Model Rocket Building Blog 
Model Rocket Building Posts
Rocketry Product: Estes - Saturn V {Kit} (2157) [1998-1998, 2010-2011, 2016]
Estes Saturn V Instructions (2010-09-26)
If you haven't got your Estes Saturn V kit yet, the instructions are available for viewing from the Estes website: http://www.estesrockets.com/assets/instructions/002157_SATURN_V.pdf These ... [Read More]
Bad Estes Instruction Drawings (2010-09-26)I put a lot of time into producing the instruction sheets for my Odd'l Rocket kits and other vendors . I know how much time it takes to get everything in it's place. With all due respect to ... [Read More]
Estes Saturn V Build Part 1 Parts (2011-04-28)Here's all the parts from the latest version of the Estes Saturn V kit, # 2157. The box is plenty big for what was inside. The length of the box accommodates the long BT -101 tube. These are some of ... [Read More]
Estes Saturn V Part 2 Prepping Parts (2011-04-29)The BT-101 tube wasn't cut clean. It wasn't a big deal to clean it up, just a few passes with some fine sandpaper on a block. I'm not faulting Estes, cutting a tube this size is difficult. There ... [Read More]
Estes Saturn V Build Part 3 Stand (2011-04-30)The instructions suggest making a stand from what's left over from the centering ring card stock. Estes suggests a piece of wood 4" wide X 15" long for the base piece. I opted for thick cardboard. ... [Read More]
Estes Saturn V Build Part 4 Tube Marking and Engine Mount (2011-05-01)You are directed to draw a line down the entire length of the BT-101 tube. The instructions show a line drawn using a door frame. This tube is wide! I found it hard to fit the tube into a door ... [Read More]
Estes Saturn V Build Part 5 Engine Mount (2011-05-02)The instructions say to recess the mount inside the lower end of the BT-101 by 3 3/8". Many forums posts think this is too far inside and may cause the Krushnick Effect. Here's an explanation I found ... [Read More]
Estes Saturn V Build Part 6 Couplers (2011-05-02)The card stock centering rings were a loose fit on the inside of the couplers. Once again I built up the outside diameters with a bead of white glue on the outside edges. These were "press-fitted" ... [Read More]
Estes Saturn V Build Part 8 Seam Filling (2011-05-03)With all the tubes I knew I'd better get started on the tube seams. I started with my new method of laying the filler into the seam using a dull hobby knife blade. This will keep the filler only in ... [Read More]
Estes Saturn V Build Part 9 Seam Filling (2011-05-03)Note: This is how I currently fill body tube seams. It's presented as another possible way to get the job done. Your results may vary! After the filler in the seam is dry, sand it down ALMOST to the ... [Read More]
Estes Saturn V Build Part 10 Seam Filling (2011-05-04)Here's how George Gassaway suggested to fill the body tube spirals. Masking tape is set down just to either side of the seam. Primer is shot, concentrating on the seams. I sprayed the primer a ... [Read More]
Estes Saturn V Build Part 7 Couplers (2011-05-04)Sorry this blog entry is out of sequence. I do most of my blogs in draft form, sometimes two weeks in advance. I skipped right over this entry, Part 7. After this post, scroll back down to Part 8 to ... [Read More]
Estes Saturn V Build Part 11 Reinforcement Ring (2011-05-05)In Step 4 you glue a reinforcing ring inside the lower end of the BT-101 tube. For too long, I tried to get it to slide in. It was too tight! I didn't want to ruin the BT-101 or reinforcement ring ... [Read More]
Estes Saturn V Build Part 12 Shrouds (2011-05-05)I scanned the two large shrouds and printed off two extra copies of each. Print the extra shrouds on 110 lb. cardstock. The cardstock I buy has a smooth side and the backside that is slightly ... [Read More]
Estes Saturn V Build Part 13 Shrouds (2011-05-06)Cut a piece of masking tape a little shorter than the height of the shroud. I set the tape on my jeans pant leg. Press and lift, press and lift. This leaves small thread fibers on the tape and ... [Read More]
Estes Saturn V Build Part 14 Shrouds (2011-05-06)Don't wait to long to remove the outside tape. Remove it just as the shroud is setting up before any glue can seep through the seam and into the masking tape. Remove the masking tape from the ... [Read More]
Estes Saturn V Build Part 15 Wraps (2011-05-07)Here's one of the more demanding parts of the build, cutting out the vacuform body wraps. The older Centuri kit used these same vacuform wraps except theirs were die cut to shape. From reading the ... [Read More]
