Thought you guys might enjoy this
 

http://www.rocketreviews.com/umm-me...tom-markel.html

Anyone have any luck with pre-painting parts, but covering the futured "to-be-glued" contact areas with tape? I've got an Estes Outlander that I thought I'd try it on.

Tom Markel

Yup... just did the Dr. Zooch SLS beta build that way-- tape on the ET/core over the SRB glue areas while painting the core "foam yellow". Did my Zooch shuttle the same way-- works like a champ!

Later! OL JR :)

I used the technique building the Quest Stilleto, so I could get a nice finish where the wings join the fuselage. To use Luke's phrase, it worked like a champ!
It works, and I use it when appropriate to do so for a nice finish. It is not the way I prefer, but we all have our little tricks to use 'when necessary.' :rolleyes:

Allen

I'm trying out the paint-before-assembly method now, on a BT-70H based upscale of the Viking II.

The difficulty: It is hard to hold / mount the tube fins for painting in isolation. At one point I was holding them for painting using a plastic clamp inside of a plastic newspaper bag. I hung them up to dry by wrapping the plastic bag over a dowel.

I still having some painting to do on the tube fins. I'll report on how the final assembly goes in another thread.

I have to do it on Russian R-7 builds. The core and strap-ons are prepainted with the contact areas covered with 1/4" strips of masking tape. Touch-up post-assembly as needed.

Okay, it worked on the Uranus Explorer, but those were tube fins. Pics here.

http://www.rocketreviews.com/umm-me...tom-markel.html

I have used this with success on the Orion and Hydra. The inner end of any pod mount is glued to the BT and filleted while the outboard glueing surface is covered with a strip of tape. The commensurate section of the BT on the pod being covered with tape also. Usually there is no need for more than average glue going on to the surfaces to be joined although any extra glue should be hidden from all but casual observers. I am using this technique with the Baby Orion also.

Once trick is to make the area taped on the pod a little longer (a millimetre) than the supporting sub fin part. When painting the smaller tube you will invariably have a small unpainted trench when you remove the tape from the pod BT. This can serve as a locating key when gluing the pod to the sub fin assembly. Lemonade!

Did you locate the Klingons????

Ducking and running........

Yes, once so far. It was the only way to pull off the paint job on my FlisKits Just Past due. I plan to use the technique again in a scale build that I'm working on.

In the photo: copper inner tube fins, gold inside the outer tube fins, blue "anodization" on the outside of the outer fins, silver (chrome) airframe (most of the sheen has rubbed off, a known problem with chrome paint), gold payload section. The entire rocket is 9.375" tall.

We suggest this method in the Destructions for both the Kraken and King Kraken.
No problems to date....