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  #41  
Old 01-07-2014, 04:28 PM
johnpursley johnpursley is offline
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Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Houston, TX
Posts: 54
Default Skinning the Interceptor

Sorry I didn't respond to the "Must be a bear to apply?" question when it was posted.

The trick to applying "skins" really well is to apply them as you build the model. In the case of the Interceptor, there are two skin sections for the body which is my very first step in construction. Believe it or not, I've gotten to where I can do the tube skins in about 3-5 minutes without guidelines (it's easy once you "realize" the technique). The other thing is that the Interceptor fin/wing surfaces are all straight edged which makes it very easy to use a skin that wraps cleanly around the edges. The skins are vinyl (no, not the stretchy stuff nor will it heat shrink) that's about .03" thick including the adhesive side and once the print/clear layers are applied.

The skins don't stick well at all to bare wood. I use a thin sandable resin and a coat of acrylic clear to give the skins something to stick to. The skin's adhesive is fairly aggressive and it's downright impossible to remove and reposition if you "get things wrong."

The other trick is prepping the wing/fin-to-body joints so that big fillets aren't required (though I have produced a few with moderately beefy fillets I did a few joints on BT-55 tubes and "destructively tested" them and was satisfied with the strength of minimal fillets. It mostly depends on the glue you use and how you prepare the tube and the fin roots before final assembly) The really nice thing about the Interceptor is that all the root edges are really long compared to most rockets which adds to their strength even without big fillets.

A final trick is to use a Sharpie Fine Point PAINT (not marker) Pen to "color" along the joint to hide any underlying exposed body tube or wood...white for a "normal" Interceptor and black for a "Twilight" job. I also use the pens for touch-up after assembly. Testors makes similar pens but they don't seem to flow as well and dry up pretty quickly compared to the Sharpies.

I may work up a "how-to" on my web site (accur8.com) and post more techniques I use.

I actually developed the "skin" methods for my scale models years ago. my first crude skins for scale models were made back in '89 or '90. They are great for things like Saturn I/IB/V tanks or just about any scale subject that has tunnels or some kind of fairing or cover running along the body to hide the seam under.

I may make a few "skin sets" for Interceptors to sell if there is interest.

John Pursley
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  #42  
Old 01-08-2014, 08:28 AM
Saxguy1000 Saxguy1000 is offline
Building rockets since 1972
 
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 11
Default

Thanks, John. You've always been such a leader in this hobby. It's much more to actually "give away" the details of what you do.
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  #43  
Old 01-08-2014, 12:28 PM
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jeffyjeep jeffyjeep is offline
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Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Home of Wayne & Garth
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I've ordered a set of black skins from John. I gotta try it!
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  #44  
Old 02-28-2014, 05:50 PM
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chadrog chadrog is offline
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Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: South Milwaukee WI
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WHOOO HOOO! Thanks for making the sets for the "E" as well John, I'm excited to get them! I'll practice on the standard of course, exciting stuff!
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