Estes Strikefighter, Kit #2015, Build, Part 12, Engine Mount

I use a rounded dowel to apply a ring of glue inside the low end of the body tube.

Note the (2") pencil mark on the dowel and the glue around the top.

Slip the dowel in up to the pencil mark depth.

Roll the glue in a ring inside the tube. Add more glue if needed to complete a complete circle. 

Insert the mount until the tube ends are even. As you are pushing the mount in, try to turn it to even out the inside glue fillet.

To add glue around the rear ring,

Use a Q-tip to apply and spread out the rear ring fillet.

With the Kevlar slipped through the top of the tube - 

Mark the line below the upper lip of the tube.

Keeping the Kevlar below the lip of the body tube prevents zippers (where the Kevlar cuts through the body tube) because of an early or late ejection. 

Run the Kevlar out the back of the model again.

Tie a overhand loop with the mark at the top center of the Kevlar knot.

Tie a overhand loop knot in an elastic shock cord.

Weave the loops as shown on the left.

Pass the knots through the loops - 

Tighten up the connection.

Note the Kevlar mark at the end of the loop.

Estes Strikefighter, Kit #2015, Build, Part 11, Final Fills

There were five tubes and three launch lugs that needed seam filling.

Look close at the top nacelle tube. The seam was so tight it didn't require CWF filling, just a shot of filler/primer and sanding. 

The lower tube needed both CWF and filler/primer.

The 3D printed nose cone felt smooth to the touch. There were very slight ridges.

The nose cone ridges were first sanded with 400 grit.

Filler/primer was shot and sanded. What little ridges were left after the initial sanding were filled with the primer/filler. 

Those vertical white areas are raised lines left after the 3D process.

3D nose cones might take a little filling and sanding, but it's no more work than filling a balsa nose cone.

3D printing has come a long way!

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.