My Tribute to Leonard Nimoy.

On the 23rd of February 2015, I received news that Leonard Nimoy was hospitalized after complaining of severe chest pain. My heart sank. I identified myself with Star Trek after the starship Enterprise, and of course, with Mr. Spock, the logical half human/half Vulcan Science Officer who also served as her First Officer. Yeah, when I was young, I was almost like him, in character at least - black is black and white is white. And I had tried to emulate his persona as he was always cool and composed (except when he had been compromised), knowledgeable and intimidating. He will always be Spock despite having Zachary Quintos to replace him as the iconic Mr. Spock. Then I received news on 24th February that he was recovering well. That was indeed a relief - until the morning of 28th February 2015 when I opened FB and saw tributes floating my news feed.

I remembered staring at the screen for a moment, then quickly went to all the news portals for verification. My heart sank further when I found out it was true. The man who had literally created the Vulcan culture and impressed millions of fans, was truly gone. It was a blow, a similar feeling I had when I found out that DeForest Kelley, James Doohan, Gene Roddenberry and Majel Barret Roddenberry had passed on. I told myself that that was life. Everyone had to go one day, but yet my heart ached as the very show that had inspired me to become who I am today, were losing people to death.

Suddenly my hectic month of February was quickly forgotten, and I was filled with grief. I thought it was "Illogical" to feel this way as Spock would say, since I know not the man, nor was I a friend. I was only his fan, Hence with a heavy heart, I have decided to include a little tribute to Mr. Nimoy in my blog, my way to let him know I grateful I am to him and his persona for creating a little excitement to my life during my youth.

I have collected a few series of tributes via FB to highlight here, again my way of saying Thank You. Farewell Mr. Nimoy, and may you find eternal rest and peace. I have been, and always shall be, your fan. You have lived long and prospered, and may your journey be without incident.

More after the jump

Part 3 - Orbiter's Aft Main Engines/OMS/RCS pods and Fisher Models & Pattern's Upgrade Set

The Orbital Maneuvering System, which is made up of two Orbital Maneuvering System engines and all of their related hardware. One Orbital Maneuvering System engine is housed in each of two Orbital Maneuvering System (OMS)/Reaction Control System (RCS) pods attached to the top aft end of the Orbiter.

The system consist of hypergolic liquid-propellant rocket engines used on the Space Shuttle. Designed and manufactured in the United States by Aerojet, the system was used during launch to produce supplementary thrust and on-orbit to provide orbital injection, orbital correction and the spacecraft's deorbit burn.[2] The OMS pods contains a single AJ10-190 engine, based on the Apollo Service Module's Service Propulsion System engine,[citation needed] which produces 26.7 kilonewtons (6,000 lbf) of thrust with a specific impulse (Isp) of 316 seconds.[3] Each engine could be reused for 100 missions and was capable of a total of 1,000 starts and 15 hours of burn time.

These pods also contained the Orbiter's aft set of reaction control system (RCS) engines, and so were referred to as OMS/RCS pods. The OM engine and RCS systems both burned monomethylhydrazine (MMH) as fuel, which was oxidized with dinitrogen tetroxide (N2O4), with the propellants being stored in tanks within the OMS/RCS pod, alongside other fuel and engine management systems. When full, the pods together carried around 8,174 kilograms (18,021 lb) of MMH and 13,486 kilograms (29,732 lb) of N2O4, allowing the OMS to produce a total of around 1,000 feet per second (300 m/s) of delta-v with a 65,000-pound (29,500 kg) payload.

The Reaction Control System, which is made up of thrusters fired to help the Orbiter achieve a precise orbital path or perform changes in its position, and all of their related hardware. Thrusters are located at the forward end of the Orbiter and in each of the two aft Orbital Maneuvering System (OMS)/Reaction Control System (RCS) pods.

The RCS contains a total of 38 primary thrusters and 6 vernier thrusters. The forward RCS array contains 14 primary thrusters and two vernier thrusters. A total of 12 primary thrusters and two vernier thrusters are housed in each of the two OMS/RCS pods. Below are a few reference images of the main engine with her OMS/RCS pods.

Each RCS thruster burns a combination of monomethyl hydrazine and nitrogen tetroxide liquid fuel. Each primary thruster can produce a thrust of 870 pounds, while each vernier thruster can produce a thrust of 24 pounds. The RCS thrusters can be fired in a plethora of combinations depending on the specific mission requirements.

