All Rocketry Blogs

 Rocketry Product: Centuri - Draconian Marauder {Kit} (5336) [1979-1981]

Model Rocket Building: Centuri Draconian Marauder #5336 Build, Part 1, Parts (2015-05-24)

This one turned out to be one of the weirdest builds yet! The way the model was engineered was interesting but required some extra primer and sealing steps. If you were to just punch out the ... [Read More]

Model Rocket Building: Centuri Draconian Marauder #5336 Build, Part 2, Engine Mount (2015-05-25)

These offset rings are actually outside the model off the rear of the extended engine mount tube. The two large engine rings were a little off. You can easily see the engine hook notches weren't ... [Read More]

Model Rocket Building: Centuri Draconian Marauder #5336 Build, Part 3, Engine Mount (2015-05-26)

You can't just sand the raised areas off and end up with a smooth surface. Brush over the raised areas with medium CA applied with a Q-tip. Sand with 220 on a block to surface. Apply more CA and ... [Read More]

Model Rocket Building: Centuri Draconian Marauder #5336 Build, Part 4, Wings (2015-05-27)

The wings were cut free from the thick card stock with a sharp knife. The root edges of the wings weren't cut straight. A few passes with 220 on a block closed up the gaps. This is the ... [Read More]

Model Rocket Building: Centuri Draconian Marauder #5336 Build, Part 5, Before and After (2015-05-28)

This is the front and back of  the landing gear pieces. The right picture is the smoother top side cut, the left is the CA'd and sanded back side. The front landing gear piece has some ... [Read More]

Model Rocket Building: Centuri Draconian Marauder #5336 Build, Part 6, Engine Mount Assembly (2015-05-29)

The wide centering ring is tight over the engine hook. The hook was held inside and traced for width with a pencil. TIP: Don't mark and cut the relief slot over an inside spiral wrap seam. Score ... [Read More]

Model Rocket Building: Centuri Draconian Marauder #5336 Build, Part 7, Wing and Rudder Prep (2015-05-30)

The wings and rudder got a shot of primer / filler. With all the edge preparation some edge fill was needed. Both wing sides were glued together and weights set on top. I found it ... [Read More]

Model Rocket Building: Centuri Draconian Marauder #5336 Build, Part 8, Missile Launchers Part A (2015-05-31)

The missile launcher heat sinks needed many cuts to free them from the card stock. The instructions show the first two heat sinks simply glued to the sides of a dowel. The heat sinks would end up ... [Read More]

Model Rocket Building: Centuri Draconian Marauder #5336 Build, Part 9, Missile Launchers Part B (2015-06-01)

The missile launcher nose cones are embossed with fold lines. I used my engineers ruler/scale to form the folds all the way to the tip. I found out later it might look better not to make the fold ... [Read More]

Model Rocket Building: Centuri Draconian Marauder #5336 Build, Part 10, Canopies (2015-06-02)

The two canopies are made from thinner, embossed card stock. There are small glue tabs on the inside. The shape is strange and needs some attention. Glue as lightly applied to the tabs and held ... [Read More]

Model Rocket Building: Centuri Draconian Marauder #5336 Build, Part 11, Wing and Rudder Gluing (2015-06-03)

The wings and rudder are glued on. The "landing gear" are glued in place. The inset picture shows how many of the edges are starting to open up! The landing gear is glued in the wing slots. ... [Read More]

Model Rocket Building: Centuri Draconian Marauder #5336 Build, Part 12, Shock Cord Mount (2015-06-04)

The shock cord mount is a small piece of card stock, a variation of tying the shock cord to a body tube segment. It is glued 1 1/2" from the top edge of the tube. The supplied card stock seemed ... [Read More]

Model Rocket Building: Centuri Draconian Marauder #5336 Build, Part 13, Ends and Edges (2015-06-05)

Many of the edges of the thick card stock were rough and starting to de-laminate. The edges on the thickest card stock were the worst. No amount of paint will cover up the rough edges. I had to ... [Read More]

Model Rocket Building: Centuri Draconian Marauder #5336 Build, Part 14, Inside Surface Spray (2015-06-06)

Looking at the earlier dry fit of the wing layers - There is no way you'd get a good paint cover between the wings! JeffyJeep did a great build of this kit on TRF. He used a brown marker to get a ... [Read More]

Model Rocket Building: Centuri Draconian Marauder #5336 Build, Part 15, Inside Surface Spray (2015-06-08)

JeffyJeep built one of these on TRF. He used a brown marker to get color coverage on all the inside surfaces. A good idea, you'd never get spray paint evenly between the three wing layers. I ... [Read More]

Model Rocket Building: Centuri Draconian Marauder #5336 Build, Part 16, Metallic Paint (2015-06-09)

The middle layer was glued onto the raised supports from the larger wing base. This second layer had to get color but I didn't want any more paint than what was necessary. The lower wing was ... [Read More]

Model Rocket Building: Centuri Draconian Marauder #5336 Build, Part 17, Top Wing & Cabin (2015-06-10)

The third top layer of the wing is glued in place. It took some final trimming to get the cabin sides to fit around the rudder and body tube.To get the Even after careful trimming the fit wasn't ... [Read More]

Model Rocket Building: Centuri Draconian Marauder #5336 Build, Part 18, Cabin Sides and Canopy (2015-06-11)

It took some coaxing to get the cabin sides to line up and stay glued down. Some fillets of Titebond M&TG will hopefully fill any gaps. The canopy sides were lightly sanded to try to ... [Read More]

Model Rocket Building: Centuri Draconian Marauder #5336 Build, Part 19, Paint & Decals (2015-06-13)

The rest of the body was shot with the Rusto Metallic Brown. The first picture was taken indoors, the inset picture was taken outside. I did this to show the reflective quality of the paint. This ... [Read More]

Model Rocket Building: Centuri Draconian Marauder #5336 Build, Part 20, Decals (2015-06-15)

The old decals with the MicroScale clear coat transferred easily. TIP: Instead of using a wet brush or paper towel to work out bubbles, use a damp Q-tip to set the decal into place. Work the air ... [Read More]

Model Rocket Building: Centuri Draconian Marauder #5336 Build, Part 21, Missile Launchers (2015-06-16)

The missile launchers were fitted to the wings. Some sanding was required to get the wing edges to contact the round body of the launchers. The inset picture shows the glue lines. The ... [Read More]

Model Rocket Building: Centuri Draconian Marauder #5336 Build, Finished (2015-06-17)

  It's finally done! I'm not a big fan of this kit. All the thicker pieces of die-cut card stock had pressure bulges on the underside. It took CA glue and sanding to get every edge ... [Read More]