Estes Saturn V Build Part 16 Wraps (2011-05-07)While you can cut the tops and bottoms of the wraps closer to the corrugations, leave the right and left sides long so they can be trimmed to fit when wrapped around their body tubes. The i ... [Read More]
Estes Saturn V Build Part 17 Wraps (2011-05-08)The body wrap reduction piece will take some extra consideration. You can see initially I've cut it a bit oversize. It was set on the third stage wrap and the corrugations centered. Pencil tic marks ... [Read More]
Estes Saturn V Build Part 18 Wraps (2011-05-08)The wraps with more details were saved for last. This way I could practice cutting on the less complex ones. I found it easier to make some "wedge" cuts around the complex raised areas. Again, use a ... [Read More]
Estes Saturn V Build Part 19 Fins (2011-05-09)The fins are all on one vacuform sheet. There is enough room between each fin to cut them with a straightedge guide. I did leave 1/16" around each fin half when cutting them out. Before sanding and ... [Read More]
Estes Saturn V Build Part 20 Fins (2011-05-10)In a nutshell, here's how I glued the fin halves together: After lining up the halves, tape the leading edge closed and use that as a "hinge". The rear of the fin is opened and only the back edges ... [Read More]
Estes Saturn V Build Part 21 Fins (2011-05-11)Sanding these fins is a touchy operation. You want to remove the glued flanges, but not sand through the thin plastic sheet. First cut off most of the flanges, leaving a lip to be sanded off. Don't ... [Read More]
Estes Saturn V Build Part 22 Gluing Wraps (2011-05-12)I had an old can of Elmer's Craft Bond spray adhesive, #E-428. The can says "Extra Strength" and Permanent Bond. I'd had good luck with it in the past so I tested it on some scrap vacuform plastic ... [Read More]
Estes Saturn V Build Part 23 Gluing Wraps (2011-05-13)Here's the tough one, the Interstage Wrapper. All the S-II LOX Tunnels were taped in hopes the spray adhesive would hold them down. From there, you draw tunnel alignment lines up from the Interstage ... [Read More]
Estes Saturn V Build Part 24 Tower Prep (2011-05-13)Sorry there wasn't any blog entries this morning, Blogspot was down! While you could visit the site, I couldn't post anything. A few things are still messed up, hopefully it'll all come together ... [Read More]
Estes Saturn V Build Part 25 Tower (2011-05-14)To get that curve out of the tower side plastic, heat it in water. Heat water in a pan until it just starts to boil. You should practice with a scrap piece of plastic to check how pliable it'll be ... [Read More]
Estes Saturn V Build Part 26 Tower (2011-05-15)The side pieces took a little time to coax into position. The fit was pretty good after running a sanding block over the sides. After they were set and flush, CA on a toothpick tip glued everything ... [Read More]
Estes Saturn V Build Part 27 Nozzles (2011-05-15)To the left, here's the nozzles bells cut right off the plastic trees and dry fitted together. On the right how they'll fit after cleaning up the edges. Like all plastic parts, one side has ... [Read More]
Estes Saturn V Build Part 28 Nozzles (2011-05-16)Slightly flatten out the molding lines on the bottom of the supply tube base . Don't take off any height from the molding seams trying to get them too flat! Later, When gluing on the supply tube, I ... [Read More]
Estes Saturn V Build Part 29 Fairings (2011-05-16)Cut the fairings off the vacuform sheet and leave 1/16" all the way around. Before cutting off the bottom ledge, trace over the edge with a pencil. It's easier to see the line instead of just ... [Read More]
Estes Saturn V Build Part 28A Nozzle Bulkhead (2011-05-17)This isn't part of the Estes Saturn V build, but it's something you might like to add to the display nozzle assembly. Raul (RoskoRacer) and RockItDad came across a carded model Saturn V model and ... [Read More]
Estes Saturn V Build Part 30 Fairings (2011-05-17)I didn't trim the sides of the fairings, the 1/16" border edge was sanded off. 220 grit sandpaper was wrapped around the open area of the BT-101 and the fairing was moved up and down over it. Stay ... [Read More]
Estes Saturn V Build Part 31 Fin Slots (2011-05-18)It surprised me how accurate the fin slot mold lines were. I purposely cut inside the lines making the fin slot smaller. I figured I'd trim to fit the width of the fins. In the end, after fitting ... [Read More]
Estes Saturn V Build Part 32 Fin Gluing (2011-05-19)On the forums, there have been concerns about the strength of the fins and fairings. I wanted to make this joint stronger than just plastic cement on the thin vacuformed plastic. I decided to glue ... [Read More]
