Estes SLV Build

So now you basically glue....then rotate to add another side pod, one at a time until it is all done. It is REALLY important to make sure everything is lined up on the jig the front/outer holder/jig thing is straight with the rocket. These steps were not so bad. It was fun to see this rocket coming together.

AND there you have it.....The full set of boosters (The other one is hiding in the back). At this point I realized painting this rocket is going to be very tough. At this point I am already thinking outside the box on my game plan. It involves a trip to the art/craft store to fine some soft fine brushes....but i am getting ahead of myself.

At this point in the day, I had moved on from coffee and was thoroughly jazzed up to move on to the fins. The instructions called for rounding the leading edges....which I did as the tunes played.

The jig used to position and glue on the side pods is now flipped to position and glue on the fins. I find this COOL AS H@$!. It was very easy..

I got to say....if this kit was a SPEV as some one had posted....it is one heck of a SPEV. You can tell a LOT of work went into this kit...from the design to the instructions etc. I cannot believe how involved and detailed this kit is.

So you just rotate and repeat....BUT after the second fin....you must hold everything in your hands as you cant lay the rocket on its side and glue on the fins unless you hang it off the edge of your table or something....Either way you do it....it is still kid of fun to put fins on this way.

A minor detail and deviation from the instructions....Estes has you cut the supplied launch lug in two equal parts then cut one half in two....so you glue on two 1/4 length sections. IMO....for the size of this rocket, I think it needs longer sections of launch lug. Also, a longer lug means more glue surface and thus a LESS chance of it breaking off at lift off. So....I simply took the lug they gave me and cut it in equal lengths and used those two sections. I made the risers for the lugs from scrap balsa of the same size from the kit.

So!!! I also found out that you need forceps/tweezers to actually glue the bottom lug on! This is going to be tough to reinforce! (I have a plan).

This was a great day of building. I have more of the top section done but I have to run for now. I will post the progress later. I did end up getting another one of these kits. It is truly an Estes gem...IMO. Lots to do and figure out. lots of building. I think this is a really great....and challenging kit.
Until next time!
Andrew

Coming along nicely. I had built this kit the same way, then I thought "Shoot, I should have painted the lower tube and boosters/nose cones before assembly". Would have made things easier. Just thin tape on the glue lines to mask then paint. I had done this on the Quest Minotaur before, don't know why I didn't do it on this one. Probably too anxious to do the build. But some brush work will work also.

Looking great.

Painting around the boosters seems difficult. Painting around the launch lug seems... impossible?

Onward....

The SLV kit has some interesting and fun details. They have a section of body tube where you trace, via a stencil some details. Then you cut them out. Next slice the body tube so it can slide OVER the main body tube......confused? see the photo progression below! it does ad some cool details to the rocket. NOTE: before I glued on the card stock details....I "pre-wrapped" them around a marker. This gives it the curvature I want when I go to glue it on.

This is the near final product. I will wick all the edges with thin CA and then fine sand. I am pretty sure decals go on these things. What a cool touch. This tube is then cut lengthwise to facilitate sliding over the main tube. The slot is cleverly lined up on either side of the balsa "conduit"!....very cool!

Neil is correct....painting this thing is going to be a trip. I have a plan....really.....pretty sure....Before I even think about this though, I have to figure out my fillets on the boosters. I am pretty sure I will use my thick construction adhesive and then "thumb" it down and smooth.....using Q-Tips. I tried this before on something and it worked. I can also bend a Q-Tip to get into nooks and crannies. As far as painting....there will be brush work...But think about this...have you ever seen a real rocket in person? like the space shuttle or something? When I did, I thought "how does this thing fly?" the surfaces were really messy and imperfect. Real rockets don't have an auto-show room finish that is for sure. SO....I am going to channel some of that "realness" on this rocket. NOW if your all thinking this is one GIANT SPIN to have an excuse to have a rough finish.....YOU ARE TOTALLY CORRECT. But as it is, I will reject that reality and replace it with my own and say it looks "lifelike" when it is all said and done....with all its cracks, drips and god knows what else.....I am just saying this all in advance....I'm prepping.. HA HA HA!!
Andrew

So next is the construction of the top/payload section. Estes has you make a shroud and an "internal assembly" that looks like a motor mount and holds the upper body tube/cone. The whole assembly is quite strong and is fodder for altimeters/dual deploy and many other things you can dream up. Below are some photos of how it all goes together. I tried to put it in order of assembly and show how it all goes together. I hope this makes sense.....

