AMT Man in Space 1/200, Part 2

The filler dried and I sanded it down, smoothed it over and cleaned both the Redstone and the Atlas.  The gaps filled pretty well, especially for something of this scale; that is, the filler is not very evident.

Prepped and ready for primer.

I mounted the two models on brass rod for handling while I primed them.  I used a fine white surface primer and let that be the final coat for the white sections of the model.

Now, on to the Redstone.  I used a straight black for the control surface patterns and the capsule.  For some reason, though, the acrylics did not want to stick to the enamel primer.  I have used this primer before (Tamiya) with great results, so I'm not sure what was different this time.  In any event, I worked
through that issue and got the black laid down.  Only one coat needed.  My red modelling acrylic had

dried out, so I had to pull out the craft acrylic; lumpy with a terrible medium, but the escape tower was small, so the paint issues won't detract from the model.

Next the decals.  The decals in the kit are decent considering the scale and the age of the kit; I don't know if AMT reworked the decal sheet or not from the original specs.  The lettering of the "Unitied States" is a bit large, but not too noticeable.  

Thankfully, they provided a decal for the "checkerboard" pattern at the top of the booster; there is no way I would have been able to produce that pattern on a model of this scale.  They also provided a central black stripe and another for details around the circumference at the control surfaces (fins).

I used Micro Set setting solution to soften the decals, so they have better adhesion to the surface of the model.  The checkerboard wrapped nicely, but there was just enough of the transparent transport at the top of the decal that it interfered with the lip of joining of the booster to the capsule.  This caused the decal to wrap unevenly at the top.  A quick "trim in place" with a blade solved the issue; this has to be done fairly quickly because the setting solution softens the decal enough that it can easily be torn.  In this case, all ended well and the decal positioned almost perfectly.

The Mercury Redstone

The Atlas was simpler.  There was only the small mid section of exposed metal to paint.  It took about thirty minutes of web research to get a close delineation of where the top of the metal section began, but I think I've gotten it pretty close.  The capsule was a repeat of the Redstone's, so there were no surprises there.

Decals were also simpler.  Only the flag and US text on the capsule and the "United States" on the booster section.  All went on without issue.

The main engine nozzle was trimmed and drilled out to accommodate the brass mounting rod; it was painted separately and will be glued to the mounting rod when the model is put on it's final mount surface.

The Mercury Atlas