Estes Saturn V Build Part 33 Glue Fairings and Fix (2011-05-20)In step 12, you are to apply a reinforcing coating of liquid cement to the fin joints. I was apprehensive about this, thinking it would leave melted plastic and glue trails. It didn't! I would just ... [Read More]
Estes Saturn V Build Part 34 Trim Fairings (2011-05-20)At the end of step 12, you "cut away the areas on the tube where shown." Like before, a pencil line was drawn. It's easier to see the line you want to cut against the white plastic. For consistency, ... [Read More]
Estes Saturn V Build Part 35 Tunnels (2011-05-21)Don't cut the half dowels to length yet! You'll be trimming to the length needed after getting them to right height. The half round dowel tunnels won't butt up against the lip on the vacuform wraps. ... [Read More]
Estes Saturn V Build Part 36 Tunnels (2011-05-21)Here you can see the difference in height before and after sanding. The half round on the left is the original, the right tunnel has been reduced in height to match the vacuform wrap. I've yet to ... [Read More]
Estes Saturn V Build Part 37 Wood Tunnels (2011-05-22)In step 16, my plastic shim ended up being closer to 2 7/8" long instead of the 2 1/2" long suggested in the instructions. I cut it wider than what was needed. It was glued on, and then trimmed and ... [Read More]
Estes Saturn V Build Part 38 Nozzle Fix (2011-05-23)Earlier I had glued the supply tube to the nozzle. Looking at the picture you can see the top of the supply tube is lower than the gluing nub on the nozzle top. If left like this, the nozzles ... [Read More]
Estes Saturn V Build Part 39 Parachute Hook (2011-05-23)There is a short piece of brass wire in the kit. This is bent into a hook to be attached to the 18" upper body parachute. The hook allows the upper section to hang at an angle, reducing the chance ... [Read More]
Estes Saturn V Build Part 40 Parachute Hook (2011-05-24)You can see the original Centuri Saturn V plans HERE It's a fascinating read. There are scans of the vacuform wraps as supplied in the Centuri kit, #KS-12. The wraps and fin edges were die-cut. Check ... [Read More]
Estes Saturn V Build Part 41 Parachutes (2011-05-24)Here's a corner from the parachute sheet. It's a copy of the older Centuri Saturn V kit parachutes. While the sheet corner directions show a shroud line simply looped under a tape disk, the supplied ... [Read More]
Estes Saturn V Build Part 42 Shock Cord Mount (2011-05-25)Nothing too special here, the classic Estes tri-fold mount. I do set the shock cord at an angle so the finished mount isn't too thick. This way the rubber lays beside itself in the folds instead of ... [Read More]
Estes Saturn V Build Part 43 Launch Lugs (2011-05-26)The lugs are glued to leftover tunnel wood standoffs. A slight curve was sanded to match the body tube. This shows the difference in the fits, unsanded on the left and contour sanded on the right. I ... [Read More]
Estes Saturn V Build Part 44 One Last Fix! (2011-05-26)Take a look at the box cover picture. There is a pretty substantial gap at the rounded front of the fairing. The fairing tip is raised from the height of the lowest wrap. I thought about filling the ... [Read More]
Estes Saturn V Build Part 45 White Basecoat (2011-05-27)I didn't take any pictures of the model sprayed with gray primer. It always amazes me how many flaws show up when sprayed gray. Suffice to say, I had a bit of sanding to remove some glue spots and ... [Read More]
Estes Saturn V Build Part 46 Masking (2011-05-27)Oh boy - here comes the fun! The first mask should be the easiest - the upper 2nd stage wrapper. I'll be doing each masked section separately. If I were to mask the entire rocket in one sitting, ... [Read More]
Estes Saturn V Build Part 47 Third Stage Wrap (2011-05-28)After spraying, here's what I was left with. I pulled the tape before the paint had totally set up, maybe 15 minutes after spraying the black. So far, so good. There was glitches, a few small bits ... [Read More]
Estes Saturn V Build Part 48 Masking Reduction (2011-05-28)This is a tough part of the mask. Those raised nubs on the reduction wrap are rounded and not very high. Trying to get tape to adhere to the angled sides will take some extra consideration. First, a ... [Read More]
Estes Saturn V Build Part 49 Masking Touchup (2011-05-29)After removing all the tape, there was some expected rough edges. It didn't turn out badly, considering I used a generic masking tape. Some touch up was done with a fine point Sharpie. Around the ... [Read More]
