Balsa Fin Lamination Clamps

Recently I made extra fins for a second Quest Cobalt model.
The kit has almost 1/8" thick fins. I only had 1/16" balsa on hand.

Two pieces of 1/16" balsa were cut for each fin.
These were glued together with white glue.
To get a even clamping pressure and to prevent warping, craft sticks (Popsicle sticks) were set on either side of the leading and trailing edges.

Clothes pins were clamped over the craft sticks.
The craft sticks also prevent the clothes pin pressure from making dents in the balsa.
I sanded the new 1/8" thick laminate pieces down to a little over 3/32" thick.

Quest X-30 Aerospace Plane Part 9, Shroud Forming

Before using the tape strip, pre-roll the aeroshroud stock into a smooth cone.
This is a big shroud so take it slow or creases could form.

This is the same kind of double sided tape used in the older Quest HL-20 lifting body kit.
Peel off one side of the tape and press it down on the tab area.
Lift off the brown side and the adhesive is left on the tab area.


Even with the kit being nearly 20 years old, the tape worked like it was new.
Carefully roll the shroud and match up the graphics before burnishing down the adhesive applied tab.

You finally use the thick tube to press the tab in place.
The narrow end of the shroud is too small for your fingers and the tube applies an even pressure all the way down the tab.

Quest X-30 Aerospace Plane Part 8, Fin & Shroud Prep

The two wing pieces are glued together.
As the instructions showed, check to be sure the root edges are lined up with a straightedge. Sand the root edge with a block.

The edges of all the fins will be exposed, the printed fin covers don't wrap over the edges.
Just the edges were filled will CWF and sanded smooth. The picture shows the application of the CWF before sanding smooth.
After sanding the fins were stacked and the root edges sprayed with Grey primer filler.

After almost 20 years of storage, the main aeroshroud card stock had soft folds and wrinkles. Leaving it flat in a heavy book overnight didn't smooth the wavy surface.

I used a dry iron and it helped. The instructions say you could use an iron on a steam setting, but I wouldn't recommend it! I tried some steam and it made shallow dimples in the surface from the holes in the bottom of the iron.

After ironing there was still an uneven surface.
I can only hope these will smooth out when the shroud is rolled into it's final shape.

Quest X-30 Aerospace Plane Part 7, Vacu-form Canopy

The canopy was molded with a much sharper edge.
Trace a pencil line around the edge for a cut line.
Cut just outside the line.

The rough edge was smoothed on a sanding block and 220 grit sandpaper.
Keep an eye on the molded edge line. Sand the bottom off the edge a little flat for a wider gluing surface.

Check the fit of the canopy against the oval drawn on the top of the  printed aeroshroud. It's easy to sand off too much.

Sand off any plastic that has rolled over the edge with 400 grit and a  light touch.

Quest X-30 Aerospace Plane Part 6, Vacu-form Nose Cone

I cut the nose cone base off a little wide. There wasn't a definate edge and I didn't want to cut it too short.

The plastic was pretty thick and took a few passes to cut through.

The front bulkhead is pressed in place. Hold it up to the light to make sure it is level.

I drew a pencil line around the bulkhead joint. This gives me a straight line to apply the plastic glue in the right area.  

After the bulkhead glue dried, the lip was trimmed down with sharp scissors.
After trimming the plastic edge was sanded level with some 220 grit on a block.

Age Recomendation Raised on Quest Kits

I found this white sticker over the original hang topper on the Quest Raptor kit.

The age recommendation went up from 10 to 14 years.
"Direct Adult Supervision" for building and flying is now age 14.


From the 2013 Estes catalog:
Estes model rocketry is recommended for ages 10
years and up. Adult supervision is recommended for those under 12 years of age

It's interesting that "NOT A TOY" has been added to the Quest label. I've never considered model rockets "toys". Anything that requires ignition and can move that fast shouldn't be called a toy.

Quest X-30 Aerospace Plane Part 5, Fin Prep

The curved front of the inlet fins were sanded with some 220 grit wrapped around an old engine casing.

I cut off the uneven front tips off the inlet fins. I probably should have left them long. But, the overlay sheet showed them with a squared off tip.
After sanding them square that front tip was too thin and not the same between fins.
Later I found out they weren't long enough to cover the white location area on the aeroshroud body.

TIP: These die-cut fins were chipping off the back root edge corner.
Sometimes you can place a drop of CA on this corner to keep the balsa in place. It'll sand off easily after the glue dries.