luke strawwalker
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Well, let's get back at it...
Once the core vehicle and one of the strap-on boosters have set up, glue the second strap-on booster to the stack. Apply a thin layer of glue to the booster and slowly slide it into place against the core vehicle. Ensure that the glue is centered against the contact point between the booster and core, and that the entire stack is perfectly flat on the work table... this will ensure both cores are completely aligned and true with the core vehicle. Also double-check the lengthwise alignment down the long axis of the vehicle and ensure that the booster is aligned at the bottom and along the wrap lines... Once you're satisfied everything is straight, true, and level, let the glue dry.
Next, grab the three slender dowels from the kit box and cut them to length as indicated in the instructions. Save the remaining bits cut off the dowels as they'll be used for aft struts on the boosters. Cut them to length per the instructions and set them aside. Round over the ends of the long dowels as indicated to turn them into LOX lines for the rocket, extending from the intertank area to the thrust structure. Cut two 3/16 squares of balsa as instructed for the forward strut attachment. Grab the four cut toothpick forward struts from their kitbag and then take all these detail parts and get them ready for paint. I find it easiest to paint these parts by rolling some tape into a double-sided loop, sticking it down to some scrap balsa, and then sticking the parts to be painted down onto the tape. Then they can either be spray painted white or brush some white paint on them using a bottle of Testors (or equivalent).
Once the core and boosters have set up firmly, you'll probably want to fillet the boosters a bit to the core to ensure everything has a good strong glue joint. I've found this tool to be EXTREMELY helpful for putting mini-fillets down in the crevasse between the boosters and core vehicle... it's a kid's medicine measuring syringe (I get one every time Keira gets a prescription so I have a few stockpiled) with a "Testors Gluing Tips #8805" tip popped onto the end of the syringe. The glue tips were cheap at Hobby Lobby, but I'm sure they can be found at nearly any hobby shop or online... they're small plastic tips that are made to wedge onto the tapered end of a model airplane glue tube tip, for applying thin, fine lines of model airplane glue to plastic models. The syringe tip is the EXACT same size as the model airplane glue tube tip, and the gluing tip will snap right onto the end of the syringe securely. Pop the plunger out the back, squirt in a few CC's of white glue, and presto you're ready to apply thin fillets anywhere, even deep in grooves between body tubes! When done, squirt the remaining glue back into the bottle,and clean the thing out under running water-- easy as pie! I spread the fillets and pop any air bubbles using the point of a bamboo skewer... another VERY handy tool to have!
Next we apply the detail parts... run a hobby knife to cut the paint where it overlaps the tape, and then pull the detail parts off the tape, and scrape off any paint lines. Of course there's no paint where it was stuck to the tape, so keep this side of the detail part facing down against the rocket... Carefully glue the small balsa squares centered on the core vehicle, and then glue the two toothpick forward struts from the strap-on boosters to the core vehicle's small balsa square on either side... apply a bit of white glue to shore everything up and set it aside to dry...
The aft struts are cylindrical bits cut off the end of the long dowels we turned into LOX lines... each is cut to length per the instructions, then tapered on the backsides to nestle down tight against the body tubes, and finally painted. Cut the paint and pull them off the tape, daub white glue on each end, and stick them in place between the strap-on boosters and the core vehicle at the aft end directly in front of the aft transitions on the thrust structure. Finally, the three LO2 lines are glued into their proper places on the rocket, just below the SMALL intertank doors, which should all be on ONE SIDE of the rocket... The LO2 lines reach from the intertank down the side of the LH2 tank to the thrust structure at the bottom. Make sure they're all even (ensure they're equally spaced below the small door printed on the wrap) and that they're parallel with the long axis of the booster and not slanted, and centered on the booster as best you can get them. The launch lugs should go on the opposite side, the side with the BIGGER intertank doors. (yeah I screwed up) Set it aside to dry.
Later! OL JR
Once the core vehicle and one of the strap-on boosters have set up, glue the second strap-on booster to the stack. Apply a thin layer of glue to the booster and slowly slide it into place against the core vehicle. Ensure that the glue is centered against the contact point between the booster and core, and that the entire stack is perfectly flat on the work table... this will ensure both cores are completely aligned and true with the core vehicle. Also double-check the lengthwise alignment down the long axis of the vehicle and ensure that the booster is aligned at the bottom and along the wrap lines... Once you're satisfied everything is straight, true, and level, let the glue dry.
Next, grab the three slender dowels from the kit box and cut them to length as indicated in the instructions. Save the remaining bits cut off the dowels as they'll be used for aft struts on the boosters. Cut them to length per the instructions and set them aside. Round over the ends of the long dowels as indicated to turn them into LOX lines for the rocket, extending from the intertank area to the thrust structure. Cut two 3/16 squares of balsa as instructed for the forward strut attachment. Grab the four cut toothpick forward struts from their kitbag and then take all these detail parts and get them ready for paint. I find it easiest to paint these parts by rolling some tape into a double-sided loop, sticking it down to some scrap balsa, and then sticking the parts to be painted down onto the tape. Then they can either be spray painted white or brush some white paint on them using a bottle of Testors (or equivalent).
Once the core and boosters have set up firmly, you'll probably want to fillet the boosters a bit to the core to ensure everything has a good strong glue joint. I've found this tool to be EXTREMELY helpful for putting mini-fillets down in the crevasse between the boosters and core vehicle... it's a kid's medicine measuring syringe (I get one every time Keira gets a prescription so I have a few stockpiled) with a "Testors Gluing Tips #8805" tip popped onto the end of the syringe. The glue tips were cheap at Hobby Lobby, but I'm sure they can be found at nearly any hobby shop or online... they're small plastic tips that are made to wedge onto the tapered end of a model airplane glue tube tip, for applying thin, fine lines of model airplane glue to plastic models. The syringe tip is the EXACT same size as the model airplane glue tube tip, and the gluing tip will snap right onto the end of the syringe securely. Pop the plunger out the back, squirt in a few CC's of white glue, and presto you're ready to apply thin fillets anywhere, even deep in grooves between body tubes! When done, squirt the remaining glue back into the bottle,and clean the thing out under running water-- easy as pie! I spread the fillets and pop any air bubbles using the point of a bamboo skewer... another VERY handy tool to have!
Next we apply the detail parts... run a hobby knife to cut the paint where it overlaps the tape, and then pull the detail parts off the tape, and scrape off any paint lines. Of course there's no paint where it was stuck to the tape, so keep this side of the detail part facing down against the rocket... Carefully glue the small balsa squares centered on the core vehicle, and then glue the two toothpick forward struts from the strap-on boosters to the core vehicle's small balsa square on either side... apply a bit of white glue to shore everything up and set it aside to dry...
The aft struts are cylindrical bits cut off the end of the long dowels we turned into LOX lines... each is cut to length per the instructions, then tapered on the backsides to nestle down tight against the body tubes, and finally painted. Cut the paint and pull them off the tape, daub white glue on each end, and stick them in place between the strap-on boosters and the core vehicle at the aft end directly in front of the aft transitions on the thrust structure. Finally, the three LO2 lines are glued into their proper places on the rocket, just below the SMALL intertank doors, which should all be on ONE SIDE of the rocket... The LO2 lines reach from the intertank down the side of the LH2 tank to the thrust structure at the bottom. Make sure they're all even (ensure they're equally spaced below the small door printed on the wrap) and that they're parallel with the long axis of the booster and not slanted, and centered on the booster as best you can get them. The launch lugs should go on the opposite side, the side with the BIGGER intertank doors. (yeah I screwed up) Set it aside to dry.
Later! OL JR