Instructions for the Discoverer Type II, Saturn-Class Spaceship. Card Board Model Scale: 1: 11,250, layout for A4 print. (It will fit on a 8 ½ by 11 sheet) What's needed other than fine tuned skills, time, a patient wife, all the lizards leashed up and the kids in bed? The following list is not complete, because well versed card board model builders have their own idea of what to use to build a model. You need or should have: A hobby knife, (surgical knife, even an Exacto knife might be okay) A steel ruler or a steel edged wooden ruler (metric or imperial, don't matter) Glue!!! (“UHU” All purpose glue, if you have good connections to Germany or paper glue that isn't too much water based, as it could quilt the cardboard, ruining your model. UHU Pritt stick is OUT !) What else? A cutting mat or what I use is a clear, glass, fridge crisper cover or a window pane, as long as it has a smooth surface. (If everything fails use the glass doors of your stereo rack, just make sure you clean it again after your done or else!) Scissors large and small for the long and tinier cuts. Make sure the scissors are SHARP! Some sort of grooving or creasing tool, knitting needle, back of a DULL knife, even shirt packaging needles work if used at an angle of about 20 to 45 degrees. (You don't want to scratch up the paper, just grove it for easier bending or folding) Now, the German instructions want you to go out, drive all over town and by a plastic sphere which can be taken apart into two semi-spheres. I don't think that's necessary, unless you want to use the individual semi-spheres to simulate an energy shield above the finished model later. Nevertheless, the diameter should be 16 cm (6 5/16th inches) Print out sheet 1 once and sheet 2 trice (I mean three times) Recommended card board stock should be 320 M, 80 lbs cover weight, about 11 points or one weight gauge lower. Everything below is too flimsy and everything heavier makes the model look awkward and the seams might not fit anymore because of “added” thickness. If you decide to use glossy cardboard, be advised that not all laser or ink jet printers support this type of material. If you use an Epson R 200 or R 300 Photo printer, set the media to CD print. All other printers: be careful as the glossy paper cannot take the usual ink spray amount and therefore produces smudgy images and wastes a lot of ink. (This covers Mic's Tech Tips for this month) The following instructions should be followed in sequence; however, you decide how you want to proceed, although it would be best to follow the instructions first time around. Caution : As you can see, there is not too much space in-between the A segments and in-between the B segments. Carefully and precisely cut out all parts. (I'd advice to cut them out in sequence as they are needed, less clutter on the table, plus if you need to make some groves, it is better to cut the parts out AFTER you grooved the lines that need grooving. It's a pain in the neck if you slip on an already cut out part, making the intended grove inaccurate and fitting becomes a nightmare.) Locate the line between the glue flaps and the “model area”. Use your ruler and your grooving / creasing tool and grove exactly on that line. These are folding lines and should be worked accurately. Round lines can be grooved along the edge of a water glass or simply free hand. It is suggested in the German original to even use the edge of the semi-spheres which you didn't buy because I said it's not needed.) If you do it free hand then take your time. Only apply enough pressure needed to put a nice groove into the card board. If a flap needs to be bent toward the back, it is a good idea to grove the line from the back of the card board; otherwise, the front (printed side) could break open, revealing an ugly white stripe as you assemble the model. Use a fine pencil and extend the grooving line into the free area of the sheet by ¼ inch or so. Use a thin needle and prick a hole through the paper, turn the paper around and put your ruler exactly on these pin holes, then grove the paper from the back. Sometimes this doesn't work out because of too many curves, then only a smaller ruler and patience will help or free hand grooving. Prepare ALL pages! Note: the sheets show a vertical line through the center of parts A, connecting to a small circle at the tapered end. DO NOT groove these lines; they were used as alignment markers when the model was drawn. Contrary to the German instruction, I'd suggest to cut out and assemble the parts for the stand first Parts H1 to H3 on all sheets. This provides you with a model scaffold / stand / pedestal on which the completed and assembled lower or upper semi-sphere can be placed, while you're working on the second semi-sphere. It is also helpful when assembling both semi-spheres to form the completed model. If you intend not to use the stand for display purposes and would rather suspend the model on a string from the ceiling then build the stand anyway for obvious handling reasons. I will tell you later what to do to make the model hang from the ceiling or Christmas Tree … Fig. 1. shows how to cut the top curvature of the stand by means of one of the plastic semi-spheres, using a cutting knife. However, that's not necessary. The construction of the model will proceed in quarter segments. Each quarter segment contains strips A1 to A6 and the stiffeners / jointers B. A semi-sphere will therefore need 12 (2 X A1 to A6) and 6 (2 X 3 B) segments. Sorry for the Algebra. Cut out the material needed to complete the first quarter. A1 to A6 and 3 strips B. You probably saw that you have two sets per page. One set is for the northern hemisphere the other set for the southern hemisphere. After you've cut the parts out, run the backside (unprinted) of the strips over the table edge to pre-form them. (just slightly, make sure they don't curl up) You can also run them between your thumb and index finger while applying a slight drag onto the paper as you pull the paper through your fingers. (Watch out there is a danger of receiving “paper cuts”, so, do it slowly, Mensch!)
