Estes Sandpiper, Kit #1389, Part 2, Engine Mount

The instructions have you set a line of glue 2" up inside the 3 1/2" long BT-20 tube. Then push the engine block up from the bottom.

The engine mount tube is only 3 1/2" long, I can add a glue fillet from the top.

Tape and engine casing with 1/4" extending out the bottom. Slide the engine block in from the top dry, no glue yet. 

Slide the block down until it stops against the top of the engine casing.

Add glue using a Q-tip making a fillet around the joint.

After it is dry, remove the engine casing.

The upper 2050 centering ring gets a notch for the Kevlar shock cord.

There is very little room between the tubes for a knot, I did a wrap.

Tighten the Kevlar, set it into the glue fillet.

Estes Sandpiper, Kit # 1389, Part 1, Parts

The Estes Sandpiper kit was produced from 1983 - 1984.

Vashon (Freon, "cold power") previously produced a Sandpiper about the same size. The Vashon version was hardly scale, there was no tapering tail cone.

With the release of the new, large Estes Jayhawk, I thought it would be interesting to build this variant.

This is almost a spare parts build, the 3D printed nose cone was explained in the previous post.

I redrew the decals, fin patterns and shroud. The shroud (as it is right now) may not fit the BT-20 and BT-50 tubes. I'll make adjustments before the PDF is available to Patreon subscribers. 

The original instructions and parts list: CLICK HERE 

The BT-50 tube is 7 3/4" long, the engine mount tube is 3 1/2" long.

The tail cone length is approximately 1 11/16" tall. The nose cone is 4 3/8" tall, exposed.

The launch lug is an LL-2E at 9 1/2" long. 12" long launch lugs can be ordered from jonrocket.com and cut to size.

Clay weight square (not shown) is 1/2 oz.

The payloadbay.com website is down right now, 

I had to find another shroud generator, this one is from:

https://www.delorie.com/rockets/transitions.html

Before I had the 3D nosecone, I had ordered a SEM-BNC-50YP balsa nose cone from Erockets.biz. 

If I couldn't get a plastic PNC-50S, I was going to add the upper vanes like in the old Vashon kit. The vane template is directly below the balsa cone.

Estes Sandpiper, Kit # 1389, Nose Cone Backstory

Blog readers might remember a post about a badly produced 3D nose cone:

CLICK HERE

That smaller nose cone is pictured on the left. It wasn't sized to a BT-50 and had a rough ridged surface.

On the right is the correct size 3D nose cone sent to me by James G. (Augendoc on the forums)

This is a well produced nose cone! Smooth (fine ridges, easily smoothed) with a perfect fit in a BT-50.

The rocketry community can be very helpful. Thanks James!

The nose tip did need minor shaping, easily cleaned up with a sanding block.

Here's the two different shoulder bases.

One has a hole for a screw eye, the other a horizontal bar to tie off a shock cord.

I'll be using the base with the screw eye, it seems stronger.

Meanwhile - at Odd'l Rockets . . .

Here's the floor of my living room after completing three of my largest orders to date! That black box in the back holds an Accordion. This might be why I'm single.

The brown bags contain the smaller items like Raise Springs, Birdies and Adeptors.

40 Raise springs, 20 Adeptors and 162 kits  - Whew!

New Way Lunar Jumper Build, Finished

Another great design from New Way.

This model captures the spirit of the sci-fi films from the 1950s.

I should get a lighter red paint for the nose cone to match the tape trim.

The addition of the red trim tape reminds me of some Centuri kits. Centuri included red trim tape in their Skylab. Other kits included chrome trim.

Lots of detail in the multi piece fins. I like the curved trailing edges.
 

New Way Lunar Jumper Build, Part 13, Red Trim Tape

The red trim tape is cut using the cardstock template.

Set the tape down the lines and cut with a new blade. 

You are supplied with some extra red trim tape.

Near the top of the body tube, it gets a red line wrap.

I set down a wrap of masking tape for easier alignment and to make sure the red trim ends meet. 

The short BT-20 tubes get a wrap of red trim. Note the three wraps don't go from the fin fillet joint, around the tube to the other fin fillet. It seems short.

I marked the masking tape strip at the center with pencil. The red strip was also pencil marked at the center.

Set the red tape center over the mark on the tape and roll the ends around the tube.

Another strip of masking tape was set down for a guide.

The red strip was set down in line against the brown tape with the low end just a little beyond the curved trailing edge.

Carefully trim the red tape overhang that extends beyond the trailing edge to match the fin curve. Cut only the red trim, don't cut into the balsa fin.

New Way Lunar Jumper Build, Part 12, Decals

The forward ring is pencil marked inside for the glue lines.

Apply the glue on the pencil lines, slide down from the top with the glue lines to the sides of the forward fins outside edge.

Turn the tube so the glue contacts the outside edge of the fins.

New Way supplies two decal sheets so you've got second chances if one of your decals doesn't cooperate during transfer.

The decals are laser printed, they might be thinner than what you are used to. There is a slight texture to the aluminum paint so they could grab in the wrong position. 

Before transferring the decals onto the model, wet the position where they will be set.  

The squares decals weren't evenly spaced for a wrap around. I cut them into three pieces to get even spacing between the square segments.

The grid wrap (circles and squares) fit perfectly around the BT-50 tube.