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.
