Estes Strikefighter, Kit #2015, Build, Part 10, Fitting The Core Tube Vanes

Gluing on the interior core tube vanes is a bit confusing. 

The three longer vanes go on one side, all three side by side. 

The three shorter vanes glue on the opposite side. 

These vanes are close so smoothing out a glue fillet is tight. Glue on a vane, let dry and fillet the first vane. 

Then move on to the second vane, and so on.

Here's the first long vane, the tapered tip spaced 3/32" from the front of the tube.

Glue on a vane, let dry then fillet.

Here's the first three long vanes, glued side by side.
 

All six vanes are glued on. 

The outside edges needed sanding to slip fit into the BT-50 nacelle tube.

The back edge of the three short vanes line up with the back of the BT-50 tube.

Tips From A Shipwright

Too much rain in Orlando, so any pre-painting on the Strikefighter will have to wait!

"Once too much wood is gone - there's no bringing it back!" 

One of the more interesting videos on Facebook.

To watch the video, CLICK HERE

I know it's not rocketry, but it shows pre-planning, patience and experience.

Making your own dowel plugs. 

Matching the grin lines when hammering them in place. 

Picking the right woods for bending and fit -

Estes Strikefighter, Kit #2015, Build, Part 9, Making The "Gun"

I know - I fill the seams in the launch lugs!

It's surprising how well CWF stays in the lug seams after sanding. 

I slide the launch lugs over Q-tips for a painting handle.

The CWF is sanded down to surface.

Filler/primer is sprayed and sanded.

You can see the gray filler left in the remaining lug seam.

Paper strips are rolled around, adhered with a glue stick.

The two small centering rings (with the larger holes) are slipped over the the back of the "gun" lug. The forward ring against the paper strip wrap.

A length of dowel is glued on, against the face of the forward ring. 

More paper strips are wrapped around.

The radar pod has the rings glued over a dowel

Here both are dry fitted in their BT-5 core tube.

Estes Strikefighter, Kit #2015, Build, Part 8, The Scoop

The sides are glued onto the curved back piece.

Note the inside glue fillets.

The top is cut out from 120 lb. cardstock. It was cut a little oversize on purpose.

I pre-curled it by rolling a Sharpie barrel over the cardstock into the heel of my hand. 

Notice the overhang over the sides.

 

To seal and harden the overhang, some medium CA was wiped on using a Q-tip. This makes it hard enough to sand even with the face of the sides.

Filler/primer followed and smooth sanding.

Estes Strikefighter, Kit #2015, Build, Part 7, The Scoop

Here's a good sized chunk of cardstock from another build. Save leftover kit cardstock!

It's hard to find high density cardstock that is .050" thick.

I probably should have cut the gun "rings" from this thickness stock. Maybe I'll go back and remake them.

On the left are the back and sides of the scoop.

On the right are the two remaining smaller rings.

The curved back of the scoop didn't match the curvature of the BT-55 tube.

I wrapped some 400 grit around the tube and corrected the arc.

On the right is the better fit.

Estes Strikefighter, Kit #2015, Build, Part 6, Balsa Wings

Old School - Tracing a paper template and cutting balsa fins one at a time.

There will be some differences between like fins.

Stack, hold tightly and sand the sides even using a block.

The sharp front tips of the stabilizers should be lined up and cut off square.

I don't know why,

the instructions have you glue the larger wing piece to the body tube first, then glue on the extension.

That could make for alignment problems and filling the joint.

I glued up both pieces with the root edges against a straight edge.

Estes Strikefighter, Kit #2015, Build, Part 5, Engine Mount

The instructions have you glue the upper ring 1/16" down from the top of the tube.

I set the upper ring lower, just over the top bend of the engine hook. This reinforces the mount and could prevent tearing of the tube if the ejection charge knocks the hook down.

Here's the Kevlar line against the underside of the ring.

The Kevlar loop goes under the engine hook.

On the other side, the knot butts up against the very small punched hole in the ring.

The finished mount - 

An engine block was glued in the tube top, slid down against the top bend of the engine hook.

The Kevlar line got a 1/16" diameter heat shrink tube slid down against the top of the upper ring. The tube is 1/16" diameter before heat shrinks it tight around the line.

I used a heat gun on the low setting to shrink the tube.