This question has come up on the forums before:
Should the rocket name decal read up or down?
Should it be set so the base line is on the right or left?
Here's the Sunward Screamer from an EBAY picture and on the kit facecard.
To my eyes, the name was stuck on upside down.
It's obvious which one is easier to read.
Before setting down a name decal, think how the model will photograph on the launcher. You shouldn't have to turn your camera or crane your neck to take a good picture.
I prefer the name to read UP towards the nose cone.
The model is going to boost straight up, why shouldn't the name also read going up.
In the end it's personal preference. Do what you feel is right for the individual design.
If you are building a scale model, follow the scale data.
The names on real rockets sometime go up on one side and read down on the other.
I'm probably more concerned about this than the average builder.
I worked a for years on a photo typesetting machine and look at set type differently.
I follow this simple set of rules:
ReplyDelete(1) If the name is on only one side, it should be upright when the rocket is pointed to the right. The simple, not-quite-arbitrary reason for this is that I am a Naval Architect, and according to hundreds of years of tradition ships and boats are drawn with the bow (i.e, the pointy end) to the right. QED
(2) If the name is on both sides, then it should either follow guideline (1) on both sides OR, if the rocket is large enough that it will sit in a cradle or be displayed horizontally at a launch, it should be oriented in the opposite direction so that it can be displayed upright from both sides.
Hi W. Cook,
ReplyDeleteThat's very interesting about the name orientation on ships. I've built a few planked model ships. I always thought it was interesting about how flags sometimes look reversed.
It makes perfect sense with name placement if the (scale) rocket was sitting in a cradle. The scale info should point this out.
In this instance, most smaller LPR and MPR sport models have a single name decal. This post was just food for thought.
Chris, I posted a comment on your Der Red Max page. I like old school finishing, using Aerogloss sealer. Did you seal the balsa back then before gluing on the fins? If so how and how many coats for a grain free finish? Also when you visited Centuri, was there display rockets as perfect as yours? No grain no spirals? I've seen old pictures of the Centuri front desk with built rockets displayed.
ReplyDeleteHi David,
DeleteBack then, I did use sanding sealer, usually four coats, sanding between coats. Even four coats didn't always guarantee a grain free surface. After that, old formula Krylon was my first choice.
I didn't fill tube spirals in my teens.
I have much better luck now with Carpenter's Wood Filler. Cheaper and no fumes.
I remember seeing the Centuri models and was surprised they used electrical tape and even colored paper for trim on some prototype models.
You probably saw pictures in the small store they had at Centuri.
I found out years later one of my models was in that store on display.
I did see your rocket, nice. When you did 4 coats was that before or after gluing fins on? Also did the display rockets have grain free finish?
ReplyDeleteMike Dorffler at Estes said they would use bass instead of balsa for a grain free finish on the catalog display rockets. Noticed most Centuri catalogs did not show actual built rockets, just artistic drawings. Wish I could have visited Estes and Centuri back in the day. You are a lucky man.
ReplyDeleteHi David,
ReplyDeleteI've tried both ways. If you fill before gluing the fins onto the body tube, sanding sealer and other dope finishes seal the wood and glues won't stick.
Carpenter's Wood Filler is water based, you can fill the grain with CWF before gluing onto the tubes. It will hold strong.
Many of the actual catalog models weren't as smooth as you might think. In the 1960s there was a lot of airbrushing done to smooth things out.
Estes catalog models used bass wood for two reasons. Little or no grain and they were much stronger when the finished models were taken out for hobby show displays.
Estes uses 3D drawings of their models on face cards now.
I was a lucky guy. I went to Estes one Summer and visited Centuri two years after that.
By the way, I think you Der Red Max cloned looks great. Your builds all look awesome but there is something about old school finishes the look cool. I built my first rockets in 1979 and primer was never mentioned, but the paint was thicker and covered better back then.
ReplyDelete