Sunday, April 16, 2017

PML Lunar Express Build, Part 20, More Vinyl Trim



The Planet Express logo went on both sides of the smaller rudder fin.
I'm holding one of the landing pods in place to judge the visual centering of the rudder vinyl.



A red strip was added to all four landing pods to tie them into the red trim on the main body.

I have talked to two different people who have built and flown their own Lunar Express rockets. Both said a landing pod seemed to pop off on every landing. Epoxy was used to glue them to the outside edge of each fin. I didn't do heavy fillets, that might lead to a larger repair and paint touch-ups where the fillet would be. I tried to keep the glue area close and inside the pod slot.








Stickershock had included some extra art. I checked with the client and he said to leave them off.

2 comments:

  1. Hey Chris,
    Re: the fin pods breaking off, reminds me of the instructions for the Madcow Jayhawk. They said that the winglets (wing tips) were famous for breaking off. They give two approaches. First is to lightly tack on the tips in anticipation of them breaking off, to minimize damage. Second approach is just the opposite: glue them on with a strong fillet to withstand any impact. But they did not advocate which method, leaving it up to the builder. I opted for the strong bond.
    I'm wondering, Chris, which approach would you take? Strong bond or light tack?

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    Replies
    1. Hi BAR,
      After talking to two people who had this model, they said they have a pod break off on each flight. I went with lighter epoxy so if it broke off there would be an easier repair with less touch up of the paint.

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