Wolverine Rocketry Phoenix AIM-54A Build Part 14 Nose Cone Fill

This is the largest balsa nose cone I've seen in a kit for quite a while.

After painting with thinned CWF the upper surfaces were sanded with 220 grit sandpaper. This removed the bulk of the filler.
Use the 220 grit until the dried brush strokes are removed.

Here you can use sandpaper over your fingers. Be careful not to get any creases in sandpaper, it could scar the nose cone.



Near the base shoulder I switched over to 220 grit on a block.
Sanding with a block helps keep the shoulder thickness consistent around the cone at the body tube joint.

400 grit was used for final smoothing before primer was shot.

As careful as I was, there were still some shoulder edge that needed attention.

Some CWF was set along the shoulder edge, a little higher that the sides of the nose cone.

Using the back side of a razor blade, excess filler was removed from the shoulder base. This was done while the filler was still wet.

Try to build up a "bead" over the lip of the shoulder to be sanded to surface after it's dry.

The base of the shoulder had some shallow pits.
These were filled with CWF and sanded smooth.

I know this might be seen as a little extreme. Some would say: "You'll never see it anyway!"

Where feasible, I like the internal construction to be as clean as the outside surfaces.
Your models will be lighter and stronger in the end.