finished the SCA. I scratch built the main gear and all its doors. Apart from the brass tube for placing the aircraft on its rod, this aircraft is completely made of paper. And I must say, I take my hat off for those who build these kind of paper models more often. I find them quite hard to do. Not so much the building itself, more the effort being put in keeping it flush, straight and paralleled. the shuttle is quite easy, since the wings are stubby and it is a very compact shape all together. But this is the fourth winged aircraft I have done and I still think they're a tough cookie to get right. Especially in this scale. It might be less hard when you build this model in its intended scale.
 
Anyway, here is the SCA, taking off. Now it's the shuttle and two more T-38's.
I already have started on the shuttle and the third version is very promising. (Of the two earlier versions one accidentally was out of scale and the second version had very destinguished rectangles on the nose, that might be there ( right at the place where the star trackers are and where the small black line crosses the space-going shuttle's noses) but in an 1/400th version would be very hard to spot, s I removed them from the third printout. More on that tomorrow.
Now here's some pictures of the SCA (more after the jump).
Thanks for watching!

--PK

905 awaits the Enterprise.

 

The struts of the main gear were made from tightly rolled strips of paper. First, loosely rolled around ever smaller knitting needles until the small roll of paper feels tight enough to fit between your fingers. Then you add some pressure to the equation and roll it between the thumb and index finger until it isn't hollow any more. Then you cut it off to length and width and carefully glue the last part of the paper strip to itself. (was that understandable?) (-;  

Wheels. 32 punched out circles of black paper and sixteen punched out cardboard circles of 3mm. the hubcaps are 2mm paper punch-outs. the chassis was made from three glued layers of aluminium coloured cardboard.

And there they are. the wing-based gears hang down when free from the ground, the fuselage based gears are straight.

I think it looks rather nice.