Schirra Mercury Capsule now available! FREE!

[airbob]

GOSH! You guys are doing an outstanding job in building and modifying this capsule!....really strange to see the thing that came from my computer on someone else's desk......glad you like it!!!I'm humbled....all can say is:
Party on dudes!

[SAustin16]

Bengt,

Thank you for the advice. I'm going to try it your way. Before I'd started cutting, I had noticed in your picture that you'd left the margin of white paper at top and bottom, and I had done the same. Great idea.

[Bengt Fredén]

Hi Steve,

Glad you liked the idea. Actually, if you look at the real thing, there is a rim around the lower edge of the capsule that is sticking out a bit (the Atomic City 1:12 model shows the same). I am going to try a disc of thick card, with a diameter slghtly larger than the capsule crew cabin. I will color it with red-brown water color and then glue the heat shield (which I have recolored into a warm dark brown color) onto it.
At the moment, I am busy modifying the bulging 'Automatic' thruster assembly (port side), the periscope door to the right of the hatch and the three C and S band antennas (the three rounded, white square shapes at the top of the cabin). They look like this:



Last night, I also experimented further embossing all the corrugated 'dimples' or 'louvers' on the cabin with a steel pin, to see what it looked like - today, my thumb and index finger hurts a bit, so I´ll have to wait a while with the final version, if I decide to go down that road. The pattern is most noticeable on the areas where the white UNITED STATES text is situated and it kind of forces the capsule into a 24-sided shape again.
I am also trying to find good photos of the recovery compartment of the 'Sigma 7', which had several plates with the purpose of re-entry testing dark and light heat-restitant paints. Has anybody found good photos of this capsule configuration? I´ve got a few so far - this is one of them, with Wally recovered from the capsule on the deck of the aircraft carrier - this photo shows the side with the dark panels:



By the way, Bob, I tried to print your excellent Mercury capsule rendering in 1:12 scale and thanks to the fine resolution, this is no problem - it looks just as good as the smaller ones.

All the best,
Bengt

[George B]

Originally Posted by Bengt Fredén

Hi Steve,

I´ve got a few so far - this is one of them, with Wally recovered from the capsule on the deck of the aircraft carrier - this photo shows the side with the dark panels:
All the best,
Bengt

Hello Bengt,

Here's a few photos of Sigma 7 I have....hope these help. I have others mostly of the interior. If you require higher res versions over 2000px x3000px PM me and I'll email them to you.

Regards,

George

[Bengt Fredén]

Hello George,

Thank you so much for the photos - they display an unusual and exceptional clarity and resolution. They will be most valuable when detailing the Sigma 7 capsule.
It seems the paint testing panels were removed for evaluation after the flight but there are lots of other interesting details, for example the periscope hatch in the third photo, the internal details of the top of the recovery compartment, yaw and pitch thruster nozzles, the color and shape of the C and S band antennas, and last but not least, a very good shot of what the metal in the heat shield looks like after re-entry, after cleaning.

Thanks ever so much for sharing your fine photos.
By the way, George, your 1:60 scale LUT is an impressive and very realistic-looking project. I can´t wait to see a Saturn launcher next to it . . .

Best regards,
Bengt

[dhanners]

Are there any plans afoot to re-size the Mercury capsule, so it can fit atop Surfduke's Atlas?

[col. kurtz]

can anyone help ive started building bobs capsule made up the base and gone to fit it to the main body...the base is WAY too big for the capsule i printed the model on a single a4 sheet of card where have i gone wrong ?can someone help meout please

[airbob]

How much does it have to be reduced?.....you can just print it at a reduced size...or let me know what reduction you need and I will send you the reduced size plate! ....Bob out...

[col. kurtz]

well i dont know ... ve just tryed to fit the top to the body of the capsule thats too big too..what size did you print the parts on a4,or a3 can you let me know as what ive done is gonna have to scrapped..nto happy as i did all the detailing to it that bengt had plus cut out all the panels to mkae it more realistic

[airbob]

It was made to be printed on 8.5x 11 inch paper....

[col. kurtz]

thanks was that as a full page fax print or full page photo print ?