Next on the build, I opened the small zip-lock bag that contained the vernier motors for the Atlas. The above picture shows the parts from the bag. The instructions say to drill out the nozzles to make them look like real nozzles. I would have done that even if it wasn’t in the instructions but then I noticed a problem. There was a major bubble in one of the nozzles. This would make it very hard to drill a hole down the middle. I don’t have any way to clamp something that small in order to use my drill press. Drilling it by hand would be nearly impossible since the drill would follow the bubble as soon as drill bit hit it. Here is a photo of the nozzles.
So I turned to my scrap box. I keep a box of parts from kit leftovers and broken models. It took a while scrounging around the box, but I finally found two nozzles that fit the bill. I believe they are from a 1/48 scale Apollo model. I don’t know if they came from a LM or a SM since they use nozzles that are basically the same. You can see a comparison to the kit parts below.
They will still need to be drilled out a bit, but they should work well. I noticed when I tried to glue one of them to its housing part that the CA wouldn’t hold. I pulled the part off and cleaned the CA off of it and then noticed the paint. It appeared to be some enamel metallic paint. I looked through my various thinners and found an enamel thinner. I soaked the nozzles in it for several minutes. The old enamel finally started to come off.
I cleaned them up with a paper towel and a bit of alcohol and let them dry. This time the CA did it’s job and the nozzles are now glued in place.
I then sprayed them with primer. Now they are ready for paint.
That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in.
Luhman-ations 