Model Rocket Building Blog
Estes Interceptor Build, BackgroundWe first saw the Interceptor on the cover of the 1971 Estes Catalog. Graphically the cover was pretty exciting, placing the finished model over an eclipse. It showed us just enough to raise curiosity and start a page search for the cover model. That catalog page is: CLICK HERE The original catalog ...[Read More]
Estes Interceptor Build #1250, Part 1, PartsMost parts were good - some were just okay. The plastic parts were very well molded. The 18" parachute was in a pattern I hadn't seen before. I'm building two Interceptors. One kit BT-55 was straight and true. Good, except the clear glasseine layer overlapped the seam area and led to some problems ...[Read More]
Estes Interceptor Build #1250, Part 2, Engine MountThe face card is an actual picture of a finished model build, not a CG image. The wind pod "root edge" is raised off the outside edge of the wing. I'll try to get a better fit here. I'll be using my replaceable Kevlar on the engine mount. This type of Kevlar attachment allows you to check the ...[Read More]
Estes Interceptor Build #1250, Part 3, Engine MountTo find the length of the swab tube, do a dry fit of all the engine mount parts. For now I used the Mylar ring to hold the engine hook in place. The instructions have you glue the upper ring flush (even) with the end of the motor tube. I chose to position it farther down and over the end of the ...[Read More]
Estes Interceptor Build #1250, Part 4, Tube FixThe crimped tube was cut in two at the center of the bent area. The black coupler seemed loose so a wrap of copy paper was glued over the outside to widen the O.D. Note the pencil mark to align the tube halves and crimped area. White glue was used. Enough glue was used so the tubes were pliable. ...[Read More]
Estes Interceptor Build #1250, Part 5, Fin Gluing and ShapingThe instructions say to round the leading edges and taper the trailing edges. I can't see any reason to taper the trailing edges. This heavy model won't gain any extra altitude by airfoiling the wings. I'll round the leading and trailing edges. Before gluing the upper and wing fin parts together, ...[Read More]
Estes Interceptor Build #1250, Part 6, Wood and Tube Seam FillingThinned CWF was brushed over the fins before gluing onto the body tube. Look close, the wood grain is raised. This might lead to additional filling later on. Here's a good example of the inside corner on the two piece fins. After the sanding block rounded the leading edge, some clean up was done ...[Read More]
Estes Interceptor Build #1250, Part 7, Primer and FixesAfter the Primer/Filler was shot, some balsa grain remained. Enlarge the picture to see the open pores. CWF was rubbed into the grain and sanded smooth. Another primer coat followed with more sanding. I mentioned earlier that the glasseine layer overlapped where the seam gap would normally be. I ...[Read More]
Estes Interceptor Build #1250, Part 8, Engine Mount Gluing and Nose Cone SeamsTIP: Glue the engine mount in BEFORE marking the tube for the fins. It's easier to simply glue the mount in without worrying about lining up the engine hook with the launch lug line. Glue in the mount then wrap and rotate the marking guide to the engine hook. The instructions have you glue in the ...[Read More]
Estes Interceptor Build #1250, Part 9, Fin GluingThe fin lines were marked and the glue lines were sanded down to the tube. The sanded area was wide enough for the fin width and glue fillets. After sanding off the pencil lines they were re-drawn for gluing. The sub fins are glued on first. Be sure the wide end is facing forward. It's easy to ...[Read More]
Estes Interceptor Build #1250, Part 10, Fin GluingHere's all the fins in place, viewed from the rear. The six fins are not spaced at 60 degree intervals. Note the wing fins are not evenly placed but slightly below the center line of the body tube. All the fins are in line with the center point of the body tube. Enlarge the picture to see the ...[Read More]
Estes Interceptor Build #1250, Part 11, FilletsThe fin root edges were glued on with yellow Carpenter's Glue. I don't initially use much, this way I can remove and re-position the fin if it ended up out of line. A fillet of Carpenter's Wood Glue follows. Then a second fillet of Titebond M&TG. The ends are done first. Apply a small bead ...[Read More]
Estes Interceptor Build #1250, Part 12, White Paint SandingAfter filling with CWF and sanded down primer/filler I had a lot of raised grain. This really shows up on the first white undercoat. In addition to the raised grain there was some open grain pores throughout. Light sanding will get rid of the raised pore lines. This is pretty much dry sanding. A ...[Read More]
