Carded Mini Goblin Build, Part 6, Body Tube Skin

Using your aluminum angle - 

Draw a pencil line down the BT-5 tube. 

Pencil, not pen. Ink can bleed through the paper skin.

Apply an even glue stick coat.

Again working quickly before the glue dries,

Set the long edge down the pencil line and roll the skin around the tube.

By the time you get it aligned around the tube, some of the glue may have set up. Apply more glue to the lifted end and burnish.

The bottom photo shows a good seam end match.

Estes Vesta Intruder #7312 Build, Part 9, Fin Skins

The interior tics can be sanded down with some 400 grit.

Same goes for the outside edges. Run a fingertip over the edges and you will feel the tic bumps that should be sanded off.

I didn't want to use white or wood glue to adhere the skins. I was concerned about excess dried glue showing up on the finished model. 

I tried an experiment using a glue stick on some scrap skin cardstock. The glue stick was rubbed on the back of the skin trying to get an even coat.

This was pressed onto some scrap balsa and let dry.

The skins held on very strong, even when I tried to lift them with a knife blade.

That was good enough for me!

Here's a cleaned up skin, glued and centered on a fin. 

TIP: Using a glue stick allows an even thin coat that won't squeeze out when the skin is burnished down. If any glue shows along the edges, pick it up with a Q-tip it before it dries.

Estes Vesta Intruder #7312 Build, Part 8, Fin Skins

The hold down tics on the center pieces were cut with a new blade. I wouldn't recommend punching these out. These should be removed or they will be seen when the model is finished.

On the left you can see the tics after the dot was cut out.

I used a sharpened dowel to push the tic up and over the surface.

This was shaved off with my knife.

There was still a small bit left. I did some light sanding with a small diamond rat tail file.

To round out the holes - 

I dipped the sharpened dowel in some water then rolled off most of the water on a paper towel. Very little water is left on the dowel tip.

Roll the damp dowel in the hole to round it out and form a perfect circle.

Estes Asteroid Hunter #3224, Build, Part 17, Fitting the Q Piece Sides

Check the root edges where the fin sides exit the skin slots. 

If there are any raised areas - 

You can press them down before the glue fillets are applied. Try to get the sides as straight as you can. These edges will be covered with fillets, but if they are flat they will look better in the end.

The slots in the "Q" side pieces were smaller than the thickness of my filled fins. Notice where the glue fillet stops to allow the end of the Q piece to slide in.

I had to widen the slots with a flat diamond file.

The slot is rounded, but the leading edge of the fins are square! There is a round gap in front of the squared leading edge of the fin.

Note the front of the Q piece. It should slightly overhang the front of the angled top assembly.

That slight overhang should allow me to taper the rear slot and still fit the front.

Tapering the inside of the slot will move the fin back and give a little tighter fit at the leading edge gap.

Estes Asteroid Hunter #3224, Build, Part 11, Trimming Up The Skins

Here's where the main body stands now - 

Note the overhang is a little longer on the back, larger end shown on the bottom. This overhang will be trimmed then sanded to the flat faces of the balsa.

Viewed from the side - 

These long side edges will also be trimmed and sanded.

Use a new, sharp single edge razor blade to cut down the overhang.

Don't cut into the balsa face!

It is very easy to veer off a straight line and cut into the flat balsa sides.

Notice there is still some card stock edge left above the blade in the picture.

With most of the overhang gone, the cardstock is now stiffer near the edge and easier to sand.

Sand the remaining cardstock down to the balsa with 220 grit and finishing with 400 grit on a block.

Estes Asteroid Hunter #3224, Build, Part 10, Gluing & Setting The Skin

Before gluing, the sides should be sanded. 

I took a little off the edges for s slightly wider glue contact line.

A line of glue is set down the longest pieces (Ys, Zs and AAs). Glue is also applied to the O and P end pieces.

The glue lines will tend to bead up, smooth the glue out and remove excess. You want to have an even coat of glue all the way down the ribs.

Notice the two "teeth" of the fitted notch at the top. You can use these to visually set and center the folds in the skin.

I used my Sharpie pen burnisher to press the fold lines and side edges into the glue underneath. Don't flatten the folds, just set the card stock into the glue.

Estes Asteroid Hunter #3224, Build, Part 9, Body Skin Alignment

I used one side of my architectural ruler to "set" the emboss line and make a sharper crease. 

Set the line you have already embossed over the edge of the ruler and run a smooth burnisher down the crease. 

Here's one side of the skin after "setting" the fold.

Do a few dry fits before using glue to get used to how the skin will set over the structure.

There will be an overhang on all sides.

I decided to set the skin with less overhang on the front. I knew the tighter fit on the smaller front end would be harder to trim.

Looking inside the housing, this is still a dry fit - 

The angled sides of the interior bulwarks are curved. The skins "float" over these curves. On the next post - Do not apply glue on the curved sides. Glue is only applied to the edges of the Y, Z and AA side pieces.

Estes Asteroid Hunter #3224, Build, Part 8, Body Skin Embossing

The Estes instructions say to use a ball point pen and ruler to make three firm passes over each fold line.

I didn't want all that ink on the cardstock. In older instructions I remember a recommendation using a ball point pen that has run out of ink.

The illustration shows a shorter wooden or plastic ruler being used to emboss the folds. I'd recommend using a metal ruler.

Instead of a pen, I used a butter knife with a rounded tip. There are some serrations on the knife, but not at the tip. Use just the tip of the knife to emboss the fold lines.

This technique goes back to the original Estes Saturn 1B kit. You can read it on Page 8, Step 23A of the instructions at Jim Z's: CLICK HERE 

After the fold lines are embossed,

Cut out the fin slots first -

Then cut the outside border line of the skins.