New Estes Black Brant II, Changes Part 4, Decals

On this build I set the launch lug behind the name decals so you would see the C.A.R.D.E. names when the rocket is on the launcher. The problem was - on the other side you end up with a launch lug in the middle of the vertical bar!
One decal was cut with an "I" shape to hopefully let the lug slip through and lay around the base at the glue fillet. It worked okay, but I didn't like the white launch lug.

Those slit marks (I cut them a little too long) were covered with sprayed black decals shown in the next step.

TIP: On the left is a white decal sheet spray painted orange on one side for a different project. The right side was spray painted gloss black for the Black Brant II.

This spray painted decal sheet acts like a water slide decal. Cut to size, soak and apply. No extra clear coat is needed, just the color coat. The right side of the picture shows the black decal covering the launch lug.

TIP: There was a sliver of white paint showing at the root edge of the decal surrounded fin.
This was simply hit with a Sharpie. You can get away with this on this tight inside angle. After a clear coat it won't be visible.

Pre - Hurricane Painting

I don't know what the weather is going to be like over the next day or so. I crossed my fingers to squeeze in a mask and paint before the wind picks up.

The one orange fin on the Mercury Little Joe was masked. As I was shaking a paint can it started to lightly rain! Ten minutes later that cleared and humidity felt low. The first orange coat was applied.
I wanted to spray again five minutes later, but it started to sprinkle again! Half and hour later it was clear and the second coat was sprayed.

I wanted to remove the tape masks fairly quickly.
TIP: You don't want to leave tape on metallic silver paint too long, it can mar the finish.
Luckily the paint dried quickly and the tape was pulled. The Scotch tape root edge masks came out very clean and sharp - Whew!
I masked the outside edge of the fin. The instructions don't mention this, but the real Little Joe was painted this way.

New Estes Black Brant II, Changes Part 3, Decals

From a previous Black Brant II build from last March -

I drew the roll pattern out "flat" to show how the vertical bars would sit. This seemed to be easier to follow than the 1/4 turn pictures in the instructions.

The black vertical bars go from four on the bottom, two in the middle and one at the top. The four bars at the bottom have to be spaced (somehow) around three fins!

This drawing is a reference, it is not meant to be printed as a decal. You can enlarge this and print it out.

The Black Brant decals are tricky. Add to that, one of the vertical bars goes right down the middle of a fin!

These fins were shaped with a diamond taper so I had to cut out a long triangle shape to go over the fin. At the upper tip of the triangle is a slit cut extending about 1/8".
TIP: The slim triangle cut was made a bit smaller than the thickness of the root edge. I was hoping the decal would roll over onto the fin covering up any white at the fillet mask area.
NOTE: These decals are thin so they should conform but can easily tear now that it is cut.

Hurricane Update

Unless Hurricane Dorian turns inland -
I'll be riding this one out, here at home in Orlando Florida.
There are a few builds underway. If I miss a daily post, it's probably out of my hands.
I'm not able to spray paint in my patio right now. Humidity really effects the drying times. I even had to do some clear coats indoors!
I made a make shift painting booth out of a large cardboard box and clear coated in the guest room.

Every time a Hurricane threatens, I'm glad to live inland. I'm probably 45 miles from the coast. By the time a hurricane could go over land to Southeast Orlando it usually loses strength. In 2004 Hurricane Charley did go right through the middle of the state, from the Southwest to the Northeast.
Dorian is a bad one - the Bahamas and Florida's East coast could take a long time to recover.

New Estes Black Brant II, Changes Part 2, Antennas

In the previous version of the kit, you surface or end glue toothpicks to the outside of the upper body tube. It's recommended that this antenna assembly be used for display, you were given another length of BT-55 without antennas for flight.
These 1" long toothpick antennas could break off very easily.

Be careful if you drill the antenna holes with an X-Acto knife tip. The diameter of the hole can easily end up too large. Spin drill a little, check the fit then repeat. You want the tube hole to fit fairly tight around the antennas.

In the new kit you are provided with plastic tapered toothpicks. In the instructions, the end is cut off leaving a 2" length. The second picture shows the ends being glued to the tapered base shoulder of the nose cone.
(Don't the antennas cut to length yet - Read the next paragraph)

GOTCHA: The 2" long plastic toothpick antennas don’t touch the bottom of the nose cone shoulder as shown in the instruction drawing. The nose cone shoulder doesn’t go down far enough to contact the toothpick base ends. 

Left Picture: With the toothpicks extending 1" outside of the body tube section (using the 1" measurement from the previous BBII kit instructions) the toothpicks cross and hit each other inside the tube. With the ends inside ends crossed up it effects the angle of all three antennas.

Right Picture: If the toothpicks are cut to 1 11/16" the ends will touch and give you a triangle center gluing point. Place a drop of plastic cement where the three ends meet. When glued at the center you should end up with the proper downward angle and exposed length outside the body tube.

Here's the finished antenna/body tube segment. 

At the 1 11/16" length, the toothpicks will extend 1" outside the tube.

New Estes Black Brant II, Changes Part 1, Fins & Tail Cone

Here's the instructions from the older Black Brant II kit.
On the tail cone there is a recessed ring. This leaves a gap at the root edge of the fin. You were told to make a triangle shaped piece of balsa, insert the piece and glue. Trim off the excess and apply a glue fillet along the root edge.

These are the fins from the new kit. With laser cut fins, I wondered why this filler wedge piece wasn't added to the root edge.
I mentioned this to Estes. Maybe it'll be incorporated in a future run of kits.

The scale fin tapers can be done with patience and a good sanding block.

This shows the fins and gap at the tail cone.

Sanding the suggested scale diamond taper looks okay but with the 3/32" thick fins the effect is subtle. If the fins were thicker the taper lines would be sharper.

Estes Gryphon #7280 Finished

Here's the finished glider with just the gray paint



And with the decals applied.





The engine pod is gloss white with a gloss black nose cone.

The finished build with the glider and pod attached. It's a sharp design.

This glider was finished to match the kit face card. 

Normally you wouldn't use spray paint but instead color the bottom side of a glider with felt tip pens. Felt pens add no noticeable weight and the dark underside helps you find the glider in the sky. This is a smaller glider and you'll need it!