Alright LIS fans, back with the next installment after some issues with the astrogator sent us
somewhere Doctor Smith thought would be nice to visit... not sure I believe him but... anyway, here we go...
The astrogator was redone to be more accurate to the filming miniature.
The original clear dome was cracked, and since I couldn't get a replacement from Polar Lights, I had a new one printed for me by meatloafr over on AST.
He sent me several to practice on as I needed to finish the curing, sanding, and polishing steps.
Not the greatest photo but I'll get a better picture once I'm done retouching the paint:
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Jupiter 2 - Rework- Astrogator Reworked Parts by Steve J, on Flickr
I added a second ring between the ribs and the base ring using .015 thick styrene sheet trimmed to a width of 2 mm.
I then hand brushed the rings and a few other areas with thick grey primer:
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Jupiter 2 - Rework- Astrogator Base Rings Primed by Steve J, on Flickr
I brushed most of the astrogator with a mix of Testors Flat Tan and Light Ivory enamels.
Once it's dry I'll paint over the upper base ring with Light Ivory:
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Jupiter 2 - Rework- Astrogator Base Rings Painted by Steve J, on Flickr
Raw materials...
The circular, white course adjustment ring (with black hashmarks) that sits just inside the clear astrogator dome
was made from a promotional flexible clear plastic ruler and magnifier I'd had in my stash for years.
I found out that Doctor Smith had used a magnet to drag this ring sideways to a new location thus altering the Jupiter 2's course:
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Jupiter 2 - Rework- Astrogator Nav Ring Material by Steve J, on Flickr
Not sure what this was called but there's a photo I have of Will adjusting
some knobs and looking into the visor of what I'd call a stereoscopic viewing scanner.
It's located in the station to the left of the upper deck main hatch, right of the flight deck windows.
I find making a pencil sketch can help to familiarize me with an objects shape before I attempt to construct it in plastic:
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Jupiter 2 - Rework- Long Range Viewer Sketch by Steve J, on Flickr
From sketch to plastic...
Pretty happy with how this turned out.
The long range telescope/viewer is made from 12 tiny parts glued together with tiny drops of CA.
It was base painted black then silver using enamels.
The black knobs and visor need a little touching up with the black. I may also paint the base section steel:
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Jupiter 2 - Rework- Long Range Viewer Silver Basecoat by Steve J, on Flickr
On to installation...
A hole was drilled using a pinvise into the slanted face of the main communication console to the right of the main view port.
Then I clipped off all but an eighth inch the piano wire embedded in the underside of the Viewer and glued it into the hole with CA:
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Jupiter 2 - Rework- Long Range Viewer Installed by Steve J, on Flickr
Just a few small touch ups to do and this station will be finished.
I still need to add red and green dots to some buttons on the long range viewer too:
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Jupiter 2 - Rework- Communication Station Decaled by Steve J, on Flickr
Just for a strength check, I assembled the decks inside the hull and held it up about 5 feet off the floor to give the complete model a shake.
The four rare earth magnets holding the upper and lower hull halves together held firmly which was a relief.
Actually, I was 99% sure they would hold but... you never know for sure unless you test it.
The final test, after I finish the lighting, will include at least one, more likely two, 9 volt batteries.
So ... I'm hopeful the magnets will still hold:
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Jupiter 2 - Rework- Magnet Strength Test by Steve J, on Flickr
Back soon with more work on the lower deck observation station with it's large viewport and cover.
