Estes Strikefighter, Kit #2015, Build, Part 16, Stabilizers & Wing Gluing

The core tube and vanes assembly is slid into the nacelle tubes. Rotate them as shown in the picture below. Notice the (rear) short vanes are even with the back of the nacelle tube. 

The stepped root edge of the stabilizers are glued to both the BT-20 and BT-50 tubes. I had to sand each fin root individually for full contact down both tubes. 

On the left side of the picture you can see the gap. The right side picture is after sanding and fitting.

The smaller stabilizers are glued on, in line with the wing and the vane.

The fins are glued on. 

These root edges also had to be fitted to fully sit on both tubes.

This picture view is from the rear.

I didn't need the fin angle alignment guide to glue the fins on.

Estes Strikefighter, Kit #2015, Build, Part 15, Some Early White Paint

I shot the fairings early to better see the fillets. 

Look close - the glued edge areas are shiny, the center of the strip isn't. 

The edge fillets are sealed by the glue. The paint soaked into the cardstock where there wasn't any glue. Paint will seal things up, some light sanding is needed to even out the surface.

 

The core tube and vanes would be impossible to paint once they are slid into the nacelle tubes. These will also get a shot of gloss white.

I did mask the glue areas. Notice the thin tape strips covering the outside edges of the vanes.

After the paint dried, I found some small fillet bubbles.

Rather than using the glue bottle on the bubbles, I applied small drips onto a toothpick tip and pressed the glue into the recess holes.

Estes Strikefighter, Kit #2015, Build, Part 14, Gluing On The Fairings

The upper picture shows how the glue beads up when applied to the cardstock fairing edges. This is much more glue than is needed.

Using a finger and a Q-tip, remove the excess making the glue line as even as you can.

The fairing ends should have been curved as shown in the previous post.  

The nacelle tube glued onto the wing - 

It's easier to start with the shorter nacelle fairing pieces.

Set the end tips into the root edge and the rest of the fairing should lay right in place.

Double check to be sure the fairing is straight. Use a Q-tip to softly press the glued fairing edges down.

Here's both the nacelle and wing fairings. There are eight in total.

To be honest, I wasn't looking forward to gluing the fairings on. They turned out to be easier than I thought. Keep the fillets small.

I shot the fairing areas with gloss white, knowing there would be some glue fillet sanding.

The scoop was glued on, 1/8" from the bottom of the BT-55 tube.

Estes Strikefighter, Kit #2015, Build, Part 13, Nacelle Tubes & Fairings

The nacelle tubes were marked and the primer lightly scraped for better adhesion. 

WHOOPS! I scraped the entire length of the tube, the fin root edges aren't that long. Some sanding between white paint coats should smooth this out.

Notice the pencil alignment line extended around and over the lip of the tube end.

The fairings were printed on 65 lb. cardstock.

The curved ends were rounded n a sanding block where there wasn't a smooth arc.

The ends were curved in over the barrel of a Sharpie.

Notice the print lines will end up "inside". Sometimes printer ink can bleed through white paint.

Estes Strikefighter, Kit #2015, Build, Part 12, Engine Mount

I use a rounded dowel to apply a ring of glue inside the low end of the body tube.

Note the (2") pencil mark on the dowel and the glue around the top.

Slip the dowel in up to the pencil mark depth.

Roll the glue in a ring inside the tube. Add more glue if needed to complete a complete circle. 

Insert the mount until the tube ends are even. As you are pushing the mount in, try to turn it to even out the inside glue fillet.

To add glue around the rear ring,

Use a Q-tip to apply and spread out the rear ring fillet.

With the Kevlar slipped through the top of the tube - 

Mark the line below the upper lip of the tube.

Keeping the Kevlar below the lip of the body tube prevents zippers (where the Kevlar cuts through the body tube) because of an early or late ejection. 

Run the Kevlar out the back of the model again.

Tie a overhand loop with the mark at the top center of the Kevlar knot.

Tie a overhand loop knot in an elastic shock cord.

Weave the loops as shown on the left.

Pass the knots through the loops - 

Tighten up the connection.

Note the Kevlar mark at the end of the loop.

Estes Strikefighter, Kit #2015, Build, Part 11, Final Fills

There were five tubes and three launch lugs that needed seam filling.

Look close at the top nacelle tube. The seam was so tight it didn't require CWF filling, just a shot of filler/primer and sanding. 

The lower tube needed both CWF and filler/primer.

The 3D printed nose cone felt smooth to the touch. There were very slight ridges.

The nose cone ridges were first sanded with 400 grit.

Filler/primer was shot and sanded. What little ridges were left after the initial sanding were filled with the primer/filler. 

Those vertical white areas are raised lines left after the 3D process.

3D nose cones might take a little filling and sanding, but it's no more work than filling a balsa nose cone.

3D printing has come a long way!

Estes Strikefighter, Kit #2015, Build, Part 10, Fitting The Core Tube Vanes

Gluing on the interior core tube vanes is a bit confusing. 

The three longer vanes go on one side, all three side by side. 

The three shorter vanes glue on the opposite side. 

These vanes are close so smoothing out a glue fillet is tight. Glue on a vane, let dry and fillet the first vane. 

Then move on to the second vane, and so on.

Here's the first long vane, the tapered tip spaced 3/32" from the front of the tube.

Glue on a vane, let dry then fillet.

Here's the first three long vanes, glued side by side.
 

All six vanes are glued on. 

