Atlas LES "soft mount"
 

I recently shipped a built Estes Atlas to Florida. Although I'd packaged well enough to be shipped safely to Mars, the USPS still managed to destroy the capsule and LES. My customer sent the upper portion of the model back to me and this is the fix I did:

I first built a new LES and antenna cone assembly from a spare kit. I then epoxied a screw eye into the underside of the cone and attached a loop of 1/8" elastic fabric shock cord with a lark's head knot.

I pried the damaged cone from the returned capsule and sanded the top perfectly flat so the replacement cone will register correctly.

I then constructed a long hook from a length of 1/8" birch dowel with a hook made from a bent piece of brass tubing both lashed and epoxied to it.

I then drilled a 1/2" hole into the top of the blow molded adapter.

Inserting the hook through the bottom hole of the adapter and out through the top of the capsule, I snag the 1/8" elastic, stretch it through the 1/2" hole and out through the bottom hole of the adapter. I then toggle it with a length of 1/8" birch dowel.

.......and voila! The LES is "soft mounted" to the top of the capsule and can be removed at any time. I would recommend removing it for flight.

This technique could probably be adjusted for the Redstone--with a much shorter elastic, of course.

Jeff,

Very well done!

Bob

Thanks!

Well, you know what they say, "necessity is the mother of invention." (or was it Frank Zappa?) ;) :D

Zappa said something much more profound. "Don't eat the yellow snow!"

Nice job!!!
Anybody who has ever built then Mercury Atlas should fly it once.
Then retire it to a place of honor and be thankful it came back in one piece.
Lol
One of my all time favorite kits but getting harder to find and with no re-release on the horizon, combined with the many hours of build time you put in one. Losing one two be hard.

Great job. The final picture looks as though no damage / repair has occurred at all. The sign of success.

Thanks!

....but as always, I can see only the flaws. I wish I could shut that off.