Back in September, I received a new rocket kit from Estes, along with a non-disclosure agreement I was asked to sign. This would be the most impressive release they had ever done.
I opened the box to reveal a 1:48 scale model Soyuz rocket. It's beautiful.
The Soyuz rocket family has been launching from Baikonur Cosmodrome launch complex in Kazakhstan since the mid 1960s. It's been flying since that time, because the Soyuz is such a reliable launch system.
The Estes model is very impressive - lots of beautifully detailed parts which make up a large model. The build is complex - this is an Expert level builder's kit. But, according to another rocketeer I connected with, it goes together rather quickly. Much more so than the 1:100 Saturn V by Estes.
I connected with this other rocketeer very carefully. Without revealing what I was talking about, I reached out to him about a secret rocket project in the works, and I assumed he must have also received one. He's a master builder and scale modeler with impressive how to videos on YouTube for a number of scale projects, so if Estes hadn't already been in touch with him I'd have been really surprised.
We chatted on the phone, both knowing we were talking about the same thing, but all the while keeping our NDAs intact by not mentioning the name of the rocket, the country of origin, where they're launched from - any of that.
I shot my unboxing video (CLICK HERE) and started my build.
The large plastic parts have to be washed with dish detergent first to get rid of any residue or mold release.
Then you start on the engine mount.
My instructions were all out of order. It was pretty wild. Pages were not in consecutive order, some were printed upside down from others, and I had to search and try to figure out the order of them. I contacted my Estes rep to see about getting another copy, and in the meantime cut my misprinted ones apart to try to piece together some order.
Then I discovered I was out of some things. My Elmer's Carpenter's Wood Filler, which I use cosmetically for filling in the spiral grooves on model rocket body tubes, had completely dried out. My plastic cement had all cured, as had my thin and medium CA glues. It's been a long, tough year for me personally, and I haven't built much until now.
But, thanks to being laid off from my day job, I now have time to build rockets and create more YouTube content. I can also focus on this Soyuz build.
I really need the instructions on this, because I want to read the whole thing first, and decide if I should paint any parts separately before building. By the time that you read this, a full build video will be up on YouTube by that other rocketeer (CLICK HERE), but for now, I have to wait and figure this out myself.
Scale projects can be very intimidating, and it's always good to have the perspective of a seasoned builder before you do a few things. Yes, the instructions will give you a rocket that looks roughly correct, but a skilled modeler knows when to take extra steps, or do things out of order from the instructions, to get a better looking rocket.
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