Estes Semi-Scale Saturn V, Kit #K-39, Part 17, The Escape Motor

The escape motor is a 1/8" diameter launch lug.

The extended tip is cut at the mid point, marked here with pencil. The cut is made with a razor saw.

Slide and glue the launch lug over the lower half.

The tip is glued in the upper end.

Note I previously filled and painted the nose cone white. I figured it would be easier than filling the grain afterwards.

Here's the assembly - 

The nose cone and escape motor got a final shot of gloss white before the tower and structural skirt (next steps) are glued over the lug.

Estes Semi-Scale Saturn V, Kit #K-39, Part 16, Tunnels, Feed Lines & Ullage Motors

After shaping one end, 

The shorter ullage motor pieces were cut to length using a single edge razor blade.

The Ullage motors are tapered on the front only. The backs are left square.

The longer feed line fairings are tapered on both ends. 

Eight ullage motors and eight feed line fairings!

The pieces are small - Store them until needed in a zip lock bag.

Also cut two 5" lengths for the system tunnels and taper both ends.

Estes Semi-Scale Saturn V, Kit #K-39, Part 15, Tunnels, Feed Lines & Ullage Motors

Here's the mid section of my Dr. Zooch Saturn V build.

You can see the half dowel feed lines and ullage motors.

The older Estes kit also includes most of these details.

Three 1/12" diameter dowels are included. 

All are warped, one much worse than the others.

The straighter dowels will be used for the longer 5" tunnels. The badly warped dowel will be cut up for the short ullage motors and feed  line fairings. 

 

You'll find it easier to shape the tips before cutting the dowels to length. You have something to hold onto while the ends are tapered.

Shape the profile while viewing the flattened back of the dowel.

Turn the dowel over and round off the end in a teardrop shape.

Estes Semi-Scale Saturn V, Kit #K-39, Part 14, Planning Ahead, Peel & Stick Fins

The instructions say to attach the wraps before painting the model. The lower body requires masking which could lift the wraps when removing the tape.

I'll paint the over body white, mask and paint the lower black stripes, then add the printed wraps.

Peel and stick fins are cut out and placed on both sides of the clear fins.

These self-adhesive fins have faded over the years.

I scanned and redrew the fin stickers.

Extras will be printed.

Estes Semi-Scale Saturn V, Kit #K-39, Part 13, Filling The Upper Body

The balsa shoulder on the nose cone wasn't sharp.

CWF was brushed on just over the shoulder lip. While the filler is still wet, push it into the body tube and turn. 

This raises a bead of filler around the shoulder lip. Remove the nose cone.

After the filler dries, the sides are sanded with 400 grit on a block.

When this nose cone was machined, it had a slight dip in the sides.

On the left, the pencil lines show where the balsa was high. I had to apply more filler to the center low areas.

That horizontal pencil line below the command module is a reference line for sanding a straight line around the body.

The nose cone required a third pass of CWF to fill a few small  low areas that still showed under a bright light.

Estes Semi-Scale Saturn V, Kit #K-39, Part 12, Fitting The Fairings

Try as I might, I couldn't get those glue tabs fully under the former sides.

Usually, I can figure it out and get a decent fit by the fourth try. I ended up with a mediocre fit on the sides of all four fairings.

While the glue is drying, 

Try to get a straight line down the sides of the fairings. The sides will want to round out.

I used my sharpened dowel to press and form a straight line. You can only do this while the glue is still wet.

The gap at the root edge was filled with some CWF pushed in with a single edge razor blade.

Light 400 grit sanding followed.

This was shot with filler/primer. The filler/primer showed the raised fibers in the sanded cardstock. More light sanding removed the raised fibers.

After all the filling and sanding,

Some CA glue was wiped on the inside and rear edge to stiffen up the fairings.

Estes Semi-Scale Saturn V, Kit #K-39, Part 11, Fitting The Fairings

Steam forming the fairing seems to make them stiffer and stronger.

