Estes USS Enterprise #1275, Part 37, Sensor Stem Detail, Funky Glue Putty

This works best with yellow wood glue, not white glue - 

Place a drop of glue in the heel of your left hand.

Spread the glue around using your right hand index finger. Let is set up for 20 seconds or so -

As it starts to dry, the glue puddle will gum up.

Continue working the glue into a small ball. Make it as round as possible. Make a few in different diameters.

Let dry overnight.

Drill a tapered hole using a #11 style blade hobby knife. 

This hole should fit onto the tapered dowel.

Here's the sensor stem detail ball in place and shot with a white undercoat.

It's probably too large, but much better than a lopsided glue drop.

Estes USS Enterprise #1275, Part 36, Sensor Stem Detail, Funky Glue Putty

The instructions say to use a drop of glue to simulate the sensor stem detail. 

 

On the right you can see that small drop of glue. I was constantly turning it as it was drying trying to keep it round. Wet glue runs!

I tried three times to get a round drop of glue on the end of the tapered dowel.

I let this part of the build slip until I remembered a fix -

FUNKY GLUE PUTTY!

Here's a picture of my Dr. Zooch Saturn V build. The turbopump exhaust manifold isn't plastic, but formed out of rolled wood glue!

You can form some details out of glue. It's a little like playing with sticky Play-Doh.

I'll explain in the next post . . .

Estes USS Enterprise #1275, Part 35, Repainting The Probe & Secondary Hull Assembly

The recovery probe was sanded and repainted gloss black.

This time all was smooth and glossy.

It'll get a dull coat in a few days.

The second white undercoat showed the fillet bubbles (where the support struts meet the secondary hull slots) were filled.

More fillet bubbles were found.

Glue fillets and another white coat will be needed before I shoot the final light gray. Still, progress . . . 

Estes USS Enterprise #1275, Part 34, Painting The Probe

It's difficult to spray paint the recovery probe, it's over 30" long! It should have been called the "stability extension."

I noticed the upper BT-50 tube dried faster than the low BT-20 end.

It could have been the painting wand locked into the engine mount area. The upper tube was open, I removed the nose cone.

Less air was circulating inside the BT-20 tube.

The probe tube black paint dried rough. I had to sand smooth with 400 grit.

Estes Mini Arcas, #2441, Part 17, Pulling The Tape!

The mask was pretty clean, 

There was some small bleeds under the corners.

Instead of scraping - 

Try pushing the little paint overspray tics back into the red. 

I use a pocket knife, it's not as sharp as a hobby knife. Too sharp a knife might cut in and chip out the white paint underneath.

Here's the cleanup results up until now.

I'll follow with some white touchups. 

Ace Premium enamel is sprayed into a cup and applied with a brush. Applied light and carefully, the Ace paint mixes and "melds" into the paint already on the model.

Launch Pad Inventory Sold To Estes?

From the Rocketry Forum:

"Pleased to announce that The Launch Pad has moved to its new home, with Estes in Penrose Colorado. They will be making the rest of the original TLP inventory available on their website, and they will be integrating the TLP designs into their product line. I think Chuck would have been pleased to see his life's work carried on by Estes."

I have no other information. There is lots of speculation on how these kits and parts will be sold or if Estes may produce kits from the scale data. The kits may just be sold as is - probably at collector's prices.

I've only built and finished one Launch Pad kit, the Pershing. 

You can see the build in reverse order: CLICK HERE

Estes Mini Arcas, #2441, Part 16, Taping The Mask

I wasn't looking forward to this mask - 

The rear "peaks" have outside mask lines. The first angled tape strip is set down. Below it you can see the pencil line for the next piece.

The upper peaks are inside masks with rounded sides.

The curve was cut with small scissors. That curve on the left side almost works like a hinge, allowing you to set the tape at a few different angles until the tip meets at the top.

The top and bottom pieces are in place.

The open center is covered with brown masking tape.

I tried wrapping some grocer bag plastic around the fins but the peaks of the lower red masks were in the way.

Brown masking tape covered all the fin area.