Centuri Skylab Build, #KB-4, Part 23, Fin Face Decals

I had to trim the solar panel decals after trying a dry fit on the square fins.

Cuts were made on all four sides almost to the vertical and horizontal lines.

These transferred easily. Wet the entire flat surface before applying the large decal. Centering took a moment or two.

The final look was better than I hoped.

While this doesn't have the raised texture of the original kit stickers, it still gives the right impression.

Centuri Skylab Build, #KB-4, Part 22, Chrome Fin Faces

With the backing still on - 

Fold the chrome trim piece in half so the crease will roll over the leading edge.

Peel off the backing and set the fold over the rounded forward edge.

Don't adhere the entire piece, but pull down on the leading edge pinching between your thumb and index finger.

After the leading is good, then smooth the rest of the skin from top to bottom.

Over time, the chrome cover might lift.

Here's what happened to the Phoenix Bird sticker. I don't think I got a good tight fit over the leading edge.

The piece was cut to the width of the fin but cut a little long to overhand the trailing edge. 

After the skin is burnished, the overhang is carefully trimmed off with a new single edge razor blade.

Here's one of the good fins.

There are some dust specks that make raised areas on the others.

I hope the solar panel decals will camouflage the spots.

TIP: Chrome Monokote Trim material can be hard to find. I got my self-adhesive chrome sheeting from Balsa Machining Service.

Centuri Quasar Clone Build, Kit #KC-7, Part 18, Motor Tube Chrome Trim

The Centuri instructions mention a "corrugated strip" that goes around the exposed part of the motor mount tube.

From my build in the 1970s, I don't remember if this wrap around was white cardstock or chrome Mylar. Centuri often included chrome Mylar in their kits.

I decided to add some chrome Monokote. 

I tried to add some embossed lines to the thin Mylar. It looks like the lines were visible at this stage. I made the lines with the round tip of a butter knife and straightedge.

The backing was peeled off and the end was started under the raised engine hook.

The picture shows the raised finish end ready to go under the lifted engine hook.

The chrome trim looks great - but the embossed lines pretty much disappeared when the Mylar was set down!

I know they are there . . . 

Estes Odyssey #7235 Build, Part 26, Silver Mask, Chrome Trim & Gun Gluing

I love a simple mask!

The vanes and area either side of the leading and trailing edges of the vanes is painted silver. 

Scotch Tape initial mask and masking tape outside those. Plastic bags covered the rest of the body.

I had already test fitted the chrome strip around the front of the gun tube.

Start and finish your wrap where the seam won't be seen, inside facing the fin leading edge.

The front of the gun was slid in place.

A Q-tip was used to apply a drop of glue. The Q-tip was then used to spread out an interior fillet and pick up any excess glue.

On the right is the finished wing tip gun.

The plastic nose cones were glued in using - 

Everybody say it out loud on the count of three - 

Beacon Fabri-Tac!

Estes Odyssey #7235 Build, Part 19, Wing Detail Guns

I found it easier to place the vanes using tweezers.

Set the unit in the body tube (dry, not glue yet) to adjust and get a better fit on the sides against the body tube.

I had already sprayed the body tubes white as seen in the second photo above.

The tubes had the seams filled and filler/primer sprayed and sanded.

To paint the tubes white, I made a handle by splitting the end of a scrap BT-5 tube. The split end was crimped in and the kit tubes were pressed onto the cut tube. 

The silver gun details and nose cones were sprayed silver before being glued into the white tubes. The entire model will be sprayed gloss white, then these silver parts will be glued in.

Here's a dry fit - I like color separations without masking.

There was a slight gap where the silver vanes fit over the edge of the tube.

Looking at the face card picture, there is a silver band under the contact area around the tube.

Again, a dry fit of the silver painted end details.

I added a strip of chrome Monokote Trim around the the end. That will also fill the slight gap between the vanes and the tube.

This chrome trim was a test and was peeled off before gluing to the tubes on the outside edges of the wings and rudder. The chrome trim will be added back later.

