My studio has been so busy lately with casting, machining and 3D printing that I haven't had much time to update the build thread of this project.
Let me update you all on the progress of the Lunar Module:
I've been slowly chipping away on all the rivet detailing, as well as cleanup. Here you can see the hatch aperture being milled to the correct depth just before the forward hull was moulded for a second time- as previously stated, this is so that I can capture all the texture and detail without the fragility of the techniques I used to get that effect.
The photo featured of the silicone mould (in pale green) is the mould directly after it had cured, so before any cleanup to remove debris left inside.
Since the latest cast from the new mould is just one of the prototypes, I wanted to see how the model looks with paint.
I used Halfords matt black spray paint, followed up with a custom mixture of Tamiya XF15 and XF20 (Flat Flesh and Medium Grey), then Alclad II Chrome for the metallic areas.
I then painted the rivets and tape detail with Tamiya X11 (Silver), before attaching gold thermal blanket using 3M 2mm double sided tape. I discovered that gluing the thermal blanket doesn't work at all, since any solvents dissolve the gold coating.
The descent stage (DS) has been laser cut from 3mm Perspex according to the dimensions laid out in my CAD model- 1mm half round styrene strips have then been added to accurately replicate the ribs and stringers. I chose to use half round rather than a more accurate square profile for ease of moulding.
The Sketchup model I've been working on concurrently with the physical build will be available to purchase as SKP and STL files when it's complete- as you can see, I have done my best to closely copy the LM interior according to reference photographs and NASA/Grumman documentation.
If you'd like to stay up to date with this project and many others we're working on, consider following our Facebook and Instagram feeds @archiveandfuture.
Thank you all for your interest so far in this build!