Saturday, July 8, 2017

Estes Apollo Little Joe II Build, Part 35, Command Module Decals


The dashed black cut lines are too close to some of the decals. Look at the upper right single black box.

The clear coat is thin! My kit decals took only a 15 second soak to loosen up from the backing paper.

There are four 90 degree drawings for decal placement.
As you go to the right each drawing represents a quarter turn to the left. What? 

If you are looking down from the top each drawing is a quarter turn clockwise. I had to double check everything with Peter Alway's book, Rockets Of The World.

There is another drawing that doesn't agree with the the four drawings at the bottom of the page.
On the left, the UNITED STATES decal is in the wrong place. Go by the four quarter turn drawings at the bottom of the page.
The "half box" decals are also different sizes.
Here's my command module viewed from the top.
On one side of the module are four raised lines. Those are left over from the Centuri kit. You can use those to set down the first decal. The other three are centered between the tower post holes.

I centered the two UNITED STATES decals on opposite sides. The instruction drawings don't show that. If place like the quarter drawings show the UNITED STATES decals would end up at the 12 and 9 o'clock positions.I hope this is correct.

GOTCHA: According to James Duffy's build on TRF: "The "UNITED STATES" markings will not be used on this model, as the kit represents the Boost Protective Cover (BPC) and not the underlying Command Module, where the (United States) markings did appear. I'll throw them into a box of spares, as you never know when they might come in handy."
That explains why you don't see the UNITED STATES decals on the George Gassaway drawings.

EDIT: After I placed the decals I found this in the old Centuri Little Joe instructions from oldrocketplans.com - CLICK HERE


I guess I got it right. Except - the Centuri wrap has the UNITED STATES decals set to the top, not close to the bottom as shown in the Estes kit. They are on opposite sides of the command module.

2 comments:

  1. I was just wondering if you've ever entered any NAR scale competitions, either as a teenager or as a BAR? With your meticulous attention to detail, seems like you would have a lock on first place.

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    Replies
    1. Hi BAR,
      I entered plenty of Estes and Centuri contests in the mid 1970s. Some at NARAMs said I should get into scale compeitions but I only entered a scale contest at a regional in California. I won, with an Estes Arcas.
      If you want to see (ridiculous) meticulous, check out some of the International Scale entries sometimes featured in the NAR sport Rocketry magazines. You'll want to retire your X-Acto knife!

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