More after the jump.

3D Supergirl Returns

Here is something I saw and had to highlight it here, a magnificent 3D rendition of Supergirl. Normally I'd keep stuff like this at my Facebook page but the rendition shows a sub-assembly of a figure kit. Though I'm not sure if this one will end up as a kit, if it did, I'd get one if she was in 1/4 scale. It's done by jwillust at zbrushcentral.com

No harm keeping your fingers crossed on this one. Here's more images:

More images after the jump.

1/12th scale space shuttle cockpit cutaway

Found this from Facebook - a magnificent replica of the Space Shuttle build by John Geigle, a one off model specifically done up for the Mubarek Museum of Science in Egypt. This is not a kit but we sure wish it was. Enjoy the following images from his album.

More after the jump.

My Facebook Account has been Reactivated

The next post was suppose to highlight other after market parts for the 1/72 space shuttle but this morning I was pleasantly surprised that my FB account had been re-activated. There was no email notification. It just so happen that I was staring at my company's email inbox and stole a glance to my bookmark for FB, and thought why not. It has been 19 days since my account was disabled and there had been no update to my appeal. I had tried to check last night but it still had the same disabled message so I thought no harm in trying again. I moved my cursor over and clicked.

I will admit that I am happy to get back my account. Afterall, I didn't do anything wrong to lose it. So what happened? Check out FB's message below - it was in my notification.

Now, remember I did highlight before that a friend of mine found 5 FB accounts with exactly the same name as me. I remembered reading somewhere that when that happens, the FB algorithm would detect suspicious activity and will proceed to disable the accounts. It so happens that mine was included as well. Now I am not sure who was trying to create fake accounts of me, or what they're intention was, but do take note that I only have one account . And FB has even gone to the extent of putting my entire name out in full now. I just checked again and now there is only one left of the 5 suspicious accounts.

At least now I know my account was not disabled due to a report or complaint.

Of course a lesson was also learnt here and I will still be active with this blog, as well as at my FB page. Hopefully there would be no more glitches to slow me down again.

Part 2 - 1/72 Space Shuttle Tile Decals from Space Models Photography

One of the many challenges that can also be intimidating is when it comes to detailing the shuttle's lower thermal protection tiles. I have seen some rather innovative method involving painting over a mesh to attempt to get the tile look, and some even went to the extent of using small strips of masking tapes (a lot of work there). The problem here is that all those tiles are not a blanket flat black or dark grey, but rather a combination of very small brick patches with varying dark to light tones.

The Thermal Protection System (TPS) tiles serves as a barrier that protects the Orbiter during atmospheric re-entry when temperatures can reach a searing 1,650 °C (3,000 °F). They also protect the shuttle from the heat and cold of space while in orbit.  Each type of TPS had specific heat protection, impact resistance, and weight characteristics, which determined the locations where it was used and the amount used.

Infra-red scans of a shuttle's atmospheric re-entry shows an uneven distribution of heat throughout it's lower hull during re-entry. This in turn will produce more wear and tear at certain areas. Hence depending on the tile conditions, some will be eventually replaced. This explains why certain areas of the lower hull are seen with patches of fresh black areas (replacement new black tiles) while others looked really worn out but still there.  Here is an example of tile damage on a shuttle.

More after the jump.

Part 1 - The 1/72 Scale Space Shuttle Kits and some References

I have been meaning to highlight the 1/72 scale Space Shuttle kits for a while now but this may spread out to a few so I can dedicate the after market parts appropriately. I have always been fascinated with the shuttle since the first shuttle launched into space. I literally collected as many clear pictures of the shuttle I could get, mostly from magazines, then trying to emulate what I saw with a Revell 1/144 kit. My skills then was absolutely in its novice stage and I had neither the knowledge or tools to work with then, so you can imagine how my kit turned up later.

I also remembered the day I got this two massive kits, the 1/72 Revell and Monogram Space Shuttle, and was baffled at how these were suppose to be in the same scale but both kits were so different. Besides the sheer size of their boxes, I was also particularly fascinated with the molded tile details on the Revell kit (found out much much later the tiles were too big and not accurate at all) and the combination of cargo satellites and pallets found on the Monogram kit. But building these were intimidating then as there were many hurdles with the kit, particularly the tiles. Hence they stayed mint in their box until this day.