So when it is all said and done....it makes for on huge top section/cone. I say this because this is where the rocket separates. I will make sure to use a nice LONG shock cord to try and prevent this top section from swinging back and hitting the lower/booster section. Here is is...... Did you notice I put the eye-screw on the wrong cone! I forgot about the balsa coupler and just put it in. It was not glued....so I moved it to its proper part! HA!

HERE WE GO....all done with the rough construction.....

And now for the first fit of everything. IMO....this is handsome model rocket. WELL DONE Estes! There is a TON of fillets, finishing, sealing of edges....all kinds of work yet to do!

That's really cool. Good luck on your flight.

Damn that is nice. Much taller than I realized.

Thank you very much Neil and Bat-mite. It is larger than I once thought. IMO this is really a skill level 5 rocket when considering the painting and side details. I would not let it deter anybody....I am just running my mouth. It is an interesting build. I do have a plan for the painting which I will show when things get going on that.
Andrew

Last night I gave the fillets a go.....All in all after things dried out (this morning)...it turned out pretty good. I will be using a lot of 400 grit on this rocket to fine tune things. Below are the photos of how I did the fillets. I used wood glue for the booster/body tube joints and smoothed with Q-Tips. I had a few tiny "wood glue holes" that are filled in with my construction adhesive...(see below). I used LOC-Tite Construction Adhesive for the fin fillets. I put it on.....scraped with the Popsicle stick....pull tape....dip finger in water and smooth edges.....done. I looked at them this morning and they turned out great. Photos below.....

And here is how I did my fin fillets....I also used this on the balsa conduit and other nooks and crannies but used much less. It also turned out great.

The key with the LOC-Tite fillets is to not forget to smooth down the edges after pulling the tape. Dip your finger in water and gently run it over the fillet to smooth the edges. This glue is very tough yet remains a little flexible....which is great for this application. It is also water cleanup and cheap! I use these on even my largest HP rockets.

Andrew

When I get a chance and after everything is dried down and "crispy" I will begin to seal the balsa and do my initial priming with this....(Brush on). It is water thin....penetrates...seals...is great to seal and fill balsa (two coats).....sands like glass and is also cheap. It has never failed me yet. You can get it at Home Depot. If you do. Make sure to REALLY stir it as the solids tend to settle on the bottom of the can. You clean it up with household Ammonia and water. GOOD STUFF!

I've used this on dry wall before painting. Excellent stain blocker.

great build thread...

This is awesome, very cool build

Yes, very nice job on a really cool kit. I have used shellac for other wood working projects, but have not thought about using it on model rocket balsa. I guess it would work fairly well, so it would be compatible with overcoats of spray lacquer or enamel paints?

After filleting the sides of the fins, I like to add one drop to the leading edge to blend the two side fillets around the front edge of the fin.

GlenP said:

Yes, very nice job on a really cool kit. I have used shellac for other wood working projects, but have not thought about using it on model rocket balsa. I guess it would work fairly well, so it would be compatible with overcoats of spray lacquer or enamel paints?

After filleting the sides of the fins, I like to add one drop to the leading edge to blend the two side fillets around the front edge of the fin.

Click to expand...

Glen...BIN is compatible with all top coats as far as I know. But please note!....I use BIN as a sealer/balsa filler only. I always top coat with a spray primer like Rustoleum Auto primer/grey or flat white spray paint/white. I never topcoat/paint directly over BIN. Just and FYI!
Andrew

Thanks for the kind words guys!
Andrew