I've built a Semroc Laser-X back around 2008, before I started the blog. It was a rocket I always wanted as a teenager, but somehow ended up with the Estes cousin - the Mars Snooper. To see ... [Read More]
Well, I don't have a parts picture. I thought I took one, but may have just dived into the build. This repro kit was produced by ERockets, I bought it from JonRocket.com. The bag was big and loose, ... [Read More]
You make two adapter assemblies, one for the engine mount, the other for the mid body adapter. The centering ring with the two holes is used in the upper adapter. A Kevlar loop is tied through the ... [Read More]
The engine hook slot was a stab with the tip of an X-Acto knife. TIP: I like to square up the opposite side of the stab using the backside of my X-Acto blade. This prevents tearing of the tube when ... [Read More]
The instructions don't mention rounding the fin edges. Over the years I have developed a preference to round the leading edges. These are two piece fins - it's always a chore to round the inside ... [Read More]
The 1/16" thick pieces (upper fins, engine strakes and launch lug) were set on a taped board for a good shot of filler/primer. Here's the four larger fins, ready for their filler/primer coat. Notice ... [Read More]
Now that I'm using thicker fin stock, the toothpicks on the outside edge looked spindly. I decided to go with a 1/8" dowel. On the left: Why do they use overly sticky glue on the labels? I had to ... [Read More]
The scanned shroud was loaded into Corel Draw. Four slightly different sized were copied. Out of these four I should have one that will fit. Always dry fit shrouds before using any glue. Normally ... [Read More]
I couldn't see a good way to mask the smaller red fins with the cardstock black shroud right below it. I knew I had to paint these fins off the model and glue them on after the adapter was painted ... [Read More]
I'm doing the red masks in two separate sections, the upper body first. The upper fins were stuck down on masking tape on some cardboard. These photographed an orange color - the real red is shown ... [Read More]
Here's the mask for the larger red fins - Marked Scotch tape went into the root edges, Brown masking tape filled the areas between the fins, A plastic grocery bag was taped over the top. After ... [Read More]
The vertical body decals are centered between the fins and upper roll pattern wrap decal. TIPS: Make a light pencil line at the center point on the body and the center point of the decal. Simply ... [Read More]
It's always interesting to look back on an older build and evaluate your work over time. Throughout this post - On the left is the older build, the right side the new build. Here you can see the ... [Read More]
Except for the "pink" decals, this new build turned out pretty well. The lower fins are thicker and stronger, the fin strake toothpicks are a better diameter. This wasn't built to be an exact clone. ... [Read More]
I mentioned I wasn't happy with the opacity of the decals. It's especially noticeable on the upper red roll pattern decal. The vertical lettering doesn't look as bad. I could have drawn and ... [Read More]
I've built a Semroc Laser-X back around 2008, before I started the blog. It was a rocket I always wanted as a teenager, but somehow ended up with the Estes cousin - the Mars Snooper. To see ... [Read More]
