I thought I would do a build thread on the Estes Satellite Interceptor. I’m sure others have a similar process in their builds.

I begin the build by first sanding both sides of the laser cut balsa sheet with a medium grit sanding sponge. Next two heavy coats of Krylon Grey primer is sprayed on both sides. I again sand both sides with the medium grit sanding Sponge. Two more heavy coats of Primer are applied and sanded with fine grit sanding Sponge. The balsa grain is now about 80 percent filled. After the model is assembled, several more coats of primer over the entire model will fill in the rest of the grain. I also prime the nose cone with two coats of primer, then apply a layer of Bondo Spot Putty to the entire nose cone. Sand the putty off and apply another coat of primer. More coats of primer sanded between coats will be applied along with the rest of the model.

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Parts are then removed from the laser cut sheet. I use an Easy-Touch Bar Sander to flatten all the edges and rounds the edges that need rounding. I have both a fine and medium grit Bar Sander on Hand for this.

The next thing I do is apply a thin layer of Titebond 3 to the edges that will be glue to the body tube. I wipe all excess glue from the edge. One photo shows the very small applicator bottle filled with the Titebond 3 I use to construct all my models with. This bottle can be purchased at any store that carries fabric paint. Simply remove the top, empty out the paint and fill it with Titebond 3. The paint bottle only cost a little over a dollar, so it’s well worth the investment. I’ve built close to 100 models using this one bottle: just keep filling it up with glue. This first glue layer soaks into the end grain of the balsa allowing the next application of glue to bond to the body tube better.

Being unemployed at the moment, I have a lot of time on my hands so this next part may not be for everyone. I like to use jigs to make or assemble things with. It took a little over three hours to make the jig shown below. This jig is only good for making a Satellite Interceptor but it was fun to make. To begin applying the fins to the body tube you will need to mark two center lines on the bottom and top of the body tube. Also mark the top line the two distances shown in the instructions for the Dorsal and Top Fin.

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The first thing you do is place some glue on the sub fin. The sub fin is positioned into the bottom of the jig. It fits only in one place. Place the body tube in the jig aligning the bottom center line of the body tube with the line of the jig. The edge of the bottom tube is flush with the jig.

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Another jig is used to align the front dorsal fin. Align the rear edge of this part with the 4” mark on the top of the body tube. Do the same for the vertical fin aligning it with the 1” mark. The wings are next glued into place. The wing tip tubes come next. The front of the tubes are flush with the front of the tube support.

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The stabs are glued on next but a bevel needs to be applied to their root edge so they fit against the body tube. Don’t forget to apply the glue to this part after the bevel is applied.

Actually assembly time to add these parts is only about 5 minutes. Not shown in the photos were some small weights I put on the wings and stabs parts to hold them in place until the glue set. A thin glue fillet is applied to all of the top joints. The secondary jig is put back in place and the model is left to dry.

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Jumpjet, Great build and nice jig for the fins. I noticed you use a lot of primer to fill the balsa. I used to use Krylon primer until I found PlastiKote Spot Filler Primer. This stuff is great and fills fast. Also dries fast, easy to sand and does not clog the sandpaper. Any way, great build and can't wait to see her finished.

Looks Great!!! Wish i had the time ( and know how ) to build a specific rocket jig. Great work.



Brett

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Where does one find, "PlastiKote Spot Filler Primer", and how much does it cost. I'll try anything at least once, and if I like it I'll keep using it.


John Boren

John, I buy mine from CarQuest.....Around 7 bucks a can I only use it on the balsa parts and it only takes a coat or 2. I use regular primer on the rest of the rocket. I tried the .99 Walmart primer with poor results.
http://www.amazon.com/Plasti-Kote-4...d_bxgy_hi_img_b

Not much more here to see, since my last post. I've added the wood dowels to the tips of three of the fins and also attached the launch lug to the bottom of the wing. The only build part left will be to install the engine mount. I won’t do this until the last two coats of primer are going to be applied. At least this is the stage when it begins looking like a completed model since it's all the same color. I will use at least two more coats of grey primer sanded between coats and then one or maybe two final light coats of white primer before the paint is applied. I’ll keep adding primer until everything is glass smooth. I have something special in store for the decals. Image an entire squadron of fighters ready to meet the enemy in space.


John Boren
www.johnboren.com

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