AlphaMensae

@Nittany Tiger The large version of the base I made should be able to handle most if not all real-scale rockets. There will also be upzised versions of the tower sections. Speaking of which, got the "regular" (size 2) tower sections done: There will also be a straight-sided base section (has the elevator and generator) and a shorter angled base for additional options. Plus the crew-access and roof/crane mount 1X sections. Oh yeah, what do about large side-booster rockets has crossed my mind. I'll probably will make the "empty" flame hole rectangular in shape, and provide additional inserts for side-booster rockets, and alter the square inserts to fit in the new flame hole. There will also be gray versions of all the tower sections. Which might also mean making a shuttle-style RSS add-on.

Simply put, you can't. The green is Soyuz green, and looks much like the gray-green color the Soyuz booster is painted.

And with some rescaling via MODEL {} and a bit of Unity editing (moving some of the footing beams), I made the large version of the launcher base: It's shown with a 10m-wide version of my S-IC (only changed the diameter to keep the bottom node in place). This should handle most real-scale rockets; will probably also make a version with a rectangular flame hole to handle rockets with large side boosters.

@Nittany Tiger and others. Good time to announce this: I'm going to make an alternate version with a modular tower (different height sections) and a second, larger base. It'll probably be a new, separate release, as I'm going to include my Soyuz pad as well in a launch pad pack. I've already made the hold-down arms separate parts with an animated retraction like the tail service masts. I'll also make an insert part for the flame hole to make it work better with smaller rockets. The elevator will be in the tower base section, and I'll include the deploy-limit setting so the elevator can stop at the desired height. The crew-access floor will be its own section so it can be placed at the appropriate spot I'll have to test out sizes for the bigger base, it might have to be wide enough to completely cover the launch pad and have the support legs sit on the ground.

Dev progress update! Not dead, just have been doing a lot of detail work to both both the Saturn V stages and the Mobile Launcher Among the Saturn V details, umbilical plates have been added to the various stages of the Saturn V, as well as the Service Module. I used a single generalized design for all of them, just at different sizes, plus a "hole" plate for large pipe inlets. I also revised many of the swing arms, mainly at the umbilical connector end and placement of pipes/hoses. Service Module (arms have been moved out a bit to show the plate, which is completely covered by the arm's umbilical connector(s) ): S-IVB Forward and SLA/LM: S-IVB Aft and S-II Forward: S-II Intermediate and Aft, and S-IC Forward (S-II Aft arm was just for access, had no umbilical, just work platforms): S-IC Aft: How the arms normally look: For the Mobile Launcher, the crew floor of the tower has gotten full collider coverage, so Kerbals can walk around the whole level. Railings with colldiers have been put in as well: Railings have been added to the launcher base as well: And the final big thing, as a part of testing for a modular stand-alone version of the mobile launcher, separate animated hold-down arms: Like the swing arms and tail service masts, the arm retraction and blast cover closing are done via a Unity animation, so they have to be added to a "Launch" action group that has the launcher base decouple, the five swing arms that retract at liftoff, and the tail service masts. They worked well enough that I will include them in the Simple Overhaul version of the mobile launcher.

Thanks, @Z3R0_0NL1N3! Nope, no violent sway when the rocket is decoupled. One, the launcher base has a mass of 2000t; that may not be realistic, but it does keep it on the ground without moving, especially when the F-1s are started. Two, there is 0 force on the decouple action, all the separation is done by the thrust of the engines Like other things related to this, I have thought about a shuttle version of the Saturn mobile launcher. Another future project. once I get done with the Mercury-Gemini-Apollo-Skylab era of NASA. And I actually have given some thought to a crawler, and should be doable. The top part, upon which the mobile launcher with Saturn V sits, could be made a separate part and hinged; airbreaks or a custom part with similar action could be used to keep it level as the crawler climbs up the pad (like the real one did). Animated pistons could be used to lower the mobile launcher to the ground (it does have the support legs already attached) and allow the crawler to move away. Nothing serious yet, just ideas.

@Puggonaut Excellent!

They shouldn't affect the scale if they're just textures

@Abpilot Just use BDB as-is without any scale-changing or RO .cfgs or such. The picture I have at the top of the OP, that's the default "out of the box" BDB Saturn V, i.e. just copied out of the .zip and put into Gamedata.