This is a dry fit of the fairing and clear fin. I wanted to be sure the root edge and fairing angle were close.

While holding the fairings in place, trace around the fairing edge with pencil.

Scrape off the filler/primer for the glue tab inside the fairing.

After steaming the fairings round, the glue tabs needed to be re-folded with a sharp line. I used a smaller, pointed dowel.

It's difficult to glue these fairings in place. Preparation helps!

I'm Camping - So no posts!

I'll be camping with Dakota the Blue Merle Sheltie

from Tuesday through Thursday.

I won't have internet!

Posts will resume on Friday the 16th.

Estes Semi-Scale Saturn V, Kit #K-39, Part 10, Forming The Fairings

Start the cone form by rolling the fairing in the heel of your hand.

Roll the dowel in an arc putting a slight curve into the cardstock.

You'll have to take it slow or creases could form in the fairing cardstock. 

Continue tightening the arc curve over steam, then roll over the sharpened dowel again.

Put some water over medium heat. Let the cardstock absorb some of the water vapor. Pinch the cardstock over the sharpened dowel.

The curve will have to be tight to look correct on the finished model.

Hold the fairing over the dowel as the cardstock dries. This will take a few minutes.

On the right notice the curve of the lowest fairing. It's a little tighter than a half circle.

The previously folded glue tabs will have to be re-bent after forming the conical fairings.

Slits are cut under the sides of the shroud formers for the fairing glue tabs. The slits don't go too deep, just long enough for the width of the glue tabs.

Estes Semi-Scale Saturn V, Kit #K-39, Part 9, Forming The Fairings

The instructions say to form the fin fairings by rolling them around a sharpened pencil. I sharpened a larger 5/8" dowel. I would think the pencil would be too narrow.

I tried to "roll" a  first test fairing (I printed extras) around the sharpened dowel. This is going to require some extra step for a smooth cone shape - folding the glue tabs first.

The glue tabs are narrow. Trying to crease them after forming the cone would be difficult. 

I went ahead an embossed the line with the smooth tip of a butter knife, as originally shown in the old Estes Saturn 1B instructions.

The folds were creased using smooth pliers.

The sharp fold was made by rolling over the edge with a smaller smooth dowel.

The rounded bottom of the skirt hasn't been cut on this first fairing yet.

Here's all four fairings with the glue tabs folded under.

They are ready for "coning" and shaping in the next post.

Estes Semi-Scale Saturn V, Kit #K-39, Part 8, Prepping The Tunnel Dowels

The back side of the WD-2 dowels need to be sanded flat to glue onto the body tube. This can be difficult, the dowel will want to roll.

Mark a straight line down the length of the dowel using the side of the pencil point. Facing up, this will be your straight line reference as you sand off then re-draw the pencil line until the dowel length is half.

Using 220 grit on a block - 

As you sand back and forth, the pencil line will be removed. Remark the line and continue to sand until you have a crescent half circle.

TIP: It's easier to sand from the mid point to the end. Redraw the pencil line. Flip the dowel (still pencil line up) and sand the pencil line on the other side.

Here's the before and after. 

This operation is tricky - the dowel is only 1/12" diameter.

Estes Semi-Scale Saturn V, Kit #K-39, Part 7, Cutting Out The Fins

The fin pattern is taped down, face up on the cutting board.

The clear fin material is taped on top.

Using a straightedge and sharp knife - 

Cut and score the clear material about 1/2 the way through.

Flex the material back and forth at the cut lines. The cut line should crack.

I used small, smooth faced pliers on some lines that weren't wide enough to grasp with my fingers.

Run a sanding block over the edges to clean and square them up.

Estes Semi-Scale Saturn V, Kit #K-39, Part 6, Shroud Formers

The crescent shaped piece is the shroud former pattern.

Set the inside edge on the card the 20/60 rings came from. Trace with pencil.

