Centuri Quasar Clone Build, Kit #KC-7, Decal Fix Follow-up

I've always wanted to try this! A new idea that worked. This might be my favorite post in a long time.

Home print decals are great, but they are not fully opaque. They also do not have a white undercoat.

I make my decals using the "photo paper" setting which uses more ink than a standard copy.

The top picture - notice the red decal ends up as a dark pink when set over the white spray paint. 

Enlarge the picture to compare the before and after.

The lower picture is a two layer home print decal. The red is more dense! 

Note the tapered red line running down the rocket body better matches the color density of the red fin.

The double layer decals are a bit tricky to apply. 

1. Wait a full day for the first layer decals to dry.

2. Wet the decal already on the model.

3. Soak and slide the second decal over the first decal.

4. Match and line up the graphics.

The second layer home print decal might end up with a "bubbled" texture, shown in the reflection here. Most all of this texture disappears as the decal dries. You may spot tiny air bubbles under that second layer. 

The Quasar name decal is still a single layer for now.

The Quasar decal PDFs are available to Patreon subscribers. There are doubles of everything so you can do double layer decals. Email me at oddlrockets@bellsouth.net and request the Quasar PDFs.

"Double Layer Home Print Decals" will make the translucent decals pop when set over white paint.

This will not work when setting home prints over darker colors, like blue or black.

Centuri Quasar Clone Build, Kit #KC-7, Finished

This was a fun one. 

It took more time than usual to make up the ramjets and nozzles and extend the nose length.

You can see a difference between the red ink in the decal and the density of the spray painted red fin. The drawback of home print decals, you rarely get a perfect match.

I know the original catalog model was painted silver. Mentioned earlier, red ink home print decals would end up looking brownish-purple. 

The Centuri logo is featured six times on the model!

I'm happy with the build. 

Even a white version captures the feel of the old kit.

Centuri Quasar Clone Build, Kit #KC-7, Part 19, Parachute, Tying It Together

A  glue line was applied with a Q-tip inside the low end of the BT-5 ramjet pod tube. 

The three silver nozzle assemblies were slid in place, recessed a bit.

A 36" long elastic shock cord was tied to the Kevlar cord coming off the baffle. 

I used the Duncan Uni-Knot to tie the shock cord to the nose cone base loop. The reach was long so the cord was slipped under the plastic loop using long tweezers. 

To see the Duncan knot: CLICK HERE

The Duncan Uni Knot is great for this tie - you can cinch it down without losing much length of the shock cord.

The Snap Swivel and chute was clipped to a simple overhand loop knot, 1/3 the way down from the nose cone.

Here's the ASP 15" Mylar chute.

There's not much room above the baffle so the chute was spiked, folded into quarters and lightly wrapped with the shroud lines.

There is some room in the tube extension on the nose cone base for the shroud lines and long shock cord.

Centuri Quasar Clone Build, Kit #KC-7, Part 18, Motor Tube Chrome Trim

The Centuri instructions mention a "corrugated strip" that goes around the exposed part of the motor mount tube.

From my build in the 1970s, I don't remember if this wrap around was white cardstock or chrome Mylar. Centuri often included chrome Mylar in their kits.

I decided to add some chrome Monokote. 

I tried to add some embossed lines to the thin Mylar. It looks like the lines were visible at this stage. I made the lines with the round tip of a butter knife and straightedge.

The backing was peeled off and the end was started under the raised engine hook.

The picture shows the raised finish end ready to go under the lifted engine hook.

The chrome trim looks great - but the embossed lines pretty much disappeared when the Mylar was set down!

I know they are there . . . 

Centuri Quasar Clone Build, Kit #KC-7, Part 17, Decals & Black Trims

Before setting down the long red tapered "arrow" decals on both sides of the body - 

Center the cockpit with the red center rudder fin.

You'll want both sides evenly spaced. After the nosecone and canopy are in position - don't move the nose cone until after the long decals are in place.

These long "arrow" windows decals are two piece.

Do some dry fits to be sure the long decal will fit without overhanging the back end.

With the nose cone canopy centered, the front section of the decal will go over the nose cone/body tube joint. 

Let the decal thoroughly dry, then run a razor blade over the joint.

