I tried searching for this issue and found several general threads about the Estes Enterprise but none of them mentioned this specifically.

The basic question, is there a known issue with the placement of the launch lug on the launch tube for the Enterprise model based on the tube marking guide wrap?

I built the Enterprise back when I was a kid (late 80's or early 90's), but I've never flown it because of this issue. I would love to finally fix this and actually launch it now that I'm back in the hobby.

I've double, triple, quadruple, quintuple, etc., checked this but it always ends up the same.

The marking guide wrap for the launch tube places the launch lug at an exact 90 degree angle between the saucer hold-down peg and the retainer clip (which are 180 deg, exact opposite sides of the tube).

But that places the launch lug, even with the small wooden extension between the lug itself and the tube, in a position where the dome on the bottom of the saucer section interferes with the path of the launch rod, making it impossible to even put on the launch rod, much less expect any sort of reliable launch from.

It looks like the launch lug nees to be another 45 degrees toward the retainer clip (or 135 deg from the saucer hold-down peg), but that is absolutely NOT where the marking guide wrap has it.

What am I missing?

The down side is that the launch tube is now bent over the years, so I'll have to get some spare body tubes and rebuild it, but I would love to get this think flying!

(I do also have the Klingon Battle Cruiser that I built around the same time that has always flown, and still does fly great!)

Thanks!