Gern's Pegasus Mercury 9

[Gern]

Three days! Three days I've spent carefully scratching machinery for the workshops and stuff for the control room ... and how much of it can you see? Naff all! That's how much you can see! To be fair though, the figures I've put in the control room are too tall, so they can't see out unless they're sitting down and I ain't given 'em no seats! At least the outside looks better for some additions. Not sure what I'm going to do with the rather silly refuelling thingies provided in the kit, they may get used for something but it won't include the fuel line - read electrical cable - supplied.

I've put a couple of pics propped up so you can see that I have put something inside - even if you can't see what they are.

Got to do some detail painting of the outside bits, and I've missed a bit with the main colour, but I'm going to start on the rocket - at least all the bits on that are big enough to see.

 

[Mini Me]

Nice detailing Dave, even if you can't see it with the block house in place.....at least us small scalers know it's there. Looking forward to the Rocket assembly....I'm sure you have a few tricks up your sleeve. PCO sir.
Rick H.

 

[Gern]

I'm sure you have a few tricks up your sleeve. PCO sir.
Rick H.

I hope so Rick!

There's a small rocket pod which attaches to the top of the main booster rocket. 7 parts OK? Two fuselage halves, three fins, entry hatch and jet nozzle right? Easy peasy so no need to consult the instructions right? Less than 30 minutes it's all done, although I may drill out the cockpit windows (they're small anough to fill with Kristal Klear so no need to cut clear plastic).



Compared to the building (the gap around the entry hatch is meant to be there although it's really big. I'll probably fill it with white putty).



Here's the rub. For some completely obscure reason, the locating tabs on the fins are all moulded at different angles, one straight, one left and one right. You can just about see it here



Of course, what that means is that it won't simp[ly sit in place on to of the main booster 'cos the angled tabs won't fit into the angled slots! I've had to use a bit of white tak to hold this roughly in place so you can see the problem



Only the Gods know why Pegasus did something so stupidly complicated. Three fins, three straight locating tabs and no problems - the thing would just drop into place. The way they've done it means you have to fit the fins simultaneously into both the small rocket and the booster - that's a real fiddly proposition given the sheer size of the thing, plus it puts restrictions on how you can paint it.

Now one of the tricks I gotta learn is how to fix this! At the moment I'm thinking I'll have to remove the angled tabs, which will probably mean I gotta glue the pod into place - unless ....

 

[scottie3158]

This is something different I will tag along.

 

[Gern]

I've had a thunk about fixing the problem and come up with an idea. This one's not half-a***d like I had for my Transit. Oh no. This one's waaayyy out there with the fairies - I think I've got all the bits I need so here goes ....

 

[Mini Me]

Whatever it is Dave I'm sure it will turn out great!
Rick H.

 

[Tim Marlow]

Looks a bit Flash Gordon doesn’t it....fun build though...

 

[Gern]

I TOLD you I was out playing with the fairies! Instead of a five minute fix removing the fixing tabs ....

The small rocket pod is the real payload for the main booster to put into orbit. Once in orbit, the booster separates and returns to Earth while the pod goes on its mission to wherever. Obviously, once it has returned to Earth, it needs to be re-attached to the booster. It can't just land back on top of it so it lands elsewhere at the spaceport. So how does it get back to the booster?

Easy - it gets a ride on a tractor (it's lifted on there by a small crane which alas, is too far away for me to photograph!):





Lots left to do to finish the underside and some sort of clamps to the top.

So then, how does it get back to the top of the booster?

Again, easy. It gets hoisted up there by a gantry crane





Lots left to finish on the tower and only a few bits of the jib done.

Another three, maybe four days should see this done. Then I can start work on the base.

For the sceptics out there, just remember that the whole Saturn V rocket was moved by tractor to the launch tower so a teeny little pod like this is no problem. Equally, the Saturn V had a launch tower right next to it when it took off, so there's no reason for this one not to have one!

If this doesn't work out, I'll be going back to the five-minute fix OK? .... and you'll hear me crying from just about everywhere you guys live!

 

[Gern]

Ooops! I forgot. The tower will be about 20" high which should easily be enough to raise the pod high enough.

 

[Mini Me]

Nice going Dave...........always knew you had it in you!!
Rick H.

 

[boatman]

HO Dave im really enjoyin this build its given me a good laugh with the expressions you use an this is my opinion please don't fill in that entry door cause its big it could be a cargo bay door an its more detail to me anyway but carry on sir im lookin forward to your next post an the next an the next an nxt an nx an nx an nx
chris

 

[Gern]

Thanks guys. I want to have a rant so you might want to cover your ears!

B****y Pegasus designers! They got some sort of fixation with angled connections which are turning what could be a nice build into a nightmare. I already told you about the fins on the small pod. They've been and gone and done something even more stupid with the fins on the main booster.

