Well so far this has been a fun build even though my time has been limited. I have received advise on modifications to the build but I decided to keep it stock as per the plans. I do have a second K36 kit mint newer production that I may build in the future and also have all the other Saturn V rockets Estes has produced. So for this build she is straight out of the box per the plans with all the old parts. The paper transitions are spot on for the correct size and I had to be super careful since the paper and centering rings are made of thin material. I am using PVA Type II white glue I found at Home Depot, appears to be the same as Titebond Type II only it dries faster and clear. I am not a big fan of yellow on my builds, don't know why Titebond adds yellow dye to their glue, they have said it is a marketing strategy, oh well. As you can see the BT-101 tubes came out nice and round after stuffing some Bt-101 couplers inside for a month, the Estes Bt-101 couplers are pretty flimsy but they worked just fine, also a tight fit and you get one shot of gluing in place. The embossed wraps are pretty old and were crinkled before I started but I was able to glue them on without much issues and again a perfect fit. Since this is an old kit I know the build will not be perfect and I am ok with that, basically a paper and cardboard rocket. The black print on the paper parts is so old it scrapes off when I am cutting the parts out. I just finished the paper engine shrouds and they fit ok but more of the issue was using the old paper parts. The embossed engine shrouds are glued on top of the paper shrouds and that stiffens the shrouds, even though I don't think I got them on perfectly straight they will work. So per the plans I still have to add the bottom embossed pieces, balsa fins and then off to the first round of painting. The embossed paper is not very deep so I will have to be careful with painting as not to fill the details. I will finish sanding the fins today and apply 3 coats of balsa sealer and begin the painting process.

Attached Thumbnails