Finishing

I could see that finishin' was goin' t' be interestin' early on in t' build due t' t' flimsy body tubes.  T' tube spirals seem exaggerated, arrr, almost sharp as you run your fingers over t' tube.  This would require a serious amount o' Elmer's Carpenters Wood Filler, me bucko, and t' fact that t' body tube was already thin would mean thinnin' it as little as possible.  First I sprayed t' rocket with a coat o' Valspar primer, ya bilge rat, then I took care o' t' spirals by loadin' up me fingertip with t' wood filler and slopping down t' spiral.  When it dried and was sanded I resprayed t' body tube with primer, then hit t' whole thin' with thinned wood filler.  After sandin' this process left me with a respectable lookin' body tube, but still too flimsy for me tastes.

T' paint scheme on t' face card was a simple one, in keepin' with t' nature o' t' rocket.  White body, black fins, red nose cone.  All o' t' paint was Valspar gloss.  So easy a caveman could do it.  Or a silverback in me case.

T' decals.  Blessed bovine these were terrible.  Decent lookin' enough, matey, but a) peel and cuss, me bucko, shiver me timbers, and b) completely lackin' in anythin' resemblin' adhesive.  They had already fallen clear o' t' backin' paper when I opened t' kit.  Nay havin' any o' that, me hearties, I printed a set on Bel Inkjet Decal Paper.  They're mostly wrap decals, so they're a pain in t' butt anyway, arrr, but t' improvement be tenfold.