Estes USS Enterprise #1275, Part 15, The Hull Pylon

The doublers are glued on each side of the hull pylon.

Do your best to center the doublers

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Here's how they lined up.

I lined up the doublers using the retainer ring recess at the top. That left the front and rear of the doublers short against the center piece.

Rounding the front and rear did clean up the short side pieces.

For a better fit against the motor mount tube, a curve was sanded into the top of the laminate pieces. Otherwise, there would be gaps on both sides when glued up.

The bulkhead piece was very loose around the back notch of the central pylon piece.

A cardstock strip shim was glued on the inside for a tighter fit.

Launch! R.O.A.R., Christmas, FL, November 22, 2025

Still hot, still humid in November! Winds were low, though - 

Dakota the Blue Merle Sheltie was quiet, laying in the shade under my car.

First launch of the Semroc/Centuri EXCALIBUR with a B6-4.

Arrow straight (obviously due to the six fibre fins) to an estimated 400'.

No damage when picked up.

First flight of the Centuri SKYLAB clone.

A C5-3 got the heavy model up to nearly 400'.

The model was rigged for horizontal recovery but the chute lines got tangled at ejection. 

One solar panel fin and one side booster broke off on landing. Looks like an easy, clean repair.

Alex Baker launched two of his Odd'l Rockets Fighter Fleet series, the F-16 and a Blue Angels decorated F-16. 

For a size comparison,

My FlisKits MMX SATURN V was pictured next to Mark Ferrarro's Apogee 1/70 scale Saturn V.

Mark's was about the best Saturn V flight I've seen using a G76-4 motor.

My Micro Saturn was unstable! Probably got to 8 feet in that loop. Ejection on the ground and closest to the pad.

Another first flight - 

Finally launched the Estes LTV SCOUT with the recommended C6-5.

Boost was labored but true. Altitude was probably about 400'. 

I set the build up with two chutes instead of the single one in the kit.

Both ejected and opened. At landing, two of the small fins popped off and were found nearby.

A favorite - The Excelsior Decals HONEST GOON.

It's a bulky, heavy bird but always comes through.

With the C6-5 altitude was around 425'. 

Full chute and no damage.

Five up, five recovered. Four broken fins, all repairable.

Estes USS Enterprise #1275, Part 14, Secondary Hull Brace Slot Cutting

I put off cutting the brace slots in the secondary hull. I wanted to practice on cutting the tube slots first.

Draw a pencil line a bit smaller than the brace width. Square on the front, round on the back. 

Use the tip of the knife to make the square corners.

Note the blade is turned up to make the lower corner cut first. 

The long sides are cut.

Leave the rounded back end for last.



I used a round diamond file to extend the width and round the back.

Finish up with a flat file for the sides.

Here's a good friction fit of the brace in the slot.

Estes USS Enterprise #1275, Part 13, Pylon Brace Gluing

A quick update after my dog Dakota's first camping trip - 

She did great! Lots of new smells on the hiking trails. Met a few people and slept through the night on her dog bed from home. 

Didn't bark once - until she got home.

    

The instruction drawing shows the interior brace contacting the tube at the 3 and 9 o'clock positions.

My brace position ended up lower inside the tube.

You can see some glue reflection inside.

I used a glue bead on a Q-tip to reach inside and apply fillets.

The corner of a CD case was used to check the right angle of the pylon brace on the tube.

I'm Camping!

 

No posts?

I'm camping with my dog Dakota!

I'll be gone from Tuesday November 18 through the 20th.

Things should resume on November 21.

Estes USS Enterprise #1275, Part 12, Gluing The Support Ring

The contact cement capsules have dried out and aren't useable. I bought some new contact cement at Home Depot.

If you've never used contact cement before - 

You apply the glue to both parts and let it dry. When the dried glue touches the other glued part, it grabs and holds strong.

There is a good reason why it is called "contact" cement.

The support ring is centered in the bottom hull half and the perimeter is traced with pencil. Center and trace the ring on the upper and lower hull halves.

A ring of contact cement is brushed on the pencil line.

Contact cement is applied to the edge of the support ring and allowed to dry.

Center the ring inside the pencil line and press into the hull.

Here the lower edge of the support ring is set and glued in place.

Apply contact cement to the upper edge of the support ring and inside the pencil line in the upper half.

Fit, press and join the two hull halves together adhering the support ring in place. 

Held up to a light you can see the ring inside the round hull.

Run liquid plastic cement inside the overlapping joint.

Dip and push the brush into the seam as best as you can.

An Earlier Vostok Build Part 2 -

 
This is the "Build To Fly, Build To Display" MPC Vostok.

To see the bog build: CLICK HERE

The finished model weight with no engine is 4.27 oz.! 4 oz. is the maximum weight for a C6 engine. I should have waited for the C5-3 with an 8 oz. max. weight. 

The box advertised a C9-3 engine, I don't think MPC ever produced it. The picture to the left shows what happened!

(Picture by Roger Smith.)