I started building this kit almost a whole year after having found it under the Christmas tree by the end of 2007.
The parts were still in good shape so I popped in the CD (yes, there are video instructions with this kit!) and before I knew it, I was building the number one rocket of all time! |  |
| posted: 10-10-2008 |
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Having followed the video based instructions to the letter, I found that there were some mismeasurements concerning the Thrust Structure wrap and the Fin Fairings (the bottom part of the main body tube, that is).
The instructions clearly mentioned the use of epoxy clay, but I chose to ignore that advise and use my own filling substance, Putty. |  |
| posted: 12-10-2008 |
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Boy, was I wrong in doing so! Not only did I ruin the Fin Fairings, on top of that, I filled the raised areas of the wrap to such an extend that there was no way for me to get the Putty out of the spots where it should not have been smeared in the first place!
I ended up removing the wrap and the fairings and ordering new sets... |  |
| posted: 15-10-2008 |
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I ordered the epoxy clay immediately and once I started working with it, I realized that this was the tool for me!
What a wonderfull material this clay is! It is flexible in use, can be replaced if positioned incorrectly and once in place, it hardens out in the exact shape as it was put there. I cannot say that for Putty! |  |
| posted: 23-10-2008 |
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As the days went on, I slowly got around to building the other stages of the rocket.
Here you can see a picture of the parts after having been primed for the first time. I sanded off some of the primer where the areas were not smooth enough. |
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| posted: 05-11-2008 |
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I tried spraying on a white coat of paint on the upper part of the rocket, the Apollo module. I got a little anxious and wanted the paint to cover the parts with one spray job.
Of course, I ended up with too much paint on the module, literally dripping over the edges... I had to sand it all off once again and prime the parts all over. |
| posted: 17-11-2008 |
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So far, I have painted the second and third stage white. Also, the Apollo module is covered in a white coat of paint. It took me quite some cans of white paint to give the separate stages a nice white coat.
I have also finished working on the fin fairings and am now close to finally give the first stage of the Saturn 5 its first layer of primer. |
| posted: 19-11-2008 |
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So far, so good. I have nearly finished the second and third stage of the rocket. The stages still need some touching up, but the overall looks good. Very good.
I am looking forward to painting the black parts on the main body tube. Getting nice crisp deviding lines is quite the challenge with this rocket, but since I now have had some practise, I can only hope that it will get easier along the way. |  |
| posted: 21-11-2008 | modified: 27-11-2008 |
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Having just primer painted the main body tube for the millionth time, there is now only one seam left to fill. All the other voids, gaps and seams are filled and sanded and primer painted.
I hope to be able to lay down a first coat of white real soon because I am anxious to see what this will do to the thing that up to today, still is nothing more than a large cardboard tube. I am hoping that painting it white will turn it more into a rocket and ultimately into the mighty Saturn 5... |
| posted: 27-11-2008 |
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Finally, I received new filling material which I ordered.
I have filled the last gaps around the fin fairings and the fule tubes of the lower body part. Hopefully, I can now give the largest body tube a first coat of white paint. Of course, I am first waiting for the putty to harden out, and since this takes about 24 hours, my patience is being tested once again... |
| posted: 05-12-2008 |
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Since I noticed a few more minor gaps in the surface, I decided to get them filled before spray painting the main body tube white. It took me two days to get this done.
I have just finished sanding the filled parts and I have also cleaned the body tube using a sponge and some water. This helped getting the dust particals off the tube.
The way things are looking now, I will be able to give the white paint a go tomorrow. |
| posted: 08-12-2008 |
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The wait is over! I have been able to start applying the white paint. And what a great result am I getting!
On the downside, I am using one spray can per layer of paint. And since I have to paint the body tube with at least four or five layers, it will cost me five or six spray cans... |  |
| posted: 10-12-2008 |
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| Once more, I had to order some additional spray cans of white paint. I am waiting for them to arrive before I can continue building the ultimate rocket of all time. |
| posted: 16-12-2008 |
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Since I am still waiting for the paints to arrive, I decided to give the fins a go. I have two fins ready as we speak, one that is primer painted and one that still needs to be primer painted.
There were gaps that needed to be filled in each fin and this took some time. The epoxy clay needed to harden and get sanded down. So hopefully I will be able to get the fins ready by the end of the weekend.
Also, I am going to a local hobby shop this Saturday to get me a bottle of white paint so I can finish the main body tube. |  |
| posted: 20-12-2008 |
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One more fin is finished and the bottles of white paint I bought from the local hobby shop allowed me to finish up the main body tube. It now has a - in my eyes that is - perfect white coat of paint.
Also, I managed to paint the fin fairings silver. This went down without any trouble whatsoever! The parts that needed to get painted silver were left unmasked and I even got a very sharp deviding line between the white of the body tube and the silver of the fin fairings. You can imagine that I am quite pleased with the results. |  |
| posted: 23-12-2008 |
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I have been able to mask off the parts that are going to be painted black. I used up almost a whole roll of tape, but I thought it best to tape it down firmly and leave no small openings so that no accidental black paint could slide through.
When the paint is dry, I will see if my taping exercise has done the job... |
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| posted: 28-12-2008 |
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And yes it did pay off! I am absolutely pleased with the way this has turned out!
I just had one minor issue that set me back a day but it was not something that could not be overcome.
Having just finished painting the tube a few hours ago, I will wait for a couple of days before starting on the decals. This will give the paint a fair amount of time to dry and harden out thoroughly. |  |
| posted: 30-12-2008 |
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Having let the paint dry for a couple of days it was impossible for me to hold back any longer. Those decals had to be slid onto the body tubes!
I managed to get the third and second stages done and am almost finished with the first stage. This particular stage will be on hold for a while because I accidentally tore three (!) of the USA decals. I had to order custom made decals and this takes time... |  |
| posted: 04-01-2009 |
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I did some quick research on the internet and found one major difference between the paint guide made by Apogee and the real deal (read: the real Saturn 5).
The real rocket had white dividing lines on the black markings at the top of the first stage. They are thin, but noticeably present in the photo to the right of this post.
Trying as I am to get a good replica of the Saturn 5, I decided to paint those dividing lines as well. |  |
| posted: 09-01-2009 | modified: 04-02-2009 |
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| The fins are finally done. I completed fin D today and now I have four silver painted, decal holding, Saturn 5 fins. |  |
| posted: 09-01-2009 |
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As of yet, I am still waiting for my decals to arrive. I ordered them over two weeks ago, but still I have not received them.
Hopefully they will arrive soon, since the three missing decals is all that is holding me back from finishing the model... |
| posted: 25-01-2009 |
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At last! My patience got rewarded with the arrival of the decal sheet.
I immediately cut the needed decals from the sheet and placed them onto the Saturn 5 rocket the same day they had arrived.
And in doing so, I finally finished the model!! |  |
| posted: 29-01-2009 |
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