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Old 10-15-2008, 11:42 AM
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barone barone is offline
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Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Bartlett, TN
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  1. Basic model rocket building techniques - I've got enough experiemce here to know to READ the instructions first. After reading them, I developed a plan to accomplish the build, such as doing the details seperate from the main build, paint in parts, fins attached after painting, ets.....
  2. Research - I didn't do much here beyond using the Mark P. drawings. They were hard to follow to keep up with the positions but I think I made it.
  3. Building around a reference line - I had to do this with the Estes 1/100 Saturn V so it was something I was used to doing. What was hard was trying to keep oriented on the line after painting. Sometimes it was difficult to find the seam (not that it was hidden well).
  4. Building up hollow fins - This was my first attempt at this. I thought they turned out pretty good until it was time to attach them to the model. Gaps at the roots, didn't protrude straight from the body, etc. Because of the roll patterns, those defects aren't easily discernable...well, not at six feet.
  5. Resin casting - Didn't even want to attack something like this with it's added learning curb while trying to meet a deadline.
  6. Forming and gluing paper shrouds - I didn't have too much trouble with this except for the tank tube shroud. I could get a nice fit on one or two tubes but the rest had gaps. I had considered cutting it into peices and attaching but figured that it might create even more problems so just decided to use the Fill 'n' Finish which required a huge amount of time and I wasn't happy with the end results either. In hind sight, I think something like light spackling would have been better. Would dry faster and easier to sand.
  7. Fabricating parts with launch lug and cardstock - I only did this with the discharge tubes. I don't like how they turned out. These were one of the last things I made and wish I could have taken more time with them.
  8. Fabricating balsa parts - The vector control jet housings weren't difficult to make but getting a good depression was. I ended up using a paper clip and rolling it around to widen the hole. Then finished with a spot of black paint. Actually, it probably would have been better just to simulate the depressions with the black paint. I did make the retrorocket housings from balsa but I used the design in the instructions instead of going with what appears to have been the correct design (not rounded on the aft end).
  9. Applying tube wraps - I didn't have any problem applying the tube wraps but some of them didn't fit well. One too long, one too short and the corrugations didn't line up the way they were suppose to. I think I had to offset one wrap from the reference line by almost 1/4 inch to get the corrugations lined up. I used 3M-77 and didn't have any problems.
  10. Filling - Again, the tank tube shroud gaps were the most problematic for me. The gaps with the fins were filled with white glue that dried clear.
  11. Deciding when to attach details and when to paint - All the details were added after the painting was completed.
  12. Attaching details - I used Titebond White glue. It dried clear so anything that may have squeezed out of a joint wouldn't be noticable.
  13. Masking - Oh yeah...lots of fun. Since I put the details on after painting, I just had to measure and tape. I used Model Masters tape for where the break points in color were and blue painters masking tape everywhere else. The modeler tape was 1/2 inch wide so it made it easy to mask the white on the black fuel tanks. Of course, it would have been nice if I could have gotten them straighter and better centered. I did have some paint come up with the tape though that required some touch-up. But after pulling a couple of those, I started scoring the paint along the tape joint and had nice transitions after that.
  14. Painting - Did mine in sections. Lower fuel tanks and shroud as one and the upper section as another. Only two fins were to be solid colors so I took the best looking ones and kept one white and painted the other black. The rest I labeled the root 1, 1A, 2, 2A, etc. Then, one by one, I placed them where they would be on the model and marked the paint demarkation point in line with the body. Then masked the white, double checking to make sure the demarkations lined up and were perpendicular to the demarkation point on the body tube. I'm extremely happy with how these turned out.
  15. Attaching parts after painting - This is the method I used and again I used the Titebond White Glue since it would dry clear.
  16. Applying decals - I had some problems here with the long decals. They had a tendacy to streach when I was applying them. After the first one, I started to just inch them off a little at a time and that seemed to help. On the SM I printed two sets of decals, one on clear backing and one on white. I applied the clear decal first and then cut out the sections that were to be white and applied those over the clear. I could have taken more time with this too. I applied the decals to the fins before gluing them to the model.
  17. Drawing straight lines on a curved surface - Here I just made a lot of little dots measured from the tube/shroud joint. Then I used some thin trim tape and wrapped in around the shroud following the dots. The vertical lines were also made using the trim tape. The hinge details were added later and covered the trim tape joints.
  18. Assembling plastic parts - My fingers are too big.
  19. Fabricating plastic parts - Not attempted.
  20. Detailing - The only extra details I added was the decals for the SM. I wanted to attempt more but was afraid if I screwed something up, I wouldn't have time to fix it.
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