The outside edges needed sanding to slip fit into the BT-50 nacelle tube.

The back edge of the three short vanes line up with the back of the BT-50 tube.

Tips From A Shipwright

Too much rain in Orlando, so any pre-painting on the Strikefighter will have to wait!

"Once too much wood is gone - there's no bringing it back!" 

One of the more interesting videos on Facebook.

To watch the video, CLICK HERE

I know it's not rocketry, but it shows pre-planning, patience and experience.

Making your own dowel plugs. 

Matching the grin lines when hammering them in place. 

Picking the right woods for bending and fit -

Estes Strikefighter, Kit #2015, Build, Part 9, Making The "Gun"

I know - I fill the seams in the launch lugs!

It's surprising how well CWF stays in the lug seams after sanding. 

I slide the launch lugs over Q-tips for a painting handle.

The CWF is sanded down to surface.

Filler/primer is sprayed and sanded.

You can see the gray filler left in the remaining lug seam.

Paper strips are rolled around, adhered with a glue stick.

The two small centering rings (with the larger holes) are slipped over the the back of the "gun" lug. The forward ring against the paper strip wrap.

A length of dowel is glued on, against the face of the forward ring. 

More paper strips are wrapped around.

The radar pod has the rings glued over a dowel

Here both are dry fitted in their BT-5 core tube.

Estes Strikefighter, Kit #2015, Build, Part 8, The Scoop

The sides are glued onto the curved back piece.

Note the inside glue fillets.

The top is cut out from 120 lb. cardstock. It was cut a little oversize on purpose.

I pre-curled it by rolling a Sharpie barrel over the cardstock into the heel of my hand. 

Notice the overhang over the sides.

 

To seal and harden the overhang, some medium CA was wiped on using a Q-tip. This makes it hard enough to sand even with the face of the sides.

Filler/primer followed and smooth sanding.

Estes Strikefighter, Kit #2015, Build, Part 7, The Scoop

Here's a good sized chunk of cardstock from another build. Save leftover kit cardstock!

It's hard to find high density cardstock that is .050" thick.

I probably should have cut the gun "rings" from this thickness stock. Maybe I'll go back and remake them.

On the left are the back and sides of the scoop.

On the right are the two remaining smaller rings.

The curved back of the scoop didn't match the curvature of the BT-55 tube.

I wrapped some 400 grit around the tube and corrected the arc.

On the right is the better fit.

Estes Strikefighter, Kit #2015, Build, Part 6, Balsa Wings

Old School - Tracing a paper template and cutting balsa fins one at a time.

There will be some differences between like fins.

Stack, hold tightly and sand the sides even using a block.

The sharp front tips of the stabilizers should be lined up and cut off square.

I don't know why,

the instructions have you glue the larger wing piece to the body tube first, then glue on the extension.

That could make for alignment problems and filling the joint.

I glued up both pieces with the root edges against a straight edge.

Estes Strikefighter, Kit #2015, Build, Part 5, Engine Mount

The instructions have you glue the upper ring 1/16" down from the top of the tube.

I set the upper ring lower, just over the top bend of the engine hook. This reinforces the mount and could prevent tearing of the tube if the ejection charge knocks the hook down.

Here's the Kevlar line against the underside of the ring.

The Kevlar loop goes under the engine hook.

On the other side, the knot butts up against the very small punched hole in the ring.

The finished mount - 

An engine block was glued in the tube top, slid down against the top bend of the engine hook.

The Kevlar line got a 1/16" diameter heat shrink tube slid down against the top of the upper ring. The tube is 1/16" diameter before heat shrinks it tight around the line.

I used a heat gun on the low setting to shrink the tube.

Estes Strikefighter, Kit #2015, Build, Part 4, Engine Mount

The 20/55 rings were loose on the BT-20.

TIP: The inside diameter of the ring can be made smaller and a tighter fit by applying a thin ring of glue on the inside edge. Let dry before sliding back on the BT-20.

Use a rotary punch to make slight relief notches for the engine hook and Kevlar line.

On top is the upper ring,

The bottom pic is the lower ring.

The Kevlar line is tied tightly around the BT-20 tube using a square knot. 

Note it goes under the top of the engine hook.

After tying the knot, rotate it around the tube opposite the engine hook.

Estes Strikefighter, Kit #2015, Build, Part 3, Making The Cardstock Rings

Check a few size rotary punches until you get a friction fit on a 1/8" dowel.

To find the center hole position,

Position the tube over the center of the ring and very lightly press.

This will leave a small circle impression in the disk without cutting through.

On the left - The first impression is a little off center.

Try again using the first impression and making small corrections.

Six of the larger disk rings were punched.

Two smaller rings will also be made in the same way.
 

Estes Strikefighter, Kit #2015, Build, Part 2, Making The Cardstock Rings

There are cardstock rings that slide over the 1/8" diameter dowel "gun and radar pod". I don't have a laser cutter, I'll have to cut them out by hand.

The template PDFs from Jim Z's printed up full size when when checked against the printed ruler.

The larger ring was printed onto 115 lb. stock, cut out and traced onto framing mat stock. The center hole wasn't cut out. 

Small thick rings are hard to cut out with a hobby knife. I used some heavy scissors. Just make them as round as you can.

Sand down the high spots using 220 grit on a block.

On the left is a rough cut with scissors.

On the right is after sanding and rounding with the sanding block.
 

Six are needed, I had to throw out one.

They're not kit perfect, but will be fine on the clone build.