Estes Puma #7256 Build, Part 10, Masking Reveal

Here's the mask after the tape was pulled.

Everything looked great on the back end.

I've mentioned before, you can use Scotch tape to mask if your surfaces and fillets are smooth.





There was a small bit of orange pulled up on the left side of the strake.
On the underside of the winglet was another paint lift!
Touch-ups are needed. I don't want to mask and shoot this again.
That mall smudge of dirt on the winglet will be cleaned off with a Mr. Clean magic sponge.

My First NARAM, 1975!

George Gassaway posted a link to the CAPCOM Newsletter from September of 1975. George is looking for a different issue of the newsletter with the plans for the Rotoroc 3.
The linked issue had extensive coverage of NARAM 17, held in Orlando, Florida. Who would have ever thought I would end up living here.
To see the issue: CLICK HERE

At NARAM 17, I did enter in the Boost Glider, Rocket Glider, Robin Egg Loft, Pee Wee Payload and Streamer Duration. I did place, tying for second place in Streamer Duration. Check out the names - I was in some pretty good company!

One great thing about the NARAM was meeting all the rocketry celebrities. G. Harry Stine, Vern and Gleda Estes, Dane Boles (Estes), Howard Kuhn (CMR), Lonnie Reese and Doug Pratt (FSI), Bob Del Principe (Centuri) and all the competitors I had read about in magazines and newsletters.

5,000 Posts!

5,000 POSTS!

I think I need a hobby.

Estes Puma #7256 Build, Part 9, Masking For The Orange

This is NOT an easy mask. Take a close look at the face card. I'd make a bet it was touched up in Photoshop!
Notice the mask line down the vertical stab and the step down from the wing to the body tube.

The inset picture shows the very small piece that went over the front tip of the strake.
Scotch tape was used for the mask. Notice the square end piece to go into the step at the front of the wing.




The small forward winglets had the root edges masked with a strip of Scotch tape. The rest of the winglet and rest of the vertical stab was covered with brown masking tape.

Most of the model is sprayed with gloss orange.

Estes Puma #7256 Build, Part 8, Engines Paint

Two balsa pieces were cut to the width of the tab openings on the top of the wing engines. This gave me something to hold onto while spray painting.

The engine mount centering rings were masked and a dowel slid in for a painting handle.

I learned from another forum build by Scigs30 to paint the engines before gluing them onto the wing extensions.

Instead of just black, I used Rusto Metallic Black for a little extra shine.




UPGRADE: To add a little more detail, I cut some small squares of aluminum Monokote trim. These were stuck into the front end of the engines.

New Estes Kit?

From the Facebook page "Model Rocketry Fanatics", 
Chris Hooley posted this:

"I got a new toy. It's the beta test version of the Super Big Bertha. Can't wait to fly this beast. Question - Would y'all fly this on more than an F40 with the card stock engine centering rings and the BT-80 tube? Should I throw it on the rollers and epoxy it for strength?"







The fins look to be glued up lamination with the TTW tab notched like the fins on the Pro Series II Nike Smoke.

My guess is this is an upcoming Estes Pro Series II kit. Estes has the molds for the BT-80 Mosquito style nose cone. A Super Big Bertha kit was produced from 1989 through 1993.

Estes Ad from Boy's Live Magazine, 1965

On the NAR Facebook page, Mike Black shard this old Estes ad from a 1965 Boys Life magazine.
It's got some typical Estes rockets from that time, the Mark, Sky Hook, Wac Corporal and Cobra.











The ad should say: "Illustrations are not to scale." That's either one big Wac Corporal or one small rocketeer. The Wac Corporal was just under 12" tall.
Take a closer look and you'll notice something else. That rocket boy has breasts!
I'm not making a judgement, it just looked strange.