Posts: 1031
From: New Jersey, USA
Registered: Mar 2010

posted 09-23-2011 02:29 PM               

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Today I bought an Academy Plastics Shuttle with external tank (ET) and base. It is from 1986 but the directions say to paint the ET white. It also comes with the choice for the Endeavour name choice.

Should I try to paint it red or just paint it white? Also why does it give me the Endeavour option if it was made in 1986?

Posts: 2272
From: Bellevue, NE, USA
Registered: Aug 2007

posted 09-23-2011 04:07 PM               

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Weird. Sounds like you got the 1/288 scale kit and the reason for the date discrepency is the kit was originally issued about 1985-86, but it had a change made to the decals in the late 1990s and the box and instructions were not changed to reflect that.

The only white tanks used were for STS-1 and 2. The Academy kit was a copy of the Union 1/288 shuttle kits and those were done in the very early days of shuttle. So, somebody kept that color in the instructions. That is all. The tanks were burnt orange to brownish in shade otherwise (and as to the exact coloring, that will depend on the mission). For an exact color, get a photo of a shuttle mission and match to that as the color is a moving target since the ET foam darkens due to UV light exposure. Essentially, it gets a sun tan.

Posts: 1031
From: New Jersey, USA
Registered: Mar 2010