Model Rocket Building Blog
Estes Mini Shuttle Build. Part 1 PartsHere's another one that can be made from parts from the Baby Bertha kit. This was the Estes kit #1391. Check out the instructions at the JimZ plan site HERE This will be a spare parts box build. The red nose cone did come from a Baby Bertha kit. It was painted red when it temporarily sat ...[Read More]
Estes Mini Shuttle Build. Part 2, Wing GluingThe engine mount was already assembled from another build that didn't get finished. The assembled mount is nothing out of the ordinary and should work fine in this model. I wanted the root edges of the wings to be square. My straightedge was taped down and one wing was glued up on each side. ...[Read More]
Estes Mini Shuttle Build. Part 3, Nose Weight ClayThe Estes instructions specify the clay weight is 1/2" square. I cut the square of clay to 1/2" and it weighed at .20 oz. I'll add a bit more to reach .25 oz. This is just a guess, I would think the kit contained a quarter ounce of clay. Here's a tip I picked up when building the ...[Read More]
Estes Mini Shuttle Build. Part 4, Whoops and FillsWHOOPS! I glued the small rear wing piece on wrong. It was cut off, the edge sanded and glued on again. The re-drawn arrow shows the correct balsa grain direction. This 5" length of BT-60 wasn't very good. The glasseine seams were there as always but there were seam recesses between ...[Read More]
Estes Mini Shuttle Build. Part 5, Fins and DecalsThe body tube and fins were shot separately with primer. Body tube was marked for three fins. The primer was sanded off the pencil lines and the lines re-drawn. Primer was sanded off the fins where the fillets will be. The decal art was copied from the JimZ site and cleaned up using Corel ...[Read More]
Estes Mini Shuttle Build. Part 7, MaskingI used Scotch tape for the mask. The edges were blacked with a permanent marker so you can see it against the white background. The Scotch tape was set down first, it took a few pieces to fit around the angled line. In the picture the rudder has masking tape covering the back. The wings ...[Read More]
Estes Mini Shuttle Build. Part 6, Masking PrepThe original kit had streamer recovery. With the trailing fins on this model I'll switch out for a 12" parachute. The Bertha style nose cone has a LONG shoulder. Wadding and a parachute were loaded into the short body tube. About 3/8" was cut off the shoulder for a bit more room. Even with the ...[Read More]
Estes Mini Shuttle Build. Part 8, Mask Reveal and FixThe masking tape on the rear edge didn't give a clean line at all! Before the paint had completely set up I was able to lightly scrape the paint back with the tip of a hobby knife. The top is the before, the inset picture is after careful scraping. I'll still have to go back and touch up the ...[Read More]
Estes Mini Shuttle Build. Part 9, Nose Cone MaskThe Nose Cone Decor Pattern is cut out and set on the nose cone for pencil guidelines. The sides of the nose cone get straight pieces of tape. The front of the nose cone will get an arc cut of Scotch tape cut on my patio window. Cut the arc as smooth and round as you can. It might take a ...[Read More]
Estes Mini Shuttle Build. Part 10, Nose Mask Reveal and CleanupAfter the tape was pulled up, here's the result. There was some minor bleeding at the corners, that was cleaned up pushing it back with the knife blade tip. There was one spot where the black spray got under the masking tape. TIP: I've mentioned these before, Scotch Brite cleaning pads. ...[Read More]
Estes Mini Shuttle Build. Part 11, DecalsAs it turns out, I got the black mask wrong at the front of the body where it meets the black under the nose cone. The black line should go straight and not be stepped. The mask ridge was lightly sanded down and more masking and a spray of black followed. After all the masking, the model is ...[Read More]
Estes Mini Shuttle FinishedAnother good use for a Baby Bertha kit! The build was easy enough but the masking wasn't. This is one of those rockets where the decals really make the model. The white, black and gray trim colors always work well together. Certainly not scale, more of a Gooney ...[Read More]
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