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EchoVictor
04-12-2006, 04:00 PM
So I was working on my sister ship to the Attack Craft Orion last night (http://forums.rocketshoppe.com/showthread.php?t=770), and once together I decided to dig out my old Orion to do a side-by-side comparo.

I have an original Orion I built as a kid and painted per the face card. After I flew it a few times, a few of the decals peeled off (as a young 'un I didn't quite grasp the whole clear coat concept :rolleyes: ). So, back then I stripped the rest of the decals and painted it dark green and added some generic USAF stars and lettering decals.

After digging it out for my comparison, I realized two things;

1) The dark green needs to go. I'm definitely going to re-paint and decal her to original art intent.

2) After years of storage, the angles of the main wings have been pressed out and now are level. I've attached a drawing below to illustrate.

I have a question to anyone who's ever done a restoration job. Is there a way, without cutting, that I can separate the inner and outer wings so that I can re-glue them at the correct angle? The seam is balsa-to-balsa, joined by Elmer's glue (either white or carpenter's. I can't remember which).

Thanks,
EV

ghrocketman
04-12-2006, 06:49 PM
If you used actual WHITE Elmers, you could probably dissolve it with hot water on the joint.
If you used Carpenters Elmers, Titebond, or any other Aliphatic Resin glue, get out the X-Acto...nuttin else will doo it !

EchoVictor
04-14-2006, 11:29 AM
JACKPOT!

You nailed it. A little bit of water, and the joints softened up beautifully. I pried 'em back down to the proper 20 deg and held in place.

Re-paint and new decals to follow.

Thanks,
EV

A Fish Named Wallyum
04-14-2006, 02:25 PM
JACKPOT!

You nailed it. A little bit of water, and the joints softened up beautifully. I pried 'em back down to the proper 20 deg and held in place.

Re-paint and new decals to follow.

Thanks,
EV

And the pictures are WHERE? ;)
Come on, I want to see this oldie.

Leo
04-14-2006, 03:03 PM
And the pictures are WHERE? ;)
Come on, I want to see this oldie.

PHEW, thought I was the only one thinking the same ;)

EchoVictor
04-14-2006, 04:03 PM
They're comin', they're comin'.....

Since the ex absconded with my digital camera, I've been borrowing a friend's, which I had to return today. Pictures will follow once I get my camera conundrum corrected (how's that for alliteration?!? :D )

Later,
EV

EchoVictor
04-23-2006, 10:17 PM
Conundrum conquered! :D

Here you go Craig, as requested....

As you can see in the close-up shot, I added what I thought in my 14-year old brain would be some cool missile rails and pitot tubes. Ick. :p

She will be sanded, re-painted, and decaled to her former glory.

Later,
EV

Leo
04-24-2006, 02:50 AM
Thank you and enjoy the restoration!

Chris_Timm
04-24-2006, 08:24 AM
Conundrum conquered! :D

As you can see in the close-up shot

She must've been a hangar queen cuz I don't see much battle damage from years of dangerous missions patrolling the galaxies! :p

EchoVictor
04-24-2006, 11:26 AM
Hangar queen??? :mad: :p

No way man! :D She went up a bunch of times in her original face-card-art form, and then a couple as her "green" self. I even flew it once or twice last summer after getting back into things. C'mon. I mean, if you look close enough, you can see a lot of the dust from 18+ years of storage.

I'm firmly in the camp that if it doesn't fly, then it isn't a rocket. It's merely a model.

Dont worry. Once I do the restore, she'll keep flying! :D

Later,
EV

ghrocketman
04-24-2006, 11:38 AM
Don't forget to use some GOOD wood filler to hide that wood-grain before you re-paint it.
Nothing looks worse than visible grain on a freshly completed model !

Chris_Timm
04-24-2006, 08:12 PM
Hangar queen??? :mad: :p

No way man! :D She went up a bunch of times in her original face-card-art form,

Gee, my models do damage to themselves just by sitting on the shelf.

I'm pretty sure I hear some faint screaming when I box them for transport to a launch. :o

A Fish Named Wallyum
04-24-2006, 08:42 PM
Nothing looks worse than visible grain on a freshly completed model !
What about splinters? ;)

A Fish Named Wallyum
04-25-2006, 12:23 AM
If nothing else, your pics in this thread inspired me to do something with the Orion nose cone I've got. Today while I was in the midst of making dinner, (burritos made with ground turkey so I can waste all of my bad meals at White Castle and Ft. Thomas Pizza,) I cut out the fins and tubes for an Attack Craft Orion. Seems like a fairly simple project; six pieces of balsa to cut, attach, seal and sand.
Now I just have to figure out where the box of nose cones wound up after the move last summer.

A Fish Named Wallyum
05-01-2006, 05:05 PM
Still no nose cones, but now I'm committed. I'm short of rings for the engine mount, but that just means I'll have the body ready when I come up with the parts.

EchoVictor
01-28-2007, 11:25 PM
Been a while since I messed with this one, but I've been in a finishing/painting groove, so....

Here's the results of quite a bit of sanding and re-painting;

http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i204/EchoVictor/Rocket%20Stuff/100_0552.jpg

Now I just have to draw and print the darned decals....

Later,
EV

PaulK
01-29-2007, 09:17 AM
Rats, I was at GN&H last week, and *someone* seems to have bought all the orion NCs. What do you use to make your decals EV?

EchoVictor
01-29-2007, 09:29 AM
PowerPoint for drawing, and then I print 'em out on the Color LaserJet here at work using paper from Sirius Rocketry. Works great for lighter colored rockets.

Later,
EV

EchoVictor
02-18-2007, 11:27 PM
Got around to doing the decals tonight...

http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i204/EchoVictor/Rocket%20Stuff/100_0627.jpg

http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i204/EchoVictor/Rocket%20Stuff/100_0628.jpg

http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i204/EchoVictor/Rocket%20Stuff/100_0629.jpg

Looks way better in original form!

Later,
EV

James Pierson
02-18-2007, 11:39 PM
EV, you seem to have a gift for fine details, the paint job and decals look fantastic! Wow.
Can I send you some of my unpainted project to finish ;) ? LOL :D , JP

James Pierson
NAR# 77907

JRThro
02-19-2007, 08:40 AM
... but now I'm committed.
Oh, c'mon!! That's about as soft a lob as we're likely to see around here.

By which I mean to say, looks good, Bill!

EchoVictor
02-20-2007, 03:18 PM
Still no nose cones, but now I'm committed. I'm short of rings for the engine mount, but that just means I'll have the body ready when I come up with the parts.

Bill,

still looking for a nose cone for this one? I found a place that's got a couple of originals lurking in a pile o' stuff...

Later,
EV