Hotol, Dyna Soar, X-15 and X-33...

[Archibald]

Here's some space planes models build along the years.

HOTOL
Well-known british spaceplane of the 80's (it was to use air liquefaction to fuel a cryogenic rocket engine... no LOX tanks, which mean a much lighter spacecraft).


Americans X-planes
X-15
X-20 Dyna soar (launched by a conventional rocket)
X-33 (ultra light composite  tanks, low-consumption Aerospike rocket motor mean  single stage to orbit... but the tanks failed, and the project sunk).


X-33


a part from Hotol and its fellows, I also have a 1/144 space shuttle (it was the Columbia   ) (given by my uncle which introduced me to modelism when I was kid.

I found another 1/144 shutttle in the stash, to be changed into an "ESS" or Evolved Space Shuttle.
This mean no damned SRBs, a recoverable flyback booster which allow the SSME to be light only 2 minutes after take off (not AT take off).
Not using the SSME for take off mean relying on the flyback booster of course, but also that you have a much smaller external tank (I red once that the Shuttle burned HALF OF IT FUEL just to reach... mach 1.5 after take off ).

I plan to built a standard orbiter, then the external tank. After that, I'll cut a big section of the tank and glue the orbiter on it.
After that, I'll build a flyback booster (using bits of the external tanks and SRBs). this would be fixed behind the external tank.
a much different space Shuttle, less dangerous and much more efficient.
Well this is a long haul project but I've the Revell shuttle to do it, so maybe one day...
B)

[Hobbes]

Have you seen this news?

[Rafael]

Archi, They're Stunning, gorgeous!!! and there is no better place for a sampoo botle cap than on the fiery end of an aerospace plane. That's what god made them for, in the first place.

Very Creative work, Archi, ¡¡¡Mon Dieu!!!

The admiro, hermanito,

Rafa.

[Brian da Basher]

Wow Archie those are some wonderful builds! I really like your HOTOL. I don't know how you do it but you seem to top yourself with each new post.

Brian da Basher

[Archibald]

This Hotol is basically a long cone of paper with wings made from cardboard (so is the air intake). Rocket exhausts are wheels from a Majorette toy car, air breathing engines are cap from strong glue tubes.
Undercarriage come from the Mirage IV (which gave its wings to the Mega Mirage)

I like modelling from paper and carboard, even if the resultings models are very unequals in quality (some atempts are good, but I've got a huge pile of failed atempts )
The Dyna soar is also made from cardboard, paper and tape, as the X-33.

I'm 24 years old which mean that I was born in the early 80's.
When I was kid, I red many books about space. At the time, they always concluded that the future of spaceflight lied in Hermes, HOTOL, or the X-30 Orient Express... happy times, despite the Challenger disaster...

[Tophe]

I love your Dinosaure, uh Dyna Soar, almost twin-boom  

[Archibald]

Twina Soar, tophe ?
au fait, have you ever think about "zwilling" space planes (such as Hotol, dyna soar, or the Shuttle ? )

Hmmm Zwilling Shuttle    

[Rafael]

Hola Archi, I didn't know you had it in you!!!!

The cardboard Force is strong whithin you, my Padawan!!!!

Those are excellent cardboard confections, i am learning sooo much!!!

Excelentes ejemplares.
Rafa

[John Howling Mouse]

Just how long is that fantastic HOTOL, Archibald?

[AeroplaneDriver]

I am in awe of what you produce using paper, card, and tape!  Simply stunning.    

[BlackOps]

Archibald, I think you have taken the lead in the space race

Nice work.

[Archibald]

Thanks for the cheers comments! I hope to do this evolved shuttle one day  
If someone want to understand how the shuttle ended in the disaster we know today, good website here (Markus Lindroos)

http://www.abo.fi/~mlindroo/SpaceLVs/Slides/index.htm

I found it four ears ago, seeking what the shuttle look like at the beginning, circa 1969...  

[elmayerle]

Thanks for the cheers comments! I hope to do this evolved shuttle one day 
If someone want to understand how the shuttle ended in the disaster we know today, good website here (Markus Lindroos)

http://www.abo.fi/~mlindroo/SpaceLVs/Slides/index.htm

I found it four ears ago, seeking what the shuttle look like at the beginning, circa 1969...

Actually, I saw enough of the evolution.  My alma mater had the nearest large low-speed wind tunnel to JSC and we did a lot of the low-speed tunnel testing.  As a result, I saw the design evolve from the straight wings and tail surfaces of the 1969 NAA "DC-3" proposal through a pure-delta wing to the configuration we have today.

Edit:  The pure delta was tested for four underwing jet engines for self-ferry purposes.  As a grin, the model makers added fuel designations to the four positions:
Position 1 - JP4
Position 2 - 80/87
Position 3 - Coal Oil
Position 4 -  Wisconsin MIlk

The last, of course, was a dig at the Honorable (sic) Senator from Wisconsin, William Proxmire (well, comparatively honorable, I always did think more highly of him that his representative counterpart, Les Aspin - and, yes, there are some strong reasons I feel that way) who so mucked up the development process.

[Archibald]

This is exactly for this kind of comments that we need you here, Elmayerle!    

[ysi_maniac]

I like them    
BTW, that note about Mermoz? Do you have a model of Arc en ciel?