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Welcome to
Space In Miniature
My YouTube Channel
This is a reminder that I
regularly post short videos of my space modeling
projects on YouTube. These are mostly work in
progress videos so you can see how I build my
models. Most are only about five minutes long so
they won't eat up your entire day. These started
with the Buran series in early 2020, and there are
also my old Facebook videos on the Gemini series, as
well as building the Dragon 1/72 scale Apollo "Lunar
Approach" kit, and building a series of Space
Shuttle kits, including those featured in the new
update of SIM 3.1. In late 2024, I built another
detailed 1/48 Gemini model as a commission job, and
the process was covered in a series of short videos.
New SIM Book: Space In Miniature #10 -
Saturn V
The tenth
installment of
the Space In
Miniature
(SIM) series
of reference
booklets for
spacecraft
modelers is
now available.
This 61-page
soft-cover
booklet
describes the
Apollo
program’s
Saturn V moon
rocket
focusing on
the hardware
details most
important to
the scale
model builder.
Most of the
text was
written by
noted Saturn V
historian,
John Duncan,
with line
drawings
provided by
award-winning
modeler David
Weeks.
The book
breaks down
the rocket
into sections,
including the
rocket
engines, the
S-IC first
stage, the
S-II second
stage, the
S-IVB, and the
Apollo
spacecraft. An
historical
treatment is
included that
notes the
differences in
each flight
vehicle as
well as the
surviving
museum
exhibits. 136
photos and
drawings are
provided as
references for
the model
builder. These
cover rocket
stage surface
maps,
dimensioned
fairing
drawings,
photos of
flight
hardware, and
museum
displays.
The second
part of the
book offers a
comprehensive
kit list and
reviews of the
most commonly
available
Saturn V kits.
There are
several
in-depth build
articles,
explaining
with words and
photos how
experienced
model builders
have added
detail or
otherwise
enhanced their
projects.
This book is
printed with a
color cover
with black and
white interior
pages, using
coated paper,
and is
available both
as a hard copy
book as well
as a
full-color pdf
file. This
guidebook will
be an
indispensable
resource for
the serious
space modeler.
A hard copy of
SIM #10 -
Saturn V
sells for $12
plus shipping,
while a pdf
download costs
$10. A
combination
package of
both the hard
copy and
digital
version is
available for
only $15 plus
shipping. To
order, use the
order form here.
Note that
digital
downloads for
SIM #10 are
available now
(since
7/1/24). The
first batch of
orders
(thanks!) have
all been
shipped as of
Aug. 1. New
orders for
printed copies
will be
shipped in
late August as
I am still
doing some
summer travel.
New Rates
In early December 2024 I had a small number of
SIM 2 (Gemini)
and 4.1
(Soviet)
copies printed
at my local
Staples. The
price is now
up to 27 cents
per side, so I
had to raise
prices on
these two
photocopy
options. I
think I lost
money a recent
sale of Soviet Spacecraft. I really need to
update the SIM
2 Gemini book
and print some
good copies.
Resin Kits Presentation from 2024 IPMS
National Convention
I was able to attend the IPMS
Convention in
Madison,
Wisconsin in
July and I
spent a couple
of days at the
EAA AirVenture
in Oshkosh. I
gave a talk on
building resin
aircraft
models at the
IPMS Nats. You
can view that
presentation
at this
link.
Gemini Presentation from 2023 IPMS
National Convention
I was able to attend the IPMS National Convention
in San Marcos,
Texas last
summer. I gave
a talk on more
of my recent
builds of
proposed
Gemini
applications.
You can
download a
copy of that
presentation
at this
link.
SIM TR-6 U.S. Space Missiles
Back in 2022, Atlantis Models re-issued the old
Monogram "U.S.
Space
Missiles" kit.
The initial
version of
this kit came
out in 1958 as
the “United
States Missile
Arsenal” and
Monogram
updated it
with a
different mix
of 36 missile
subjects in
1969. This
release, the
1983 version,
and the recent
Atlantis
edition all
use the same
molds, with
slightly
different
instructions.
With the
Atlantis
Models release
in 2022 making
it readily
available
again, it
seemed like a
SIM Tech
Report
treatment
would be
popular. The
SIM Tech
Report is
based on a two-part kit review originally published in Plastic
Novelty Items
in 1984, a
publication of
the Chicago
Sprue
Stretchers
IPMS chapter.
The review covered the 1983 “Heritage Edition,”
with text by
Joe Suszynski
and drawings
by Jim
Griffiths.
After Joe
passed away
some years
ago, I
contacted Jim
and made
arrangements
to use their
work at some
future time.
That time has
come.
