Q Modeling MARS SNOOPER

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RMBurnett

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Folks,

I recently finished this Q-Modeling MARS SNOOPER upscale. I used Tamyia rattle can Metallic Red, Metallic Black and Gloss Aluminium for the finish, sealed with Tamyia Clearcoat. Metallic paints are very unforgiving in terms of surface imperfections, so there was a LOT of filling, sanding, priming and filling.

Q Modeling kits are amazingly well engineered and are definitely some of the best kits out there. I can't recommend them hightly enough. I'll post more close-ups later.

Mars Snooper.jpg
 
I think your rocket looks great as does the room :)
Cheers
Fred
 
Stunning paint job! Especially from a rattle can.
 
Very nice! I have one of those kits..Gives me something to strive for! ;)
 
I WANT that poster!

I have Boxes of DC comics in my attic (thermal cycling isn't good but it keeps them safer from eleven year old boys). I still hope to accumulate a complete set of Green Lantern comics.

Oh, and the rocket is nice too.:eek:
 
I'm painting my mega-snooper today. Won't look as good as yours, though!
 
Folks,

I figured I'd post a few more pics so you could see just how great those Tamyia Metallics look.

Once again...it's all rattle-can work, with A LOT of sanding and filling because of the unforgiving nature of Metallic Paints.

Comedian Snooper.jpg

Snooper Grass.jpg

Snooper Door.jpg

Snooper Bottom.jpg
 
Folks,

I figured I'd post a few more pics so you could see just how great those Tamyia Metallics look.

Once again...it's all rattle-can work, with A LOT of sanding and filling because of the unforgiving nature of Metallic Paints.
Wow! I do like the Snoop (my avatar is of the painting by Frank Tinsley that inspired the Estes model). Although I like the Snooper II (the version that inspired the QModeling kit), I really like the original K-20 Mars Snooper. (I wish that QModeling would produce a version of that design, too.) But the ironic thing is, I have never built any version of one! The QModeling kit is on my "to be acquired" list, though. Especially now that I see the beautiful job that you did! :)

I have never seen Tamiya spray paints anywhere - where did you find them? I do know about painting with metallics, though - they show every flaw. Your model looks like it just might be too gorgeous to fly; do you plan to fly it? (Nothing wrong if you don't...)

MarkII
 
Mark II,

Many thanks regarding the Snooper. Since I was boy, the Mars Snooper II was always one of my favorite rockets, mostly because it looked like something from a 50s Sci-Fi film. The Q-Modelling kit is absolutely outstanding. Beautifully designed like all of their rockets...it will go together well for just about anyone. They do use a soft wood, which requires a lot of filling and sanding (unless you go the paper route), but the results speak for themselves. I cannot recommend their kits hightly enough. I'm currently in the early stages of building one of their Starship Andromedas...and I can't WAIT to hit that sucker with Tamyia Metallic Black.

And, oh, yes...I plan on flying it next month when my family comes to California and visits from Seattle. They come out to Palm Springs to my Grandfather's house...and I usually launch in the desert out there with my 6 year old nephew. There's a lot of rules and regulations governing rockets here in California, and I find when you launch in the desert, no one tends to bother you.

As for my beloved Tamyia rattle cans...I get them here at a hobby store called KIT CRAFT. I've used rattle cans ever since I was a kid to paint my rockets...and I've become quite handy with them. I love both Tamyia's paints and their clearcoats. Unfortunately, they're not cheap...but the results speak for themselves.
 
Wow! I do like the Snoop (my avatar is of the painting by Frank Tinsley that inspired the Estes model). Although I like the Snooper II (the version that inspired the QModeling kit), I really like the original K-20 Mars Snooper. (I wish that QModeling would produce a version of that design, too.) But the ironic thing is, I have never built any version of one! The QModeling kit is on my "to be acquired" list, though. Especially now that I see the beautiful job that you did! :)

I have never seen Tamiya spray paints anywhere - where did you find them? I do know about painting with metallics, though - they show every flaw. Your model looks like it just might be too gorgeous to fly; do you plan to fly it? (Nothing wrong if you don't...)