Estes Interceptor Build #1250, Part 13, Parachute Fix TipsAfter a good tug, the shroud lines on the pre-assembled parachute seemed pretty strong. The reinforcement disks were peeling off! They also tore easily telling me they were paper. The disks will be replaced with Avery plastic disks. I didn't want to replace the shroud lines. There is a way to work ...[Read More]
Estes Interceptor Build #1250, Part 14, Wing Pod GluingThe two piece wing pods were glued on with the Beacon Fabri-Tac Glue. If any of this thick glue squeezes out, wipe it away immediately. It is a bit gummy going on and dries hard. After drying, the wing pods seem strong and very well adhered. Notice the gap at the front of the pod/wing joint. The ...[Read More]
Estes Interceptor Build #1250, Part 15, Masking The Wing PodThere are a lot of root edges and nooks to get paint on evenly. As careful as I was to get full coverage there was still a few spots near the wing pods that didn't enough white paint. Rusto 2X touch-ups blends in pretty well. Paint was sprayed into a cup and a Q-tip used to roll on some gloss ...[Read More]
Estes Interceptor Build #1250, Part 16, Painting The Wing PodPlastic grocery bags were used to cover up the rest of the body. Near the pods you can see the brown masking tape that goes on after the Scotch tape and holds the bags on the body. Here's one of the pods after the tape was pulled. A little back push with a knife tip evened out the paint line where ...[Read More]
Estes Interceptor Build #1250, Part 17, Antenna and Tail Cone PaintingYou can paint the tailcone off the model. This will save you from any masking around all the raised vanes. Some masking tape was rolled around the shoulder. The overhanging tape was slit a few times and bent outward to tape to a spraying board. Somewhere I saw a picture of a finished Interceptor ...[Read More]
Estes Interceptor Build #1250, Part 18, Oh, Those Decals!The instructions say to start applying the bottom decals first. The Bottom View was a bit confusing, the image was flipped. You'll definitely want the USAF and stars and bars decals on the opposite side. I'd recommend going to the older Interceptor instructions on JimZs: CLICK HERE The decal ...[Read More]
Estes Interceptor Build #1250, Part 19, More DecalsFrom the Estes instructions you can see how the long decal splits by the yellow bar. Neither side is actually centered at the word space. I probably should have set the yellow band down first, then applied the long "U.S. AIR FORCE FC-803" decals. This way I could cut the decal and center ...[Read More]
Estes Interceptor Build #1250, Part 20, Oops, More Decals!I couldn't figure out why this decal was so tall. It didn't make much sense why it would roll over onto the sub fins. I set it place and made a fingernail crease at the lower fillet. The decal was cut on that crease so it would stop at the sub fin root edge. Here's how the back end looked with the ...[Read More]
Estes Interceptor Build #1250, Part 21, Canopy Decals and a FixI sure some are thinking - "Why so many posts on the Interceptor decals? The decals were one of the big features of the kit - two big sheets. Next to the Citation Patriot, few kits had this many water slide decals. When the kit first came out, everybody talked about how long it took to apply the ...[Read More]
Estes Interceptor Build #1250, Part 22, Pod DecalsThe wing pods were painted fluorescent "Rocket Red". The spray paint came from Ace hardware. As mentioned earlier, I thought the color was more of an orange than a red. Looking at the catalogs, I always thought these pods were a red color, but the instructions do say to paint them fluorescent ...[Read More]
Estes Interceptor Build #1250, Part 23, Misc. Details Part ASometimes I build two models at a time. The better of the two will be sold on Ebay, the other becomes part of my active fleet. I'll be keeping the model with this wrinkly nose cone. TIP: Paint on plastic takes longer to fully dry. Paint on balsa and Kraft tubes dries faster, those surfaces ...[Read More]
Estes Interceptor Build #1250, Part 24, Misc. Details Part BThis was interesting, I didn't notice until the clear coat was being applied. The recommended engines are set into a decal. You'd have to look twice to find them. I used the Beacon Fabri-Tac glue to attach the tailcone and antennas. It seems to work very well, almost better than some of the ...[Read More]
Estes Interceptor Build #1250, FinishedThis was and still is a great design. While the overall look is strong, the decals really make the model. I was surprised, my finished weight was 3.8 oz. a little less than the face card weight of 3.85 oz. It's another one I can scratch off the list of models I couldn't afford as a teenager.[Read More]
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