Estes Cosmic Interceptor Build, Part 12, Intake Vanes Fit

Here's the laser cut intake vane cardstock.

The pieces aren't marked, they vary slightly in size and length.

The picture on the right side shows a dry fit. 

The long pieces are too loose when set in into the AA and BB part notches.

 

I like to seal the exposed edges with glue and sanding. It makes a big difference on the finished model.

The area below the pencil line is what will be exposed.

The right side pic shows a round bead of glue after removing the excess. There is only glue on the edge, not on the sides. The glue in the picture is already half dried.

Sanding with 400 grit smooths out any irregularities.

Hobby Room -

"Welcome to my dream Crafting Room."

To see the short video - CLICK HERE

This is how I feel after I finish 

a big Odd'l Rockets vendor order . . . 

Estes Cosmic Interceptor Build, Part 11, Cutting The Intake Tube

Draw a centerline down the "K" tube.

The template is cut from the instructions and taped to the tube.

Line up the centerlines. Trace with pencil.

TIP: If you set the wide, rounded end of the template very close to the tube end - there is just enough to make a second intake fairing if you screw up the first attempt. 

The sidelines are straight and you can use a straightedge to cut them. Tape a metal ruler down the side pencil lines.

Or you can cut the lines freehand.

Don't cut through on a single pass! Use a new blade, cut slow and controlled. 

The edges are cleaned up with sandpaper on a block.

On the top is the rough cut,

Below is after sanding the edges flat an rounding the front and rear curves.

Estes Cosmic Interceptor Build, Part 10, Cleaning Up The Nose Cone

After the tie off lug is opened, there are some rough edges. These sharp points could wear through a shock cord.

I used some diamond files to take down the edges. You can find them cheap at Harbor Freight - CLICK HERE

There was a slight divot at the front of the canopy nose.

I rebuilt the round contour with a drop of Super Glue.

The thin glue can run, keep the nose cone horizontal while the glue dries.

After drying, sand the drop to match the curve of the nose cone.

Estes Cosmic Interceptor Build, Part 9, Joining The Tubes

The picture on the left shows a dry fit of the two tubes joined by the coupler.

Note the pencil reference line, drawn where the tube fit is best. There are still small gaps.

On the right is a better fit, sanding the tube ends square with a sanding block.

The coupler ends are beveled for an easier slip fit in the tubes.

The bevel also lets the glue pool up at the edge a bit.

If you use yellow or white glue, don't use too much. The dried glue could shrink the tube.

I'd recommend using epoxy for couplers and engine mounts. Epoxy won't lock up like yellow or white glue can.

After sliding the two tubes together, I use a burnisher to mold any raised areas.

CWF is brushed on the seam joint and sanded.

On the right you can see the high and low spots after sanding.

Estes Cosmic Interceptor Build, Part 8, Fitting The Fin Pieces

When fitting the O brace part with the angled end against the N part, it came up short in the back.

I cut new longer O pieces using some of the leftover balsa.

While dry fitting the S brace, the O piece was glued on. 

The O piece was a hair wide. Masking tape was applied to protect the S brace while the overhang was sanded down.

Here's the finished O piece, fitting tight against the M and N pieces of the wing.

The wing is then glued together on a flat surface with weights.

Estes Cosmic Interceptor Build, Part 7, Fitting The Fin Pieces

Here's the engine mount before and after painting gloss white.

Thin masking tape strips were set over the outside edges where the short tube (Part G) will be glued.

The yellow engine block spacing tube is set in the tube to keep out the paint overspray.

With Part S set into the notches (see picture below) check the joint alignment of the L, M, N, P parts.

It took very little sanding to get a better fit. 

Here's the Part S brace in place, no glue yet.

It's amazing how strong this assembly is.