Model Rocket Building Blog
Estes Gryphon #7280 Build, Part 1, PartsI want to call this one "Gry-fon" but it is pronounced "Griffin". From Wikipedia: The griffin, griffon, or gryphon is a legendary creature with the body, tail, and back legs of a lion; the head and wings of an eagle; and sometimes an eagle's talons as its front feet." Here's the kit ...[Read More]
Estes Gryphon #7280 Build, Part 2, Cleaning Up The Laser Cut BalsaI'll be building this model for Estes as a "show" model. You probably shouldn't fill and paint a glider, the extra weight effects the flight duration. This one will be filled and painted. Looking close at the booster engine tube "hook", there is some laser cut wiggles. These should be cleaned up ...[Read More]
Estes Gryphon #7280 Build, Part 3, Engine Hook Prep & FillHere's the engine pod "hook" parts. That long finger extension on one side of the hook is delicate and can easily break off. Later in the build the launch lug is glued on the extension. All three pieces were filled with CWF then sprayed with filler/primer. Normally you would simply glue them ...[Read More]
Estes Gryphon #7280 Build, Part 4, Gluing up the Pod HookPay close attention and do a few dry fits to get an idea how the hook is glued up. Only the upper half of the outside pieces gets glue! Here's one side showing the glue. Set the pieces side by side and draw a pencil line at the glue area border. I used my flipped clothes pins to hold the laminated ...[Read More]
Estes Gryphon #7280 Build, Part 5, Filler/Primer and Body GluingI'm building two Gryphon kits - There was a LOT of balsa to prep and fill. These pieces have already got a coat of CWF and sanded to surface. They are taped down to a cardboard scrap for a moderately heavy shot of filler/primer. The hook piece (they look gray in the picture) are getting a second ...[Read More]
Estes Gryphon #7280 Build, Part 6, Wing AssemblyThe wings were glued up on a flat, clean counter top. Front two sides first, Rear piece second. Looking at the main body I did a dry fit check of the canard. It seemed too tight, probably because I have filled and primed the balsa before gluing it in. A few passes with a flat diamond file opened ...[Read More]
Estes Gryphon #7280 Build, Part 7, Glider AssemblyA line of glue was set at the center of the canard. It was slid in place. I looked straight on the front of the glider, the canard was canted at a slight angle. TIP: Before the glue could set up, I slid a wedge of balsa into the joint to raise one side and straighten it out. The wedge was ...[Read More]
Estes Gryphon #7280 Build, Part 8, Gluing Up The Engine PodThe filler/primer was scraped off where the hook assembly would be glued. The hook is glued 1/2 forward of the tube end. Flipping over the pod, The launch lug is glued on the balsa finger on the other side. Here's the lug glued in place. I didn't do any glue fillets, it would be difficult ...[Read More]
Estes Gryphon #7280 Build, Part 9, Mask & PaintA strip of masking tape was pressed into the notch on the engine pod hook. I didn't want paint to stick to the glider body. After the first white undercoat I noticed a few air bubbles and rough areas. I used some glue on a toothpick to fill the bubbles and some filler/primer brushed on the ...[Read More]
Estes Gryphon #7280 Build, Part 10, Streamer and Controller Wire StandoffThe streamer attachment is easy enough. A few inches down from the nose cone base, the streamer is taped to the shock cord. TIP: The launch controller wire stand off should be dry assembled first before using glue. It took me two tries to get the right assembly order and the pieces lined ...[Read More]
Estes Gryphon #7280 FinishedHere's the finished glider with just the gray paint And with the decals applied. The engine pod is gloss white with a gloss black nose cone. The finished build with the glider and pod attached. It's a sharp design. This glider was finished to match the kit face card. ...[Read More]
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