The SIM
version adds
up-to-date
drawings by
model rocketry
guru Peter
Alway (sample
below). Brian
Nicklas, my
buddy at the
National Air
and Space
Museum and
author of his
own book on US
missiles, also
made
contributions
to this book.
It is
available in
digital (pdf)
format only
for $10. There
are 57 pages
and 122
illustrations,
many in color,
resulting in a
178MB file. See
the book
page or main order
form to get your copy.
Another
Gemini Concept
Over
the last few years I have been researching and
building models of spacecraft concepts that involved
Gemini spacecraft. Back in the 1960s, it seems any
“future” space station had Geminis as logistics
vehicles. Of course, none ever got built. I documented
most of these in SIM 9 - Building Gemini.
But I keep finding more. The latest is a 1962 USAF
early space station concept called "Military Orbital
Development System” (MODS). I recently finished that
project, and as is my habit, I kept notes and took
photos. There is a video series on this as well on my
YouTube
channel. I don’t expect to publish this in
any SIM volumes, so I am offering the build article as
a free download. It's on the SIM 9
page on this website.
My interpretation of the USAF 1962
"Military
Orbital Development System” (MODS) space station
A Restored
1/10 Scale Mercury Model
Many years ago, I received a surplussed 1/10
scale Mercury
model that was
built by the
model shop at
McDonnell
Aircraft in
St. Louis. It
was pretty
beat up and
sat in a box
in my garage
for decades. I
finally
decided to fix
it up. You can
see the
results at this link.
SIM TR-5
Shuttle Payloads
I finally got around to wrapping up the leftover
files from the
SIM 3.1
Space Shuttle
book, the SIM
1.1 Primer
update, a few
articles from
my old column
in the
IPMS/USA Journal,
and some new
material from
my modeling
buddies (Jay
Chladek,
Gordon
Fesinger, Pete
Malaguti, and
Mike Eastman).
The result is
now available
as a pdf-only
volume in the
SIM Tech
Report series.
The
book is a mix
of detailed
build articles
(STS-41C),
background
material on
what
potentially
could be an
interesting
build (e.g.,
OAST-SAFE),
and a few
concepts that
were made into
kits but never
actually flew
(e.g., BESS).
I hope you
find the
results
entertaining
and
interesting.
It has 48
pages
including the
cover and
contents, with
130 color
photos and
detailed
illustrations.
The download
costs $10. See
the book page or main order form to get your copy.
This build of the Revell 1/144
Space Shuttle orbiter finished as Challenger with the
STS-41C Solar Max repair mission payload
(scratchbuilt) is covered in the new SIM TR-5 book.
SIM 6 Apollo
Command & Service Module
I had been running photocopies for several years
and realized
getting a
hundred copies
printed would
be cheaper
than the
photocopies.
So now you can
get nicely
printed hard
copies of this
book again,
with a price
of $12 plus
shipping.
There is no
change to the
contents, and
the digital
version is
still
available as
before.
SIM 3.1 Space Shuttle
After building out my stash of several Buran kits early
in 2020, the next logical project was to clear out my
Space Shuttle kits. I decided to build some and sell the
excess. As I had never done a detailed Orbiter model
with an open payload bay, that would create a great
opportunity to document that process and include it in
an update of SIM #3 - Space Shuttle. The original
edition of this booklet just had a single article (from
Dave Hanners) on building a 1/144th scale space shuttle
so for this update there are several more. I had long
ago built a 1/72 Monogram Orbiter as Columbia, a 1/144
full stack, an Enterprise on the 747 carrier, and even a
Shuttle-C. For this book, we’ve got an updated version
of Hanner’s article, my STS-79 Atlantis at Mir, a
detailed look at Dragon’s 1/144 Orbiter, and a 1/72
build essay from Jay Chladek. The result is a monster
book at 64 pages, even after deleting some material that
became obsolete or dated.
The updated book can be ordered at the order
form in a printed
or pdf format. A hard copy sells for $12
plus shipping, while a pdf download costs $10. A
combination package of both the hard copy and
digital version is available for only $15 plus
shipping. Note that I am only printing
200 copies to sell so don't be left behind.
Stuff for Sale
As of late 2020 I have decided to sell some of my
excess models
and
collectibles,
including some
models I have
built. See this page for what
I have
available, and
send me an
email to get a
list of the
books I have
for
sale. I
am also using
a Facebook
storefront to
promote these
sales. If you
got here by
that route,
send me an
email (see
bottom of this
page) with the
item(s) you
are interested
in. You may
also want to
check the linked page on this website, as it may
have items not
on Facebook.
