Sojourner 1/24

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Paper Kosmonaut

This was a quickie. Built in one day and with a busload of fun while doing it. I used Yogi's Mars Pathfinder Sojourner which I downscaled 50% to 1/24.
Did some tweaking to Yogi's basic design which was already very good but needed some more detail in what I wanted to make of it.

The solar panels were replaced with a piece of metallic blue paper which I carefully carved to get some detail back of the individual solar cells.
The body was covered in gold chocolate wrapper.
The rear instrument box also was covered thus, leaving the JPL logo free.
 
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Paper Kosmonaut

Next came the wheels. I used Yogi's wheels for measurements but because I wanted the wheels to be more realistic (the rim has a bit of a recessed shape) I punched out little circles to make the rims. I rolled them in the strips of silvery paper I used for the tyres. The surface got a little more detail by softly carving lines in it which were accentuated with a brown pencil. The result was very satisfying.

Then the suspension was cut out. A little difficult in this scale but I managed. didn't even need the back-up printout I made.
 
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Paper Kosmonaut

Okay, the end result of this build was a very small cute Sojourner rover which was begging for a more suitable surrounding.

So I used a part of a leftover ceiling board from a standard system ceiling like ones in office buildings. This one had a nice grainy plaster topcoat and a paper fibre underlayer. I carved some tyre tracks in it and smeared the whole of the board with white glue. (nice....) Kitty litter provided the rocky surface.
 
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Paper Kosmonaut

Well, after some painting with airbrush mixed with some white glue to strengthen the kitty litter rocks I came up with a nice Marsian surface for Sojourner.

The pics might seem a little too red but the topshot gives more of the right colour tones I used. (btw - I am a bit colourblind... :mrgreen:)

The last one is definitely photographed on mars itself. Really. No Photoshop involved.
 
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Paper Kosmonaut

Thanks Mike. This was just a quickie though, for fast results and a very enjoyable afternoon.

Next there are theree options:

A. 1/96 N-1 - the Ralph Currell one (the 1/144 having stalled)
B. 1.48 Atlas 401 / LRO/LCROSS mission half scratched, payload by Yogi
C. 1/24 Voyager designed by Ton Nooteboom.

Still thinking. Bought an A2 green cutting mat today for €3. perhaps a sign I should get out my A3 copies of the N-1?
 
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WeeVikes

Member
Sep 6, 2007
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Miamisburg, Ohio, USA
I've only done a 1/240th N-1 that I designed and threw together as a flyer. I've yet to launch it. I need to build the big one someday. I encourage you to do the N-1! Man, think of the launch diorama you could come up with for that one... ;-)
 
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Paper Kosmonaut

Wow! Yeah! Like the second launch, for example, just at the moment when that lost screw in that fuel line hits the valve and all the engines shut down and the colossus is starting to fall back.... A couple of generals watching it from a distance. Some bitten-off nails on the concrete floor.
Hum.

There seem to be some serious straightening issues with the N1 as designed by Ralph Currell. Not that the kit is flawed, not at all, but getting all the stages exactly aligned seems to be a bit of a challenge.

Nevertheless, I have decided I am skipping the Atlas V 401 LRO/LCROSS for this moment, but I still am a bit tempted to take a go at the Voyager... Hmmmm.
*scratches chin*
 
ovation

ovation

Active Member
Jun 27, 2009
83
38
31
Another great looking model and great display base for it :thumb:

Ive done the N1 in 1/144 scale (stands next to my TV) I did use the truss parts but I glued them onto some clear plastic as I couldn't get them strong enough for the upper stages to rest onto,

If I remember the 1'st stage and engines took many many many hours :mrgreen:

JJ-UK
 
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Paper Kosmonaut

Thanks for the kind comments, folks! I really do appreciate them!
A couple of months ago I have made the 1st stage of the N1 including the truss in 1/144. Building with doubled up 200 grams A4 paper sheets for the truss section made it sturdy enough. Still wanna finish that one, but the 1/96 version lures. First now I am working on another project that came up out of the blue.
I'll place the pics when ready or take a look at our dear neighbours' site.

After that, well, who knows? :mrgreen:
 
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Paper Kosmonaut

Thanks for the compliment. For now they're in my house, all together in one room. With two young playful cats in my house it's not a good idea to put them all over the living room on bookshelves.

In fact, I sometimes do think about donating a couple of them to the astronomy faculty of the university in my city. For the time being I still have some place in my 'Raketenbauplatz'* as I have come to call my hobby room. Just a simple sturdy swedish shelve system. Space is getting more and more scarce since I started using picture frames for a display base. The static rocketry stuff doesn't take that much room, though.
When it's full, I start donating. Two pics of part of the collection for you here.

*yeah, that's German and I'm Dutch. It just sounds way cooler and has a nice 'pioneering thirties' feel..
 
Greenman

Greenman

New Member
Nov 12, 2008
57
1
6
Salt Lake City,Utah.
You could start your own museum!:thumb: Very impressive collection!

I like the assembly/launch structure you have around the Juno rocket. Is that Explorer 1? Where did you find that tower? Did you scratch build that?
 
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Paper Kosmonaut

Even though my preference today is paper, I have built some styrene models (in fact, I have some nice ones still waiting for assembly) so some of what you see here is styrene. Like the Revell 1/96 Saturn, the 1/110 Revell Jupiter-C / Juno and the 1/25 Vostok. The latter is the East-German kit which itself was really crude and missed a lot of details. 80% of it is scratched. I built a complete new interior. (You can see some pictures here, this is a papercaft forum, after all... )
 
Greenman

Greenman

New Member
Nov 12, 2008
57
1
6
Salt Lake City,Utah.
Thanks for sharing those pix. I'm in awe of your talent- very impressed. I have some resin kits of Vostok and Voskhod from Real Space Models waiting to be built, though I'll never be able to match your level of realism with my builds. I'm greatful to have the opportunity to communicate with and learn from craftsmen of your caliber through this forum.
 
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Paper Kosmonaut

*blush*
I never considered myself a very skilled builder. I just do it for fun, a bit of messing around with the stuff - and I really am not just trying to keep up a modest appearance here. So I really do appreciate your comment.
 
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epper

New Member
Jul 21, 2009
2
0
1
Awesome work. I see the N1 first stage on the top shelf in the first picture. You have gotten yours farther along than mine. Keep up the great work. Imind if I borrow some of your display ideas?:mrgreen: Mike
 
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