The black roll stripes were cut from some my old roll of vinyl blackboard material.

There is a decal on the PDF, but I cut some windows from the vinyl.

To make matching "mirrored" pieces - (pics show the back pieces)

Cut one and peel off the backing. 

Turn over your vinyl and stick the first piece to the back.

Cut around the stuck on piece through both the backing and black on the other side.

Peel off the back piece and set on the canopy. Don't burnish yet.

Peel off the "mirror" piece and stick on the other side.

Adjust the spacing and centering of the two pieces, then burnish.

Centuri Quasar Clone Build, Kit #KC-7, Part 16, Tape Pulls

The nose cone canopy mask - 

This actually turned out pretty well. 

The catalog picture shows this canopy as red with black decal windows on it.

I use Sharpie marked Scotch tape for most of my masks.

After I mark the tape with a Sharpie, the dried ink is wiped over with a paper towel, taking off any excess.

Occasionally some of the ink gets rubbed off onto the model. It is easily cleaned off using a Mr. Clean sponge.

 Here's progress up until now - Decals are next.

Centuri Quasar Clone Build, Kit #KC-7, Part 15, Masking

This is an interesting mask - 

I'm doing the 1972 catalog mask with one red fin. The 1971 catalog showed two red fins.

This shows my mask around the rounded leading edge. It is made up of seven small tape pieces to round it out.

This shows both sides of the fin ramjets.

On the left - small pieces of tape to cover the rounded leading and trailing edges. 

On the right the long straight sides are added.

The rest of the large white areas were covered with plastic grocery bags and masking tape.

This looks like a messy mask but everything is covered.

Before spraying the red, I go around the edges with a Q-tip, pressing the tape down. I make sure all edges are sealed.

Centuri Quasar Clone Build, Kit #KC-7, Part 14, Pre-Painting The Nozzles

Where I can, I'll pre-paint some assemblies to save time on masking later.

Here's one of the nozzles taped down on scrap cardboard. Wrap the tape with some overhang. Cut the tape loop into strips and splay the strips out.

Notice just the lower end of the tapered base is taped off to keep the gluing area dry.

It'd be tough to get paint coverage inside the nozzle.

Some metallic aluminum paint was sprayed into a small mixing cup. 

A Q-Tip "brush" was used to get paint inside.

Now the outside areas can be sprayed.

Centuri Quasar Clone Build, Kit #KC-7, Part 13, Parachute & White Paint

I found a new ASP 15" Mylar parachute, again from the spare parts drawer.

I used a rotary punch to make clean cut holes for the shroud lines. 

TIP: To get clean holes, back up the parachute with some cardstock when making the punches.

TIP: Note the punched hole is at the bottom of the reinforcement disk. With the punch at the edge of the ring you could avoid a shroud line tear starting in the Mylar. 

The assembled rocket got a few shots of gloss white.

I do sand with 800 grit, between coats. Under a bright light, look for rough spots and dried glue bits. 

The initial color coats can be the last "filler" on the rocket. As you sand, paint is left in cracks and can give a slight fill. A few extra shots of paint and sanding really smoothed out the shroud/body tube joint. 

Centuri Quasar Clone Build, Kit #KC-7, Part 12, The Canopy

The cockpit canopy is included with the decal sheet for Patreon subscribers.

The canopy doesn't stand very high on the nose cone. My drawing is a good guess based on pictures I could find. I went through three different drawings and prints until I got something I thought was close.

I'm holding the glue tab closed with long tweezers. Paper on paper joints take only a thin skin of glue for adhesion. 

The nose cone was painted white before gluing on the canopy.

This wasn't the easiest canopy to fit on the curve of the nose cone. I doubt it was true to the original kit.

For first positioning, I tacked down the front tip and middle back with white glue. This gives me a chance to position the canopy before gluing down permanently.

Once I'm happy with the position and centering I'll glue it down with CA glue.

Squeeze out a drop of medium CA onto some scrap cardboard. Dip a toothpick into the glue drop. Run the drop of glue around the outside edge.

Glue a short segment at a time, pressing and holding down the edge until dry. I rolled a Sharpie barrel over the edge, smoothing as I went.

 

The canopy required additional white spray coats, lightly sanding the canopy between coats until the paint had soaked in and sealed the cardstock.

