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.

Estes Mini Arcas, #2441, Part 15, Complex Mask

The kit supplies a wrap around masking guide. It's printed on 20 lb. stock, it's a bit floppy.

Center one of the long stripes between two fins. Check back and forth with the other side and be sure the top is even with the end of the body tube.

It took a few minutes to get everything in line. Sight down between the fins from the rear.

Tape down the guide with small pieces of tape, leaving the "V" ends open for pencil tracing.

Trace around the guide using a soft, sharp pencil.

Any pencil lines that remain after spraying the red can be easily erased.

White or Yellow Glue?

When I starting building model rockets in 1969, 

white glue was recommended in the Estes kit instructions - that was all we had in our house.

Centuri recommended white glue or their own "Superbond" yellow glue. Centuri Superbond was actually rebottled and relabeled Titebond.

When I got back into the hobby in 2005, I started back building with white glue. Over time, I switched over yellow glue. I still use white glue for carded rocketry where outside fillets are visible.

I copied the following information after an internet search:

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Key Differences Between White and Yellow Wood Glue

Setting/Working Time: Yellow glue sets faster (5-10 minutes) than white glue, making it better for quick clamping, whereas white glue allows for longer, more complex assemblies.

• Sanding/Finished Texture: Yellow glue dries harder and is much easier to sand without gumming up the sandpaper. White glue stays slightly softer and can become gummy, making it harder to sand properly.
• Heat Resistance: Yellow glue has higher heat resistance, which is beneficial when sanding, as the friction from sanders can cause white glue to soften and turn sticky.
• Cleanup and Water Resistance: Both clean up with water, but yellow glue is generally more water-resistant (often water-resistant rather than water-soluble) compared to white glue, which is generally water-soluble.
• Color/Appearance: Yellow glue dries slightly translucent (often a yellow-tinted amber) whereas white glue dries clearer.
• Application: Yellow glue is thicker, which helps with gap-filling, whereas white glue is often thinner and is commonly used for school projects or hobby work. 

Estes Mini Arcas, #2441, Part 14, Finally! Gloss White

After three passes of gloss white and sanding - 

allowing 48 hours between coats - 

I finally have a decent finish of the tail cone and fin support pieces.

After 48 more hours I'm going to attempt the complex red mask!