Estes Mars Lander Build

Thanks. I didn’t realize that. I wanted it to look as nice as possible since the kit is nearly 50 years old. Maybe I’ll skip the primer coat to keep it light. It’s mostly embossed paper wraps that probably don’t need it anyway.

Alternatively, this might be a good candidate for a Qjet C12.

Fixed the nozzle.

SecondRow said:

Alternatively, this might be a good candidate for a Qjet C12.

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That's probably a good thought. I'd imagine the D16 as well, for the same reasons.

Very nice build. Your craftsmanship shows. My experience with rubber bands and the like is that they just don't last over about 10 years, even when kept in the dark with air conditioning. May be different for contest rubber.

I had one of the original ones, circa 1970 or so. No springs, it used elastic, I seem to recall that they had you cut a few pieces from the shock cord. Lost it in a tree at college... I just got around to getting a Semroc replacement for it.

Going in for paint.

Finished painting. Only the decals are left.

Looking great! Here’s a pic of my survivor. Built as a kid in ‘77 or ‘78. This is the one that mom saved when I went off to college. The others were sold at garage sales...I got the ‘profits’. Wish I had saved more, but I had totally lost interest in rockets at the time.

The rocket weighs in at 125 grams, almost 4.5 ounces. Significantly more than the 3 ounces listed on the box. That’s most likely due to the metal springs and my tendency to be heavy with the paint. The first flight will be on a C12, as this rocket will be pushing the limits of a C6.

So I taped the decals to the window as @mach7 suggested many moons ago, but unfortunately the yellowing didn’t come out. I think it’s because the yellowing was probably caused by water stains rather than normal yellowing of old decals. Also, one of the Martin Marietta decals ripped at some point (before I got around to applying liquid decal film). So, I ordered some new decals, but I want to try using as much of the old ones as I can.


I first got the Semroc decals, but they are not exactly the same. I knew that some were different, but I was hoping the Martin Marietta ones would be the same. Unfortunately, they’re not. If you can’t read it, it says Semroc Astronautics.

So, I have a set of the Tango Papa decals on the way. I already confirmed the blue decals say Martin Marietta.

In the meantime, I’m trying to apply as many of the old decals as possible. And it’s turning out more difficult than I thought it would be. The decals do not want to release from the paper. I’ve managed to get the 4 black two-dot decals in place because they are very small and were able to release with some coaxing.

When I tried a bigger decal, I ended up tearing it even though it was in water for over two minutes (with me checking it every so often). I’m going to try one of the stained decals next to see how long it will take to release from the paper. If anyone has any suggestions on how to get the decals to release more easily, I’m all ears. If I can’t get them to release, I’ll use Tango Papa’s. But as I’ve said before, I’d really like to build this kit with as many of the original parts as possible.

Very sorry to hear about your decals. The window trick usually works.

Good thinking about Tango Pappa! I had forgotten about them.

And it’s done. I ended up using a few of Tango Papa’s decals, but I was able to salvage a good bit of the original ones.

Given the state of the kit when I got it, I’m pretty happy with the way it turned out. There are a few spots I wish I did better, but fit was an issue because of the moisture damage.

This was an enjoyable build. I’d love to build the upscale Tango Papa version when I get a little more HPR build experience.

This 50 year old model will have it’s first flight in about 2.5 weeks, weather permitting.

Sorry, didn't read all the post, you may have already mentioned what I'm going to mention. I would recommend the KosRox mod, don't glue the main body to the bottom section that has the legs and springs, use screws are something to secure it in place so you can remove it in the future for possible needed maintenance and or repairs. See attached pic.
Great Job!!!

Looks great, especially for such an old model. Looking forward to launch photos !

Thanks for sharing.

Flash said:

Sorry, didn't read all the post, you may have already mentioned what I'm going to mention. I would recommend the KosRox mod, don't glue the main body to the bottom section that has the legs and springs, use screws are something to secure it in place so you can remove it in the future for possible needed maintenance and or repairs. See attached pic.
Great Job!!!View attachment 397136 View attachment 397137

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I didn’t make the bottom section removable. But I did use springs instead of rubber bands. I think they’ll last longer.

nosecone said:

Looks great, especially for such an old model. Looking forward to launch photos !

Thanks for sharing.

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Thanks! Will do.

Can I get some details on the KosRox mods mentioned earlier (Flash)? I'm building a Semroc clone and would at least like to know what I may be missing. My searches didn't find anything other than this thread.
ed

Sorry, sent this twice...

ed-n-eddy said:

Can I get some details on the KosRox mods mentioned earlier (Flash)? I'm building a Semroc clone and would at least like to know what I may be missing. My searches didn't find anything other than this thread.
ed

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Yep, nothing to be found in a search. I built an original Estes ML back in the day, but for some reason or other it's long gone. I've got a Semroc ML kit in my build pile, and I'm pondering making it repairable or just building per the instructions. I think the idea is to just not glue the descent stage shroud to the aft internal ring (also not gluing any parts of the ascent stage or command module to the parachute tube), and adding 4 screws and 4 wood blocks as you can see in Flash's pix to secure the module assembly to the landing gear/core assembly. FWIW, here's Part 1 of Tom Prestia's hints & tricks for his upscale ML kits, where he explains how to do this in the larger models https://groups.google.com/forum/m/#!topic/rec.models.rockets/lLLbMfTUNKs

Along Tom's line of thinking for his upscale models, I'm probably going to strengthen the landing gear by substituting 1/8" carbon fiber rod or tube in place of the wood dowels used as "hinge supports" running up through the centering rings (not that that breakage here is a known issue with the smaller models, but I figure it won't hurt).

Sorry for the delay, here is everything I have on the KosRox Mars Lander. I don't think he produced kit instructions???

Thanks for the pics & info, Flash! That definitely helps [emoji4]

You are welcome, those pics are the ones from KosRox by the way. I just happen to save them before he closed his site down.