Semroc (Estes) Starship Excalibur Build, Part 8, Fitting the Reactor Bay Nose Cones

The nose cone halves are sanded to the BT-55 tube much like the crew module was.
It's not necessary to sand them completely to the BT-55 contour just yet.

Glue the nose cone halves into the top of the BT-5 halves.

Notice I didn't apply glue to the outside of the BT-5 lip. All the glue is towards the center of the tube end. The inset picture shows why.

With the tube set in place the outside edges of the tube flare out under the pressure of the rubber band. Leave this widened body tube edge unglued until the next step.

After the wood glue dries in the center end of the tube and nose cone shoulder -
Apply some CA glue and immediately press the tube sides into the nose cone shoulder.
This should close the gap and leave less to fill later on.

Lightly sand the nose cone end again against the BT-55.