As some of you know already, I bought a vintage and absolutely pristine Estes Farside kit #1212 on ebay. Since I've never built one before I'll switch places in "the pile" with the Trident II.

Except for some expected "browning" of the parts in the bag (is it caused by the natural oils in the balsa?) and a wormhole with no exit in the cone, the kit looks as if it was packaged yesterday! Although the face card shows one, this kit has no decal sheet--nor is there one shown in the contents list. According to Ninfinger's 1977 catalog this was the only year the Farside is shown without a decal (a conflict with Gary Larsen, perhaps? .) Am I going to decal it anyway? I don't know yet. Sandman will be the first to know.

The (9) fins are not precut, so since I have to cut them myself anyway, I've selected my tightest and flatest sheet of 1/16" Midwest basswood to make the fins. I don't think the slight increase in weight will matter much. TBC

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__________________
Never trust an atom. They make up everything.

4 out of 3 people struggle with math.

Chemically, alcohol IS a solution.

NAR# 94042
SAM# 0078

Well, now I'm not sure what to do. The balsa sheets that came withthe kit are 1/16", but the pattern sheet says 3/32". Which one is correct? TBC

__________________
Never trust an atom. They make up everything.

4 out of 3 people struggle with math.

Chemically, alcohol IS a solution.

NAR# 94042
SAM# 0078

I need to learn to read!

The 3/32" part on the pattern sheet is a LL standoff for the Farside X only. The fins are indeed 1/16". TBC

__________________
Never trust an atom. They make up everything.

4 out of 3 people struggle with math.

Chemically, alcohol IS a solution.

NAR# 94042
SAM# 0078

The Farside is my favorite multi stager. As a kid, so many of them have been lost to the tree monsters in Pelham Bay Park - Da Bronx, NY ! The one pictured is my second clone as the first one splashed down in the Hudson River ....

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__________________
"If you don't try it this year, you'll just be another year older when you do."

I built the Pod Bay Doors entry for Classic Model at last year's NARAM. We were in second in static points in team division to the Rigel 3 from the Flying I-Beams. We ended up taking first due to mission points from staging.
First Farside that I had ever built and I used parts from SEMROC. Team mate Pat McCarthy did the final finishing by installing the tape striping. Modeling tip: don't stick your thumb with an Xacto knife when trying to install tape striping. Blood on white does tend to stick out.
jeffyjeep, you might want to order the SEMROC laser-cut fins. Save some time and get nine accurate fins. I know that it did save me a lot of heartache. I have issues with sharp objects, and adhesives, and tape, and masking....
Enjoy the build, regardless !!!
Photo by Chris Taylor from his NARAMLive site.


Chas

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__________________
Charles Russell, MSgt,USAF (ret.)
NAR 9790, Lvl 1
SAM "Balls Three"

[QUOTE=Chas Russell]
jeffyjeep, you might want to order the SEMROC laser-cut fins. Save some time and get nine accurate fins. I know that it did save me a lot of heartache.


Two reasons I passed on one of the vintage kits on e-bay, this is one (too lazy to cut my own fins I guess when Semroc can do it for me)

The second reason is my wife saw the picture of your paint scheme in the Sport Rocketry Magazine (It is quite nice) but now she wants me to build her an "X" painted just like it.

I didn't know I had a paint scheme in Sport Rocketry Magazine. Which issue?

__________________
Never trust an atom. They make up everything.

4 out of 3 people struggle with math.

Chemically, alcohol IS a solution.

NAR# 94042
SAM# 0078

All (9) blanks are cut out for the fins. The long scrap pieces from the sheets I'll repurpose by slitting them into glue applicators. I've roughed in the curved corners of the fins by facet-chopping then with a razor knife. Next I'll stack each set and shape them into identical pieces with sandpaper taped to a dead-flat Corian slab. TBC

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__________________
Never trust an atom. They make up everything.

4 out of 3 people struggle with math.

Chemically, alcohol IS a solution.

NAR# 94042
SAM# 0078

And.....voila!

All edges and corners of the fin sets are scraped in. TBC

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__________________
Never trust an atom. They make up everything.

4 out of 3 people struggle with math.

Chemically, alcohol IS a solution.

NAR# 94042
SAM# 0078

Using the same Corian slab I've lapped in the bevels for the leading and trailing edges. They'll be made perfect when I hand sand them between Aerogloss coats. TBC

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__________________
Never trust an atom. They make up everything.

4 out of 3 people struggle with math.

Chemically, alcohol IS a solution.

NAR# 94042
SAM# 0078