Mercury Engineering 3" Diam. School Rocket Build, Part 6, Chrome Trim Fins, Comparison

Here's an old post that never got, well . . . posted!
This shows the difference when adding some Monokote chrome trim.
While Bill at BMS wanted a red, white and blue catalog picture, I added chrome trim after the pictures were sent out.
I have a little history with this kit, I drew up the instructions for the 3" School Rocket versions.

This 3" diameter, 28" tall model is one of the best values out there at $23.95 for the 24mm version.
BMS has also added a 29mm version with an optional payload section.
To see the 3" diameter School Rocket,
CLICK HERE - Look for the School rocket listing along the top. Go to the 3" diameter 24mm or 29 mm versions.

The fins got two tapered strips, on just one side of the fins.
Simply a judgement call, I though strips on both sides would be too much.

Here's the before and after the chrome was added.
Both schemes work, but the chrome trim really sets it off.
NOTE: The very tips of the chrome stars want to lift. The stars won't come off, but you can feel them with your fingers.

I remember the Centuri catalog from 1973. Simple bands of chrome added a lot to the Flutter-By, Groove Tube and Bandito models.

Semroc Andromeda Chrome Wrap Fix, Tips, Part 2

Here's the original Estes instruction illustration showing the spacing of the chrome bands.

The low wrap is 1 1/2" above the centering ring joint. The second wrap goes 1/4" above that.

On the left, the first wrap is in place, using the top edge of a masking tape wrap for a reference line. Why use a tape wrap? Getting a sticky wrap to meet up at the start point never seems to happen on the first try. The tape wrap gives you a straight around the tube reference.

After the first chrome wrap is set, a 1/4" wide masking tape strip was set above the lower wrap.
The upper chrome wrap is set down above the tape strip.

Here's the final decal art using the widest black band decal from the first three draws.

This decal print is available as a PDF if you are a Patreon blog supporter.

Here's the overlay decals on top of the chrome trim.
This is the same technique I've used in the past to "print" over chrome.

The width of the vertical bar wrap worked and is even all the way around. Sometimes things work out, it just takes me a year and a half to fix it.

Semroc Andromeda Chrome Wrap Fix, Tips, Part 1

My Semroc Andromeda was a pre-production kit, given to me to help produce the instructions. I got the kit at NARAM 60, almost two years ago.
I built the kit without problems as I did the line drawings. All went great, until I applied the (laser burned) chrome wrap. The black striping was cut a little to deep. I couldn't transfer the wrap onto the model without it breaking up into many strips.
The model sat finished, without the chrome wrap for quite a while. I finally got around to making a wrap yesterday and applying it tonight.
I've used this technique before when a printed chrome piece was needed.

I drew up three roll bar rectangles. The middle set was drawn to the width of the kit supplied wrap. Past experience has taught me to make a few more, one a bit narrower and a third wrap a little wider. The width difference was almost 1/16".
This gives me some room to play with and adjusts for tube diameter and paint thickness.
These were printed up on to clear decal paper.

I first cut Monokote chrome trim piece to the width of the wrap supplied in the kit. It turned out to be about 1/16" short! Maybe the third, wider decal wrap will fit.

A second test piece of chrome trim was cut to allow a slight overlap. When a  chrome wrap overlaps itself, it's very hard to see the seam.

Notice in the above picture, a wrap of masking tape is set around the tube for a straight, around the tube reference line. The upper side of the tape is 1 1/2" from the top of the centering ring.

When rolling on the chrome piece, leave most of it on the backing. Try not to touch the sticky underside.
Roll the chrome on, smoothing out any trapped air as you go. Keep the bottom edge of the chrome wrap on the top of of the tape.

