Interceptor clone

[dtomko]

Almost ready for decals. Got the parts from Moldin' Oldies a couple of years ago, I think. I finally got around to finishing the painting.

Does it get any better than this beauty??!!

Drew Tomko

 

[shreadvector]

Originally posted by dtomko
Almost ready for decals. Got the parts from Moldin' Oldies a couple of years ago, I think. I finally got around to finishing the painting.

Does it get any better than this beauty??!!

Drew Tomko

Better, no.

Similar, yes:

https://www.ehobbies.com/1004-3764.html

"Click to enlarge"

Add pods and away you go.

 

[flying_silverad]

Nicely Done! This is such a memory jogger for me. When it first came out I must have looked at in the catalog 1000 times but never bought one. It just seemed like so much money at the time. But it looked so cool on the cover of that catalog didn't it?

 

[sandman]

Really good job!

Set yourself a nice long chunk of time for the decals.

Mine took me about 8 hours!

But here is my favorite detail on the whole model!

sandman

 

[JStarStar]

awesome. Personalized by the Big V.

 

[Micromeister]

Drew:
how much trouble did you have with the moldin-oldies nose cone.. mine is awful... the seams don't line up and are open about midway along the bottom for more then an inch. So bad I put them back in the bag, waiting for some serious Filling time... I may never use them they're that bad.
Your model looks great!

 

[sandman]

It's easy enough...well, for me anyway...to make my own parts out of balsa.

OK...my nose cone doesn't have the panel lines but...I did put the gun ports in.

sandman

 

[sandman]

JimZ did these. Actually they are his "seconds". He deemed them unacceptable to sell!

Heck, they are BETTER than the original Estes parts!

I sure wish he was making these again!

sandman

 

[Micromeister]

Can't agree with you on the Estes parts Sandman, I've built at least 4 of the original kits and still have 3 on the wall, to date the nosecone's at least fit up, with NO opening at all along the seams. these Moldin-Oldies parts are simply awful... it's gonna take some serious sanding and fitting by this master modeler to make them work They can be fixed it's just a shame to pay good money to this kind of slop! I just wondered if anyone else who bought this parts a few years back had the same experience? Of course it would have been easier to turn my own then work throght these parts...including the panel lines.

 

[sandman]

John,

Some of the later Estes injection molded Interceptor parts were getting kinda bad as the molds were wearing out.

JimZ's parts are not moldin Oldies...just wanted to get that straight.

He made his own hollow "blow molded" ones but he wouldn't tell me the secret process.

I have seen the Moldin' Oldies parts and I have to agree with you.

sandman

 

[Aron Sanford]

All I can say is that it looks GREAT! I also went nuts over that old catalog(when it was new!) & just could not afford it! Any money I had almost always went to the engines! At least I still have a few of my old oringials-wow!
Aron

 

[JStarStar]

I got a set of Interceptor parts from Moldin Oldies, and they appeared to be OK at first glance out of the bag.

Yes, the resin plastic has a different look and feel from the original styrene (kind of rubbery), but I didn't think they looked bad. I guess in the end the question will be how well they hold paint.

I certainly didn't see any inch-long gap on the seam or anything of that sort; if I had I would have sent them back. Mike (of Moldin Oldies) got the parts out to me super quick, so I think he would have responded if there was any problem.

 

[dtomko]

Micro,
My Moldin' Oldies parts are pretty good. There was a seam line and the panel lines on one side of the nose cone don't line up that well. Overall, however, the parts look great. I had to fill the seam line in the nose cone and some pin holes, but if you've ever worked with resin before, it's nothing major. I'll get a close up shot when I get a chance. Yours sounds much worse than mine. The pod pieces are really great, just a couple of pour stubs to be sanded off. I think Mike was redoing the masters a year or so ago, so maybe you have an older copy. Also, as Sandman points out, Mike may have used a later version of the Estes parts, when the molds were wearing out. All in all I'd give the parts a thumbs up.
DT

 

[dtomko]

OK, a close up of the nose cone. You can see the panel lines don't match perfectly, but I don't think it's too bad. The seam line could have used more filler, but from a distance it's fine.

 

[dtomko]

And the other side. As I said, I used filler for the seam line along the length of the cone. I stopped before I did major work, like filling and rescribing the panel lines, but I think it looks fine as it is. In general, the detail is really crisply molded. Judge for yourself.
DT

 

[Fishhead]

Originally posted by Micromeister
I just wondered if anyone else who bought this parts a few years back had the same experience? Of course it would have been easier to turn my own then work throght these parts...including the panel lines.

I bought a set and was given a second set and both were great. (The freebie set was for sending an Odyssey nose cone that he was going to try to reproduce. Turned out to be too big.) Both sets have needed some cleaning up, but nothing I couldn't handle. (Resin parts are often like that.) I recently bought a set of cones and transitions to clone a Centuri Taurus and so far I'm totally satisfied. It looks great in it's dry fit state.