Pre-align all odd strips: A1, A3 and A5 on top of strips B. Then glue Strips B underneath Strips A1, A3 and A5. Fig. 2. Bend the grooved flaps of strips B ever so slightly backward, so they are out of the way for fitting. (I hope you've also cut out the little triangles of the B strips so they look like some glorified saw blades. If not do it now, this is your last chance, but be careful not to cut into the A strips.) After the strips have dried, pre-bend them again as before by running them over a table edge or between your fingers.
If you would have bought the plastic sphere then you could have used the surface curvature as a guide, but it also works without the plastic stuff, trust me! Fig. 3. Now take strip A2 and attach it to the glue flaps of A1. The numbers are on the bottom! Glue the flaps step by step. Now align the two strips so that the edges are nicely coming together, there should not be any buckling and the seam should be smooth. Now attach the next strip A3 to A2, proceed the same way as before and follow the number sequence so it reads A1 to A6 at the bottom. Fig. 4. You have now completed a quarter segment of a hemisphere. Fig. 5. Now do the same with the next set of segments until you have finished 4 quarters. It's up to you if you want to continue and finish all the segments for both hemispheres, make sure however, not to get confused! I'd suggest completing one hemisphere first by assembling 4 quarters to one body! There will be a small hole at the top which will be closed later with Part C. This is the time to make a decision about the model if it should be standing on a desktop etc. or be suspended from the ceiling. If you chose the latter then get a string and a small screw nut, thread the string through the nut hole and tie a good knot or three. Now thread the string through the hole at the top of the hemisphere, poke a tiny hole into part C (provided it is cut out already) thread the string through part C and glue it as a cap onto the top of the upper hemisphere. Let it all dry thoroughly. Wind up the string; otherwise, it'll drive you nuts when proceeding with the model. See also Fig. 6. The next steps require all sheets, as necessary parts are scattered all over these sheets. Cut out parts D and assemble four of them to form a circle by means of using strips E. Strips E are glued underneath parts D and serve as jointers. Make sure that strips E are glued alongside the inner radius (inner edge) without protruding beyond the edges of parts D. This will leave ample space for the glue flaps of parts F and F1. Fig. 7. Do all the D and E parts to obtain TWO rings. Now take the upper hemisphere (the one with that string) and bend back the A flaps by 90 degrees and align them with the shaded flap-like depictions of one of the E-Rings. (The second ring will be used later.) Glue the ring to the hemisphere and let the parts dry. Fig. 8. Cut out and assemble parts F and G in the same manner as D and E. Align the conical ring F with ring E and glue the bent back flaps on to part E. Fig. 9. (Now your stand comes in handy by placing the hemisphere up-side-down on the stand. Eureka ! Hands-free operation!) Make sure NOT to align the seams exactly vertical, off set them by one flap step to the right or left for better stability. This will not affect the printed pattern flow as it is printed horizontally around the Ring Bulge. Cut out parts F1 and G1 and assemble them the same way, but leave the ends open. Align the open ring and off set the starting point once more by one step. Fold back the flaps and glue the ring to parts F. Now close the ring. Fig. 10. Align and attach the second ring D to the glue flaps of ring bulge segments F1. Fig. 11. Take your time! Let it dry! Now assemble the parts for the lower hemisphere (don't forget the C part!) and when this is done let it dry and then attach the hemisphere to the ring bulge as it was done with the upper one. That's it. Fig. 12. Ceiling suspension: After the model has dried, make a small loop into the string and attach the string with a thumb tack to the ceiling. The instructions in English, no pictures, are also available as free PDF version upon request at: Request me Critique: Being an experienced card board model builder (War ships like: Carrier Forrestal, Bismarck, Prinz Eugen, Scharnhorst, Sailing ships like: Gorch Fock, Planes like: F 104 Starfighter, Hustler, Phantom, Ships like: Bremen , Europa etc.) I would rate this model as easy to build. However, I would have chosen a consecutive numbering scheme instead of letters. The size of strips B could have been way narrower and devised differently. The lack of a landing gear puts a tear in my eye. Over all it is fun to build, fool proof. (Not damn fool proof, though. But you'll never be able to get that anyway) Being delivered as a PDF file, everybody can start over or even build his or her Solar Fleet ... oops LFT Fleet.
Thanks Marco, Raimund and Bollie, job well done!!!
Photos: Marco Scheloske Source: PMV http://www.perry-rhodan.net/aktuell/news/2005110401.html
Translation and extras: Michael Koeckritz
The model was constructed by Marco Scheloske and Raimund Peter in collaboration with Klaus Bollhöfener of VPM. |
