Delta 7 Studios' 1/24 scale card kit
Gemini VII

by David Hanners
 

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GEMINI VII

1/24th scale, 65-lb. card, Mylar and foil kit: Delta 7 Studios ( http://www.delta7studios.com )

This is the Delta 7 Studios model of Gemini VII, with several modifications.

The model is one of several that comes on the company's "Project Gemini" CD. While the stock kit is very good, goes together easily (even for the novice card modeler) and builds into a fine model, I wanted to add some detail. I built the model with a number of modifications aimed at enhancing accuracy and providing additional strength to the model.

The modifications/enhancements include:

Nose

Detail for the radar and UHF antennas, cabling and panels were added to the nose to make it three-dimensional. Card was used, except for the gold-colored circle (I guess it is some antenna?) which is gold foil.

Capsule

• The raised portions adjacent to the hinge-line sills of the hatches (I have no idea what the raised portions are called, or what they are for, but you can see them in reference photos) were added from laminated card stock.

• The window insets were altered to make construction easier.

• Thin strips of wood cut from coffee stirring sticks were glued to the inner surface of the capsule to provide additional strength and insure the surface remained straight.

• Disks cut from heavy card were glued fore and aft to provide added strength and to insure the capsule maintained circular cross-sections.

Retro/Equipment Section Modules

• Additional raised panel detail was added, as per reference photos.

• The raised circumferential bands at the front and rear of the modules were added with thin strips of white and gray card, while sections cut from extra printouts of the stock Delta 7 Studios pieces were used for the circumferential band that separates the Retro and Equipment Section modules.

• The pop-up experiments, included on the "Project Gemini" CD, were added.

• The red strap fairings were scratchbuilt with additional detail. The top and bottom thrusters were shortened to give them a more accurate profile.

• The rear thrusters were scratchbuilt.

• Additional detail -- in the form of inset boxes -- was added to the rear.

• Gold Mylar from a helium balloon was used to replicate the thermal blanketing that covers the rear of the Equipment Section.

• Thin strips of gold BareMetal Foil were used to represent the covering between the sections of Mylar.

• The "floating" pieces of thermal blanketing (strips torn free when the Gemini spacecraft separated from the upper stage of the Titan II rocket) were made by laying a piece of double-sided tape on the backside of a piece of gold foil from a candy wrapper, then folding the foil over onto itself, producing a piece that has two gold sides. The piece was then cut into thin strips, twisted and shaped; the tape helps them keep their shape. They were affixed to the rear thermal blankets with thin strips of tape.
   

Click the thumbnails below to view larger images: 

Model, Images and Text Copyright © 2004 by David Hanners
except background to title composite from NASA website (NASA image reference ISS002-E-6200)
Composite image by Brett Green
Page Created 02 November, 2004
Last Updated 02 November, 2004

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