Enerjet by Aerotech Initiator Build, Part 14, Finished

The aluminum motor retainer is epoxied onto the rear of the motor mount tube.

The shock cord is tied to the nose cone shoulder loop.

The nylon parachute is tied onto the shock cord, one foot away from the nose cone.

Here's the low end with the bold fin graphics.

The mid section with the somewhat tricky stickers as they are pieced together.

The final look has a good flow.

After this picture was taken, I shot the nose cone again with Ace Banner Red to lighten the tone and better match the red on the sticker below it.

The Initiator is an impressive introduction into mid-power rocketry.

Enerjet by Aerotech Initiator Build, Part 13, Fin Decor

After trimming the fin stickers,

Place them dry without the backing removed. Mark the corners with pencil for easier positioning.

Here's how the fin sticker was placed. 

Fourteen more to go!

With the backing peeled off, dip the decal sticky side down in water. Shake off some of the excess. 

The water on the adhesive side allows the sticker to be lifted if placement is a little off.

Any water and air can be worked out with a clean cloth, going from the center to the outside edges.

The shoulder lip got a swipe with a red Sharpie. 

The tube edge also got the Sharpie treatment.

This covers any white that could show up at the nose cone/body tube joint.

Enerjet by Aerotech Initiator Build, Part 12, Decal Stickers

Plan ahead! You'll get best results if the stickers are set in a certain order -

1.The INITIATOR name is centered and in place. 

2.The orange stripe goes down the tube, running through the open line in the Initiator name.

3. Now the upper body tube wrap can be set down, lining up the down point with the orange line already in place.

 

Start sticking the wrap with the "down point" lined up with the orange stripe - then wrap the sides.

It sometimes easier to have a end wrap sticker edge overlap the tube end. You can always shave off any overhang with a razor blade. 

You could remove the entire backing and wet the decal for re-positioning. Try to keep your fingers off the sticky adhesive. Fingerprints will show under the sticker.

Check out the dry positioning with the sticker backing still in place. 

I wanted to have equal border spacing around the color edges. This will need trimming.

The coverage of the sticker at the root edge was too wide. This will also require some trimming before being stuck on the fins.