Cut with a sharp new blade.

The area between the "A" marks is scraped for better adhesion.

On the right, the shroud former is glued onto the edge. I used my sanding block to even up the face of the former and tube edge.

Here's the four shroud formers in place, almost ready for the fairings.

Estes Semi-Scale Saturn V, Kit #K-39, Part 5, Cutting The Fin Slots

I used a new blade and my aluminum angle to cut the fin slots.

The masking tape wraps made it easier to see the start and stop points.

After the initial scoring the cuts were about half way through the tube walls.

I thought I was cutting on the lines. The slots ended up too wide. The fin root fit was too loose for me.

I got another BT-60 tube out of my spare parts.

This new tube needed seam filling with CWF then filler/primer.
 

Two of the four fin slots had a good fit around the clear fin material.

The other two slots were still too loose!

I had to get another length of tube, mark and cut the slots a third time!

Estes Semi-Scale Saturn V, Kit #K-39, Part 4, Marking The Fin Slots

The instructions have you glue in the engine mount then cut the fin slots. You are warned to "cut lightly" because the clear tube is underneath.

I decided to cut the slots before gluing in the engine mount. It takes some pressure to cut fin slots.

Here's how the kit marking guide fit the tube.

GOTCHA: The ends did not fully meet.

Notice the faint pencil lines above the cardstock mount. After marking for the fins, I rotate the guide 90 degrees to see if the four fin spacing is correct. That pencil line to the right is off by almost 1/8"!

I went to payloadbay.com and printed off a marking guide, four fins on a BT-60 tube. This was wrapped and the four fin positions marked.

The original kit marking guide was wrapped on again, and each individual fin was marked for the fairings. 

The kit guide had to be slightly rotated to each correct fin line to mark the A fairing locations.

Estes Semi-Scale Saturn V, Kit #K-39, Part 3, Engine Mount

Cutting the coupler a little oversize allows you to sand to fit.

On the left, one side of the coupler cut size is sanded on a block with 220 grit.

On the right, clear tape holds the ends together with a good, slip fit.

Here's the finished engine mount. 

The clear coupler is held in place between the upper two centering rings. There is no glue holding the clear coupler to the rings.

The kit didn't include and engine block, I added one.

Before cutting the fin slots, the tube seams were filled. 

These older tubes had very tight, almost invisible seams. It only took one good shot of filler/primer and sanding to fill them.

On the left, a paper towel is wrapped around a painting wand for a better fit inside the BT-60. On the right, an inside wrap of tape keeps out the filler/primer spray.

Launch! Orlando R.O.C.K., January 3, 2025

Some days are good, this wasn't the best!

My Estes TWIN FACTOR was launched with a A10-0t booster to an A3-4t sustainer.

As all my two stagers seem to fly - First stage is vertical, Second stage turns to 45 degrees! I got both stages back, there were some burn holes in the booster tube and the rear engine block was gone. 

This one is probably retired, the booster anyway.

The BT-50 based AMRAAM was my best launch of the day. 

I'm starting to use some of many Quest Q-jets B4-4s picked up over the past few years. 

I would guess 450 feet with a good walk to pick it up. My dog Dakota went with me to recover it.

Another Q-Jet B4-4 was used in my Quest X-15.

It wobbled during boost to 350' and drifted into the trees - Lost!

I had 17 previous launches on this one - 

My best launch shot of the day goes to Gary Dahlke's Extreme 12.

I believe it was a D12-0 to an A8-3. A smart choice considering the field size and the increasing winds.

Finish out the day with a bang! I usually have a MicroMaxx rocket ready.

This is the Rocketship Games HAWKEYE downscale.

It performed well, topping out at nearly 100'. I wish I had installed a streamer. I drew a bead on the landing area a found it after a few minutes.

Only four launched - 

The X-15 was lost and the Twin Factor booster is fried!

Not the best day, but they all can't be perfect.