Last year I procured the latest re-issue of Revell's 1/72 Shuttle kit because of her more detailed decals and "corrected" tile molds (still inaccurate as the tiles there are still too big). I was going to dedicate at least two of these builds to the Challenger and Columbia, the two shuttles lost in the line of duty, and I wanted them to be special, and accurate (as much as possible). I realized today the only way I can achieve this is with after market parts.

The Revell kit has been re-issued numerous times with different box art, but the parts remained virtually the same until the last re-issue where some re-tooling were done to her tile pattern on her lower hull. You can view her parts in detail and read a wonderful review of this kit over at Britmodeller.com but for this post, I am going to focus on how to get the Orbiter to look as close to the original as possible. In 1/72 scale, the size of the kit itself  beckons for detailing.

But before you start any work on her, you will need to know what the Shuttle really looks like up close and personal, and understand why certain things are there. I will be dedicating a few blog post on how best you can detail sections of your space shuttle. But first, check out the surface of an actual Orbiter.


Space Shuttle Surface Details

In my earlier post on the 1/144 scale kits, I have highlighted a few things regarding the shuttle thermal protection systems - their ceramic tiles, totaling a staggering 24,300 on each Orbiter. Not all the tiles are the same as each one of them are designed to handle different variant of heat to provide the shuttle with effective and maximum shielding.

Besides tiles, the shuttle surface also comprise of "thermal blankets" to further enhance the shuttle's heat resistance during re-entry. Hence the shuttle's surface is very much like a shark's skin, they look smooth from far but they are rough upon closer inspection. There are also variants of white, off white, tan, sand colored tones allocated throughout the orbiter's surface, and these are definitely not easy to emulate by hand.

Identifying Sections of the Space Shuttle

Here are some schematics to help you identify what is on where on a space shuttle:

Toy Fair Nuremberg 2015 - Dragon Models coming Age of Ultron Offerings

Spotted at the Dragon Models' exhibit this year were a range of Avengers : Age of Ultron's kits coming. Check these out .. Whoa!!!

More images over at News.Toyark.com

Bronco's 1/35 "God`s Blessings"

Just a heads up for all you 1/35 military enthusiast out there. Bronco is coming out with this set - perfect for a diorama. Slated for a February 2015 release.

Revell 1/32 Airbus Helicopters EC145 DRF Luftrettung

Year for year hundreds of thousands of people are involved in accidents on German roads. Lives are put in danger through heart attacks and strokes. The role of the DRF Luftrettung (Air Rescue) is to help people in these situations quickly and effectively. Its goal: To provide the best care possible to emergency and intensive care patients. To achieve this DRF Luftrettung works to standards of the highest quality in both medicine, flight operations and technology. All helicopters are optimally equipped to look after emergency and intensive care patients. Here, the EC145 is particularly suited to transporting critically ill patients between hospitals which are far away from each other. Flights over long distances are no problem with its long range of around 700 km (435 miles). Fitted out as a flying intensive care unit it offers ideal conditions for the transport of high-risk patients.

The EC145 is a medium-lift, twin-engine helicopter, which was developed in a co-operation between Eurocopter (now Airbus Helicopters) and Kawasaki Heavy Industries. Compared to the prototype design - the BK 117, the EC145 received a new fuselage with a more spacious cabin. Advantages of the new rotor blades on the EC145 are much lower vibration levels and a 25% increase in range. The EC145 is certified for instrument flight and can also be operated at night with either one or two pilots.

Kit Specifications :

- Surfaces with rivets and recessed panel joints
- Detailed cockpit with instrument panel
- Control column, collective lever and foot-pedals
- Detailed seats with imitation safety harness
- Interior side-wall and roof lining
- Detailed air-intake area
- Engine exhaust with detailed casing
- Separate side and rear doors for the open or closed position
- Detailed rotor-head and blades
- Tail-boom with stabilisers
- Detailed tail-rotor
- Rescue equipment with equipment board & emergency cabinet
- Stretcher frame on rails
- Bench-seat
- Optional radar nose
- Optional cable cutting device

- Authentic decal set for follwing versions:
- Airbus Helicopters EC145, D-HDPP, DRF Luftrettung, Hanover, Germany
- Airbus Helicopters EC145, D-HDDN, DRF Luftrettung, Munich, Germany

Length - 311 mm
Number of parts - 178
Rotor diameter - 343 mm

To view her parts, kindly go to Scale-rotor's site as they have a comprehensive image coverage.