The interstage wrap and the paper transition did not fit together on the earlier 2157 kits. I don't know if it was fixed for this latest release. The easiest way to get them to fit is to scrap the paper transition and draw a new one that fits. I believe that a template was posted either here or on TRF sometime back.

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Actually, this IS an older kit--not the newest release. It's one of the "long box" #2001 kits from c. 1999.

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NAR# 94042
SAM# 0078

My 2001 kit has paper wraps.

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I recently built one which contained the vacuum wraps and the injection moulded sprue. Not sure why, or if this some hybrid from the original buyer but there they were.

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DUH! I meant to say it's a #2157 kit from c. 1999. (sux getting old)

__________________
Never trust an atom. They make up everything.

4 out of 3 people struggle with math.

Chemically, alcohol IS a solution.

NAR# 94042
SAM# 0078

That's the version that my son had fitting problems with. Be sure to do a dry fit first. Some folks said that their mismatch wasn't so bad that they couldn't make some adjustments to get it to work. Others were terrible. Off the top of my head, I believe I remember RoyAtl having the same issue.

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The biggest fitting problem was with the conical reducer wrap. I had to slit and slightly spread it in 2 places to make it lay down onto the base wrap correctly. The rest of the wraps joined up nicely because they'll actually stretch a little if you pull hard enough.

I now have all of the waraps on except for the lower 1st stage wrapper. I'm doing some major modifactions to the fins:

If the vacu-formed fins of this #2157 are a as lame as the fins of the Maxi HoJo, then I don't want to use them. I have the fin patterns for the #2001 SV and I'll cut and hand-scrape the fins from 1/8" basswood. I'll cut slots into the featureless portions of the wrap so I can surface mount the fins onto the BT and construct side braces from very thin plywood. Lastly, I'll insert small screws or pegs into the roots of the fins from inside the skirt of the BT. Hey, the model already weighs a ton--another fracton of an ounce shouldn't make much of a difference.

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__________________
Never trust an atom. They make up everything.

4 out of 3 people struggle with math.

Chemically, alcohol IS a solution.

NAR# 94042
SAM# 0078

That's what we had trouble with. Instead of splitting the wrap, we removed the paper reducer and printed a new one with dimensions that allowed the styrene wrap to fit correctly without cutting on it.

The fins aren't anywhere near as bad as the HoJo. At least my Centuri ones weren't. The HoJo's huge fins make them flimsy and hard to deal with. The Saturn's fins are fitted in a similar way, but since they are small, they are much easier to deal with. I was a kid when I built my Centuri kit, and an adult when I built the HoJo and V-2. Even with adult skills, I think the HoJo was the most annoying to deal with, by far.

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Thanks for the advice, I'll think about using the plastic fins--but I can scrape REALLY crisp leading edge into basswood.

I did this Maxi HoJo back in 2008. I constructed the vacu-formed fins by taping the halves together and then capillaryizing(?) the Plastruct welding fluid using a brass pipette from the inside of the fin cavity. What a PITA!

I have one Maxi HoJo kit left, and when I build it I'll probably make built-up fins similar to the Pro-Series Patriot with a plywood core and either heavy cardstock, thin pywood, or plastruct skins.

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__________________
Never trust an atom. They make up everything.

4 out of 3 people struggle with math.

Chemically, alcohol IS a solution.

NAR# 94042
SAM# 0078

You will probably be able to create a more scale shaped fin with basswood. If you fly it much, that sharp leading edge is bound to get dinged up, even with basswood. If it's going to be a display model, you might as well use basswood and make the fins to scale. Fill in the gap left in the shrouds with some scrap material. The fins are much bigger than they should be.

I did my HoJo with tube type cement long before I discovered Tenax 7R and its pipette aplicator. It was a royal pain. The V-2 was much easier using Tenax.

Kody scratchbuilt a BT-80 sized Patriot using built up cardstock fins and a removable motor mount. It's a nice flier.

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