Next project: A real, live, Estes K-41 Mercury-Redstone.

I thought it was long gone, but my dad found the bag in the back of a storage box, called me and said "Guess what I found . . . ." I started it when I was a little shaver back in 1975 but quickly realized it was beyond me. Now, all is not perfect: the weird little sheet of dowels for the tower has disappeared as have the rings for the tower, the shock cord is rotted and the instruction sheet is gone, but the capsule and engine mount construction from 1975 has held up remarkably well. I ordered replacement decals from Gordy as there's little chance the original sheet is still good.

Using the original balsa sheet I tried to make the famous six piece fins. After much fiddling and salty language, I decided to make a one-piece base fins and use the plates and vanes from the originals. The fillets are outlined in cardstock and I'll build them up with Fill-n-Finish and CA glue. Using some David Weeks drawings, I added cardstock details to the fin can.

I'll post some more pictures as I go along, but really, this will be all about the escape tower. If anybody has the diameter of the little dowels, I'd love to know. I downloaded the plans from JimZ but they don't say.

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NAR 79743
NARTrek Silver
I miss being SAM 062

Awaiting First Launch: Too numerous to count
Finishing: Zooch Saturn V; Alway/Nau BioArcas; Estes Expedition; TLP Standard
Repair/Rescue: Cherokee-D (2); Centuri Nike-Smoke; MX-774
On the Bench: 2650;
Dream Stage: 1/39.37 R-7