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-   -   "Lift-Off" Special, more from 1964 (http://www.oldrocketforum.com/showthread.php?t=17319)

DavidQ 06-12-2018 12:38 AM

"Lift-Off" Special, more from 1964
 
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So, getting to the K-14 Drifters in the 1964 catalog doesn't mean that the work for 1964 is done. Besides just kits, Estes had their parts sets, just like the do now. Then, they were the "Special" sets.


Although there isn't a "formal" kit for these, there are demonstrative illustrations. So, once they are manifested as real rockets, those parts packs can have a home alongside their K-kit cousins.


To start with, I went for the "Lift-Off" Special. It was a drawing that looked like a Bertha, but wasn't. I looked at the parts they offered in the "Lift-Off" Special, and only two nosecones looked like they could be used to build the recommended entry in the "all-purpose rocket fleet". Mainly, because of the shape - it is either elliptical or ogive - given that it is a simple drawing and not a photorealistic sketch. One nose is the 20B, and the other is the 60L. So, the body is either BT20 or BT60 given the parts in the kit.

By scaling the drawing to the tube size, if the body is BT20, then the nose would be about 2" tall, compared to 1.68" for a 20B. If the body is BT60, then the nose would be about 4.4" tall, compared to 3.375" for a 60L. Neither is an exact-enough match. So, which to build?


Both.

A Fish Named Wallyum 06-12-2018 12:43 AM

:cool: This is kind of the way I'm going about a lot of my small manufacturer clones of late.

DavidQ 06-12-2018 12:46 AM

2 Attachment(s)
I figured the rocket looks mostly like a Baby Bertha, or at least what a Baby Bertha would have looked like before it was actually born much later. This was probably a genetic thought experiment as to how to hybridize a Ranger with a Bertha to make a smaller offshoot.

So, since we've all built Rangers, Big Bertha's, or Baby Bertha's, no build photos. Except for the decals.

I can't print white decals. But I can print black on white decal paper.

So, I started by drawing a Baby Bertha-inspired decal, surrounding the actual decal element with black.

Then, I cut out around the black, not really caring if white showed or not. Because, I know that cutting through the white decal stock will leave a tiny line of white showing. And, I was planning to hide that tiny line of white, even if it was more visible.

Oh, and the baby not-Baby Bertha was painted white, just so as to have a villain and a hero pair. Like on Westworld.

DavidQ 06-12-2018 12:50 AM

Quote:
Originally Posted by A Fish Named Wallyum
:cool: This is kind of the way I'm going about a lot of my small manufacturer clones of late.


When I built all of the Shrox designs that existed on the internet a few years ago, I had very little information for some of them. A ruler, calculator, and an attitude of "it's as close as someone with 60-grit sandpaper and balsa would get" reduced much of my perfectionist angst.

DavidQ 06-12-2018 11:10 PM

1 Attachment(s)
To finish the decals, the plan was to get rid of the white border. For that, I used a small wide brush with soft bristles, about 1/4" wide. For paint, I used acrylic brush on paint.

I went around the edge of the decals, feathering the black for a very thin layer over the edge. I had to go over twice because I was applying it so thin.


When I was done, the white border wasn't visible. But, the acrylic was not the same glossiness as the spray paint. If you noticed on the earlier pictures, I had wet sanded the black, so it wasn't consistently glossy either. That's because I knew that I'd need to clearcoat the rocket once the decals and acrylic paint were applied and dried.

I also cut some white trim for the fins, to emulate the finish on the Baby Bertha. That was applied with adhesive-backed monokote, which I cut with the laser.

Finally, with the clearcoat, everything blended together.


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