June 5, 2022
Description
This is a highly detailed model of Spacex's Starship launch tower and rocket mount, including detailed pulleys, mechanical "chopstick" arms, moving QD arms, the full OLM and other details.
As printed with my (amazing) Elegoo Saturn printer, parts like the chopsticks and the chopsticks carrier, fueling arms and QDs, pulleys, the winch, etc. all move and mechanically work like the real thing.
To be used with a 1:100 Starship model, Flaps, tiles, engines and covers included (though not the STLs for the body, it can be built to scale using a 4 inch ABS pipe segment, will save you a lot on printing costs and time, and is perfect for a 1:100 print, the nosecone is also missing, I turned one on a lathe but you might want to find a decent one in Thingiverse if you don't own a lathe).
It is designed to be printed on a high-resolution resin printer, on a filament printer most parts should be fine at 1:100 scale, though they might not mechanically work if printed with some printers due to the extreme accuracy needed for very small parts.
Included in the design are variations of some mechanical parts that are modified to use 3mm ball bearings for better movement.
Some parts are not included since they are easier to build using off the shelf objects. The most important parts you will need are:
4" ABS pipe for the Starship and booster bodies, 1.25" PVC pipe for the launch stand legs, a turned Delrin cone for the nosecone, and a wooden block as base for the tower. I may add modeled versions of some of these parts later. You will also need four 1m long wood, steel or aluminum rods 10mm in diameter, to fit inside the four columns of the tower. You will also need a 5mm x 5mm x 200mm metal or wood stick, to reinforce the top floor where the weigh of the pulley hangs. You could just leave this out if the tower will stand alone, but the tower has to support the starship's weigh, and neither resin nor filament are strong or stable enough to stay straight at these dimensions for too long.
If printed on a high resolution printer and assembled carefully, the following mechanical parts move realistically:
The winch rolls the cable, pulling it through the pulleys and lifting or lowering the chopsticks carrier.
The chopsticks open and close, making the hydraulic pistons extend and retract.
The Starship fueling arm retracts and comes into position with it's hydraulic piston and the QD arm terminal also swivels out of the way.
The QD arm starship holding articulated braces extend and retract with the sliding carriers under the arm terminal, and the arm extensions also open and close to grip the rocket. The balcones on top of the braces also move with then.
The booster hold down clamps open and close, and the 20 fuel arms for the exterior raptors engage with them.
The booster QD with its fueling pipe carriers extend and retract, and the QD hood lids open and close with it,
The Starship's ailerons move, and the grid fins rotate.
Note: I originally uploaded a mix of 1:1, 1:100 and 1:10 parts, but I have now resized all the parts to be 1:100, if I missed one please let me know ASAP and I will re-upload it at the right scale.
The print instructions are included with the print files.
Thank you for your patience!
License:
Creative Commons - Attribution