Vintage Centuri Sea a Killer Build

This is my next build, looks like a fun rocket and all the parts are in great condition.

Wow, groovy parachute ! You really know how to find them.

My first rockets, way back in the fourth grade, were Centuri. Still have a soft spot for them. Enjoy the build and please actually fly it; it's waited too long!

Would you possibly take pictures of the fins from directly overhead with a ruler next to them?

I will get everything ready for cloning.

I wish I could zoom in enough to read the Text on the Paper.

TopRamen said:

I wish I could zoom in enough to read the Text on the Paper.

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You can.

Go to www.oldrocketplans.com/centuri/cen5331/cen5331.htm
Place the cursor on the title page and left click the mouse, then scroll down to the page you want to read.

bradycros said:

You can.

Go to www.oldrocketplans.com/centuri/cen5331/cen5331.htm
Place the cursor on the title page and left click the mouse, then scroll down to the page you want to read.

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That's AWESOME!!! Thank You!!
It's great that they come right out and discuss Design/Stability Principles in the first Paragraph of the Description!
Won't find that kind of Kit nowadays sadly.

TopRamen said:

That's AWESOME!!! Thank You!!
It's great that they come right out and discuss Design/Stability Principles in the first Paragraph of the Description!
Won't find that kind of Kit nowadays sadly.

Click to expand...

I can't really say they discussed it, but they did mention it was "slightly redesigned for safe and stable model rocket flight".

I have her all built and 4 coats of Aerogloss balsa sealer applied. My next day off work I am going to shoot with Glossy white. Should have the decals and fins posted shortly.

Looking real good.

Finally had some good weather and have her all painted. I brushed on 4 coats of Aerogloss balsa sealer. Then shot 3 coats of Gloss White Old Krylon and 2 coats Old Krylon Orange. The masking was a pain in the butt to say the least. Will let it dry 24 hours, sand some rough masking edges then apply the decals tomorrow.

I had some time off work so I was able to apply the decals and finish the Sea Killer. All and all this is a great kit and someday I hope to buy the Gabriel Kit to go with it......anyone want to sell me one?
As most of you have seen my builds I pretty much build vintage Estes and Centuri rockets. I am always impressed with how well these bagged kits have held up over the years. The Centuri decals hold up better than the old Estes decals, don't know why but they are less fragile and stick like new decals. The problem with Centuri decals is they don't always match what is shown on the package or picture, oh well minor details. The old wood of both Estes and Centuri fill pretty nice with 4 coats of Aerogloss balsa sealer. Once again I did not prime the rocket, just sprayed Old formula Krylon straight onto the rocket.
I don't mind spending money on vintage kits, I feel they need to be bought, built and flown. I never understood the purpose of buying these rockets to just put into a closet somewhere, only to sell later on. With that being said, I will build the first vintage kit from the bag and if something happens to it or I want to build another, then I clone it. The good thing about having the original kit is that I can make an exact clone minus brown tubes. Now that Semroc lives on we can continue cloning these old kits. The only time I will buy 2 of the same vintage kit is if the parts are hard to clone or I just really like the old kit. I am lucky that I have an Alps printer and I can make decals. I scan the original decal and draw in CorelDraw then print. When I draw the decal I make an exact duplicate of the original with flaws and all. Most of the small wording on these old decals are just blobs of ink, you cannot read the text and that is how I make my decal. The nose cones for these Centuri kits are interesting because the same kits will come with different shaped nose cones. This nose cones part number did not match up with Semrocs number. The Nose cones are the same shape but the Centuri nose is much shorter. Once again having the original kit I am able to buy a nose cone from Semroc that is close and sand a little to match the original if needed. Once I have all the parts to clone the original I bag it up and store it for possible future use.

That looks like a nice smooth finish. Are you sanding between coats of Aerogloss?

Well done. Looks great!

SCIGS30 said:

I will get everything ready for cloning.

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SCIGS30 said:

The good thing about having the original kit is that I can make an exact clone minus brown tubes. Now that Semroc lives on we can continue cloning these old kits. The only time I will buy 2 of the same vintage kit is if the parts are hard to clone or I just really like the old kit.

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You really did a good build on this one. I like the way the decal on the leading edge of the fins appears to change their shape.

Are you still going to post pictures of the fins with a ruler next to them? Body tube measurements would be a bonus!

Very nice work!
That masking does look hard to do.

Great job!

SCIGS I've seen alot of your build threads but this one really shines. Nice job.

Sorry I forgot to publish the fins and decal. Thanks for the comments, I must say this was a fun build. I do sand in between each coat of sealer for a smooth finish. Chris, This was a tough rocket to mask but I do like the colors Centuri used.

View attachment Fins Draw.pdf

View attachment Fins Scan.pdf

View attachment Sea Killer Decal Draw.pdf

View attachment Sea Killer Decal Scan.pdf

Thank you for the excellent drawing of the fins. What diameter is the body tube? It's hard to tell since Centuri used different tubes then Estes does.

Series 8 or 9? Something else?

Again, the Sea Killer turned out great looking

SCIGS30 said:

... I do sand in between each coat of sealer for a smooth finish. Chris, This was a tough rocket to mask but I do like the colors Centuri used.

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Any tips for a nOOB about the sanding part?

I notice your fillets are minimal, yet perfectly neat. How?

Very nicely done...

This is a 8 BT. The fins are brushed with Aerogloss Balsa sealer and sanded smooth after each coat with 400 grit sandpaper. Lately I have not been priming and the sealer does a good job filling the grain. The fillets are just plain white glue.

SCIGS30 said:

This is a 8 BT.

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Thank you for passing along the information.

Looks great!! Good work!

Let me know when you plan on flying some of these......

Ok, you've inspired me to finish off an extra Photon Probe kit I had laying around, using this method.

I got some Aerogloss Sanding Sealer and am impressed with its fast drying and easy sanding.

Question: What can I use to thin and / or clean up this stuff?

I use Aerogloss thinner.

Wah. Is there a cheaper equivalent? :\