MarkII

You can get an upscaled version of the K-20 Estes kit from Hawks Hobby; you'll have to give them some time as they're still somewhat down from the
damage/loss incurred from Hurricane Ike last September. I've seen some fly
theirs (the upscale Mars Snooper) and it's really fantastic!
 
Is that Black Canary on the right side of that poster? She looks...bigger than I imagined from the comics.
 
You can get an upscaled version of the K-20 Estes kit from Hawks Hobby; you'll have to give them some time as they're still somewhat down from the
damage/loss incurred from Hurricane Ike last September. I've seen some fly
theirs (the upscale Mars Snooper) and it's really fantastic!
Oh, that's right - I forgot about Hawk's. Thanks for reminding me. How are they doing overall with their recovery, anyway?

You know, I always used to think of the K-20 as the "original" or real Mars Snooper, but when I found the Tinsley painting, I realized that the Mars Snooper II was actually closer to his vision (see the fin shock absorbers).

So with the QModeling Mars Snooper II, and the Hawk's Hobby Super Snooper, I can have both designs. Snooper Heaven! :D

...............

My God, that Snooper II is gorgeous, though...

MarkII
 
I just finished mine, so I thought I would add it to this thread. I chose orange.

Geof

megasnooper_web.jpg
 
Dude!

That's sweet. Is that more of a gloss orange or a matte finish? And...I'm curious, did you sand down the cardboard inserts which hold the landing struts so they move more freely...? Cause I didn't and I regret it.
 
Dude!

That's sweet. Is that more of a gloss orange or a matte finish? And...I'm curious, did you sand down the cardboard inserts which hold the landing struts so they move more freely...? Cause I didn't and I regret it.

Yes I did. They seemed loose when I was done, but I have no idea whether, after all the painting and waiting, they will work. I don't really view the landing legs as plausible. In all my rocketry, I've only "stuck the landing" once: with a Fatboy. I expect the legs to work more like a crumple zone in a car: to cushion the impact by self-destructing.

It's gloss orange with clear gloss over the top.

G
 
Okay, I'm going to need some ideas....

The disc that slides inside the tube for the landing legs is plenty loose; I sanded it well before assembly.

However, at the bottom of the tube is a ring where the leg piston passes through. The piston is supposed to slide up and down through that ring. Now with my legs painted, the legs are much too thick to slide. They were great before painting.

I would like to widen the holes in those rings. Because the leg emerges straight out of there, it could be kind of difficult to cut out more of a hole just because of the angles involved. The ring is, IIRC, thin plywood.

The model is otherwise finished, so please don't say "take it apart". Also, I'm not enthusiastic about stripping the leg paint because (a) I could easily mess up the rest of the rocket by accident and (b) it doesn't solve the problem of widening the holes...only the problem of sliding legs. If I want the legs to slide without changing the holes, I would have to leave them unpainted.

Any ideas for widening the holes? BTW, some of the ring is expendable. One of their purposes is to keep the "piston cylinder" inside the tube. Unfortunately, they are also needed to keep the angle of the leg vertical.

Thanks.

Geof
 
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Okay, I'm going to need some ideas....

The disc that slides inside the tube for the landing legs is plenty loose; I sanded it well before assembly.

However, at the bottom of the tube is a ring where the leg piston passes through. The piston is supposed to slide up and down through that ring. Now with my legs painted, the legs are much too thick to slide.

I would like to widen the holes in those rings. Because the leg emerges straight out of there, it could be kind of difficult to cut out more of a hole just because of the angles involved. The ring is, IIRC, thin plywood.

The model is otherwise finished, so please don't say "take it apart". Also, I'm not enthusiastic about stripping the leg paint because (a) I could easily mess up the rest of the rocket by accident and (b) it doesn't solve the problem of widening the holes...only the problem of sliding legs. If I want the legs to slide without changing the holes, I would have to leave them unpainted.

Any ideas for widening the holes? BTW, some of the ring is expendable. One of their purposes is to keep the "piston cylinder" inside the tube. Unfortunately, they are also needed to keep the angle of the leg vertical.

Thanks.

Geof
Have you contacted QModeling? They might have some ideas about how to deal with this.

MarkII
 
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