Estes Mini Scale Combo Pak, #0874, Tomahawk & Exocet, Build, Part 5, Joining Tubes

Always round over the corner ends of couplers for a smoother slide in the tubes.

This coupler is marked 3/8" from the ends with a center line.

The coupler is glued into the longer tube.

The shorter tube is glued on top, over the coupler.

 

The joint seam is filled with thinned CWF.

Dip a knife tip into the CWF, drag the filler bead around the seam.

Sand the joint with 400 grit on a sanding block.

Estes Mini Scale Combo Pak, #0874, Tomahawk & Exocet, Build, Part 4, Finding Parts

One of the lugs was missing from the opened kit. 

On the left is the original, yellowed with age lug. The longer lug is for the Tomahawk.

On the right is the same length lug, cut in half for the Exocet.

One screw eye and one nose weight washer were in the bag.

I went to my hardware bins to find the smallest screw eye and washer. I always save leftover screws, bolts and washers from previous projects.

The two washers are for the Exocet.

Here's the different length lugs after filling and sanding the CWF.

The older, longer lug had tighter seams than the new lug on the right.

Estes Mini Scale Combo Pak, #0874, Tomahawk & Exocet, Build, Part 3, Fin Prep

All the outside edges (not the root edge) get a narrow bead of glue.

Smooth and even the bead with the side of a finger.

After the glue dries, the fin edges are sealed.

Sand the dried glue with some 400 grit.

The root edges are set against each other to keep them clear of the filler/primer.

The fins get a good shot of filler/primer.

Estes Mini Scale Combo Pak, #0874, Tomahawk & Exocet, Build, Part 2, Fin Prep

The die-cut hold down "tics" have to be cut through and extended to finish off the tip of the leading edges.

 

Start the blade cuts below the gap and continue straight up through the open tip.

Stacking the fins shows how much the die-cut blades were off.

Sand and even up the sides. Hold the four fins tightly, the cardstock is slippery!

The top of the die-cut is slightly rounded. 

On the left - The back side shows raised pressure crushing. 

On the right - The fin back side was sanded flat with 320 grit on a block. 

To smooth the rough edges, the fins will require some filler/primer sprays and sanding.

Estes Mini Scale Combo Pak, #0874, Tomahawk & Exocet, Build, Part 1, Parts

I always found this combo "Pak" kit interesting.

The eight finned Exocet and I.Q.S.Y. Tomahawk.

Produced from 1986 - 1989.

BT-5 based mini engine kits.

No parachutes or streamers, just break-apart recovery.

An interesting single slit shock cord anchor.

From the Estes catalog:

“Two scale rockets in one package feature balsa nose cones, scale decals, die-cut fiber fins and break-apart recovery.”

Flights to 800 feet.

The BT-5 body tubes are 5" and 3" long, joined by a coupler. I don't know why there are joined tubes, a single 8" long tube would have easily fit into the kit bag.

The kit fins are die cut thick cardstock.

The rubber shock cords are 6  1/2" and 7 1/2", too short for me.

NO parachutes or streamers - I'll add longer shock cords and streamers. 

This was an open bag kit, given to me by Roger at Jonrocket.com.

There were some missing parts: 

Two washers are needed for the Exocet nose weight, only one was in the bag.

Only one launch lug was found, a second one will come from my spare parts stash.

Only one small screw eye, I know I have a second one upstairs.

Sorry, no posts for a few days -

 I've got more Odd'l Rockets kit orders than I can handle right now -

Estes Aries SST, #1927, Build, Finished

This is one of those kits that comes alive when the decals are applied. A winning visual combination - Big graphics in three colors.

The top of the wings - 

The bottom of the wings with the landing gear doors.

The top and bottom views of the nose - 

I don't know what these red rectangles are but they fill some space! Many kits don't supply many decals on the underside.

Estes Aries SST, #1927, Build, Part 18, Decals

The upper wing decals - 

Set the black rectangles down first.

The red/black stripes should fit close but not over the leading and trailing edges of the wing. The rear of the decal almost matches the curve of the trailing edge.

Notice how the long window decal is cut out at the front end to clear the canards (finlets).

Before you set the decal down - 

Be sure the canards are in line with the wing. VERY IMPORTANT!

The nose cone is slid all the way in, against the end of the body tube.

Set the decal down, it will overlap the nose cone / body tube end.

After the decal dries, cut at the body tube / nose cone joint.

Here's the underside of the body and nose cone.

Estes Aries SST, #1927, Build, Part 17, Adding The Second "Finlet"

I drew a pencil line for the second finlet by sighting down the nose cone tip.

This seemed iffy, I matched the straight angle by matching the knife angle to the finlet in the nose cone.

Removing the finlet you can see the slot that was crushed into the balsa. It's actually pretty clean, a tight fit.

The second finlet is pressed into it's slot.

I was lucky - the alignment is good.

After adjusting the height of the finlets, there was a small gap at the bottom of one slot.

A wedge of balsa was cut and pressed into the void. The edges of the finlets should be rounded.

Here's the two nose cones (balsa above the 3D print) compared side by side. If the balsa cone were filled and painted I doubt you could tell the difference. The basswood finlets are a little thicker.

They are the same length, there is a little photo distortion.

Estes Aries SST, #1927, Build, Part 16, Making a "Finlet" Nose Cone

If you don't have a plastic PNC-50S nose cone (with the finlets) You can make one using a BNC-50Y balsa nose cone and some 1/16" thick basswood.