All the fins attach to large tabs which are fitted to the body. Nice, simple, straightforward right? Wrong! One tab (part 14) goes directly into the body so once the fin is pushed on, a seam of plastic putty down both sides and job's a good 'un. The other two fins each have a humungous recess cut into the body of the rocket. Inside this recess you insert an angled plate which forms the tab for the fin, then there's a curved plate which fits into the gap (parts 12, 13, 15 & 16) left. So now you have to fix the huge gaps between the inserts and the body of the booster!



Well OK you say. But then the imbeciles go one stage further! The two halves of each fin have pegs which must be inserted into holes in the fixing tabs - which means you can't build the fin and do any painting or seam work until it's fixed to the rocket!!



Are you b****y morons at Pegasus reading this? If so - why by the names of all the Gods did you come up with such a crazy method of doing things when you've already demonstrated you can do the job properly?? You've just lost yourself a customer 'cos I'm not risking my hard earned pennies on stupidity like this!!

OK guys. Rant over. Back to my usual half-insane self.

Apart from a little filling to hide a small gap underneath, the tractor is ready for paint. I haven't fixed the brackets which hold the rocket pod in place. That will have to wait until I've decided what to do about the locating tabs on the fins. I may remove them completely and fill the holes in the main body so I can show the pod either on the tractor or being hoisted by the crane.

 

[Mini Me]

Big headline..........tomorrow's paper....... PEGASUS ROCKET MODEL CRASH LANDS ON MOON!!!
Rick H.

 

[spanner570]

Rick, not the moon, the Pegasus Factory!

 

[Gern]

I swear this thing's mutating! Had another idea about the tower crane. The one used for the Saturn rocket I believe folds away from the rocket once the launch starts. Didn't like that so how about it being mounted on tracks and moving away? Then of course it needs a motorised body to stand on and tracks to run on.



Not finished with the tower yet, but I've run out of angle. On order and I've got plenty to be going on with so no worries. I remembered to put fold-down stabiliser arms (those things sticking up) for when the crane is lifting the pod.I was going to use ordinary railway track but don't have any flanged wheels. I found some plain wheels and some channel which will be embedded in the ground.

Amazing the sins that can be covered by a good coat of black primer, but I don't think that will be the final colour. Probably a dark green.

I put a coat of white primer on the little tractor, mainly because that's what I primed the rocket pod with, but again, I don't think that will be the final colour.



Gotta stop now 'cos my little tomcat has just walked over my keyboard. Don't know what keys he's trod on, but now my typing overwrites what's already done instead of inserting new text. Anybody know how I can stop that?

Off to find a bigger base board for it. That Steve keeps filling up his shelf space with his own builds! You'd think a mate would consider his friends wouldn't you?

 

[Mini Me]

The tracks on that tractor look sort of........Russian. Perhaps a T-34? Your efforts are paying off re. all the ground support equipment.
Keep up the good work and good luck in your search for a new base. Rick H.

 

[papa 695]

And you call me MAD with the flying car Dave

 

[Gern]

And you call me MAD with the flying car Dave

Yeah well. You had all the makings of a normal, well-balanced life - there never really was much hope for me!

 

[boatman]

Yeah well. You had all the makings of a normal, well-balanced life - there never really was much hope for me!

HAHA well dave its just as well there are mad b*ggers like you around on this forum if there not it would be pretty dull without you guys
chris

 

[Gern]

The tracks on that tractor look sort of........Russian. Perhaps a T-34? Your efforts are paying off re. all the ground support equipment.
Keep up the good work and good luck in your search for a new base. Rick H.

Spot on Rick! Not sure if they're from the Zvezda or PSC T34 but one of them. The other sources for bits for this include - but are not limited to:

1/35 Dora Railway Gun
1/100 Panther tank
1/100 Raupenschlepper & PAK 40
1/35 German Infantry
1/35 Panzer IV Tank
1/35 Tiger Tank
1/400 Bismarck
1/35 Workshop accessories
1/32 Aircraft missile (unknown)
1/32 Jet Engine (unknown)
1/48 Ju 52
1/72 USS Gato
Assorted 28mm window frames
An old printer
An old video player
Bass wood strips
Assorted brass tubing
Assorted Foam Insulation board
Assorted Plasticard sheets, strips, angle and channel. (I did look at getting some Plastruct trusses for the crane. They come two in a pack but are only 150mm long so I'd need 6 packs. Have you seen the price of Plastruct! I live in a rented house so can't get a second mortgage to buy them!)

My bases are cut from an 8'x4' sheet of MDF. My local woodshop cuts it up for me and I get four each of 24"x24"; 24"x18" and 12"x12".

One advantage of being a lousy finisher and keeper of kits - you get enormous amounts of bits for the spares box!