Estes EPM-010

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EXPjawa

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I built this last fall, but am just getting post about it now since I wasn't a member here before. My Estes EPM-010:
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I think this is a pretty neat model. Tall enough to have some presence, has the sci-fi groove working, and performs pretty well. As I've noted elsewhere, red is kind of boring generally, so I elected to go with a candy green color. It happens to still look good with the black and white trim. Shown with Long Tom in one photo, built about the same time.
 
Looks awesome, I love the green!

This was one of my personal first rockets, and holds a dear place in my collection. My original was snatched by the local tree, but It always flew great. Congrats on a great rocket!

Nate
 
this is one of the best one, i love flying this over and over because it flyes slow, and you can appreciate the rocket spinning. I was thinking the same thing about how to upscale this one.
 
I've wanted one of these for a long time, and is at the top of my wish list.
I love the Candy and/or high metalic green.
I had a 65 chevy Impals I did a special mix of about the same color and did 2 wide bands of Ditzler 2185 (Pure White,White) strips over the hood n trunk.
This reminds me of some good old days gone by. Craigers on the back, air shocks, and 87k mile 6 cyclinder under the hood. HUGE back seat.
 
The paint is Duplicolor Metalcast. Its a two-step process that uses a very metallic silver basecoat and translucent (candy-like) topcoat. The intent is to replicate an anodized look. In fact, spraying the color over bare aluminum or steel (expecially if polished or grained) looks really good. But its tricky because the color darkens with every coat, so getting it even all around requires care. It comes in a number of colors - red, blue, yellow, orange, purple. I've used most of them at one time or another, and have painted at least 4 different rocket models with it. You can find the paints at various auto part stores, Advance, AutoZone, etc. I've also ordered them from Amazon for colors they didn't carry in the store.
 
I took some pictures with a better camera last night to try to do the paint justice. The ones above are, frankly, crappy. These are somewhat better:
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Gorgeous rocket. Love the green.
Picture suggestion. Take a night picture outside holding the rocket up with a background out of range of the flash. Will be better if you can use a tripod for steadiness. You will end up with the rocket showing up with the flash against a jet black background. With your metallic green paint it should really pop!
 
Very nice work. Every pore and seam is filled and the fillets are clean!
A catalog quality build.

The green works very well, I like how it shows up through the checkerboard decals.
 
Thanks guys, the compliments mean a lot. The thing isn't without flaws, but I'm sure not going to point them out! ;)

I like the photo shoot idea, or a variation with light painting and longer exposures. The trick is finding 1) a nice clear night and 2) properly dark sky. That isn't something I'd be able to do in my yard with good results. Might have to wait for warmer weather...
 
Sooner or later, you guys will realize that green really is the best color choice. For everything. As a point of reference, though, I haul around my 8 green bicycles and green kayak (not necessarily at once) on a 2-tone green SUV that has a green interior, so my point of view may be...skewed... ;)
 
Sooner or later, you guys will realize that green really is the best color choice. For everything. As a point of reference, though, I haul around my 8 green bicycles and green kayak (not necessarily at once) on a 2-tone green SUV that has a green interior, so my point of view may be...skewed... ;)

Yeah... until you try to find it in the grass ;)

Nate
 
EXPjawa,

Wow, that looks great! What did you use for the final top coat (eg. 'Dupli-Color BCL0125 Clear Exact-Match Automotive Top Coat')?
 
Thanks guys, the compliments mean a lot. The thing isn't without flaws, but I'm sure not going to point them out! ;)

I like the photo shoot idea, or a variation with light painting and longer exposures. The trick is finding 1) a nice clear night and 2) properly dark sky. That isn't something I'd be able to do in my yard with good results. Might have to wait for warmer weather...

All you need is a dry night and maybe 20 or 30 feet behind the rocket with nothing to reflect the flash and no artificial light. Can probably do it in the average backyard. If you have a small backyard, just aim a little bit upward. Stars, moon, clouds in back probably won't show up, given the flash.
 
All you need is a dry night and maybe 20 or 30 feet behind the rocket with nothing to reflect the flash and no artificial light. Can probably do it in the average backyard. If you have a small backyard, just aim a little bit upward. Stars, moon, clouds in back probably won't show up, given the flash.

My backyard is that small, has a very large walnut tree, and there are street lights. OTOH, I could do it in my parent's yard pretty readily I think. I'd also want to do it without the flash - with a much dimmer light source - and a long exposure and see if I could get stars in the background.

EXPjawa,

Wow, that looks great! What did you use for the final top coat (eg. 'Dupli-Color BCL0125 Clear Exact-Match Automotive Top Coat')?
Topcoat is Duplicolor Metalcast Green. It isn't an exact match, its one of half a dozen colors in their Metalcast line. I'd post a link, but their website is being a bugger right now.
 
Yeah... until you try to find it in the grass ;)
Nate

Truer words have not been typed, at least not in this thread. Aparently, I built it with a green chute instead of orange. Yesterday was the rocket's first flight, and the field was grassy. And very soft, moist, and spongy, but that's beside the point. Flight was good, but it drifted farther than I guessed and took some searching to find:

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Clearly, green with a green chute wasn't the best choice for this, but it does look awesome...
 
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