APOLLO A7L space suit build-any help would be appreciated!

Hello Folks,
New member here. I too was bit by the "build a A7L replica" bug and have been doing research and model making for years. I would be happy to share some of my techniques and project photos for my A7L build. Been working for years and still not done. Upgrades always seem to get in the way of project completion. I'll post a little material when I get home today
 
Here are some pictures of a similar suit (Apollo 7) that I took about 9 years ago.

eisele_01.jpg

eisele_02.jpg

eisele_03.jpg

eisele_04.jpg

eisele_05.jpg

eisele_06.jpg

eisele_07.jpg

eisele_08.jpg

eisele_09.jpg

eisele_10.jpg

eisele_11.jpg

eisele_12.jpg

eisele_13.jpg

eisele_14.jpg

eisele_15.jpg


Tim
 
My A7L project, were to begin… I must say I have spent a lot of time doing research, studying photos, reading books, and talking with a few folks in the industry. I have had the good fortune to consult with some pretty dedicated space suit replica people over the years. Their advice has always been helpful and I am certainly willing to share any of my knowledge and experience with you all. First of all I am more of a static replica model guy. I am most interested in the Apollo Program era. Model making helps me get fully immersed in the subject.
Anyway, when it comes to Apollo hardware, I started out researching the use and construction of the A7L in order to develop a construction plan. By design, the A7L is really a personal spacecraft. Not only was the A7L on the cutting edge of engineering design, its construction was a masterpiece of craftsmanship, some would say even a work of art. My goal was to replicate the A7L in high fidelity. It was not going to be an easy task considering the complexity of the subject. That of course meant making something in accurate 1:1 scale, with the proper shape and texture. From a construction standpoint, I looked at the A7L as three basic assemblies, a pressure garment assembly (PGA, blue colored under suit) and its thermal protection cover (TMG, white colored visible part), and the life support systems (PLSS, OPS, RCU). I quickly realized that decisions had to be made on how detailed my build would be. The PGA is basically covered by the TMG with only a few components of the PGA visible (helmets, glove components) but the underlying PGA (pressurized look or not) supplies the overall shape of the suit. To construct an accurately shaped A7L replica some sort of accurately shaped PGA would need to be built. In my case, since I was building a static display, I decided to construct the PGA from a fiberglass shape. I made the TMG from nylon cloth and installed it over the PGA shape. Eventually I plan to make a PGA from nylon and rubber components.
As some of you know, accurate scale measurements of A7L suits are not easy to come by. Suits back then were custom tailored to the individual astronaut so suits came in a variety of sizes. However, for the most part hardware components, helmets, and external subassemblies were all the same size. I arrived at my suit component dimensions, pattern shapes, and assembly placement from intensive photo study and measurements of actual suits. I found a decent front and back photo of an A7LB TMG, enlarged it to 1:1 scale and developed pattern templates from it for my soft TMG component pieces. Instead of going into a lot of detail now, I’ll post some photos and answer any questions you may have. Photos in next post
 
Darth 123, As I look back at my previous postings it looks like I have made a serious attempt at hijacking your thead. I'm sorry as this was not my intent. I will watch your build with interest and help you any way I can.

R/
SMG
 
Very nice pics. If you want help picking a patch, personally, I like 13's the best. For never having landing on the moon, they have a very nice patch. More symbolic to the journey they actually went through, which, though more harrowing, was more impressive.
 
Darth 123, As I look back at my previous postings it looks like I have made a serious attempt at hijacking your thead. I'm sorry as this was not my intent. I will watch your build with interest and help you any way I can.

R/
SMG

No problem Bud!:cool

And thanks all for the great pics . They will help me a lot.


thanks!
 
Hi!

For my next project I really want to build the A7L Apollo space suit (Apollo 11 style)

[url]http://img706.imageshack.us/img706/4343/a19730041000d.jpg[/URL]

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

I can´t spent thousands on a finished replica so I have to make one by my own instead.

I only see problems on the helmet, the boots and the hose connections on the suit.

My plan is to use two cotton coveralls (white on the outside and blue on the inside), sew them together to get a nice base. And later modify them with new pockets, and other details...

I´ll have to remove the front zippers and put a new one at the back.

Some time ago there was a great Blog where someone showed his build of a really accurate suit- however this doesn´t seem to exist anymore unfortunately.

I really would appreciate any tips & tricks (How to´s) for this project...The suit doesn´t need to be 100% accurate but I want to have a nice display piece at the end.

Thanks very much for your help!

Love the idea of making one of these! I have gone ahead and started the parts to print in 3D. Does anyone have dimensions for the connectors? or by chance the flag on the shoulder? Rivet size? I am still researching these things...

Also, so far I have the flag with the bloated looking stars and some connector files if anyone needs them.
US_Flag_Apollo_11.jpg
RightSideConnectors.jpg
 
This thread is more than 8 years old.

Your message may be considered spam for the following reasons:

  1. This thread hasn't been active in some time. A new post in this thread might not contribute constructively to this discussion after so long.
If you wish to reply despite these issues, check the box below before replying.
Be aware that malicious compliance may result in more severe penalties.
Back
Top