Improvements In Odd'l Rockets Kits

While I wait for drier weather to paint the Sandpiper -

Here's two improvements in the Odd'l Rockets 104 Starfighter kit.

3D printing has come a LONG way!

This is the PNC-24D nose cone from Apogee. Resin printed and very smooth. The plastic color is a light gray, the older cones were bright yellow. The gray is much easier to cover with lighter spray paints. Here is one coat of gloss white.

The intakes of the F-104 kit were split balsa nose cones.
While I pre-split the nose cones, the builder was still required to sand the inside contour to fit tight against the body tube. 

The new intakes are resin 3D printed by reallykoostuff.com 

Light gray, smooth and the underside is curved to fit the heavy wall BT-50 tube.

Estes Sandpiper, Kit #1389, Part 12, Ends & Edges, Decals

While waiting two days for the white undercoats to dry.

I doubt I'll get to the orange paint today, it's Father's Day. I'll be spending the afternoon with my daughters. 

My eighth grade woodshop teacher told me: "Anybody can get a table top smooth. A craftsman will focus on the ends and edges."

That statement stayed with me.

One thing I usually do is round out the cut ends of the launch lug. Rotate a sharpened dowel in the lug ends without flaring out the diameter.
 

I re-drew the kit decals. They'll be available soon to Patreon subscribers.

At the bottom are outline templates for cutting out white decals that go underneath the stars and bars. 

Estes Sandpiper, Kit #1389, Part 11, Screw Eye & Nose Cone Pattern

I picked the nose cone shoulder with the screw eye attachment.

The hole did need enlargement using a small file.

Before I can release the decals and templates, I have to print and test the size and fit.

I printed and cut out the nose cone decor pattern over the nose cone and winglets. The black paint line is at the bottom edge of the pattern. 

The one I drew up was a little too long. The lower edge should be just above the halfway point of the finlets root edge.

I made adjustments to the template page.

Here's the templates, as close as I could get them.

These and the decals will be available to Patreon subscribers after I place the decals on the painted model.

Estes Sandpiper, Kit #1389, Part 10, Sanding The White Undercoats

After the first white undercoat,

fine sanding with 400 grit showed there was still some uneven fillets.

The inside fillets are a little hard to reach.

This one showed a bubble after sanding. More glue - 

This had to be the best fitting shroud I've ever done!

It was surprising, I didn't have a shroud tool, the one at payloadbay.com wasn't available. Those tools are now at jonrocket.com.

Smooth, with very little filling.

The 3D printed nose cone turned out very smooth!

Initially, there were very subtle ridges, but those sanded out. One shot of filler/primer and sanding got it ready for color.

Estes Sandpiper, Kit #1389, Part 9, Fillets Down The Long Launch Lug

Sometimes I don't bother with launch lug fillets, it's a pain dealing with the air bubbles when the glue dries.

To the left is the first glue fillet still wet, just smoothed with a finger. Let the glue totally dry.

Here's the same fillet, dried with air pockets. Another glue fillet will fill some of the open holes.

It'll take three or four fillets to fill and smooth the glue line.

After three fillets the inside fill is looks smooth. 

You can lightly sand the fillet to further smooth before paint.

This launch lug/tunnel reminds me of the old Estes Wac Corporal kit. The long lug on the Wac Corporal is concealed with balsa strip sides.

Estes Sandpiper, Kit #1389, Part 8, Gluing The Lug Shroud

The sides of the lug shroud spread out when the glue on the bottom dried. The sides needed to attach to the launch lug.

A line of glue was spread down the edge of a razor blade.

This was transferred and spread down the inside edge of the shroud.

A dowel was pressed against the side to form the shroud flat against the lug.

Hold the dowl in place until the glue starts to set up. Repeat on the other side.

Here's the finished shroud, straight and tight.

Estes Sandpiper, Kit #1389, Part 7, Gluing The Lug Shroud

The launch lug shroud is glued on, centered between the two wing fins.

The bottom end is even with the motor mount tube.

The fins are glued on, centered and perpendicular to the wings.

The glue on the shroud bottom shrank a bit and turned the sides out.

It'll take some patient pressure to get the sides adhered to the launch lug.