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:

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.

Revell 1/144 Harbor Tug Boat `Fair Play`

When ships arrive at their port of destination with thousands of nautical miles of ocean behind them, they still have the difficult part ahead. This is where the harbor tugs come into play, as they maneuver the huge ships safely into dock. The Fairplay Shipping Company of Hamburg has stationed many of its tugboats in ports around Europe for exactly this task. This tugboat company was founded in 1905 and is steeped in tradition. Among others, it has the sister ships Fairplay I stationed in Rotterdam, Fairplay III in Antwerp and Fairplay X in Hamburg. The two engines each deliver 1850 kilowatts of power and are paired with two Z-drives, where the steering and propeller are housed in a 360 ° rotating assembly, giving the ships optimum power and maneuverability. The bridge is laid out as a high-standing glass structure in order to guarantee optimal all-round visibility for safe conduct through narrow harbor areas. The bollard pull value for this type of tugboat is 70 tons.

Now beautifully represented by Revell-Germany in 1/144 scale, this kit is newly tooled and represent another beautiful civilian ship offering for the naval enthusiast. The kit can be built to represent the Fairplay I, III or X variant (included with their decals).

Kit specifications:

- New Mould
- Two-piece hull
- All-round Fenders
- Detailed deck fittings
- Rubber dinghy
- Authentically reproduced bridge
- Detailed radar mast
- Z-Drive
- Towing winch
- Display stand

Sprue parts, instruction sheets and decal image after the jump.

Revell 1/144 International Space Station

Never give up ... that should be everyone's motto but unfortunately I fell short on that when I tried ordering her from Hobby Search Japan. They cancelled the order stating they were unable to get her. I am guessing it must be a licensing thing. I then saw her available at a few online shops in Europe but the currency conversion to Euro and shipping cost is not going to be too kind to my wallet ... so I gave up.

You know the saying, "you'll always find it when you are not looking?", well, I was updating my email correspondence with every shop I go to and when I went into Starship Modeler's site ... lo and behold. There she was staring at me in the face with the words "4 units in stock". Woo Hooo. YES!!!! Thank You SSM (short for Starship Modeler).

Should be in my hands around 3-4 weeks time. I plan to attach a Revell 1/144 scale space shuttle to her .. just curious if there were any aftermarket parts done for the Revell ISS kit. Guess I can go hunting for it later.

Anyways, I got these images from britmodeler's site where "Mike" provided us with a good review of the kit and images of her parts (highlighting them here). Read the review at the link above. More images after the jump.

Detailing your Revell 1/144 Space Shuttle Part 2 - Aftermarket PE and resin set

So now that we have dealt with where you can get the shuttle decals (again we will only focus on the Revell 1/144 scale space shuttle), let’s move on to how we can help you get your shuttle to look like … well, an actual orbiter, or at least close to it.

Observe the following images obtained from Revell’s website on how their 1/144 shuttle Atlantis will look like when completed out of the box. Notice that while the build-up is beautiful, the shuttle does look plain and bare.

The tile decals should help add in some noise details to her otherwise smooth surface.

but what about those inaccurate engine thrusters? And the payload bay? Let's take a look at these after the jump.

Detailing your Revell 1/144 Space Shuttle Part 1 - Tile & Detailing Decals

So you have a Revell 1/144 Space Shuttle kit and you want to build her up in such a way that she'll look like a real shuttle. It is a nice kit, very basic and easy to assemble, and Revell’s version is by far the best shuttle kit in 1/144 scale out there. However she's not entirely perfect and do have some shortcomings, particularly with her inaccurate engine nozzles and very bare shuttle payload bay. This session will cover only the Revell 1/144 space shuttle for now.

1/144 Space Shuttle Atlantis Plastic Model Kit
Product ID: 80-4544
Overview
Skill level: 4
Scale: 1:144
Length: 252 mm
Wingspan: 167 mm
Parts: 64

This kit has gone through various box repackaging throughout the years with the latest highlighting on the Shuttle Atlantis. The parts however remain the same so it doesn’t matter which version you got, they are all still the same kit. Revell also has the most extensive range of 1/144 scale space shuttles, having her with her rocket boosters, riding piggy back on the Boeing 747 SCA, and even recently reissued her with the Launch Complex. In the past, she was also released attached to a fictitious space centre and another with a laser satellite. Those are hard to come by unless they too get reissued, or someone offers these via eBay. And I have seen some builds where they attached her to the Revell’s 1/144 ISS Space Station.

The assembly for the Revell kit is pretty much straight forward, just follow the steps right out of the instruction sheet. She does have the option to be build with a raised or enclosed landing gear, and the shuttle payload bay doors can be open to reveal her payload, or stay in a closed formation. For the space shuttle enthusiast, the challenge here is to get her to look as close as possible to an actual orbiter, whether she is floating above earth with her payload bay wide open, or when she is still strapped on to her Rocket Boosters. There are a few aftermarket parts you can use to get your shuttle up to spec, but the biggest challenge here is "how the heck do you replicate all those Shuttle Heat Resistant Tiles?" For one, they are not entirely flat black and even when seen from far, you can see those miniature tiles on her.

And what is so important about those tiles? Those tiles in question represent the Space Shuttle’s thermal protection system (TPS). There are seven different materials used in varying locations based on the amount of required heat protection needed throughout the shuttle. Hence the shuttle itself is not just white and black, but has a varying shade of greys, off white and metallic colours.

Simulation of the outside of the Shuttle as it heats up to over 1,500 °C during re-entry. You can see where it is the hottest and understand why the tiles vary from each section of the shuttle

If you decide to detail those tiles on your 1/144 shuttle kit, bear in mind there are 24,300 tiles on each Orbiter. And each of these tiles comes labeled with serial codes and numbers. You can see the close up details on those tiles here.

At 1/144 scale and even at 1/72 scale, it’s next to impossible to work on each individual tiles by hand. Hence many are relying on tile decals to do the work. Let's look at what's out there for the 1/144 shuttle tile decals.