Another Mercury Redstone Rescue
 

Like several people on this thread, I had left over from my last pre-BAR rocketry phase an incomplete Estes Mercury Redstone, 1980s variety. This was one of about eight that survived the years at my Mother's house, including many, many hours of a nephew growing up there.
Anyway, I've always liked this rocket but found that it was beyond my abilities at the time. Recently, I wound up at the house and started looking at it again. I have some pictures from my camera of the condition it was in when found and will post when I can.
It was painted with old white spray paint over the whole body, with the capsule black and the top of the capsule left red. (This is the model with red plastic, with two cross beams underneath to attach the chute.) Three of the four square fin extensions (not sure what they are called) were broken off, as well as the two small squares located at tube bottom. Everything else is there, including the capsule parachute, except for the decals and, of course, the escape tower.
So far I have replaced the missing fin parts, sanded and repainted the body and fins with one coat grey primer, one of white primer and two coats of Rustoleum white. Then I masked and sprayed my best attempt at the bottom roll pattern with Krylon black. N o we are getting somewhere.
Before I started this project, though, I bit the bullet and bought a new Mercury Redstone on eBay. This is the more current issue, with the three quarters of cardboard in the packaging and plastic fins. My question: should I bash the new model for its tower and decals? or build the new kit straight forward and continue my search for a tower for the vintage model and order new decals from Gordon? Is the new tower the same size as and compatible with the 80s rocket? Thanks for any assistance.

I believe that ALL plastic MR and Atlas capsules and LES's were the same (except some were molded in white instead of red.)

Plus, I don't think it was ever corrected that capsule for the Liberty Bell 7 model had the same round porthole as the Freedom 7 instead of the correct trapezoidal(?) window.

The new Redstone uses the exact same capsule molds as the old 80's Estes one, which was nothing but a re-issue of the Centuri ST-20 based one from the 70's, without the ejection baffle.
The newest Estes one differs from the previous two versions due to having the tube slotted for fins.

I always liked the much more difficult to build original Estes K-41 that was based on the BT-60.

Outstanding! Thanks for the insight, both. Man, what a resource this forum is. Kind of wish it were around back in the day. I would have enjoyed the hobby a lot more. And, GH, the K version of the Redstone certainly sounds beyond my skill set based on my reading about it here.

The K-41 Mercury Redstone was definitely deserving of it's Skill Level 5 rating based on the escape tower build and the fin build which used 7 pieces for each fin, which had 5 pieces that had to be hand-shaped.
Most difficult build Estes ever produced.

Zooch is making a BT-60 size Mercury-Redstone and from the pictures it would seem to have a built-up escape tower. This would be the same size as the old K-41 kit. I am finishing my K-41 up now after starting it in 1976. The Redstone is built and painted white; I have Excelsior Decals. Capsule is done. The tower, well, that's still a work in progress. I'm now thinking carbon fiber.

I agree with gh; hardest kit Estes ever made. Has anybody bought the Zooch BT-60 kit?

And to NewBomb, stick with it on eBay. The plastic capsule comes up more often than you might think and not super expensive. I snagged one a few years ago to do a Yitah Wu Little Joe 1 and haven't got around to it yet.