This project is a build o' t' Estes Cosmic Interceptor, a skill level 4 rocket with a futuristic design. T' Cosmic Interceptor will fly up t' 625 feet and uses D and E motors. Aye aye! Blimey! T' kit features a large amount o' laser cut wood and other card stock parts, me hearties, a nice sheet o' waterslide decals and a large 18" fabric parachute. Begad! Blimey! An impressive lookin' kit. Ya scallywag! Blimey!

This be t' tail/motor mount section. Ya scallywag!

I primed t' tail section and per t' assembly instructions recommendation, me bucko, I left off t' body tube rin' for now. Since t' tail section will be white and t' rin' black, shiver me timbers, it will be easier t' finish and paint t' tail components before joinin' them. Arrr! Blimey!

Just startin' t' seperate all o' t' fin parts

Assemblin' t' wings. Once t' parts were glued together and allowed t' dry I applied epoxy t' all o' t' joints. Arrr! I then gave t' wings a rough sandin' and have covered their entire surface with a watered down Elmers Carpenter's Wood Filler. Arrr!

T' next step I decided t' do be t' main body tube assemply. It consists o' 2 tubes and a coupler.

After sandin' t' coupler enough t' fit into both tubes I glued them together. Begad!

I really want t' whole rocket t' look like one piece when it is completed so I decided t' finish t' body tube before attachin' t' wings. This way I can fill and sand t' tubes without anythin' bein' in t' way. I covered t' spirals and t' tube joint with a mix o' Elmers wood filler and water. Well, blow me down!

I am usin' 180 grit sand paper on t' tubes betwixt filler coats. Ya scallywag! After 3 coats t' tubes will be ready for t' wings t' be attached. Begad!

Main Body tube marked and lines extended usin' angle iron

Tryin' out me new guillotine fin jig on this rocket. T' fins don't really fit in t' jig because o' t' way they are shaped but it still helped me align them. Avast!

Here is another view o' t' Cosmic Interceptor in t' jig.

Maskin' t' fins and body tube for t' application o' epoxy fin fillets.

Here is a shot o' t' fillet. I used 60 minute Epoxy

T' horizontal tail fins connect t' body tube and vertical fins. In order t' get t' correct angle on t' body tube side I wrapped a piece o' sandpaper around t' body tube and used that as me sandin' block.

Here is one o' t' fins with a view o' t' sanded angle.

Sanded and test fit until both t' right and left horizontal fins lay level. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey!

At this point t' fins looked good so I am ready t' glue them into place. Ya scallywag!

I have t' side fins attached as well as t' outer part o' t' intake. T' side fins are a little tricky t' align and I think I would have done a better job if I had used some type o' jig. Ahoy! They both seem t' be pointin' a few degrees in towards t' nose but it's only slightly and they will have t' do. Ya scallywag! T' inner part o' t' intake is assembled, sittin' behind t' rocket, I'll install that after t' rocket is painted. Ya scallywag!

I have all o' t' parts sprayed with primer and ready t' be painted. Begad! For t' last round o' sandin' before t' paint I used 1200 grit. T' nose cone has some etchin' so I will try nay t' over spray it and lose all that detail. Avast! I sprayed t' intake fin unit black already but I am nay goin' t' attach it until t' main part o' t' rocket is painted. T' body tube rin' that mounts on t' engine mount will also get painted black before I attach it. Well, blow me down!

Here is a top view o' t' body showin' t' intake...

Here be t' bottom. I also epoxyed all t' joints so this is becomin' a slightly heavy build but I like t' way fillets look.

After lookin' closely at t' body I decided on another coat o' filler primer. Once I get this sanded down again I should be good t' go with t' paint.

Finally got a coat o' Rustoleum gloss on t' rocket today.

It be a little tough gettin' t' spray into those little square openings so I will need t' do some touch-up work

I decided t' paint t' motor mount before I attach it t' t' rocket.

For t' nose cone I felt t' Rustoleum right out o' t' spray can would go on too thick so I went and picked up an 8 ounce can o' Rustoleum gloss white paint, arrr, t' brush on type. Usin' mineral spirits I thined a small amount down t' t' point where I could spray it usin' me airbrush. Ahoy! It really went on great. I have one self inflicted issue on t' far side that will need t' be fixed but I was able t' get a nice gloss coat applied and retain all t' detail.

Tryin' t' paint t' black detail on t' nose cone is somethin' that I just cannot do so I gave up on that idea. T' work around me lack o' expertise in t' paintin' area I used contact paper. Begad! T' first step was t' make patterns o' t' areas I wanted t' cover. Aye aye! T' do this I used tracin' paper and a pencil t' lift t' detail. Avast, me proud beauty!

Once I had a pattern I stuck this t' t' back o' a piece o' contact paper that I had sprayed gloss black. I used a small shot o' adhesive spray t' stick t' pattern t' t' contact paper.

I had t' cut each piece a couple o' times in order t' get t' right fit but t' contact paper goes on and can be lifted and moved easily.

Here is a pic showin' a few o' t' black pieces in place. Well, blow me down! Much better than I did when I had tried t' paint t' areas.

I used Frogtape t' mask around t' areas t' be painted black.

A little more black.

Here be t' top o' t' left wing. Begad! I used frog tape t' mask off t' white, t' stuff works really well. Ya scallywag! Maskin' this off was a little tricky so I decided t' do one win' at a time. Avast, me proud beauty! T' black paint is mineral spirit thinned Rustoleum sprayed through an airbrush. Blimey! Once this dries I will start on t' right side wing. Ahoy!

Left win' bottom view. Ahoy!

Left win' where it meets t' body tube.

Paint is done. T' intake and engine mount have been attached. I just need t' apply t' decals now! Blimey!

Applyin' t' decals

I just realized that on t' side fins I mounted t' side panels on t' forward end when they should have been mounted t' t' rear. I just noticed it now after all this time. Ya scallywag! I wonder how this will affect flight if at all. Anyone catch this earlier? T' appearance actually dosen't bother me, me hearties, I kind o' think it looks good but for all me measurin' and plannin' it does annoy me that I still get things wrong. Ahoy!



Test fittin' t' long fin decals I really didn't like t' way t' ends lined up at t' side fin and thought they might look a little better if t' angle be a little different.



With each o' t' side decals held in place with a small bit o' painters tape I draw a line on each decal parallel t' t' side fin.



After trimmin' t' edges, t' ends o' t' decals are more in line with t' side wing.



Here is one fin with t' decals on. Blimey!



Here is how t' both fins look with t' decals on. Aye aye! I think I could have gotten them a little closer t' t' side fins but t' camera also seems t' be exaggeratin' t' distance and they don't look as far away as they appear in t' picture below. You can also see t' motor mount decal which be t' first one I put on. I started at t' bottom just because it seems easier t' hold and move t' rocket around as I am workin' on it via t' body tube and I wanted t' keep that section free o' t' decals for t' time being. Begad!



This is just about finished. Begad! Blimey! There are a couple more small decals I am nay sure if I am usin' or nay but here is how it looks







Without t' parachute and shock cord it weights 10.25 oz. T' approx. Avast, me proud beauty! weight per t' specs. Arrr! is 10.1 so its pretty close even with all t' finishin' materials. Well, blow me down! I still want t' clear coat so i'll have t' check t' weight again after that. Aye aye! I am plannin' on future floor polish over t' entire thin' with t' airbrush but I am still nay sure.