1/350 Moonlander

[Frank3k]

I've had a couple of the Pegasus 1/350^* Moonlander for a while, complete with the Paragraphics PE set. I've wanted to build it, but every time I opened the box, the number of sprues and parts made this kit feel more like a long term commitment than a 3-4 week build.

from Scalemates

However, I saw this great build (also on Britmodeller) and thought that it didn't look too time consuming. I figure I could start a quicker build if I lost focus or motivation.
I'm not concerned by the Paragraphics PE set - I've used their PE in other builds and they're well designed and easy to work with (in PE terms).
It didn't take long to get to this point yesterday -  all the engines and some fuel tanks:



I had some time today, and painted the engine deck and mounts in a mix of silver and black primer. The engines are in Vallejo dark aluminum. I then mixed some of the dark aluminum with some Vallejo Shifter paints. The effect wasn't very pronounced, so I shot a thin layer of the shifter paints on the nozzles to give the engines a burnt metal look:



Here's a closeup of the main engines:



And the steering engines:



I'll probably spray some of the blue shifter on the main engines, since it looks better than the red color. I'm not too concerned with the sparkly/grainy paint; it's not visible in person and much of it will disappear under more coats of shifter paint. So far it's been an enjoyable build, with excellent fit and no Gecko-ness.



* It says "1/350", but Pegasus is notoriously bad at the concept of scale. Compared to the original design, it's closer to 1/250 or larger. I'll just call it 1/350, and make it a 2nd generation heavy cargo ship.

[Old Wombat]

Impressive start, Frank! 

[Claymore]

Looking good - I’m a bit of a biff when it comes to PE.  My usual experience being that the delicate piece falls into the singularity carpet under my desk while my fingers are firmed glued to the model!

Will be very interested to see how you get along and any advice you may have.  Good luck with the build. 

[raafif]

Good start on an interesting model

So many whif options for it too - Space 1999, UFO etc.

[Buzzbomb]

Nice use of Colour shift paints 

[Dr. YoKai]

Off to a good start. The kit builds into an impressive monster from what I've seen, and the shifting paints are giving it a nice touch.

[Frank3k]

Thanks, guys. These Vallejo color shifter paints are great - very easy to use and control.

I added the PE to the nozzles:



Paragraphics PE sets rarely disappoint and this was no exception - they went on nicely. The glue is still wet on these (you can see some white globs here and there). The main engines are just pressed in place. I was going to glue them in, but they're held tightly and I'm fine with the slight misalignment. The steering engines are movable. I had to slightly enlarge the holes for the bars, but they move easily:



With the "Are we there yet?" probe installed:


The color shift on the engine looks great at just the right angle.

So far, this has been a very enjoyable build - the hardest part so far has been deciding which option to build and the colors. The four large fuel tanks on the sides are meant to be dropped off after leaving Earth orbit, which would require minor surgery to the support arms; I may do it so I can add the tanks to my spares box. I then have to decide between a cargo or passenger version. The cargo version replaces the central return(?) fuel tanks in the core of the vehicle with two large cargo cylinders.

My only complaint with this kit is the wildly off size; it's almost 50% larger than the original Von Braun design (especially when compared to the 1/300 drawings in "The Spaceship Handbook")

I'll just make this an advanced heavy cargo version.

[Frank3k]

The engine/landing gear section is finished and I started on the habitat/cargo module and the supports for the upper sections. Everything above the engine frame and landing gear (including the silver/gray square base) is just press fit. I'll take the base off so I can build the structures without putting too much pressure on the landing gear.



One very nice feature of this kit is that the parts press together firmly. Small sub-assemblies can be press fit together and they'll make a sturdy structure. When ready, a drop of glue at the joints locked it all in place.

[Old Wombat]

Woh!    Coming along really well, Frank! 

[Buzzbomb]

This is great... I am really enjoying watching this evolve. Must confess, I was not aware of this kit and can see a lot of potential in it

[Claymore]

Beautiful and delicate work - bravo! 

[Frank3k]

I've been making some progress, mainly with the small bits. Since I'm going with the habitat/cargo option, I added some details to the central cargo/habitat core. Here's the temporary stacking of the parts:

[Buzzbomb]

Nice.
I get its an old design, to me the function over form is working here, no need for nice streamlining, just the bits you need to do the work.

[raafif]

Looks great so far    Function over form is real space not fantasy.

[Dr. YoKai]

Coming along nicely, though I admit to being thoroughly baffled by the grills on the engine bells. Seems like it would rob a lot of thrust...what am I missing?

[Frank3k]

I think the grills represent either smaller nozzles or the like. The original design didn't have them, but the engine bells looked pretty barren without.

From the Paragraphix instructions:

Rocket Nozzles
Many early concepts for large rockets used clusters of very small
rocket nozzles. These additions to the kit rocket nozzles pay
homage to those early designs.

[Kerick]

This is outstanding! The more you build the better it looks. You should give a painting class!

[Frank3k]

Almost there. I repainted the crew sphere just to make it different. I had some self-inflicted challenges during the build - I mistakenly glued the vertical rods to the horizontal support rings before I had everything aligned, so I've been struggling to work around/correct the issues. I also cut the Earth departure tank supports off, faced the stumps off... and didn't like the way they looked, so i replaced part of the missing beams.

Okiofuge dis a far, far better job.

This is where it stands - some parts are still just tacked in place. The high gain antenna dish is held up with poster putty. The dish is pointed towards the horizon, since I'm going to make this a lunar pole mission. I may add solar panels (vs the mercury powered solar thermal generator):



The dish needs a little work to make it rounder and close off the petals:




I still have a lot of work to do, but it'll be slow this week since my wife is having surgery on her broken wrist.

[apophenia]

...
Okiofuge dis a far, far better job.
...

Errm, his build is really nice. But a bit too clean for my taste. Your build has a more 'lived in' look 

Best of luck to Mrs. 3k on her wrist surgery and recovery.

[Buzzbomb]

Works for me to this stage, I like it, the entire practicality of the design for the era.

Really nice work

[FAAMAN]

Very nice so far, not seen this kit but it seems fun!!

[Robomog]

Looking goooood  !   

[Old Wombat]

I like it! The metallics look more industrial than the white of Okiofuge's.

[Kerick]

I agree with the rest here, yours is better looking. Good choices on the metallic colors.

[Frank3k]

Thanks for the praise, but I think his looks neater.

I'm really stumped with what to do with the repaired tank supports. The joints between the re-glued rods iare flimsy, not straight and impossible to sand without breaking the joint. You can sort of see the problem behind the dish in the closeup image above.

I thought of wrapping gold Bare Metal Foil around each repaired joint, but I couldn't get it to stick.

I'm thinking of carefully applying some putty and painting that gold (so it looks like crinkled foil).