Estes USS Enterprise #1275, Part 42, Painting The Details

The raised, thick cardstock rectangles should have been painted the darker gray and then glued on the model. 

These aren't difficult to mask now, it's just some extra work that could have been avoided if I'd planned ahead!

The rectangles were outlined with Sharpie inked Scotch tape.

Brown tape widened the mask,

Plastic grocery bags covered the rest of the model.

With the masks removed there is very little touchup needed.

Estes USS Enterprise #1275, Part 41, Painting The Impulse Engine Details

I'm not good at hand painting. This light gray impulse engine has straight lines and plenty of curves. I decided to mask and spray.

Here's the top - using many small piece of Sharpie marked Scotch tape.

The view from the bottom.

The thin mask border coverage is widened using brown tape.

Press a Q-tip around the edges to (hopefully) seal them.

A plastic grocery bag covered the rest.

After the tape was pulled - 

As expected, there was touchups.

The final look came out okay.
 

Estes USS Enterprise #1275, Part 40, Repainting The Propulsion Caps

I'll be bouncing around two different builds for a bit -

Here's the instruction illustration, the shaded area designated "dark gray". The caps are actually a lighter gray.

I first tried Ace Machinery Gray, but it was too dark!

I repainted it using Ace Light Gray. Now it is much closer to the color shown in the original T.V. model displayed at the Smithsonian.

Those raised rear rectangles (see the instruction drawing above) should have been painted off the model to avoid another mask.

The elevator was hand painted light gray.

The port side running light was painted red. I don't have any green paint so the starboard side light will have to wait.

Micro-Maxx Estes Fat Boy, Part 4, Nose Cone Plug

I didn't have a shoulder base for the old plastic nose cone.

Using the same material as the centering rings, trace around shoulder end of the nose cone with a sharp pencil.

Cut just inside the pencil line with scissors.

Round out the base with 220 grit on a block.

Sand, check the fit and sand some more until you get a slip fit.

Glue a reinforcement strip to the inside.

Punch two small holes for shock cord attachment.

Tie a short piece of elastic with a square knot.

The plug is set just under the edge of the shoulder base. By insetting the plug under the edge allows you to add a glue fillet.

The glue fillet was made with Fabri-tac glue.

Micro-Maxx Estes Fat Boy, Part 2, Centering Ring Fit

Left side picture:

Two uneven, rough cut rings stacked for gang sanding to fit.

Right side picture:

A 1/4" diameter dowel was slipped in for strength while sanding the ring sides even

Sand, test fit and sand some more until you get a good friction fit in the BT-20 tube.

The finished mount with a MMX motor slipped inside to check the position of the engine block slid in from the top.

The finished mount will be glued in with the motor extended a little beyond the edge of the BT-20 tube.

Micro-Maxx Estes Fat Boy, Part 3, Centering Rings

I sure the small rings are available somewhere, I didn't have them. Why wait for an order. I'm cheap so I'll make a few.

A 1/4" punch was used to start the inside ring hole.

The hole was widened using a knife spin followed by a half round diamond file.

The fit was checked with the yellow engine tube I had.

Center the BT-20 tube over the cut just made and trace with a sharp pencil point.

Cut just inside the pencil line using scissors.

Final fitting in the next post -

Micro-Maxx Estes Fat Boy, Part 1, Parts

The picture above is close to the full size MMX build!

This is a spare parts drawer build.

The only parts missing are the centering rings.

Those will be hand cut out of the white framing mat material. 

The nose cone is a leftover from a retired rocket, already painted silver.

Decals have been drawn up, I doubled the F, A and T letters for both sides of the fins. The original kit only included decals for one side of the three fins.

Kevlar line and tablecloth streamer.

Fins will be cut from 1/16" scrap balsa.

The launch lug is a BIC pen ink tube, cut from the end where there was no ink.

The yellow motor tube and engine block are original Quest MMX parts.