Centuri Quasar Clone Build, Kit #KC-7, Part 11, The Baffle

I didn't have a Centuri style Baffle, shown on the right side instruction drawing.

I did have a Semroc baffle that fits a ST-16 tube, very close to the diameter of the Estes BT-60. The baffle was assembled years ago and sat in the spare parts drawer just waiting for this build. It only required some sanding of the end rings to fit the BT-60 tube I used on the build.

On this baffle, the ejection gases enter up through the central hole in the lower ring. The gasses then pass through holes in the bottom of the "cone" turn and go up through the holes in the upper ring. 

A Kevlar shock cord line is looped under the upper ring.

Note the yellow tint of the baffle card stock. That's a coating of yellow wood glue over most all the surfaces. The glue can help prevent ejection charge burns.

The baffle was slipped in (no glue yet) 3 1/2" down from the top of the main tube.

A glue fillet was applied drop by drop using a Q-Tip taped to a dowel.

Centuri Quasar Clone Build, Kit #KC-7, Part 10, Delicate Fins

The fin design is graceful and flowing, but - 

The root edge tip comes to a narrow point, the balsa is cross grain. It's an easy end to break off when cutting it out.

So, I didn't cut it out. I left it on.

The inside round trailing edge was carefully sanded with some 400 grit around my Sharpie barrel.

I ended up stacking the fins for strength while sanding.

Leave a little squared lip at the back end. Considering the balsa grain is a weak point, you don't want to sand to a knife edge.

While sanding smooth the CWF filler coat - 

As careful as I could be, I still had one of the ends pop off!

More glue, filler/primer and sanding.

Centuri Quasar Clone Build, Kit #KC-7, Part 9, The Shroud

I went to payloadbay.com for the shroud pattern. Click on "Tools", then click on "Transition Tool". 

I entered the dimensions 1.637" (BT-60) by .976" (BT-50) by 2.44" length.

    

The shroud was cut out with a separate glue tab so the edges could be butted up without much of a raised joint. 

Run a fingertip down the curved sides - you might feel some slight bumps and dips. You can smooth these out to a degree with 400 grit sandpaper rolled around a fingertip.

Here's the glue tab. 

I set the glue closer to the center line, not any on the outside edge.

This keeps any glue shrinkage distortion to a minimum.

The right side picture shows the tab half glued. Joining Cardstock shrouds takes very little glue.

Joining the two sides - 

I set the shroud over a dowel for backing.

With the two sides tightly together, a burnisher is pressed and rolled up and down the seam.

Do some dry fits before gluing on the shroud.

The engine mount is already glued in place with a bit of the lower centering ring exposed. 

Glue rings were set at the top of the centering ring and bottom position on the engine mount tube. The shroud was slid into the glue.

While the glue is still wet, roll over the upper joint with a burnisher. The wet glue shroud edge can be molded to better fit the larger tube.

I had a decent fit of the shroud but did a CWF fill anyway.

Here I'm using a single edge razor blade to smooth and level out the wet filler.

Centuri Quasar Clone Build, Kit #KC-7, Part 8, Engine Mount

This engine mount is a little different - it has a cardstock shroud on the back end.

I always thought this was the best way to mark the engine tube for the engine hook slot. Set the engine block next to the tube and mark the height with a pencil. 

Cut the slot at the pencil line. Using the block for a height gauge will set the upper bend of the hook right below the engine block.

Here's the internal mount, built around a Odd'l Rockets heavy wall BT-20 tube. Everything is standard so far. 

This glues into a 4" long BT-50 tube with 3/8" of the BT-20 exposed out the back.

Two more 50/60 centering rings will hold the mount in the BT-60 main airframe tube.

These were spare plywood rings, the lower ring had an engine hook notch. It doesn't matter on this build, this won't be seen under the shroud.

I glued the large centering ring (with the notch) in the lower position, 2 5/16" from the bottom of the BT-50 tube. The shroud will slid on the low end. 

The upper ring is glued over the BT-50 tube, 1/16" down from the top edge. 

TIP: Lowering the top ring down the tube allows for a glue fillet on both sides of the joint. A flush mount (the ring even with the tube edge) only gives you one side to glue fillet.