Estes USS Enterprise #1275, Part 47, More Decals

Behind the sensor dish is a two-piece decal. It is cut in two to fit over the raised gluing ridge.

The center must be cut out to fit around the center post.

I used my rotary punch. The big cut punch wasn't large enough so the hole diameter was widened using a few bites.

From one side the decal halves look complete. 

Around the other side you can see a gap.

Some decal solvent might help lay down the decal on the raised center lip.

Estes USS Enterprise #1275, Part 46, Decals

This old, long decal had me concerned. That decal coat probably helped keep it together.

The left (red bar) end is set 3/8" from the forward end of the gray rectangle.

These grid decals go on the inside face of the strut supports.

The top of the disk has two decals behind the gray elevator dot.

I didn't notice these black indents earlier.

They were filled with a fine point Sharpie.

You could use a toothpick tip dipped in black paint to fill them.

Estes USS Enterprise #1275, Part 45, Adding More Details

TIP: Contact cement dries yellow. Be carful not to get any excess glue where it could be seen later on the finished model. 

The inside surface the propulsion units get more details.

Glue the small rectangles first, covering the rectangle line outline on the decal placed earlier.

The rear of the dowel end sets into the circle printed on the decal. The front end stacks on the low end of the rectangle.

Now we can concentrate on all the other decals that aren't covered with cardstock or dowels.

Estes USS Enterprise #1275, Part 44, Adding Details

Immediately at the rear of the glued on caps,

Wrap the marking guide around the tube with the arrow in line with the bottom node.

Here's a dry fit of the rectangles. The front is at the halfway point of the shoulder cap ring.

I marked with pencil the glue contact points of the rectangle.

These are the areas to get contact cement, inside from the edge. 

Contact cement is applied to both parts and allowed to dry. 

Don't use the big brush that comes attached to the bottle cap. I used Q-tips to control how much glue was set down.

Touch both dried glue areas and contact cement will grab! 

I used tweezers to place the rectangles.

Here's the finished assembly.

Notice a little yellow discoloration on the lower corner of the top rectangle. That's a bit of contact cement and will need a paint touchup. 

Be careful when applying contact cement. Strings of glue can end up on outside surfaces.

Estes USS Enterprise #1275, Part 43, Starting The Decals

Here's the original kit decals, probably from the mid 1970s.

They aren't creased or yellowed.

I've had the same bottle of MicroScale Liquid Decal Film for years, it seems to last a long time. This comes in handy when you have older, questionable decals.

It seems to brush on thick but dries very thin on the decal face.

A few of the decals are set down first, then more cardstock rectangles and a dowel are glued down with contact cement. 

Down the inside centerline of the propulsion unit tubes. That forward rectangle will get a cardstock piece glued over it. A dowel is glued on over that.

Micro-Maxx Estes Fat Boy, Part 9, Decals & Finished

I thought the FAT BOY body tube decal font was something drawn up by the Estes artists. Turns out it is a legit font named "Bauhaus 93".

The picture below gives an idea how small it is in my hand.

The F. A.T. fin decals fit well with just enough border edge. I drew them up (copied and mirrored) so both sides of the fins would have letters.

Mask the nose cone shoulder and spray it red.

Now that I know the decals fit, the decal PDF is available to Patreon subscribers. If you'd like to build a micro FAT BOY, email me at oddlrockets@bellsouth.net and ask for the FAT BOY decal PDF.

Micro-Maxx Estes Fat Boy, Part 8, Engine Mount & Streamer

The engine mount was slid in until the MMX motor was higher that the trailing edge tips of the fins. I didn't want the model standing on the engine mount tube.

After I was sure of the engine mount position, a glue fillet was applied using a Q-tip. 

The body is short so an upper glue fillet was also applied around the forward centering ring using another Q-tip.

The Kevlar line is tied to the elastic loop in the nose cone base. The loose end was pushed into one of the holes in the shoulder plug.

A plastic streamer was taped onto the Kevlar line one third the way down form the nose cone tie.