I built one of these when it was first released in 1976. Estes brought it back when they released the Classic Series of kits.
There is a lot of small fins on it, many areas I didn't get smooth the first time around.
I remember how the simple yellow/black mask worked so well with the detailed upper body wrap decal.
In the two kits I'll build there was one bent BT-50 tube. The rest of the parts were of high quality.The 12" parachutes were a clear red.
The parts of interest:
The wing/fin layout template.
The nose cone with the side bumps. I understand a new mold was made for the reissue kit.
The decal has some white print that is hard to see.
I'm terrible about documenting my builds, but I did so for my Alien Invader 4x Upscale. In it, I touch on the differences between the original (1281) kit and the more recent one (3003). http://www.rocketryforum.com/showthread.php?65894-Alien-Invader-4x-Upscale-Build
ReplyDeleteHi Phill,
DeleteI checked out your upscale build. Very Cool! I like the use of balloons to keep the black out of the inside of the pods. This one is small, I'll just use tape.
One of the things I noticed that was different in the instructions for the reissue kit was how the wings were attached. The original instructions have you glue the wings slightly below the midline with a bit of anhederal. The reissue instructions tell you to glue them at the midline with the wings level.
ReplyDeleteYou're right Naoto,
DeleteI forgot about that. I checked older instructions at JimZs.
On yet another tangential topic... Take a look at the "Futuristic Parts Assortment Fin Templates" item found here:
ReplyDeletehttp://plans.rocketshoppe.com/decals.htm
I do remember finding this fin pattern sheet included in the Designer's Special set (purchased sometime between late 1970s and early 1980s) and thought "some of these parts look familiar..."
Very happy you are doing this build. My Alien Invader just moved to the top of my build pile.
ReplyDelete