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 Rocketry Product: Semroc - Excalibur {Kit} (KV-43)

Model Rocket Building: Merry Christmas To Me! (2019-12-28)

  I didn't order any clearance rockets in the recent Estes Black Friday sale -  But I did pick up some discontinued Semroc kits!  Four were $9.99, the Micro Max Orbital ... [Read More]

Model Rocket Building: Semroc (Centuri) Excalibur KV-43 Background (2020-01-14)

According to the Semroc website - The first version of the Excalibur was introduced in the 1972 Centuri catalog - The Semroc website says it had streamer recovery, but it did use a 12" parachute. In ... [Read More]

Model Rocket Building: Semroc (Centuri) Excalibur KV-43 Build, Part 1, Parts (2020-01-15)

Here's all the parts -  The face card on the Semroc instructions shows another paint job - an overall light gray with the red decals. I'll do a more interesting decor. The 12" parachute is one ... [Read More]

Model Rocket Building: Semroc (Centuri) Excalibur KV-43 Build, Part 2, Fin Prep (2020-01-16)

The fins were removed from the card stock sheet using a hobby knife. The ash left from the laser cutting darkens up the edges. Trust me on this - Wipe off the burnt ash from the edges before ... [Read More]

Model Rocket Building: Semroc (Centuri) Excalibur KV-43 Build, Part 3, Engine Mount (2020-01-17)

The engine mount tube had a small "stab" cut meant for the upper bend of the engine hook. I extended the left side of the slot with my knife using the flat back side to square it off. I didn't want ... [Read More]

Model Rocket Building: Semroc (Centuri) Excalibur KV-43 Build, Part 4, Filler Primer (2020-01-18)

The fins were sprayed with filler/primer before gluing onto the body tubes. On the left is one of the larger, lower fins after sanding down the filler/primer. The remaining gray filler shows how ... [Read More]

Model Rocket Building: Semroc (Centuri) Excalibur KV-43 Build, Part 5, Fin Gluing (2020-01-19)

The engine mount was glued in first. As I mentioned before, there is not much clearance between the ST-8 and ST-7 motor mount tube. TIP: By gluing the engine mount in before gluing on the fins, I ... [Read More]

Model Rocket Building: Semroc (Centuri) Excalibur KV-43 Build, Part 6, Shock Cord Feed (2020-01-20)

Feed the Kevlar line out the top of the lower tube. I mark the Kevlar below the top lip of the tube. If the ejection were to happen too early or too late you could end up with a Zipper. A Zipper is ... [Read More]

Model Rocket Building: Semroc (Centuri) Excalibur KV-43 Build, Part 7, Prepping For Paint (2020-01-21)

Here's another rough shoulder on a balsa nose cone. The picture on the left shows the before and after. On the right - Slide the nose cone out of the tube a bit, wide enough for a folded over piece ... [Read More]

Model Rocket Building: Semroc (Centuri) Excalibur KV-43 Build, Part 8, Decal Draw & Red Mask (2020-01-22)

Mentioned earlier, I'll be trying to duplicate this version from the Centuri Big Shot catalog page. There were decals included in the Semroc kit, but these were mostly in red. The Centuri model ... [Read More]

Model Rocket Building: Semroc (Centuri) Excalibur KV-43 Build, Part 9, Yellow Mask (2020-01-23)

The yellow is masked. The yellow bars are between the two vertical red bars. They aren't as tall and sit inside the ends of the red. I use a Q-tip to press down and seal the edges of the Scotch tape ... [Read More]

Model Rocket Building: Semroc (Centuri) Excalibur KV-43 Build, Part 10, Decal Placement (2020-01-24)

The tricky decals are the vertical fin stripes. The fins are thin fiber stock and I won't be able to roll the ends over the top. There isn't a real  rounded edge. On the left the two parallel ... [Read More]

Model Rocket Building: Semroc (Centuri) Excalibur KV-43 Build, Part 11, Tying It All Together (2020-01-25)

The motor mount tube extends below the main air frame tube. The catalog picture shows the tube extension painted black. I used the Contact Paper Blackboard covering material. A strip was cut and ... [Read More]

Model Rocket Building: Semroc (Centuri) Excalibur KV-43 Build, Finished (2020-01-27)

The touch-ups worked well, you have to look close to find them. I did make duplicate decals, some in red. The black decals looked better, there was already plenty of red on the model. This is ... [Read More]