@Abpilot Yeah, the my mobile launcher isn't meant for a real-scale Saturn V (way too big), just ones at 64% scale (which is what mine is, coming soon) or a little less, like the BDB one (both default and using the rescale .cfg in BDB Extras). It is important to note that the launcher was designed as part of my Simple Overhaul project to work with the Saturn V that will be part of it. I only made this standalone version configured for the BDB Saturn V since it worked better than I thought it would, only needing some minor adjustements and tweaks, and since BDB is pretty well-established by now, I felt that its Saturn V needed a mobile launcher. Now, a real-scale Saturn V won't fit, but smaller rockets at real-scale should...if look a little weird. Think Falcon 9, Atlas V, etc.. I'll be remaking my Saturn IB next....along with the milkstool. When that is done, I'll add the remade milkstool to the standalone mobile launcher.

Yeah, it would be really cool to have the crawler, but it isn't needed right now, so that's why it's a future project. Also, you'd either have to spawn it from the SPH, which would be real silly, or launch it from the VAB....then use VesselMover to put it close to the VAB...then have it move back to the pad. Takes away some of the effect, and also why it's a future project.

Oh, I have thought about adding the crawler....but that's for much later

Updated the OP with a note on Kerbal Joint Reinforcement being recommended with this, as the launcher parts were developed and tested with KJR installed. I make no guarantees or that they will work with the stock autostrutting.

Oh crap...I'll get that fixed Ok, fixed version has been uploaded to Spacedock It was a silly error, forgot to zip the whole folder, I just did the sub-folders....derp!!! I renamed the folder to "AlphaMensaeMobileLauncher"

I just realized I had forgot to put in the download link...derp! Fixed It's on Spacedock

@CobaltWolf Thanks for the mention! However, I recommend using the default size Saturn V with this version of the Mobile Launcher if you want the crew access-boarding capability. I've now tested the rescale .cfg version, and the crew arm is now one floor higher--but still one lower than my original tower. The tail service masts also need to be moved out a bit: I'll have make a new version of the tower for the rescale Saturn V to enable crew access and put the arms and TSMs in the proper spots. Of course, if someone isn't interested in the crew access feature, then all that's needed is to move the tower, arms and TSMs with the offset gizmo to appropriate spots.

As an example of the height difference between my Saturn V and the BDB one, the crew access arm had to be moved down two levels to align it with the BDB command module...which isn't where it was on the real tower. That also required the biggest modification, adjusting the elevator shaft columns and two colliders on the tower in Unity to create a new crew access level and elevator stop. I may, when I have the time and I feel like it, later rescale the tower to BDB proportions; this version was mainly to get it out quick without too much fuss.

