Monday, December 9, 2013

Estes Paveway III Build, Part 4 Tail Cone and Adapter


The tail cone and adapter were molded together as one piece. You have to cut them apart.

The instructions recommend a razor saw but I just used my hobby knife.
Don't try to cut through with one pass. Lighter pressure and three or four passes should do it.

Cutting off the through the wall fin nibs isn't difficult.
The instructions said to use a razor saw again, but I wouldn't use one here. You'll have more control using a hobby knife.
The blade easily follows the inside edge of the molding lines.

Be careful when you get close to the bottom, the knife will want to travel in and towards you.


Here's the tail cone with the nibs removed.
There might be a slight lip that should be sanded off for a better fit of the fins.

I wondered why a LPR needs TTW fins. This might be because gluing wood fins to a plastic tail cone won't be a strong enough joint.

Looking ahead: The fin slots in the tail cone are wider than the 3/32" thick fins! The side reinforcement pieces will cover up any root edge gaps.

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