Started building an Estes Long Tom
 

Just getting started on building an Estes Long Tom.
Figured this is a nice simple build after completing a SST Shuttle and an Orbital Transport.

One thing I noticed right away upon opening the kit is the really nice finish sanding on the nose cone and balsa transition. They also have some of the absolutely tightest grain I have ever seen.
It only took two coats of Aero Gloss balsa fillercoat to completely fill the grain.
It really did not need the single coat of Aero Gloss sanding sealer on top, but I did it anyway.
The fin stock is the exact opposite. Wide gaps in the grain of the laser cut fins. Fairly soft fins too. Made it easy to round the leading edge and taper the trailing edge. I think I may approach filling them before gluing to the Booster and Sustainer.

The Long Tom is probably my favorite sport 2-stager. IIRC there’s a problem with the fin decals —-such as there’s not enough of them. Maybe I’m thinking of something else.

Wait . . . yours had balsa parts?

I bought and built a Long Tom a couple years back. It had plastic parts!

Either way, it is a nice kit. I flew it with a B6-0 / A8-5 combo a few times.

I actually still have the correct plastic Centuri nose cone and transition. Plan to use them to improve the Estes kit, using a ST-13 and ST-8 tubes.

Chas

I finished mine last year but it looks so great in balsa and cardboard that I haven't been able to bring myself to paint it. Love the classic looks. :cool:

And as you may recall from back in the day, the first version of the Long Tom came with a balsa transition. Centuri had just started using plastic nose cones by the summer of 1970 when the Long Tom was first released so it got a plastic cone from the get-go.

Earl

Thank you for posting the instruction's parts page, Earl. I never had an original Centuri kit. I have always been a fan of Centuri and their multi-angled fins. Always wanted a Centuri Centaur, so I bugged Carl to release a SEMROC version. He surprised me by eventually sending me the #6 production kit. I built a later one and must have a couple more kits. My favorite two stage.

Chas