260 Space Booster Build Part 18 Decal Plan

The instructions say to cut the decals from the Estes #D5 decal sheet. That decal sheet isn't at hand!
I'd have to draw it up and print decals at home.

The rocket drawing on page two of the instructions was enlarged until the body tube width (on the screen) was 1.637" or the width of a BT-60 tube.

The USAF type style was matched as close as I could using available fonts. The best I found was "Amarillo USAF".
To get the black stripes to the right width, rectangles were drawn over the enlarged drawing from the instructions.
The USAF and U S AIR FORCE will be the only water slide decals. The black bands and stripes will be cut from blackboard Contact Paper.

Patreon members: If you'd like the PDF to print out your own decals, email me at:
oddlrockets@bellsouth.net
and ask for the 260 Space Booster PDF.

260 Space Booster Build Part 17 Prime and Paint

Even though I did a "butt-joint" of the seam edges, (not an overlapping tab) there was still a little fill to do.
Here I'm dragging a drop of CWF down the seam with my knife tip.
After this was sanded, any remaining gap will be filled with sanded primer.



The picture on the left shows how I directed the primer right on the seams.

The Dupli-Color primer can has a nozzle that you can turn for a wide or narrow spray. I set it to narrow and aimed for the seams.


This will be an easy one to paint.
Overall, the model is sprayed white.
I didn't glue the nose cone (or adapter) on yet, the nose cone will be painted red off the model. When the red nose cone is inserted into the white BT-50 tube, it'll have a clean color separation.
All the black stripes will be applied with Blackboard Contact Paper. Strips will be cut and stuck on the rocket. Simple and clean.

260 Space Booster Build Part 16 Clear Fin Wrap Fit

The clear tube won't quite fit over the BT-60 so it'll have to be split lengthwise and taped shut for flight.
The old Estes Gemini Titan instructions talk about splitting the clear fin tube if it gets too tight.
Be careful when scoring the tube. It's easy to slip off the edge with the knife. The plastic tube is flexible.

A weird thing happened when the tube was cut slit. Be ready, the tube will close up on itself.

The bad part, the closing tube could knock off a glued fin.
The good thing, the tube tension makes for a very good fit on the BT-60.




When wrapped around the tube, there is a slim opening down the slit line you'll simply cover with a piece of clear tape.
Between flights, you can store the fin unit (off the model) on a scrap piece of BT-60 to keep it's round shape.

Two Estes Photon Probes, Old and New

I hadn't planned on buying two Estes Photon Probe kits.
I picked up the older one on the left from Ebay pretty cheap.
This version #2043 was sold from 1991- 1993.

I was at Michael's yesterday buying engines with a 40% off coupon. I saw this new re-issue Photon Probe in a clearance bin. It was marked down to $7.99.

I though it'd be interesting to compare the two versions, the older U.S. made and the newer Chinese made kits.
The face cards showed the older model in white with pink trim, the newer was white and purple.

The older version could fly to 720 feet!
The new version could fly up to 575 feet.

The old version weighed in at 2.4 oz. and could fly with A8-3, B4-4, B6-4 and C6-5 engines.
The newer weighs 3.45 oz and flys with B4-4, B6-4 and C6-5 engines.
I don't see how the reissue kit could weigh an extra oz.

Inside the bag, there were differences.

The older kit is on the left, the newer on the right.
The older engine lock retaining ring was black.
The trim strips were balsa and are now basswood.
Fins and centering rings are now laser cut.
The older kit's BT-55 and launch lug were bent.
The old engine hook was spring steel and not easily bent. The new hook has the finger tab and when bent doesn't spring back flat.

In the next picture, again the older kit is on the left.
The older parachute was not assembled. There was an addendum to the instructions showing how to tie on the shroud lines instead of just sticking them on under a tape disk.

The older shock cord was 1/8" wide fabric over elastic, barely 18" long.
The newer shock cord was the old style rubber, 1/4" wide X 30" long.
The decals looked the same in both kits, the Estes logos were slightly larger on the new decals.
On closer examination, the older decals had sharper edges and had a "Center Section and Serial Number" decal not on the new kit sheet.

Estes has made some great strides in the Classic re-issue kits.
Longer shock cords, laser cut parts and balsa nose cones are a plus.
The new engine locks aren't spring steel anymore.
The jury is still out on the decals. Some have had the edges lift a few days after applying the decals.

260 Space Booster Build Part 15 Clear Fin Glue Test

I cut a 4" section of the clear fluorescent light protection tube for fin gluing practice. I wanted to find the best way to adhere the thin fin material.

Going back to the ole Estes Gemini Titan instructions, you would use clear dope to glue the fins.

I applied a line of dope to the root edge of a practice piece with a Q-tip. This gave me good control of the flow of the dope.

When set on the clear tube, it did adhere pretty well.

Using more practice pieces, I tried other methods.
We didn't have Super Glues when the Gemini Titan and Thor Agena kits first came out. I tried thin and medium CA fillets.
The thin CA fillet worked okay, but the medium CA fogged up the root edge when it dried.



I even tried clear "invisible" tape pushed into the root edge. It wasn't invisible. But applied to both sides, it had the strongest joint.




In the end, I'll probably go the old Estes route.
Clear dope on the root edge, then a clear dope fillet applied with a Q-tip or small brush.
The clear dope fillets looked the best, it did dry transparent and without fogging up the plastic.
These clear fins will probably pop off on a hard landing, just like they used to on my Estes Thor Agena B.

New Parachutes for the Jolly Roger

I was prepping my Jolly Roger rocket with two C6-5s for the upcoming Orlando R.O.C.K. launch.
There was small white specks all over the upper body. I didn't know where those were coming from.
As I was cleaning them off, it finally hit me. I had sprayed a white skull and crossbones on the two black trash bag parachutes. The paint was flaking off the parachute and sticking everywhere!
I cut off the parachutes and threw them away - another creative experiment gone bad.
I wanted new parachutes that fit the model. Then I remembered another skull and crossbones.

When I first flew this rocket, Roger Smith (jonrocket.com, rocketreviews.com) gave me some plastic pirate flags. He picked them up for the kids when he wanted to launch his flying pirate skull.


I found my 12" parachute cutting template. It almost fit on the pirate flag. I cut it out and attached shroud lines.

Sure the plastic is a little thicker than a standard LPR parachute, but it fits the theme.

260 Space Booster Build Part 14 Clear Fin Cutting

After the one side is scored over the fin drawing, the plastic is removed from the template and flipped over.

The other side is scored. Cut right over the first line, you can see it right through the plastic.
Be sure to extend your cut lines beyond the fin shape to the ends of the plastic piece.





Flex the plastic score lines over your finger.
Scoring on both sides should give you a pretty clean break.







After sanding the edges down with a block, here's all four fins ready for the clear body tub wrap.