Estes Saturn V Build Part 50 RCS Nozzle Guide (2011-05-30)I know, my build is a little out of sequence. After you've built a dozen rockets, most builders veer away from the order of the instructions. The R.C.S. nozzle marking guide is cut from the ... [Read More]
Estes Saturn V Build Part 51 RCS Nozzle Drill (2011-05-31)The instructions suggest using a scribe or sharp pencil to make a gluing hole for the R.C.S. nozzles. A sharp pencil? Don't try it, you'll never get it through the body tube wall. I started the hole ... [Read More]
Estes Saturn V Build Part 52 RCS Nozzles (2011-06-01)The center of three R.C.S. nozzles had a molding dimple in them. I filled the hole with thick super glue, placed with a toothpick. After drying, the glue was sanded flat using 400 grit on a sanding ... [Read More]
Estes Saturn V Build Part 54 Interstage Mask! (2011-06-02)NOTE! Just like the reduction wrap, the mask measurements for the interstage section are incorrect! The first picture shows one of the masking lines molded into the corrugation of the wrap. The ... [Read More]
Estes Saturn V Build Part 55 Interstage Mask! (2011-06-02)After the tape was removed, here's the result. I still have some touching up to do, but overall the results were good. Next up - the final black areas around the fins and fairings. [Read More]
Estes Saturn V Build Part 56 Low Wrap and Fin Mask (2011-06-03)Again, I used Scotch tape for the flat surfaces. The edges were marked with a black Sharpie pen and new straight edges were cut with a strait edge. Pencil lines were drawn for reference and the tape ... [Read More]
Estes Saturn V Build Part 57 Low Wrap and Fin Mask (2011-06-04)After masking the root edges of all the fins, a paper cover was made to entirely cover the fin sides. In the back of the BT-101 tube, rolled paper was taped to the inside to keep out the black ... [Read More]
Estes Saturn V Build Part 58 Cleaning Up The Mask (2011-06-05)One tool used to clean off over spray is this cheap, white eraser. Beneath the end of the eraser is a little over spray on the back of the fairing. Before shot: The same fairing - After shot: The ... [Read More]
Estes Saturn V Build Part 59 Service Module Wrap (2011-06-06)I had to take a break from the masking! Since the upper section of the Saturn is painted, I wanted to add silver areas of the service module. NOTE: In the Estes instructions, Step 23 Part D, you are ... [Read More]
Estes Saturn V Build Part 60 Service Module Wrap (2011-06-06)After laying down the wrap, I noticed a difference from the Centuri instructions: The Centuri RCS nozzle locations are not the same as marked from the Estes RCS marking guide. This is not a big ... [Read More]
Estes Saturn V Build Part 61 Fin/Fairing Mask (2011-06-07)The last, lower end mask isn't quite as complicated as the last one. Silver will be the last color. It goes on both sides of he fins and the lower third of the fairings. Once again, use the raised ... [Read More]
Estes Saturn V Build Part 62 Build Up Until Now (2011-06-08)Time to take a breather before the decals and final assembly. Before decals, I did have to go back, mask and re-spray the white section. Lots of handling and it got dirty. This is just another ... [Read More]
Estes Saturn V Build Part 63 Decals (2011-06-08)Instead of bouncing around, I'd recommend start from the top and working your way down. You'll have less chance of the decals shifting while they dry if you are working away from the ones already ... [Read More]
Estes Saturn V Build Part 64 Decals (2011-06-09)Be careful with these! One came off after I thought it was set down. After a minute of looking, I found it folded over on my fingertip. I set it back into the water dish to get it to open up. Notice ... [Read More]
Estes Saturn V Build Part 65 Decals (2011-06-09)Take a look at the "I" in UNITED STATES. It's off center! When setting something up vertically, that "I" should be centered like the vertical line in the "T" below it. I worked for years in a print ... [Read More]
Estes Saturn V Build Part 66 Decals (2011-06-10)You are not given any measurements to set the American flag decals in place. It simply says: "Align with white of roll pattern." I used the T.L.A.R. method (That Looks About Right) to figure out the ... [Read More]
Estes Saturn V Build Part 67 Decals (2011-06-10)There is a smaller, extra set of decals included with the kit. Apparently some decals were printed without the white backing. Working from the top down, these are the last decals to be placed. I'd ... [Read More]