More tomorrow-

Estes MRN Orbital Transport Laboratory Build, Part 13, Chrome Trim & Fin Gluing

The old MRN black and white picture showed the black end color  as black. The 1973 Estes catalog showed the OTL in color. I could now see it wasn't black, but reflective chrome.
Why apply the chrome wrap before gluing on the fins? It would be very difficult to apply the wrap with the fin dowels in the way.
A 1" wide piece of Monokote Chrome Trim was wrapped around the tube. A notch was cut to fit around the launch lug.

After the wrap was stuck down I pressed the chrome with a fingertip to find the punched holes. A pencil was pressed into the holes to better see the locations.

Small "X" cuts were made with the tip of an X-Acto knife. You probably couldn't punch through with a pencil tip. I didn't remove the circle, I figured the folded in corners of the chrome layer would make for a tighter fit of the dowel ends.

The fins were pressed in place with no glue.
The contact point at the bottom of the ring was marked and the paint chipped off at the glue point.

The picture on the right shows a small square of paint scored and lifted off.

A "ball" of white glue was set on the dowel end. A small amount of glue was also set on the corner of the fin to contact the rear ring.

The idea is some of the glue would be pushed out along the dowel and make a fillet bead on the outside of the body tube. There is still glue on the dowel tip going into the drilled centering ring holes. White glue is used here, it could be seen outside the finished model and will dry clear.

Here's all four fins glued in place, ready for the home printed decals.

Lawn Dart Rocketry SLAT/S Build, Part 10, Paint and Chrome Trim

The model did get a gloss white undercoat before the overall gloss orange.


I wanted to add some chrome trim like on the Odd'l Fighter Fleet models. This isn't necessary, but paint on the hook will just bubble up after the first flight. On the finished model it just looks cleaner.

TIP: First I scraped off the orange paint on the engine hook. I use the backside of the blade. No sense dulling up the sharp side.




A strip of Monokote chrome trim was started under the engine hook and rolled around the exposed end of the engine mount tube.






The overhang is cut off with a sharp blade, even with the tube edge.

Semroc (Centuri) Taurus Build, Part 14, More Decals & Pod Trim

The kit has some trim pieces for the pods but they were not as shiny as the chrome trim I had.







GOTCHA: The kit supplied decal didn't fit around the nose cone as shown on the face card. I ended up placing it around the body tube, below the nose cone.

At the base is the shinier Monokote chrome trim.





The lower adapter was painted metallic silver.
I tried a strip of white decal paper but didn't like the contrast. I went with a strip of the Contact paper.




Before gluing onto the standoffs, the pod paint gluing line was sanded to the tube surface with a sanding block.

TIP: Shown in the second picture, the upper bar decal didn't make it all the way around the tube. I started and finished the decal wrap on the inside where the gap won't be seen.

Semroc (Centuri) Taurus Build, Part 13, Ends, Edges, Upper Trim & Decals

There are two blue conduits shown on the face card picture.
The old Centuri catalog page showed these pieces glued lower on the adapter.









I didn't have blue paint, purple should work.




The nose cone and smaller pod cones were sprayed before gluing in their tubes.

TIPS: I used a strip of chrome trim Monokote around the base of the nose cone. A little bit of chrome really adds a lot to the looks of some designs.
The black vinyl is my old standby - Contact Paper Blackboard material.






You have some freedom with some hatch decals, place them where you want.

TIP: Cut out the inside middle of the canopy decal so it will conform to the curvature of the nose cone.

OR Spaced Needle Build, Part 9, Trim Strips

Some strips were cut from Monokote chrome trim and Contact Paper blackboard covering material.





I did some test fitting on a scrap piece of BT-200 to check the visual width and spacing before placing the trim on the model.

I tend to leave some of the backing paper on the strip as I transfer to the model. This keeps your fingerprints, dirt and lint off the sticky side before it is on the rocket.







The strips were alternated black then chrome.

An aluminum angle was set on the tube to check and be sure the strips were on straight before final burnishing.






Originally I set all the strips at the same distance from the ends of the tubes at the start of the orange color mask. (See two pictures above)

I found it more interesting to break up the strips and go over the orange color mask line.