Discovery's imperfect paint gets Adam Savage's model-maker approval
A shuttle close-up joins visits with LAIKA's puppet makers and Star Wars craftsman Lorne Peterson in Tested's eight-upload week.
Why this story? The channel's weekly summary: what went up this week, what is drawing views now, and where the channel stands among similar channels.
The Imperfect Paint Job on Space Shuttle Discovery #Shorts
A little overspray belongs on a faithful space shuttle model. Adam Savage finds the evidence on Discovery itself, where the stenciled name is less pristine than a meticulous hobbyist might expect.
In "The Imperfect Paint Job on Space Shuttle Discovery #Shorts," he points out the texture and stray paint around the lettering. "And honestly, that makes it so much more human to me," he says. The resemblance to Discovery Channel's lettering gives the former MythBusters host another reason to linger. At nearly 395,000 views, it is the most watched of Tested's new uploads this week.
Viewers are inspecting those letters closely, especially an S that several think is upside down. Others focus on the reassuring modeling lesson: reproducing the real thing can mean resisting the urge to make every edge perfect.
Elsewhere, the craftsmanship gets very precise indeed. "Adam Savage Behind the Scenes at LAIKA Studios!" takes him into Wildwood's puppet department with Oliver Jones, its head of character and practical effects. The visit ranges from costume fabrication to spring-steel hands and Septima's tiny animatable armature. It has the strongest daily momentum among the channel's active videos, with a separate Septima clip also drawing attention.
Lorne Peterson supplies the other substantial workshop conversation, tracing Star Wars model-making through Millennium Falcon kitbashing, improvised materials and ILM's early facilities. Flexible-resin printing, physical learning and a mailbag puzzle round out the week's subjects.
Tested added roughly 5.8 million views across its catalog, while its subscriber count stayed unchanged. Daily viewing is now more than twice its usual level. And the Smithsonian material has life beyond the newest shuttle clip: the earlier Apollo-Soyuz docking-module video remains among the channel's most active uploads.
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What viewers say
I love that it goes over the panels in such an awkward way that any modeller doing an original shuttle would try to avoid
@stephendannSee it on YouTubeI'm actually working on a model, though Atlantis, so saying it doesn't have to be perfect is reassuring as I do go overboard with trying to be perfect but with the Orbiter I'm trying not to.
@davidkent5626See it on YouTubeGood old Helvetica
@littlehistory2392See it on YouTube
4 more comments
You can see a line above the "e" from over-spray outside the template :)
@CrittersSee it on YouTubeMy favorite picture of the Discovery is when I was there at the museum and took a beautiful high res shot of the back with engines, tail, and wings in it.
@blackhatfreakSee it on YouTubeThe S is upside down
@john-alotofnumbersSee it on YouTubeI vividly remember her last launch and landing. Unbelievably sad. Yet, I'm filled with joy knowing she is down here on display, to fascinate curious young minds and motivate them to pursue science and engineering careers.
@achimhaun2726See it on YouTube
Public comments from the video's page on YouTube
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- Channel
- Adam Savage’s Tested
- Subscribers
- 7,290,000
- Channel views, last 7 days
- 5,767,612
- Videos published this week
- 8
- Video published
- October 17, 2026
- Video views so far
- 394,748
- Views on its first day
- 178,249
The numbers
Here is Tested's week in views and subscribers.
💡 Test your knowledge
Which animation studio made Coraline as well as Wildwood?
LAIKA made Coraline, the stop-motion feature released in 2009.



