T' Estes Mercury Atlas is one o' t' most complex kit rockets that has ever come on t' market. I managed t' pick one up for $34 from a very friendly hobby shop and started work on it immediately. Aye aye! T' first few steps detail t' construction o' t' motor mount. This part o' t' buildin' be straightforward. Well, blow me down! Blimey!  

T' fun starts when one starts on t' rocket body itself. Ahoy! Be sure t' test t' contact cement that you plan t' use on all o' t' styrene parts. Apply t' cement on a section o' scrap styrene from t' Engine Strouds & Equipment Pods vacuform Sheet and let is sit for 24 hours. If t' plastic melts, DO NOT USE THIS CEMENT!!!! I basically ruined me Mercury Atlas by usin' a contact cement that softened and deformed a section o' t' first stage stiffener shroud. Avast! Arrr! My model now has t' appearance o' havin' developed plastic cancer.  

T' rest o' t' plastic parts are now attached with RC-56 glue. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! Blimey! Model airplane fliers use this glue t' glue plastic windshields onto their airplane models. Avast! Blimey! T' adhesive resembles white glue in color and lack o' smell. Ya scallywag! It also dries t' a bond that is strong enough t' hold t' plastic components t' t' rocket.  

When cuttin' t' moldings, me bucko, me hearties, be sure t' use a gentle hand and take plenty o' time. Avast! If you rush t' job, matey, you will cut t' parts improperly and will have t' use aluminized mylar t' cover up your mistakes. Ya scallywag! Avast! T' mylar is a rudimentary fix. Well, blow me down! Begad!  

T' instructions also leave out one important detail. When mountin' t' two separation rings, ya bilge rat, t' mountin' instructions do nay tell you which side is up or down. Well, blow me down! In t' middle o' t' ring, thar be an indentation that is narrower on one side vs. Avast, me proud beauty! t' other. I had t' compare t' plastic part that goes on top o' t' separation rin' so that I could find out which side was up. T' narrow side must be facin' t' top o' t' rocket. Avast!  

T' rest o' t' Atlas booster assembly was ok. Arrr! Blimey! I did add a motor mount on each o' t' fin units so that I could fly t' rocket as a cluster. Given t' amount o' work one has t' put in in order t' build this rocket, matey, me bucko, it is nay surprisin' that most people would avoid this extra step. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! After all, me bucko, why risk a rocket as expensive as this t' cluster work ? Since this rocket already as plastic cancer, shiver me timbers, I guess that it is uniquely qualified for this experiment. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Be sure t' plug t' ends o' t' fin unit motor mounts so that t' exhaust from t' engines do nay char t' plastic equipment pods. Avast! Blimey! Avast! Blimey!  

To save time, matey, I used black monokote t' color t' adaptor skirt. Begad! I then used t' aluminized mylar t' detail t' rest o' t' rocket. Begad! I chose t' delete t' installation o' t' escape tower since that particular item always breaks off after t' first or second launch o' any scale rocket that carries such a device. Aye aye! Begad! In any event, this particular rocket will never be entered into a scale event.  

T' Mercury capsule itself seems t' be recycled from t' old Estes Mercury Redstone kit. Avast! Regrettably, me hearties, matey, t' mold may be showin' its age. Ya scallywag! T' capsule sections were warped badly enough that they did nay fit together. I glued t' pieces together as best I could usin' t' old Redstone booster shoulder as a jig t' hold t' three pieces together. T' final product looks decent from a distance. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty!  

Since t' plastic stiffener shroud was cancered t' t' point o' bein' obnoxiously ugly, me hearties, I decided t' nay apply t' aluminized mylar strips t' t' booster. Begad! Begad! Makeup will only go so far. Aye aye! T' booster was just spray-painted with Dutch Boy Aluminum. Begad! I also used a Testor's aluminum paint pen t' color t' LOX supply line and t' two fuel lines that are molded t' t' adaptor skirt. Begad!  

For a recovery system, I dumped t' Estes plastic chutes and used one 28" Loc/Precision nylon chute for t' Atlas booster and one 12" Loc/Precision for t' capsule. Avast, me proud beauty! I consider this rocket, as cancered as it is, arrr, t' be too expensive t' risk with t' standard plastic chutes that Estes sells with most o' it line.  

I have only flown t' Mercury Atlas once on a single D12-3. Ahoy! T' take-off is almost as slow and majestic as t' real thin' ! I got a good deal o' applause from t' spectators who watched t' launch. I now need t' see how this rocket works on a cluster. I will probably use Mini A10s as a start. Ya scallywag! One should add some 25 grams o' clay t' t' Mercury capsule as a precaution if t' rocketeer wants t' fly t' Mercury Atlas model on C motors. Begad!  

Even with all o' t' wonders and warts, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, t' Estes Mercury Atlas is fun t' build and t' fly.  

Suggested Modification:

Take t' centerin' rings that hold t' BT-50 motor tube and bore out t' holes until one can slide a BT-60 in place o' t' BT-50. Avast, matey, me proud beauty! Use a section o' t' BT-50 for a D motor mount that will fit into a BT-60.

T' reason for t' modification is so that one can put in t' parachute for t' Atlas booster into t' BT-60. Arrr! Well, blow me down! I noted that t' parachute tends t' be blown t' one side o' t' interior o' t' BT-101 rather than bein' ejected from t' rocket. Ya scallywag! Arrr! T' end result is that t' Mercury Capsule parachutes down safely while t' booster slams into t' ground at about 100 miles an hour. Ahoy! Ahoy! By placin' t' Atlas parachute inside t' BT-60, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, one will get a parachute deployment.

THIS MODIFICATION SHOULD ALSO BE APPLIED TO THE ESTES 2001 SATURN-V.   WATCHING A LIMITED EDITION SATURN CRASH ON ITS MAIDEN FLIGHT IS VERY PAINFUL TO ONE'S PRIDE AND WALLET !

Another reason t' avoid t' stock BT-50 stuffer tube be t' fact that that tube burn away after a few flights and t' ejection gasses escape through t' motor clip slot which is located on t' bottom centerin' ring. Avast, me proud beauty! BT-60 is a better tube t' use.