I remember this step seemed wrong back in 1973! Why can't I remember the important things?
I would think the tape strip has to go on the other side of the shroud, on the glue tab side. If applied as shown here it just gets in the way of gluing in the next step.
After the shroud edges are lined up, the tape is burnished and holds the shroud edges in line for the gluing.
Use a glue stick! White glue is too thin and runny. With a glue stick you can use less and it holds quicker. It also dries clear.
Here I'm burnishing the glue tab from the inside with a Sharpie pen barrel.
Under the shroud is corrugated cardboard, a softer surface so I don't mar or dent the card stock.
The card stock shroud is a simple cone now.
That'll all change when the former bulkhead is pressed in place.
Because you used a clear coat and future, did you rough up the glue tab a bit with sand paper (400 grit I would think)?
ReplyDeleteHi Scott,
DeleteI masked off the gluing areas and stayed away from them when brushing on the Future.
Hrm... Not sure what you mean about the tape position being incorrect -- the text and the diagram seem correct (to me at least).
ReplyDeleteI do remember when building the Quest HL-20 kit that I had some difficulty with the double-side tape (it stuck better to the backing sheet than it did to the shroud) -- so I ended up gluing the seam much in the same way that was done in the Centuri X-24. One thing that was amusing about the Quest HL-20 kit was how you got to put in your two cents worth -- literally.
Hi Naoto,
DeleteUnless I'm really missing something - You'd have to try it with some scrap paper to see how the tape overlays the glue tab when done like the Centuri instructions.
The HL-20 double side tape was a smart way to go when joining up the "aero-shroud" bodies. Too bad the adhesive didn't hold up well over time.
I thought it was clever using the two pennies in the Quest HL-20. That gave you a good starting point and a consistent weight for all the builds. I never got the HL-20 to glide though.
The picture shows the tape on the right side, which is a mirror image of the actual shroud where the glue tab is on the left side. The text in the instructions says to put the tape on the glue tab side, but this would require the picture shown to have the tape on the left, the picture itself does not show a glue tab location, only the tape. Good catch, this could cause some confusion.
DeleteHi Glen,
DeleteIt certainly confused me the first time I put together an X-24 when the kit first came out in the 1970s. The tape "hinge" won't work as shown in the illustration.
Stuff like this happens in instructions. (Just look at the Quest AS-1 Escort!) I worked in a print shop for years and have seen a lot of things like this. Not much you can do after 5,000 have been run off.
Quite frankly I never noticed that the image was reversed (and probably wouldn't as a kid) -- as I was mainly focusing on the general information given, and tend mostly use a "mental image" in my head (using the textual description and diagrams as a guide) for figuring out where and how things should be arranged, rather than relying strictly on the image. This might be a result of having done some origami for a number of years prior to getting model kits of various forms (plastic models, "stick-and-tissue" model aeroplanes, model rockets, etc.).
ReplyDeleteHi Naoto,
DeleteYears back I was told by the Centuri designers that most younger people build off the instruction drawings and won't read the copy unless they have a question. That stayed with me when I started drawing up kit instructions. I still put PLENTY of copy in my Odd'l kit instructions.
I did run across a few cardmodels that could be used as examples of how NOT to write assembly instructions for a model:
Delete* NO diagrams, only textual instructions
* Textual steps weren't written as numbered steps -- it was all arranged as a "stream" of sentences. At times paragraph breaks didn't always places where you'd separate numbered steps.
* Text required knowledge of nomenclature (e.g. imagine trying to put together a model aeroplane without familiarity with terms like: former, rib, spar, keel, stringer, coaming, drag link, etc)
* Occasional ambiguity with regards to orientation of parts -- and unfortunately, if you didn't read ahead (or more specifically -- read the ENTIRE instruction sheet -- SEVERAL TIMES -- BEFORE you start construction), there were a number of places where you'll discover a mistake LONG AFTER it was too late to correct.
Of course the "obvious" choice nowadays for some folks would be to have the instructions in electronic form -- easily viewed on desktop computer, laptop computer, tablet, or smartphone, with video segments that would make things clear.
DeleteOf course the one hitch is that there's a risk getting paint and/or glue onto the computer, tablet or smartphone. One solution is to put your computer, tablet or smartphone into plastic baggie (though I wouldn't recommend that for desktop nor laptop as it'll probably overheat unless you provide sufficient ventilation -- which likely would make it susceptible to paint and glue in places that are hidden but still crucial -- such as the heat sinks, fans, etc. )...