Download From Spacedock Because a Saturn V needs its ever-present companion, the Launch Umbilical Tower, I created a working replica of the Saturn Mobile Launcher. It's not 100% exact, far from it, and has been simplified to eliminate detail that would be tedious to make without any real benefit. It does fetaure retracting swing arms and tail service masts, plus two working elevators to allow crew boarding of the command module from the ground. There is also a hammerhead crane on top that can decouple and rotate using the Q and E (roll) keys. This is a standalone version of the Saturn Mobile Launcher from my Simple Overhaul Project. It has been configured to work with the default Saturn/Sarnus 5 from the Bluedog Design Bureau mod. The mobile launcher was designed for the Saturn V from my Simple Overhaul, which is at 64% scale. It however works rather well with the BDB Saturn V, it just meeded a few tweaks and adjustments. The BDB Saturn V is at a smaller scale, and I didn't rescale the tower, so it's taller than the BDB Saturn V than the real one was. It also can be used with other rockets, there just needs to be a free stack attach node at the bottom of the first/core stage. An engine would work, but it's best to make a Module Manager patch to add a size 5 node to whatever part will be used to attach the launcher base to. The tower and swing arms can be moved using the offset gizmo to adjust the positioning. The Mobile Launcher pack contains the following parts: The Mobile Launcher Base The Launch Umbilical Tower (or just "tower") The Tail Service Mast (three were used on the Mobile Launcher) Nine swing arms representing the actual Saturn V tower arms The hammerhead crane (no hoisting capability). The launcher base attaches to a size 5 node at the bottom of the BDB Saturn V S-IC via another size 5 node in the flame hole. The tower then attaches to the other size 5 node on the base. Three tail service masts and the nine swing arms attach to the other nodes on the base and the front-right vertical beam of the tower. The crane attaches to a node on top of the tower. Both the base and tower include a working elevator for crew access to the the Command Module from the ground. The elevators, swing arms and tail service mast move/retract by an animation; the arms and tail service masts will need to be action-grouped during a launch. Liftoff demo: This mod is being shared under the CC-BY-NC-SA license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/ Installation: Open the .zip file, and copy the AlphaMensaeMobileLauncher folder to your KSP Gamedata folder. All the mobile launcher parts are put into the "Heavier Rocketry" tech tree node (same as the BDB Saturn V parts) for Career/Science mode. NOTE: The mobile launcher parts were developed and tested with Kerbal Joint Reinforcement installed, so I recommend that KJR be installed if it isn't already in your KSP. I make no guarantees that these parts will work with the stock autostrutting. That being said, I did set the breakingForce and breakingTorque values of the launcher base to 500,000, and those of the tower to 250,000. That alone probably prevents any wobble, but why take chances? Assembly Guide: To make it easier to find the mobile launcher parts, enter "Saturn" in the part list search window, and they will all appear in the part window. First, click on the root part of the BDB Saturn V (usually the Command Module) and using the offset gizmo move it up well above the floor of the VAB Next, click on the S-IVB stage of the Saturn V and rotate the rocket 45 degrees in either direction (can use shift-Q or E) to properly orient the F-1 engines: Next, select the Mobile Launcher Base from the parts list and attach it to the size 5 stack node below the S-IC stage via another size 5 node in the flame hole of the base: Next, use the offset gizmo again and move the whole assembly via the root part so the front legs of the launcher base (farthest away from the VAB door) sit within the white part of the big circle on the VAB floor; this is to properly position the base over the KSP launch pad: Next, select the Launch Umbilical Tower from the parts list and attach it to the other size 5 node on the launch base: Next, select the Tail Servive Mast from the parts list and attach three of them to the small nodes on two sides of the flame hole; they have to be attached separately. Rotate them so the arm points directly at the S-IC stage: After placed, use the rotate gizmo and rotate the tail service masts 5 degrees to correctly align the arms with the stage (just for aesthetics): Next, select the swing arms from the parts list and attach them to the nodes on the front-right vertical beam of the tower. Arm 01 goes at the lowest node, and they then go in order of 2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9 from bottom to top. Arm 9 is the Crew Access arm. The hammerhead crane is attached to the top node on the tower. It has a built-in decoupler, and after decoupling can freely rotate 360 degrees using the Q and E (roll) keys. Crew boarding is done by taking the elevator up to the crew access floor, then entering the crew arm via the small walkway extension:

The Saturn V and Mobile Launcher are getting close to release. The last major component of the Launch Umbilical Tower (or just the tower), the hammerhead crane, is done. It decouples and can rotate 360 degrees via a built-in reaction wheel (the "motor" ). I suppose a moving hoist trolley will be next, but not now. Also various visual details have been added to the launcher base and tower, like the elevator blast shield, deck hatch panels, the major pipe group on the tower, and various bits in the tower representing equipment blocks. Screenshot of the whole thing: Hammerhead crane demo: Short launch demo, to just after clearing the tower:

Made the tail service masts: And I only now realized that I had the colors on the F-1 fairings reversed, the result of using an alternate texture for the fairing that after doing more changes resulted in it not being needed...but forgetting to change the fairing, and not noticing it all this time. Well, fixed that (as you can see above), and here:

Progress: All the swing arms are done. Short launch demo: Also added the ground-access elevator to the mobile launcher base, now the full crew boarding procedure can be done, as seen in this test I did, using a simple crew van that I threw together for these kinds of tests. Approaching the pad: At the pad: And the boarding demo (it's a little rough, this was the very first time I did this with the new launcher) Next to do are the tail service masts (three of them around the flame hole, and they are not the same as the hold-down arms) and the hammerhead crane, plus various visual details (pipes, odd bits here and there).

Progress on the swing arms for the tower: The service module (#8) and the two S-IVB arms (#7 and #6) are done. VAB pic of the two S-IVB arrms: Full-tower pic with the currently completed arms: And a short launch demo of the three arms in action...I know, only three arms so far, but I just had to see how it looked.

Tried out an alternate method to retract the arms: animating them in Unity. Eliniminates all sorts of setup and performance issues. Works great too The disadvantage is that the five arms that retract at liftoff will have to be action-grouped along with the launcher base decouple, instead of being staged.

I just realized that I never took a screenshot of the whole Saturn V and mobile launcher assembly...so here it is with the crew arm attached

The crew arm was the first arm to be made, and it's now largely complete (save for a few visual details) and working. And it retracts as well, just used the existing .cfg file for the previous version of the arm...only for the new one there is simply a thrustTransform object in the the arm, no need for a micro SRB. The other swing arms are next on the to-do list, and having made essentially my own red-colored girder, the other arms will be using it as their core.