 

[dtomko]

OK, opinions please. I am finally getting around to finishing the Interceptor clone and I have a dilemma (all right, that's too strong a word). I painted the pods orange - you can sort of make out the color in the first shot in this thread - based on my feeble memory and the instructions saying to paint them "flourescent orange." Also, the pictures from the '71 and '72 catalogs appear to show them as orange. However, on every clone I've seen, they appear more red. Also, catalogs after '73 show then as red, although that might just be the printing. So, give me your opinions, orange or red. I will post a better shot of mine, currentlky in orange, tonight.
Thanks for you help, and yes, I am spending way too much time thinking about this,
Drew

 

[astronboy]

I have a vintage 1970's built up Interceptor that my Mom bought for me at a Garage sale a few years ago. ($3! ).

The pods are painted flourescent orange, and they look great!!

Phred

 

[dtomko]

Here's a closeup of the pods in orange. A coat of Future and they'll be almost flourescent.
Drew

 

[Micromeister]

Originally posted by dtomko
Almost ready for decals. Got the parts from Moldin' Oldies a couple of years ago, I think. I finally got around to finishing the painting.

Does it get any better than this beauty??!!

Drew Tomko

Great Job Drew! better...I don't think so but just as much fun? My Micro version...OH YEAaaaaa!

 

[zog43editor]

Originally posted by Micromeister
Great Job Drew! better...I don't think so but just as much fun? My Micro version...OH YEAaaaaa!

While not qute Micro, I did make a nice downscale to BT-50. I used red for my pods becasue I didn't have any orange.

https://www.rocketreviews.com/reviews/scratch/est_interceptor.html

kj

 

[dtomko]

Argh!! Every time I take a break from a complicated project to do something simple, it becomes complicated! I had an old set of Interceptor decals from JimZ, but I was never happy with the blue and yellow colors; the blue is way too light and the yellow is a weird, pale shade. So I printed my own from the ones on YORS and the colors were much better, but the the print wasn't great. So I thought I would lay one on top of the other to darken the yellows and blues. Well, I coated the JimZ decals with MicroScale decal film and I don't know what happened, but they got brittle and started tearing after I put them in water. And my printed ones are not good enough to use. Here's a comparison with JimZ's on the right. The blue is actually lighter in real life. A review on EMRR using the TangoPapa set shows them too light blue as well.
Drew

 

[dtomko]

Here's a comparison of the other sheet with the yellow markings, JimZ's on the left this time. Rats! Anybody ever try printing decals on an Epson 660 inkjet?
Phred, if you read this, can you do the Interceptor sheets, and with the correct blues and yellows???

Drew

 

[astronboy]

Hi Drew, Yes, I am finishing up a custom order in the next few nights, then I will be drawing the Interceptor. I believe that I have mixed the proper estes 'golden butter yellow' and several deep rich blues as well. I also have an original Interceptor built-up, and will be proofing the decal colors against it.


I will keep everyone posted on the status of the decals. This one will be a real pia to draw!!


Phred

 

[dtomko]

Phred,
Yikes that was quick!!
Yes, "golden butter yellow"!! The blues are probably the standard Stars and Bars color. It must be a PITA with all those tiny labels with wording.
Please keep us posted; I'm putting the Interceptor back on the shelf for now.
Drew

 

[sandman]

You haven't even begun to find out what a PITA really is!

Wait until you start putting those decals on!

Figure at least 4 or 5 hours!

 

[astronboy]

Hi Drew,

Well, you have caught me at exactly the right time. I have had a number of requests for the Interceptor in various scales, so it is next on the 'to draw' list. (Yes, I will be attempting a GOONY version as well.. The Goonyceptor)

The butter gold/yellow on this model is a relatively standard ESTES decal color that I had to 'mix' digitally for the Mars Lander, Sprint, etc. It is richer than a straight yellow. As for the other colors, I will first try the blue and reds that I mixed for the Citation Patriot.

The funny thing is, that the Interceptor panels with warnings, etc, are more of Centuri design style than an ESTES one.....

PH

 

[dtomko]

Thanks, Phred! It's not like I don't have 6 or 7 other projects going that can keep me occupied!
I'm not quite sure why the other decal makers translated to lighter blues and yellows.
I had an Interceptor as a kid, but the BT got crushed just as I was finishing it. I never replaced it and never got to use the original decals.
Drew

 

[Habu]

Phred,
whenever you get those Interceptor decals ready you can expect to get an order for at least a couple from me.

 

[dtomko]

Started putting on the Excelsior decals. Have to stop tonight, and realized I may need another coat of white on the nose cone
The picture doesn't do justice to the quality of Phred's decals; have to try to get a better resolution shot. There's too much digitizing in this one.
Drew