The 3D model helps a lot in finding 'buggy' parts, and instead of updating the masterplan in Corel we started to transfer the whole master plan into Rhino and will derieve the parts from it.
2005.12.11
Precise
3D model of the
Crawler Transporter
Starting with the building instructions for the Crawler kit, a precise 3D model of the Crawler transporter has been developed using Rhino 3D.
The original drawings were made with CorelDraw 12 and CorelDesigner 12, and the import procedure turned out to be a big problem until we found out that using the DXF format for transfer was a much better option.
Unfortunately it turns out that the whole model seems to be too big for Rhino's rendering capacity, however the chassis together with one truck is doable when setting the quality parameters to a low level.
We however will see when the whole masterplan has been reworked in Rhino, maybe then we can come up with some spectacular render pics.
2005.07.25
The Crawler Transporter 1/96 kit will be produced entirely in laser cut technique
Yesterday I had a meeting with Mr. Pleiner, who is a wellknown producer and also developer of papermodel kits in Germany. Also, he is the first one who started using the laser cut technology for paper model kits, and produces laser cutted addons for ship models like deck chairs or hand rails in 1/250 scale.
He brought me some
samples of his work, and what I saw is simply breathtaking - details down
to a width of 0,2mm (1/125 inch) are precisely cutted and show a perfect
finish. So, I can happily annouce that the Crawler kit will be produced,
and from what we know it will be the first papermodel kit in the world
that is entirely
laser cutted. The only downside is that the production costs are very
high - the laser cut solely will cost around 9,000 USD.
There will be much work in the ongoing months with a lot of prototyping and redesigning the kit, however we hope that we will be ready by the end of the year, so that it is a late, but not too late tribute to the 40th anniversary of the Crawler Transporter, the NASA's eldest piece of hardware, that is still in everyday use.
Again, thank you all
for your constant support !
Cyana
The cab features the original interior as it looked like back in 1969.
2006.05.01
A big 'Thank You' for all your interest !
In the last months I'm getting overwelmed with questions about the crawler kit. It is coming, and it is coming soon. The chassis has been finished for laser cut, after a test cut and test assembly it will be finalized for printing.
I cannot yet come up with pictures of the complete chassis because the assembly of the (hand cutted) prototype would take too much time, but here a few details:
The framework is also fully featured. Note that the Crawler comes in battleship grey as it was colored during the Apollo space program.
The water cooling radiator seen from behind. To give you an idea about its size - the height is 27 mm (about 1 inch), so it is actually smaller than in this picture.
The diagonal ventilating fan. It has the same height, and is smaller than in this picture. You see the inner face.
The outer face of the diagonal ventilating fan.
For those who can't wait to see the kit, or want to estimate its detail level - here you can download the back seat of the cab's interior and the front window wiper. Please keep in mind that the kit will be laser cutted - and now you know why ...
Cyana ;)
Here you see the propel motor together with the gearbox. To give you an idea about the size, a 2 Euro Cent coin is added.
You are looking at the outer side of the gearbox (the side that faces the belt)
2006.06.10
Final version of the truck's propel motor
One of the last 'white spots' of the Crawler Transporter has been cleared - the propel motor of the CT-trucks.
Due to the lack of sufficient drawings and also due to the fact that the motor was subject to several changes, tons of pictures were analyzed with Photo Modeler Pro 5, a professional photogrametry program.
The inner side, depicting part of the cabeling. Note that also the brake is fully featured.
Frontal view, showing details of the air filter and the brake.
And here we reveal the best kept secret of the Crawler - this is how the propel motor looks from behind.
The prototype is hand cutted, and consists of more than 100 parts.
enjoy - the kit
will come soon :)
Cyana
The walkway segment along the cab has been test built. To give you an idea about the size, a 2 Euro Cent coin is displayed, it has exactly the same size as a 1 US Cent coin. The prototype is handcutted.
2006.08.31
Prototyping of the walkway finished
Another big step towards the final kit has been made: the Crawler's walkway, a very complex and very visible structure; hence it was worked out as authentic as possible.
Although original drawings were available, they turned out to be not always correct. So again, tons of pictures were analyzed in addition.
There is a little fault with the prototype - when you take a closer look (click the images to enlarge) you'll see that the handrails are glued to the back of the columns. It was nearly impossible to cut the tiny holes that are on the front where the handrail should slip through by hand, however the laser cut solves this problem.
Inside view, showing details of support bars. The walkway's grid is made from transparent foil. The segment consists of over 70 parts, the whole walkway has over 1,000 parts.
Overview of the assembly of the cab's walkway segment, parts F6 and F7 are not built to allow the prototype to lay flat.
enjoy - the kit
will come soon :)
Cyana
View from below, showing details of support bars and the bottom frame.
2007.01.15
Test building the Chassis
It has been a while since the last update, however the work on the Crawler kit did not stop for a single day since then.
The bad news first: No laser cut for the moment. It has turned out too ambitious and too complicated to produce the entire kit with laser cut, the kit would have been very expensive, and also the production would have been very slow, maybe one or two kits per day.
Another big problem was the fact that the laser cutter cannot process full A3 size, so essential parts of the chassis had to be split into two or more parts, a fact I did not like from the start however was willing to accept for the comfort of a precut kit.
So - once more back to the drawing board - I don't want to count how often I've restarted the kit already - but now for the good news:
What you see here are the first 7 pages of the definite Crawler kit (A3 size), containing most of the parts for the chassis (click the pictures to enlarge). At the moment, the assembly of the chassis is tested to ensure all parts are there and their fitting is perfect. Also, it is important to test build the Crawler for the manuals.
The final version of the chassis, partially assembled. The fitting of the parts till now is perfect - Rhino really does a fantastic job. When you compare the final version with the previous prototype, you'll see that all known errors have been fixed, e.g. the longitudinal and diagonal bars are now boxes instead of i-beams, and the pipe tubes have their proper width that differs between the lateral and longitudinal tubes.
Testing the fitting of the cab's prototype.
enjoy - the kit
will come soon :)
Cyana
The corner structure now perfectly resembles the frames of the real Crawler.
2007.06.24
Test building the Truck
Again, it has been a while since the last update; meanwhile, I have finalized the kit for the Crawler's truck, it consists of 1,667 parts each coming on 3 and a half A3 pages.
After test-building the belt I decided to come up with a simplified version as well for you to choose.
While the original (now 'expert' - ) version above has individual cleats and hence looks very realistic, the simplified version comes with the belt in one piece and cleat attachements on each side. Although it has more parts now than the expert version, it is easier to build and should still look great, too. The test build of the final truck version is now ongoing, and will be reported here regulary.
enjoy ;)
Cyana
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