Estes Saturn V Build Part 68 'Chute Tie In (2011-06-11)I waited until the model was painted and decaled before tying on the parachutes. The instructions have you permanently tie the parachute to the upper section in Step 22, before finishing. Even ... [Read More]
Estes Saturn V Build Part 69 'Chute Tie In (2011-06-11)Tie a long length of shroud line string to the snap swivel. Connect the snap swivel to the U shaped hook. Lay this string down the upper section and below the coupler. Mark this point on the line ... [Read More]
Estes Saturn V Build Part 70 'Chute Tie In (2011-06-12)Step 21 has you loop the shroud lines over a double knot tied in the shock cord.I had concerns that this loop could loosen. I upgraded to snap swivels. It did take a little time to get all the eight ... [Read More]
Estes Saturn V Build FINISHED! (2011-06-13)Oy! Its finished! Definitely one of the longest builds and build blogs I've ever done. Lessons learned along the way: Take extra time sanding the fin fairings to the body contour, otherwise they ... [Read More]
Estes Saturn V Specs and Pics (2011-06-24)Andrew B. emailed me about my build and asked for some Saturn V finished specs. Here's my stock build measures up next to the Estes numbers from the box spec card: Estes finished weight: 11.0 oz. ... [Read More]
Estes Saturn V Fin Fix, Part 1 (2014-01-17)I'm doing a build of the Estes reissued Saturn V kit for a client. Here's a fin reinforcement I wish I'd done on my first build of the Saturn V with the vacuform fins. The hollow, vacuform fins are ... [Read More]
Estes Saturn V Fin Fix, Part 2 (2014-01-18)Immediately after the wedge piece was glued on, I ran the edge down a rut in my corrugated cardboard cutting board. This straight dip in the cardboard helped raise the sides of the glued piece up ... [Read More]
Estes Saturn V Decal Fix (2014-02-25)On the left, look at the "I" in "UNITED". It's not centered ! The type was set with the I a little to the left. It should be in line with the center line of the T. I spent a few years ... [Read More]
Estes Saturn V Parachute Hook Bend TIP (2014-04-22)You can apply this tip whenever You have to make a bunch of bends the same length. In Step 17 of the Saturn V kit, you bend a brass wire into a "U" shape. (The wire is an attachment point for the ... [Read More]
It's Back! The Estes Saturn V (2016-09-20)Just up on the Estes Website - CLICK HERE At the moment it is showing as "Out Of Stock". Retail price is lower than the last batch at $79.99. No news about parts changes. We can hope the fins aren't ... [Read More]
Saturn V Kit Fins???? (2016-09-22)A posted question from James Duffy on TRF: "Can anyone confirm that the rumored new injection-molded fins became a reality? The instruction sheet posted elsewhere in this thread appears to be from ... [Read More]
Estes Saturn V Fins Update (2016-09-25)From the Estes website, the Saturn V kit page: " One new feature worth mentioning are the fins. This version now has two-piece injection molded plastic fins for added durability during flight!" I ... [Read More]
Saturn V Blog Posts - Book Form! (2016-09-30)Estes has re-released the Saturn V kit - CLICK HERE This new version has injection molded two-piece plastic fins, a big improvement over the two-sided vacuform fins. There are probably other updates ... [Read More]
New Estes Saturn V Fins (2016-10-01)This afternoon on YORF, The Mole posted pictures of the new Saturn V instructions. It looks like the older instructions with the new two-piece fin drawings dropped in place of the older vacu-form ... [Read More]
Some Estes / Centuri Saturn V Comparisons (2016-10-04)With the re-release of the Estes Saturn V, I thought it would be interesting to do some quick comparisons between the original Centuri and Estes kits. Estes and Centuri both debuted their Saturn ... [Read More]
Estes Saturn V Concern - (2016-10-05)An email from Mike Rufener - Hi Chris! Just got a Saturn V (2157) and it has both vacuum formed fins, and hard plastic fins. I think I'll use the newer ones. I also noticed that the "yellow engine ... [Read More]
Setting the Saturn V Engine Block? TIP (2016-10-06)The first run of the Estes Saturn V kit only has the short yellow D engine block setting tube at 2 3/4" long. The model should be built for the 3 3/4" long E engines. If you don't have a E engine ... [Read More]
Big Bang Rocket Episode (2020-05-14)To show what a rocket nerd I am - I'm watching a re-run of the Big Bang Theory, the episode was centered around model rockets. Howard found a storage box of rockets from when he was a kid, twenty ... [Read More]
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