I removed tubing spirals and cut the tubes that give the kit its odd angled look. Time to start assembling.
I assembled the motor tube and centering rings-nothing exciting there. Now, take the airframe tube (1.3 inch) and use the template to make a set of lines going down the full length of the tube. I used a 2ft long piece of ½ aluminum angle to draw the lines (door jamb works fine as well). There are 12 lines, equally spaced around the airframe tube.
Next up is attaching the two cut tubes to the airframe. The first tube attached is the smaller 1 inch tube, followed by the large 2.5 tube. For each tube, I first laid it on the airframe and placed a pencil market each end of the tube. I then gave the tube a light sanding with 220 grit just to make it more receptive to glue. I dont worry about roughing up the tube too muchsandable primer will smooth that right out before final paint. At this point, a good bond is more important. For both tubes, I ran a line of Titebond glue the full length of the tube and bonded them. Keep an eye on tube alignment until they are set in 15 minutes.
Once the glue set on the tubes, I did a dry fit on the large finsthe ones that were covered with typing paper. The ones that were now thicker than the original fins. Well, that required a little sanding to enlarge the fin slots. I used a fingernail sanding board, as it is perfect for this job. In a few minutes, the fins slid in the slots perfectly. Then I hit my second issue: fin tabs were way too deep for the rocket. But a more careful look at the directions reminded me that I was supposed to put a taper on the fin tab root, so it would go more deeply into the joint between the two tubes.
I ran the fin tabs across the flat sandpaper block, and they had a nice taper in a couple of minutes.
Success! The fins now set between the tubes, and the tab is the correct length to almost touch the large tube. I put some Titebond on the tapered tabs, and slid them between the tubes. The glue contacted the tubes and everything set up nicely. Large fins now attached.
For the last part of this session, we will add the grills to the front and back of the airframe. The instructions make this look easy, but its not. I did a dry fit, just to understand the problems prior to the added problem of glue. Their fit is so perfect there is not much wiggle room, which means you rub off the glue before the part is in place. On each part, I took a hobby knife and cut off a small edge of the cornerit gave some room to move the part, and it is not visible once the grill is glued in place.
I used a pair of needle-nosed pliars and practiced placement several times before adding glue. They went in well, but one of them is slightly proud to the fin surfacethat will sand down nicely with a nail file.
After the grills set, it was time to glue on the upper fin. Same problemsince I covered it with typing paper, the slot had to be widened. I also had to sand off a small amount of fin tab to get the fin to set down on the upper tube. Once it fit properly, a bead of Titebond was placed on the fin root and it was set in place, then a long piece of tape was stretched across the fin to hold it in place while it set (a long rubber band works as well).
At my 10 picture limit, so that completes Part 4.
I assembled the motor tube and centering rings-nothing exciting there. Now, take the airframe tube (1.3 inch) and use the template to make a set of lines going down the full length of the tube. I used a 2ft long piece of ½ aluminum angle to draw the lines (door jamb works fine as well). There are 12 lines, equally spaced around the airframe tube.
Next up is attaching the two cut tubes to the airframe. The first tube attached is the smaller 1 inch tube, followed by the large 2.5 tube. For each tube, I first laid it on the airframe and placed a pencil market each end of the tube. I then gave the tube a light sanding with 220 grit just to make it more receptive to glue. I dont worry about roughing up the tube too muchsandable primer will smooth that right out before final paint. At this point, a good bond is more important. For both tubes, I ran a line of Titebond glue the full length of the tube and bonded them. Keep an eye on tube alignment until they are set in 15 minutes.
Once the glue set on the tubes, I did a dry fit on the large finsthe ones that were covered with typing paper. The ones that were now thicker than the original fins. Well, that required a little sanding to enlarge the fin slots. I used a fingernail sanding board, as it is perfect for this job. In a few minutes, the fins slid in the slots perfectly. Then I hit my second issue: fin tabs were way too deep for the rocket. But a more careful look at the directions reminded me that I was supposed to put a taper on the fin tab root, so it would go more deeply into the joint between the two tubes.
I ran the fin tabs across the flat sandpaper block, and they had a nice taper in a couple of minutes.
Success! The fins now set between the tubes, and the tab is the correct length to almost touch the large tube. I put some Titebond on the tapered tabs, and slid them between the tubes. The glue contacted the tubes and everything set up nicely. Large fins now attached.
For the last part of this session, we will add the grills to the front and back of the airframe. The instructions make this look easy, but its not. I did a dry fit, just to understand the problems prior to the added problem of glue. Their fit is so perfect there is not much wiggle room, which means you rub off the glue before the part is in place. On each part, I took a hobby knife and cut off a small edge of the cornerit gave some room to move the part, and it is not visible once the grill is glued in place.
I used a pair of needle-nosed pliars and practiced placement several times before adding glue. They went in well, but one of them is slightly proud to the fin surfacethat will sand down nicely with a nail file.
After the grills set, it was time to glue on the upper fin. Same problemsince I covered it with typing paper, the slot had to be widened. I also had to sand off a small amount of fin tab to get the fin to set down on the upper tube. Once it fit properly, a bead of Titebond was placed on the fin root and it was set in place, then a long piece of tape was stretched across the fin to hold it in place while it set (a long rubber band works as well).
At my 10 picture limit, so that completes Part 4.
