New Way Blade Runner, Part 15, Decals

The short ring tube wrap decal could be cut in two for easier application.

More bars between the white and gray paint.

Dry fit - Notice the faint pencil line extending from the fins. Every other vertical black line lines up with the five fins.

Wet the body where the decal will be positioned.

The same wrap decal from the side - after soaking -

Slide just the first black bar off the backing paper and position it down the pencil line.

Continue sliding the paper off the decal as you wrap the decal around the tube. With any luck the decal will meet and line up on the other side.

New Way Blade Runner, Part 14, Decals

The ring was slid down the strakes from the top. I didn't use any wood glue.

After the ring was in place, I set a small drop of CA glue at the top of the joint. A Q-tip was close by to pick up any excess glue.

These decals were printed using a laser printer on laser/clear waterslide decal paper.

These took 25 seconds of soaking before they slid off the backing paper.

Double check the decals against the face card picture before cutting them out.  

The horizontal blade fin bars are set down and centered on the fins.

I Wish Manufacturers Wouldn't Do This, Part 1 . . .

While the paint on the New Way Blade Runner dries - 

This isn't meant to come across as gripes! 

Some things I see in kits that could be corrected.

From the Estes Little Joe II kit, but I've seen this in other kits:
Decals images placed too close on the decal sheet. 

Notice how close the dashed "cut" lines are to the black squares. You want to cut off the dashed lines but not into the square black area.

New Way Blade Runner, Part 13, Masking & Painting The Blade Fins

Masking tape was set underneath the blade fins, sticky side up making a "cone" cover shape. 

Why mask off the light gray (already sprayed) just to have more light gray spray? It's difficult to get an overall even coat. I want a consistent gloss finish, over and under the blade fins. 

I didn't use filler/primer on the outside blade fin faces. 

On the right picture, the blade fins were sprayed with gloss light gray. 

The blade fins were sanded with 400 grit. The reflected light shows the gloss paint sanded dull.

After two days drying time the blade fins will get a final coat of light gray and the masking tape will be removed.

New Way Blade Runner, Part 12, Gluing On The Fins

The fins were painted before gluing on the blade fins.

The paint increased the thickness slightly. 

For an easier fit, the tab edges were sanded.

The blades were pressed in place. The fit was tight.

CA glue was set on the outside to lock the blades in  place.   

The tabs were sanded even with the faces of the blades.

Use a sanding block of this.

On the left - The tabs have been sanded even. The blades are flat.

On the right - Some CWF was brushed on, only on the outside flat face. This will fill any gaps and grain on the tabs and slots.

New Way Blade Runner, Part 11, Mask & Color Coats

The lower body is to be painted light gray.

The mask line is 7 1/2" from the top of the body tube.

Gotta' love a simple mask! You don't have to be overly concerned about a perfect mask line, it'll be covered by a black vinyl strip.

The nose cone is painted gloss black.

Note the tape mask is set about 1/16" below the shoulder ridge.

The ring tube is painted light gray off the model. I set some tape sticky side out on a painting wand to hold the ring.

I'm only concentrating the paint spray on the outside of the ring for a better glue bond inside where it contacts the five fins.

New Way Blade Runner, Part 10, Filling The Pinholes

I could see two small pinhole air bubbles in a glue fillet.

Lightly drag you knife blade tip along the fillet and you might feel the dip.

Instead of a applying a full length glue fillet, 

Use a toothpick to direct a small mount of glue into the pinhole.

Press and drag the small glue dot into the fillet hole.

Immediately smooth and remove excess glue using a Q-tip.