Paper Models: KH-9 Hexagon
I've
always been
fascinated with
spy satellites,
and the
relationship to
the Gemini-B / MOL
program. So I have
developed a 1/48th
scale paper model
of the NRO's
Hexagon
spacecraft. It is
available as a
free download on
my paper model
page. There are
separate files for
the model and the
instructions.
The two
versions of the
Mars InSight
lander are the
only others
available right
now. One
version is a
simple version
suitable for
K-12 students.
Another has
more detail
(with smaller
parts,
trickier to
cut and
assemble) for
serious
hobbyists.
These models
are posted as
free
downloads, but
donations to
show
appreciation
are always
welcome.
Follow this
link for
my paper
models.
Updated SIM 7.1 - Lunar
Module
In
late 2019 I updated SIM 7, which was
originally issued in 2007 and never
updated. I was just about out of hard
copies of the original print run, and
there is interest in another edition. So I
took the opportunity to regenerate the
entire book in Apple's Pages software, as
it was originally made in the obsolete
Appleworks program. This allowed me to
create a color pdf version and add four
pages of updated kit reviews, including a
close look at the Apollo kits from Dragon.
I also found some errors in the Apollo 11
(LM-5) thermal blanket patterns, and those
will be corrected. Both the digital pdf
and hard copy (with color cover!) versions
are now available (as of the end of
January 2020).
SIM 9 - Building Gemini
It had been nine years since I put a new book out, and
I've been busy building a series of Gemini models. These include some
standard NASA versions as well as some proposed
Gemini variants that never made it off the drawing
board. I finally
finished the models early in 2019 and have now
completed writing up a description of how each
one was built. While there
already is a Gemini book in the Space in Miniature
series, SIM #3, that volume did not have any
detailed how-to articles. The results
are SIM 9 - Building Gemini, the longest
SIM book ever, at 72 pages (including covers).
It came out in November 2019 as both a hard copy
and color pdf. The book is loaded
with over 200 photos of work in progress of these
Gemini variants:
- Gemini
IV
- Gemini VII
- Gemini XI
with Agena
- Rogallo Wing
Capsule
- Manned
Orbiting Lab (MOL)
- Big G
- Winged Gemini
- Lunar Rescue
Gemini
- Gemini to
Mars
A
couple examples are shown in the photos below. On
the left is Gemini XI with an Agena and at right
is the Lunar Rescue Gemini, based on an old
McDonnell study. They actually built a small
cutaway model and while there are also some
drawings available, there are differences. I built
a version from their scale model finished as it
might appear on the Moon.
This book is printed in black
and white on coated paper, and is available both as
a hard copy book as well as a full-color pdf file.
The initial run of 200 copies sold out after about
18 months so I printed another 100 copies in
mid-2021. With increased printing costs and the
smaller run, I had to raise the price by a dollar. A
hard copy of SIM #9 - Building Gemini now
sells for $13 plus shipping, while a pdf download
still costs $10. A combination package of both the
hard copy and digital version is available for only
$15 plus shipping. Because of the page count and the
222 color photos embedded the pdf version is a very
large file. Therefore I am making available two
versions to accommodate user needs. One version has
the highest resolution photos and is a 787MB file.
The other version has slightly reduced resolution
(but still nice) photos and is a 113MB download.
Both are priced the same and customers can pick the
version they want.
$13.00
plus shipping for a hard copy (B&W)
$10.00
for a pdf digital download of a full color version
$15.00
plus shipping for both versions
See the order form
to purchase.
Model Gallery
Photos
of some of my builds can be found in the Model Gallery section
of this site. Also check my Facebook page for photos
of my latest model projects.
About SIM
I am a
(recently - fall 2018) retired engineer in the
aerospace industry, and my hobby interests are
centered around building scale models of real
spacecraft. This quickly gets into the history of
space, as there are few space kits out there and
much research is required to come up with the plans
and data needed to scratchbuild accurate spacecraft
models. This activity led me to publish the results
of some of my research in the form of 40-page
monographs (magazines or booklets, I guess) on how
to build accurate models of real spacecraft. I also
have this internet site to augment those paper
publications. The book series is called Space in Miniature
(SIM). Click here
for more info or use the links at left. This web site was
established in the summer of 1999 to solicit inputs
on the Mercury volume. I used this web site to
post preliminary findings and to get feedback from
other researchers. This has worked out great, and I
appreciate hearing from so many of you.
You can also keep up with me on Facebook.
Thanks for your interest,
Mike Mackowski
Credit Cards Accepted via PayPal
You can purchase books using your credit card via my
PayPal account. While I prefer checks (PayPal gets
92 cents for every copy of SIM #6 I sell using their
service) this should make ordering simpler for you,
particularly international customers. |
![[SIM logo]](images/logo2.jpg){kind=logo}
