Bill Early’s Replica Eagle part 3
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LANDING GEAR PODS
These pieces required most of the modifications made to this kit. Most of this stems from the spring loaded landing gear, and my wanting to reinforce the mounting tabs.
I sanded off the raised pattern for the black blast areas on the outsides of each pod. I thought that they would look better painted on, rather than raised. Mark the center and drill a small hole. This will be used for mounting the maneuvering thrusters after painting.
I laminated sheet plastic until I had the thickness I needed for the mounting tabs. I made them oversized so that they could be cut down later on. I cut off the resin mounting tabs and opened a hole into the side of the pod. The ridge on the bottom of the top piece had to be cut down as well. There was a rib across the underside of the top that had to cut down also.
I drilled out the holes for the landing strut in the bottom of the pod. I used some tubing that slipped over the strut tubing as a metal bushing where the strut passes into the pod. I did the same, as well, for the brace that mounts below the pod. This made for a tighter guide for the strut.
I cut the supplied tubing to length, as shown in the instructions. Measure carefully, as there is no extra supplied. I drilled the holes as measured on the instruction sheet. At this point I found that either the tubing was too long, or the rib on the top piece was too deep. I chose not to cut the tubing, but rather modified the top piece so that it would work. I trimmed until I had the same full up position on each pod. That way, when the struts are compressed, all four set at the same level. I marked where the strut comes up to the top piece and cut a groove to hold the spring centered.
I also added a short piece of tubing glued to the top to guide the strut and keep it straight. Picture 13 shows the assembled pod interior lay out.
Next came the brace that is below the pod. I cut the supplied rod to 11/16 inch. Mark these 1/16inch in from each end. This will be where they are bent for the angles. There was not enough rod to make all the required pieces, so I used some solid core copper wire for the rest. I decided how far the brace would set from the pod and cut a piece of scrap tubing to slide over the strut to act as a shim. This will allow the brace to set properly while the rod is glued into place. After the glue dries, remove the strut and slide out the shim.
Now, drill and mount the landing pads to the struts. Again, bolts were used to allow dis-assembly for painting. The oleo struts had to be modified to allow for proper operation. The solid pieces were left as they were, but the “C” shaped pieces were shortened almost 1/8 inch and reshaped. A plastic pin was used to secure them to the pads.
The mounting tabs were measured and cut to final length. Keys were made in the ends so that they would over lap when installed. This will allow the separate pieces to be as strong as a single piece would be.
The maneuvering thrusters were next. I drilled a hole in the center of the back for mounting rods to be glued to the pods. This also makes a handy handle while painting. I noticed that one of the nozzles was out of whack.
It was the same on all four, so it must have been a problem with the master. I cut off the nozzles and reattached them at the proper angle. Picture 14 shows the before and after.
All that’s left now is to close up the pods. Make one final check of the struts, because once they’re glued together, that’s it. I still wasn’t happy with the way that the struts worked. I cut off 2 wraps of the springs and this seemed to help. I probably could have cut off a couple of more, you want them to spring out, but they don’t have to support the weight on the springs. During this fine tuning, I drilled a couple of holes in the back sides of each pod and screwed the top pieces on to make it easier to check the strut operation. Don’t forget to set the other kit pieces on top so that you can get the total weight of the kit onto the pads.You’ll find that the aft end is heavier than the front. Make sure that everything is working so that you’re happy with it, then glue the tops onto the pods.
THE SPINE
After cleaning up and puttying, I put on a primer coat. About the only problem was that there were no cross bars on the bottom of the spine. I cut plastic tubing to length and glued it into place. Again, use reference photos.
Picture 15 shows how I did mine. Here is where I found out that I had made a boo-boo. When I had added the details to the top of the walkways, I had not taken into account the cross bars on the bottom of the spine. I had to cut a groove in a couple of the pieces used. No big deal, but, man, I felt like a bonehead. Center up the spine front to back, and you’re ready to mount it down.
I wanted to add the straps, as there was nothing molded for them. I found some thin copper sheets used for shims that worked perfectly for the straps. I cut it into 3 millimeter strips and rounded one end. I made them long so that they would be easier to handle. I drilled a small hole in one end and used this as a guide on where to drill into the spine. I used a short screw to hold the strip on the backside while I marked it for the hole on the front side. The strap was then cut to it’s final length and the second hole was drilled. I cut the heads off of some longer screws and used nuts on both sides. I thought that I would still have to glue the spine in place, but after 3 straps were in place, I found that it made for a really solid mount.
I wound up not using any glue on the spine, at all. Even with the passenger pod removed, it’s good and solid. Picture 16 shows the straps before all the screws were cut down.
COMMAND MODULE
Mounting the command module was a snap. The back piece was placed on the frame and holes were drilled for the small screws. I used sheet plastic and closed off the open front of this piece. A couple of pieces of plastic were glued in place for screwing the forward section to. The beak was put in place and a couple of small holes were drilled through it and into the plastic blocks. The holes in the block were threaded for the mounting screws. I cut a groove into the inside where the windows were to go. This was to keep from having an open edge visible from the outside. The four round dish shapes were cleaned up and trial fitted to the beak. Some minor trimming was required, but not much. These will be attached after painting.
I decided to make a back wall for the interior. I didn’t think that there would be too much that you could see from the outside, but I was surprised at what really showed. I used a couple of reference pictures to knock out this back plate. See Picture 17.
The panels are not quite correct, but it looks better than just a blank wall. Like the door, If you like the cockpit wall, just print it out, size it, and use it as a pattern for building your own. You might also be able to just print it and attach it to the back wall. Now all I need to do is find me a couple of 1/48 scale Gemini figures to put inside. I did a quick light set up for the cockpit. I’ll go back later and make one up for LED’s and put in a switch that can be accessed from outside.
Continued in part 4
