Estes Vector Force

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SCIGS30

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I have been busy this summer with traveling and spending time with the family, so building has fallen by the waist side. I was visiting some family up north and found a Estes Rocket Launcher in their garage but no rocket. So when we were in town I stopped off by the local hobby store to buy a RTF rocket, but instead decided to buy a kit. Well I did not bring any building supplies, but heck what do you need to build a rocket? We already had white glue, scissors and a knife, all I needed was a rocket and paint. I bought the Vector Force but they had no balsa sealer, oh well I will just use primer. Off to the auto store for a new hose for the car and some paint for my rocket. I bought Primer, Old Krylon Pumpkin Orange and Lacquer Gloss black. The build was easy and fast and had it built in one day. The next day I shot three coats of primer and let it dry with sanding in between. The next day I sanded the primer down and sprayed a couple of more coats of primer. The next day I sanded that down and I was amazed how smooth the finish was with no balsa sealer. I then sprayed on my top coat and just like that I was done. Normally I use Aerogloss balsa sealer and apply 3 to 4 coats followed by sanding. Then I spray 2 to 3 coats of primer with sanding. So as you can see with balsa sealer I am sanding 6 times vs 2 times with only using primer. Now I have to contribute this to the quality of wood Estes is now supplying in the kits, I don't know if the primer method would work with soft porous grainy balsa. The weight was no bad at all since I was sanding most of the primer off and the final weight is 2.5 oz and the package says it should weigh 2.6 oz. Any way I flew her a couple of times and she flies great. The only issue is the China decals. They go on ok, but since I did not have Microscale products I just put them on like the directions said. Well the edges began to lift slightly and after a couple of flights, the clear coat came off. Any way I wiped her down and took as many close ups of the finish so you can judge yourself on how well the primer only method works. Sorry about the lint on the rocket.
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It's a great method discovered almost by accident when I ran out of Pactra Balsa filler dope on a Sunday afternoon years ago:)
Glad you found it to your liking as well. I think the most coats I've ever had to use was 9 (3 sets of 3 coats) on an experiment to try to fill a Chinese BT-50 body tube seam the seemed like it was a bottomless cavern LOL!
 
I sure like looking at the pictures of your builds. Being a BAR your posts have been very helpful! Excellent stuff! :cheers:

Question or 3 if I may?

I went and looked at some primer for myself at the local auto place the other day. They had 2 kinds: 1. a "sand-able" primer for $5.99 and 2. a "filler" primer for $6.99 (both rattle cans). What do you think would work better? Or would the cheap stuff at walmart be ok? I think it's under $2 a can.

Second question I had was on those cheap Chinese decals. Is there anything you can spray over the top of them to keep them from peeling any more?

And last question I had was; Do you ever "restore" models? I have a ton of them that I want to start on this winter. I can't really find any tips on this subject. The repairs range from a simple fin replacements, to kinked tubes, to models that have terrible paint jobs on them. (from my youth and from others I have "acquired" over the years :rolleyes:) I know most guys would probably just start over with brand new kits but for some reason I just love the idea of taking an old beat-up model and giving it a new life. Any tips or recommendations?
 
I add my applause to that of the others. May I copy your post to the gallery?
 
Yes you can post my picture over there.
I have never really restored a rocket, I think as long as the tube is intact you should be able to sand the paint off and re paint.
Primers- Micro uses cheap sand-able primer and likes it. For me I have had good results with just plane sand-able primer.
 
Really nice job, especially with minimal resources at hand. Did you fly it on both B and C motors? How does it fly? I definitely need to get one of these.
 
I don't recommend the walmart Color Place primer. It's over thinned, doesn't build up all that well, and is sands like crap gumming up the paper. Haven't found a good affordable primer readily available yet. Local Kmart was clearencing their spray paints due to huffing liability insurance cost.
I picked up 10 cans for .89 each, 1/2 off. It's grey, builds good, have to let it dry good but sands well when completely dry. Haven't had any overcoat problems yet using Krylon, Rustoleum or Walmarts Color Place clear.
One problem I did have was on an old plastic nose cone. Can't find another nose cone like it, had it for decades and don't remember where it came from. Might be old type of plastic not compatable with todays primers.
 
And last question I had was; Do you ever "restore" models? I have a ton of them that I want to start on this winter. I can't really find any tips on this subject. The repairs range from a simple fin replacements, to kinked tubes, to models that have terrible paint jobs on them. (from my youth and from others I have "acquired" over the years :rolleyes:) I know most guys would probably just start over with brand new kits but for some reason I just love the idea of taking an old beat-up model and giving it a new life. Any tips or recommendations?

I like doing restorations, especially since I have a plentiful supply of old, beat-up or just plain badly finished models at hand. :D I just started a "re-build" thread on an old Estes cruise missile. It's nearly the simplest possible case with all-plastic body - only needs new paint and decals. Repairing flight damage is more complicated since you sometimes need to splice tubes, slice off and replace fins, fabricate new parts, and what not.
 
Nice paint job. Especially for being out of your element a little bit. Anyone had good experience with Rust-o automotive primer? I've used it on one build so far. So far so good. Seems to sand and fill decent.
 
Rusto auto primer seems ok to me . I used it on my last 2 projects and was happy with the results. Builds fast- low shrink- sands nicely
 
Nice job on rocket,

... due to huffing liability insurance cost.
Something tells me that K-Mart didn't force the kids to huff under threat of waterboarding.
What ever happened to "you made the decision to do it, it's your own fool fault"?
Oh, yeah, attorneys don't get wealthy that way.
 
Yup, that's true.
The way the manager explained it to me was their insurance carrier had stats for this area that exceeded the national average from emergency room visits. If they didn't stop carrying certain products, they were charged extra for liability just because they "Could be" heald liable.
They are clearencing all spray paints, adhesives like epoxy and the like. Even some caulks that are adhesives, such as liquid nails.
None of the big box stores carries models or model paints or model cement anymore.
And the only hobby shop that has been around for 20 years is no longer there, which was also a pet and exotic fish shop.
I agree that it's ones choice and they know right from wrong, but whom ever said the judicial system ran on common sense?
BTW, Nice job on the rocket. Should save this for another topic.
 
Woody that's sad to hear. You would think the simple solution would be to just lock up goods like that and require a sales associate to unlock it for of age patrons. They already do that to video games that "rot minds." Ah before too long the whole store will be under lock and key. Might as well call it Service Merchandise then.
 
SCIGS30- NICE! Props for the build away from home. Once Did a bird in the executive suite of Holiday Inn up in Washington (where it rains ALL the time!)
I masked off the entire extra bathroom and floor as a paint booth and thought I was soo clever using the ceiling vent/fan. Pulled all the plastic drop cloth and threw it away in the packing lot-thot I was clever. Until I went to check out and realized all the little blades up there were the same colour as my fins and nose cone!

Vigilante- One trick is to use couplers to re-inforce crimped tubes. Lite weight wall spackle/filler works for dinged balsa cones (and fins). Try not to change colour too much on an old bird to save some grams. Don't have all the answers, but I know a lot of tricks 'cuz I'm a cheep Scottish brat!

Woody- p.m. me- system is stable so far (I'm not but it's another story...)

CaveDuck- going to the launch tomorrow?? Trying to meet up with KenRico- I'll be wearing an original Apogee t-shirt from Ed's day and a blue Atlas II launch team hat-smack me on the shoulder and say HI!

Up in the air junior Birdmen! -Dave-
 
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