Mercury Redstone help

hi
i just won a Mercury Redstone on Ebay and im wondering if anyone has any tips or poniters? also i was thinking of putting a 24mm mount in it fly it on E11's and stuff, has anyone done somthing like this ?


thanx
matt

Matt...
Here is a thread that has info on a 24mm Redstone I did awhile back. There are a few pics I did on the MMT that may help you. Good luck to ya.

I built mine stock. It flies pretty well on a C6-3 or 5. I thought about adding a bigger motor, but decided not to.

I did replace the shock cord with kevlar thread on the main body. I also replaced the plastic chute with a Top Flight 18" nylon chute. I left the chute for the capsule stock.

The tower proved to be quite a challenge to assemble. Take your time and watch your fingers with the glue.

Great model when it's done.

Test fit everything before letting a single drop of glue touch it!

I invested in a couple of the tiny quik-grip clamps, about 10 bucks from Lowes. They were perfect for getting the fins together with minimal seam, and keeping the tower together while the glue dried. Ignore the instructions and paint the tower BEFORE you glue it to the capsule. I also used a strip of white border from a sheet of my son's stickers for the white band around the top of the capsule. It was easier than painting and adds nice scale detail.

For the most part, check out EMRR's reviews and commit them to memory!

Thinking about buying a second kit and converting it to D power myself. This is by far the best-flying low power kit I have. It flies straight as an arrow every time and I'd love to see it go on a D or E!

Originally posted by Jase ...The tower proved to be quite a challenge to assemble. [/B]

Click to expand...

Was it as tough as the original Skill Level 5 Redstone?

It was way over my head at the time, never got it built...

-bill

Couldn't tell you about that. I've only been building for a couple years now.

Hardest part with this thing is you really need 3 hands unless you have some little clamps like chilly was talking about.

The new one is a lot easier than the original.

The original mercury Redstone had about 5 or six pieces for each fin to be cut out and assembled.

The new one only has two pieces per fin...I think...

sandman

the tower is a little tricky, but ti looks mighty fine when complete.

At the risk of being redundant and repetitive, there are several
things that I would suggest.
Test fit everything, several times before gluing.
Paint the body tubes and fins together before assembly
so that they will be the same color.
Paint the escape tower after it is built but before you glue it to the capsule.
Paint the capsule after it is built.
Get a set of waterslide decals from Tango Papa so you do not
have the thick stick on ones that are provided detract from an
otherwise fine model
Install a Centuri-style baffle. This will keep the parachute(s)
from going too far down the tube during launch, and causing it
to become unstable, and you save on wadding.

This is a great model Matt, take your time

Goose.

ok
well it arrived today, it has eveything there no building tonight though go no glue, and i have to finish my blackbird, im not going to put a 24mm in it ill stick with a 18mm

thanx
matt

shh ive run into a problem one of the 3 capsule pieces is warped and wont fit , I'm not sure what to do as i can see no way of fixing it ive attached a pic as well

I would recommend soaking in hot water till it becomes plyable, then force it into position (the plastic will give while warm) and tape in place till the plastic cools and retains the new (correct) shape.

I've done this when building plastic air planes or ships where the hull or fuselage is warped like this.

hope this helps!
jim

IIRC, I had to sand parts of the capsule walls down a little to make them fit easier.

Take Jim's suggestion. Get them warmed up (but not too hot).

ok ill give it a try
but there is a good 3mm overlap

matt

Sand the edge "CAREFULLY" using an emeryboard.

Stop frequently while sanding and recheck the fit.

Use a "plastic weld" type cement (sparingly) when finished.
Don't use the "tube type" cement. It won't hold for long.

sandman

Originally posted by Jase
IIRC, I had to sand parts of the capsule walls down a little to make them fit easier.

Take Jim's suggestion. Get them warmed up (but not too hot).

Click to expand...

ok, i'll expose my ignorance (this one has bugged me for years... )

what's IIRC stand for again??

ok i tryed jims way and it didnt fit, i scared to sand 3mm of as then the top which the tower fits in will be off


matt

YAY i have fixed the tower with a help of sandman and now you cant even tell the diffrence
here is a pic


matt

all done
its all done, well ive still got to put the chute in but apart from that its done, but i do have one comment I HATE STICKER TYPE MARKINGS waterslide all the way!


matt

looking good!

I agree about stick on decals, but the *do* serve a purpose (...says the guilty manufacturer )

Doubt if I would ever use them on a scale model though, unless it was VERY large (L2+). With very large decals, waterslide becomes very impractical

jim

Matt,

You would be suprised how the peal and stick decals seem to blend right in after a coat of Testor's Dullcoat.

Paint the model white first!

Paint the nose cone/capsule black! Escape tower red.

Spray a light spray of window cleaner (after the paint drys), where you want to place the "stickers".

This will let you move the stickers around a bit to get them positioned correctly.

Use a paper towel to "squeeze" the window cleaner out from under the decal.

Try it.

sandman

bit late sandman, but ill keep it in mind for next time

ahh i hate living with a stupid family who knocked over rockets!! the stone was knocked from my desk to the floor and the tower broke loose at the bottom!! but it was ok i just had to fix one of the broken struts i used a bit of very small dowel, ill post a pic tomorrow after its re painted


matt

Sorry, I missed the piost...

We have to sleep here on the OTHER side of the globe!

It looks GREAT!

Don't forget to try the Dullcoat.

sandman

Good job Matt! Very nice looking Mercury Redstone. I bought one of those new kits too a while back. Haven't gotten to putting it together yet. I wonder how it compares to the Estes one I built back in the early 90's? Let us know how well it flies!

I just bought a mercury redstone!!! YEAA!!!. I am going to put it together now.

Originally posted by sandman
Spray a light spray of window cleaner (after the paint drys), where you want to place the "stickers".

This will let you move the stickers around a bit to get them positioned correctly.

Click to expand...

Interesting!

I take it you mean something like Formula 409? Something that comes in a pump bottle, no?

Thanks sandman,

Will Scarvie

Actually I use Widex or an off brand window cleaner...whatever is handy. I guess something stronger would work...just never needed it.

Just something with a little "soap" in it to make it wetter something to cut the surface tension.

This gives you a "wet" barrier between the "sticky" and the models surface that lets you reposition the decal more accurately.

When it's right where you want it just push the cleaner out from under the decal with your fingers and kinda soak it up into a paper towel.

One of the benifits of the peal and stick versus waterslide decal is the durability of the peal and stick. They are very hard to tear compared to waterslide.

sandman

"A little" is the key here. Windex and sprays like it have solvents that initially dilute and if given enough time or quantity "eat" at the adhesive on self stick decals.

You only want just enough to make the surface slick. I'd test a piece with 409 first to make sure it won't damage the adhesive. It's much more volatile than Windex.

If you have a small spray bottle, just a drop or two of dishwashing soap to a full bottle of water will work the same and if you get too much of that, it won't harm the decal adhesive.

well I tried the windex but it didnt work. I ended up destroying the bottom decal but luckily it was a simply design and so I can mask and spray it.


for the rest of the decals I put some dish soap in a bowl with water and soaked the decals. It worked perfectly

well I tried the windex but it didnt work. I ended up destroying the bottom decal but luckily it was a simply design and so I can mask and spray it.


for the rest of the decals I put some dish soap in a bowl with water and soaked the decals. It worked perfectly