1/144 Minicraft Space Shuttle

by Dan Jenkins

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Minicraft's 1/144 Endeavor converted to Columbia. I used Cutting Edge tile decals, Cutting Edge resin nozzles and Cutting Edge resin Columbia rudder camera pod. Photos of Columbia on the pad prior to the last launch showed extensive tile discoloration due to heat on the wings, rudder and belly tiles. I used pastels to simulate the heat damage. Styrene plastic was used to create the ribs on the liquid fuel tank.

Click on images below to see larger images

I built this model for a local show with a theme of 'American Heros.' I left off the wing chimes on Columbia in order to more closely match the look of Challenger - trying to honor both crews and vehicles in one model. Wooden dowels were pre-fitted through both solid boosters and covered with cotton fiber to simulate the solid booster exhaust. This was then tinted in clear yellow and red to simulate the color effect of the three liquid-fueled main engines on the white solid booster exhaust. Finally the dowels were set in a wooden base and the model slipped on the dowels. Mission patches from both Challenger and Columbia were attached to the base. 

This is my first submission to Steve's great site. Thanks for looking.

Dan

Photos and text © by Dan Jenkins