So priming is done.
I had to deal with the plastic fuzzies on the nosecone, some minor bubbles in the canvas phenolic body tube, that Dave mentioned, and some minor fuzzies on one of the leading edges of the fins that Rick mentioned. However it was minor and took minimal effort to rid myself of them.
Once the first primer coats dried I had a good look at everything and block sanded the entire airframe with 400 wet. The imperfections that were left were minimal and I used 3M spot putty to fill them, then let dry and block sanded again. This is what the nosecone looked like once that process was complete. Still some very fine fuzzies but they were so small I couldn't feel them to the touch. These visibly disappeared after the next prime coats and sanding.
The imperfections (bubbles) in the body were minor and mostly concentrated around the seam. A single application of the 3M spot putty, followed by block sanding, and the final primer coats, visibly eliminated these.
After the block sanding with 400 wet this is what I was left with, and how I went into the final prime coat.
All masked and sitting on my lazy Suzanne spray table. I applied 3 light coats of filler primer, with 10 min rest between each coat, then after 3 hours I wet sand everything using 600 grit and she is now ready for base coats. Overall the surface is uniformly covered in primer, albeit thin after the final sanding, but it is fully covered and acceptably smooth.
My paint scheme used a red that was red/orange. However the paint that I decided to use is the Krylon camo, which does not have the same red. Instead the colour is more on the orange side, so below is the adjusted mochup of the final paint scheme. I will also be masking everything instead of using the decals.
The paint will be laid down as follows: Orange tailcone first with a soft mask on the rest of the rocket. This will be done this evening. I am doing the orange first because it will be easier to mask on the orange side of the line vs.the gray side of the line, due to the narrow masking line in relation to the fins. The rest of the masking gets complicated due to the black fins. As I said, ideally you want to lay down you colours from light to dark, however in this case I will be laying down the black then gray then orange eyes in the black fly.
Having said that I was not thinking when I had the masks cut so the black mask is a negative and it should positive. At this stage my plan is to lay down the orange, mask it off then spray the rest of the rocket black and order the positive black masking from StickerShock. This will also provide me an opportunity, while I am awaiting delivery of the new mask film, to de-mask and inspect the paint as well as resolve any defects. It will also allow the paint to cure for a week before I resume painting, which I have had some experience with using this paint and it is not an issue.
Once I lay down all of the colours and fully de-mask I will block sand with 600 wet just to knock down the edges between the colours. This is not a full sanding as you can easily cut into the different layers but it is more of a very light overall sanding with some attention focused on the edges. I have found that this quick step helps when you clear, especially if you are not planning on block sanding between clear coats, which I will not be doing with the chalky matte clear.
Below is a link to the colours and paint I am using. I have used this paint now on 6 rockets, all with great results. Recently I refinished my Aerotech Arreaux and used the black camo then topped it with the "Chalky Clear" which dried to a nice matteish dull finish. I really like the look. The chalky clear seems to be a nice durable, and very practical finish for a rocket. On the matte side the camo on it's own is a bit too dry and the grease from your fingers shows up, as do very slight scratches. However on the opposite end of the spectrum the gloss finish looks great but picking up the rocket, putting it on the rail and launching it damages the finish. I am hoping that this finish is a nice compromise.
https://www.krylon.com/products/camouflage-paint-made-with-fusion-for-plastic-technology/
The colours I will be user are: Orange Camo 4301, Gray Camo 4304, Black Camo 4290, Chalky Finish Clear 4117.