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Paper models, photos and musings of a Paper Kosmonaut

11 January 2013

Mir 1/400 [11]

We're slowly getting there. Kvant 2 is now finished and attached to the rest of the cluster of dragonflies. 

Some more pictures and commentaries after the jump.

As usual the TKS module starts with a series of small rolled-up paper parts. Rolled around a brass tube to let them easily align with the rest of the modules.
The top of the smallest cylinder was sanded to get the cone shape.


Then some detailing. All modules have these nice bunch of greeblies on their hull. I imitate them using silicate balls and use a dab of paint to get it all into the right colour.

The backside here. (TKS modules docked with the rear end to the central node.) A tiny silver paper circle serves as docking collar and a bended piece of a staple with the head of a sewing pin acts as the Lyappa arm (or the KURS- radar dish. You decide. The Lyappa arm was retracted after use, so it might as well be the radar. it looks nice anyway.)   

Almost there. RCS thrusters and orbital manoeuvring engines are in place. Now it needs to get some wings.

There then. The fogging is actually a reflection of the light in the superglue I used to reinforce the central beam of the solar panel. There was a layer of clear gloss paint added later to camouflage the glue and to give both side of the panels a little shine.  
Both panels were cut into the sections they have in reality. The panels in fact are not all straight and level. Some segments have a slight angle compared with their neighbours. 

Almost there. Here Kvant-2 is added to the Mir structure. From left to right you can see Kvant-1, the Mir core module, and then clockwise, starting up: Kvant-2, Kristall and downward is the ill-fated Spektr module.   

View from the rear side of Kvant-1 alongside the Mir core module. Spektr now is pointing up.

All happy little solar panels. Note the shine in the two segments on the left.

And another nice shot of Mir over the looooong solar panel of Kvant-1 towards the forward end of the station. It now still needs some small details, most importantly the Strela arms. These arms were simple telescopic booms that were attached to the core module. They could extend to the top of Kvant-2 to help the cosmonauts that went outside to do a spacewalk to go to another part of the station really quick and effortlessly. The booms could rotate and put the spacewalkers anywhere on all of the modules.

There still needs to be a Soyuz added to Kvant-1 and then it's time for Atlantis.

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