Painting an Estes Outlander

[spacefan]

I'm currently working on an Estes Outlander kit and need some advice on painting. The instructions advise painting certain parts, like the tanks and the legs, separately. My question is, what would be the most practical way to hold these small parts while spraying them....or should I just lay them on a sheet of cardboard instead, and do one side at a time? I've only done fully assembled rockets before and would use either a piece of large dowel or a rolled up newspaper stuck up the engine mount for easier handling while painting.

[barone]

Well, if you're going to use the paint scheme that Estes used, you got to paint them seperate or it's going to be a real PITA to paint. You need to put a strip of tape along the edge that will be glued (so you glue the tubes and not the paint together). Just use a longer length than needed and tape the longer end to a dowel. You might want to have it long on both ends so you can let it hang with some weight so when you apply the paint, the peice isn't blowing all over the place.

Another option.......use a needle stuck into the piece and then stuck into some scrap cardboard to suspend the piece in the air and then paint. If you don't use the tape to keep from painting the where the glue joints will be, you can come back and scrape the paint off those areas.

Best option.....paint the beast all white :rolleyes:

[jetlag]

Try standing the various parts on a piece of either two-sided tape or rolled masking tape, smallest end of the part down. The tape serves to hold the part firm enough to spray paint or airbrush. Spray the top and all around; try not to 'run' the paint or puddle it on the tape. Let it dry, peel it off the tape and flip it over for the other end (and sides again if you want) if needed. This method works well nearly all the time. I end up lining up a sloo of small parts on a narrowly rolled up piece of masking tape. The tape with parts attached is stuck to a piece of cardboard; hold onto the cardboard, and you can position it any way you like to provide access to all sides. The parts are held off the cardboard by the tape, so they dry 'in the air.' Trial and some error, but once you learn the techniques, you'll never forget 'em. ;) The smaller you can roll the tape to minimize touch to the part and still have it adhere well enough to withstand blowing air and paint is a trick. Once you play with it a while, you'll do it all the time!
Just remember when gluing it down, use epoxy (5 minute is fine). Be sure to rough up slightly the area to be glued. CA glues are too brittle for this use; the little parts can crack off on a landing (for instance).
Allen

[Solomoriah]

I should have painted mine all white. Dang, what a mess that was.

[conleyt]

I should have painted mine all white. Dang, what a mess that was.

Paint it white, add red legs, and these decals....all set! :D

http://www.siriusrocketry.com/eshop/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=35&products_id=109

Tom C.

[moonzero2]

Do a search for "Outlander" here on YORF and do the same search at TRF and you'll find several examples of how others have finished theirs. I remember seeing pictures of one that was finished like the NASA LEM.

[Mikus]

Paint it white, add red legs, and these decals....all set! :D

http://www.siriusrocketry.com/eshop/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=35&products_id=109

Tom C.

Coolness, thanks for the link. :D

[LeeR]

I'm currently working on an Estes Outlander kit and need some advice on painting. The instructions advise painting certain parts, like the tanks and the legs, separately..

I painted the legs by taking a scrap of 2X4, and drilling holes in it to insert the leg dowels into it.

For other parts, I either used a rolled up piece of paper or dowel to hold it. I often clamp the painting dowel into a vise to hold it upright until the parts dry.

Here's mine -- ala Mars Lander.

http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii220/hobbes_pics/Outlander/th_OutlanderD-4.jpg (http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii220/hobbes_pics/Outlander/OutlanderD-4.jpg)

[spacefan]

Thanks for the tips, guys! In reply to your question, Barone, I will be going with the "Mars Lander Motif" on my Outlander. I even have a decal set I bought at Sirius Rocketry which was uniquely designed for the Outlander in order to give it a traditional Mars Lander look.

[DaveR]

For other parts, I either used a rolled up piece of paper or dowel to hold it. I often clamp the painting dowel into a vise to hold it upright until the parts dry.

Nearly poked my eye out once in the 80's using that method. I had painted a small rocket on a dowel instead of rolled up paper. After the rocket had dried, I was removing the rocket from the dowel and I dropped it. As I bent over to pick it up, I jammed a 1/8" dowel rod through my eyelid and out my eyebrow. :eek: Moral: Be careful, you never know when you're going to need that eye.

[Doug Sams]

http://www.siriusrocketry.com/eshop/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=35&products_id=109This thing is too kewl! BTW, what's that white stuff on the ground? :D Doug

http://www.siriusrocketry.com/eshop/catalog/images/mars%20lander2.jpg


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[MKP]

Nearly poked my eye out once in the 80's using that method. I had painted a small rocket on a dowel instead of rolled up paper. After the rocket had dried, I was removing the rocket from the dowel and I dropped it. As I bent over to pick it up, I jammed a 1/8" dowel rod through my eyelid and out my eyebrow. Moral: Be careful, you never know when you're going to need that eye.

That's one of the most horrible injuries I've ever heard of! :eek:

[tbzep]

Nearly poked my eye out once in the 80's using that method. I had painted a small rocket on a dowel instead of rolled up paper. After the rocket had dried, I was removing the rocket from the dowel and I dropped it. As I bent over to pick it up, I jammed a 1/8" dowel rod through my eyelid and out my eyebrow. :eek: Moral: Be careful, you never know when you're going to need that eye.

If that had happened to either my best friend or myself when we were growing up, the first thing we would have said was... That was cool! The next thing....somebody would have got laughed at (while one was helping the other). We always made fun of each other's injuries, the worse the injury, the more we made fun....but we always looked out for each other. :cool:

[moonzero2]

This thing is too kewl! BTW, what's that white stuff on the ground? :D Doug
http://www.siriusrocketry.com/eshop/catalog/images/mars%20lander2.jpg

The white stuff matches the paint job.

Question: I noticed the micro-clips are a long ways from the rocket engine,... are you using some kind of igniter extension? and I sure you have a good reason for that, that I can't figure out.

[DaveR]

That's one of the most horrible injuries I've ever heard of! :eek:
Could have been worse, luckily I suffered no sight loss. The worst part was when I instinctively jerked backwards and pulled it back through. :eek: The doctor visit the following day was not real pleasant either.

If that had happened to either my best friend or myself when we were growing up, the first thing we would have said was... That was cool! The next thing....somebody would have got laughed at (while one was helping the other). We always made fun of each other's injuries, the worse the injury, the more we made fun....but we always looked out for each other.

Heh, I know how that was. :cool: I was usually the one being laughed at. :o

I apologize spacefan, didn't mean to hi-jack your thread.

[Doug Sams]

Question: I noticed the micro-clips are a long ways from the rocket engine,... are you using some kind of igniter extension? and I sure you have a good reason for that, that I can't figure out.
You got me. I pulled the pic off the Sirius site after following the link earlier in the thread. But I'd swag it's one of the two lead ignitors common with composite motors nowadays.

Doug

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