XV-3 MOON SHUTTLE



I usually incorporate household items and disparate elements into my modelling and, most of the time, they seem to fit right in. In the case of the Moon Shuttle, just about everything is junk in some form or another! The original idea, one lazy Saturday afternoon, was to use some bits and pieces to create a satellite/probe affair, the kind that you see in some Gerry Anderson shows, just drifting through space, accompanied by eerie, electronic sound effects. This was a challenge to myself - build something completely from random bits and pieces and, although not overly happy with the colour scheme, I think it turned out okay.

Now, some people collect stamps, some gather books, others squirrel away stones and gems. Me? I have large, 44 litre capacity containers of......, well just about everything. There are lids from shampoo bottles, clear chocolate boxes, lengths of plastic and cardboard tubing, disposable wine glasses - you name it and it's probably there. I keep getting told by my partner that, instead of amassing more items, I should use up some of the ones I already store in my shed. Well, this model uses a few of the thousands of pieces that will, someday in the distant years to come, become all manner of futuristic buildings and spacecraft.

I laid out a few parts on the floor of my shed and "fiddled around" with testfitting some together. I enjoy this aspect immensely as it almost appears, to the casual observer, that I know exactly what I'm doing.
 

The basic shape consists of the following items - a shower soap container that reminded me of 2001's Aries 1B, a mosquito repellent cannister for burning insect candles in, a couple of cloth/yarn spindles, an upside down potplant base and, as a definite nod to one of cinema's greatest SF films, a couple of medicine cups for the engine shrouds which look suspiciously like those on the Discovery.

I needed a strong base to support the completed model so I utilised a large piece of pine and some lengths of brass tubing which would telescope into each other. One section was firmly glued to the model, while the other was placed into the timber base.

For the fuel tanks, I located a whole collection of children's sweets containers (yes, I do horde these too) and proceeded to add them to the hull. Since most spacecraft I've seen in films have some kind of antenna array, it seemed only right that I create one too, this time from the base of a plastic wine glass and strips of Evergreen. The pair of engine shrouds were similarly detailed with Evergreen strip, along with a few selected kit parts.

The tops from plastic sweets containers that you get from supermarket vending machines became additional detail to the rear areas and even a few Bic disposable razorblade covers found their way in as well.

                                                                                                           

                                                                                       

After spraying with primer the ship began to come together. The fuel tanks were sprayed separately, as were additional add-ons to the hull. For the colours I chose a couple already in stock - not my first choices but the ship had cost me virtually nothing so far and I didn't want to break that trend. Additional detailing was carried out in my usual fashion - pen lines, pinstriping tape and a light weathering of all areas. Am I happy with the completed model? Yes and no. Some aspects are pleasing, others show a distinct laziness on my part. All in all, it looks okay and cost nearly nothing so, in that regard, I should be content.