When researching this build, I checked the old Vashon Sandpiper instructions. To see them, CLICK HERE

The balsa nose cone gets a slot cut, and the tapered canard root edge is pushed into the slot. 

I thought this would be iffy, but I had an extra BNC-50Y nose cone to experiment with.

The finlets (or canards) pattern is on the PDF available to Patreon subscribers.

The Vashon kit used balsa, but I'd recommend using stiffer basswood.

Cut out the pattern and trace onto 1/16" thick basswood.

The distance behind the trailing edge of the finlet to the shoulder lip is just under 1 3/4".

Mark a straight line with pencil the length of the root edge.

Mark the depth of the exposed root edge on the finlet.

Using a sanding block, sand a sharp taper to the inset tab.

Cut a slit about the depth of the inset tab. There is no need to cut and remove balsa.

Cut another slit on both sides, just to the side of the first slit. Side by side, the three slits are about 1/32" in width.

You should be able to press in the tapered tab up the root edge pencil line.

Estes Aries SST, #1927, Build, Part 15, Decals Ready For Patreon Members

The Aries SST decals are available to Patreon supporters.

You can request the decals at: oddlrockets@bellsouth.net

There are usually extras on my decal sheets. These are for soak time and transfer testing. Extras also fill out the sheet.

On the second PDF are the fin patterns and shrouds. The shrouds are marked for a better, closer trim if you decide to round the leading and trailing edges of the wings.

Another PDF, just released is the Estes BT-50 based Sandpiper. The Air Force logos have white decal underlay patterns.

This is a double decal sheet.

A second page holds the fin templates and shrouds.

If you are a Patreon subscriber, ask for the Estes Sandpiper PDF through: oddlrockets@bellsouth.net

If you don't have access to a 3D printer -  in an upcoming post -

I'll show how to make the "finned" nose cone using a balsa cone and thin basswood (or ply).

Estes Aries SST, #1927, Build, Part 14, Moving The Launch Lug

On the flipside (underside) - 

Pencil mark the lug line, the ends just inside the 2 3/8" lug length.

Using a straightedge, cut some very shallow lines just into the paint.

Scrape off the paint, it will chip off between the scribed lines.

The same launch lug was glued on to the scraped area.

With the lug in the right place, 

now I can sleep at night!

Estes Aries SST, #1927, Build, Part 13, Moving The Launch Lug

I got the launch lug placement wrong! 

I'm usually on top of these things, but for whatever reason the launch lug was glued on the top when it should have gone on the underside. 

    

I didn't glue fillet the lug, so the removal was fairly easy.

The glue that was left was sanded off using 400 grit.

Mask off the area just around the glue sanded area.

Notice the edges of the masking tape are raised so the sprayed paint will feather in instead of having a sharp edge.

Carefully spray just the open area -

After the paint dries, light sanding follows. Another coat may follow if the surface isn't smooth.

Estes Aries SST, #1927, Build, Part 12, White Paint

Assembly is complete except for the parachute and shock cord ties.

Time for paint! Note the dowel/engine casing painting wand locked in the engine mount. I tend to leave this handle in through much of the build, paint and decal placement. It's easier to hold and not as risky for fingerprints.

This shows some of the spots where the sanding has removed glue blobs. The intake fillet also had some high spots. 

I've been using Ace Premium Enamel (Ace Hardware brand) spray paint for a while now. Shoot when humidity is low, around 2:30 in the afternoon. 

The Ace paint dries to the touch in about an hour, recoat within an hour or after 48 hours.

After one hour I was able to handle the model and do the initial undercoat sanding shown above.

Estes Aries SST, #1927, Build, Part 11, Gluing On Launch Lug & Rudders

I no longer waste time with glue fillets on the sides of launch lugs. That glue line was straightened and the width narrowed by pinching your thumb and index finger together. 

Run your finger "V" down the lug making a straight, narrow glue line. 

Carefully place the lug with the glue on the pencil line, 1 3/4" from the rear of the main body tube.

Here's the rudders glued onto the wing tips.

Assembly is finished, ready for white undercoats.

Estes Aries SST, #1927, Build, Part 10, Fitting The Rudders To The Wing

Stack the rudder assemblies to be sure the glued angles are consistent.

If they don't line up, apply a little warmth with the low setting on a heat gun and gently bend at the glue joint to match the other rudder assembly. 

On the outside (visual) seam,

Drag some CWF down the joint and immediately smooth and remove excess with a fingertip.

Sand after the CWF dries.

The outside side seam is sanded flat for a stronger glue joint against the edge of the wing.

Use a sanding block but don't go any wider the the 3/32" thickness of the wing.

Estes Aries SST, #1927, Build, Part 9, Sanding The Rudder Edge Angle

The root edges of the rudder fins have to be sanded at an angle.

Mark the flat root edges shading with the side of a soft pencil.

The picture on the right shows the angle sand about halfway through. The pencil shading gives a better contrast so you can sand the line evenly.

I'd recommend using a sanding block, like the Estes Ultimate Sanding Bar. To reach a 3/4" dihedral height, the sanding angle is not very steep. 

On the right, you can see what's left of the pencil line. Sand until the pencil shading is gone - no further.

With a weight on one side of the rudder assembly,

Raise the other outside edge to 3/4".