I decided to start a new thread rather than adding to the digression for this build on the original 3D printing thread, from which the fin can came from:
http://forums.rocketshoppe.com/show...2&postcount=100

It was printed in white, had lots of printing artifacts to smooth out, but turned out really nice, other than I trapped a bug when the final coat was drying, and decided to leave his foot prints. I might buff them out later. So, with the 3D printed fin can from the link in the thread above to the thingy-verse file, I got an engine mount tube, body tube, and balsa cone from eRockets, bent an engine hook from the metal strip pulled from an old wiper blade, and made some of the couplers from those leftover yellow push tubes for mounting 18mm and 24mm engine thrust rings. That pretty much makes the kit parts for this build.

Assembly is very similar to the Alpha VI kit that many of you have recently built. You trap the engine mount with a coupler that goes through the fin can, then you secure that to the main body tube. Easy peasy, pudding and pie. mmm, pie...

One deviation I made from the original is the Kevlar line attached to the coupler, and sort of a half-moon baffle, mostly to protect the Kevlar line at that end.

Next, I need to dig out my peel-stick chrome and make some print at home ink jet decals to apply on top of that. That will be an experiment to see how well I can reproduce the original metallic peel-and-stickers. I found good templates for the stars and bars and checker board, but was not able to find a good image of the "Spec Sheet" sticker. If anyone has a good photo or scan of one of those I would like to reproduce that as well. (nevermind, I just found it here: http://www.spacemodeling.org/jimz/kf-3.htm)

I decided not to paint the white paper body tube, I may clear coat it after the decals. Nose cone might need one more series of 200 then 400 grit sanding and a final top coat, but most of the grain is pretty well filled in so far after a few coats of Deft sanding sealer and Rusto 2X red already.

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