Finish on MR

[jeffyjeep]

How were the REAL Mercury Redstone rockets finished? Glossy? Flat?
(I would assume flat-ish.)
Specifically Sheppard's Freedom 7 booster, capsule and LES.

Thanks!

[LeeR]

I think everything had a flat finish on the Mercury Redstone. I've been to Kennedy and Johnson Space Centers, and all rockets on display were flat, (as near as I can recall). And, a glossy finish would be tough to maintain on outdoor displays.

The only glossy finishes I've ever seen on military aircraft were demo aircraft like the Blue Angels. Anything else is usually good old flat. Flat finishes do not stand out as much, reflect as much light, etc.

[stantonjtroy]

They were shot with gloss enamel howerever the level of gloss in those older paints wasn't very high. Not like a current Gloss. They Oxidized quickly and over the years the display rockets shifted to a flatter finish. A semi gloss finish on a model should look convincing.

[jharding58]

I usually go with the satin clear coat. Gloss looks a little too shiny (besides, the original booster at launch had tape marks all over the instrument section). Single use military hardware is painted cheaply and gloss paint was too expensive to waste. You could always go with the white overspray on the booster to simulate icing ;)

[GregGleason]

I would go with something between semi-gloss and flat.

I think that would hold true of any manned-spacecraft that NASA launched, except Mercury Atlas. :cool:

Greg

[barone]

The Estes instructions for the 1921 kit calls out gloss.

[jeffyjeep]

Thanks guys. That's very helpful.

Jeff

[GregGleason]

This is one of the best pics of a Merc Redstone (astrochimp Ham) at launch. Notice the glare off of the capsule, and spots where the sunlight catches part of the frame work of the escape structure. The access panel colors on some area of the roll pattern below the capsule are different than what was on MR-7 and MR-8.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e9/Ham_Launch_-_GPN-2000-001007_%28cropped%29.jpg

Greg