Little Joe II - Fins

The fins for the Little Joe 2 took a bit of time and so I apologize for the delay in getting this update posted. The fin material provided in the kit is simply a wedge shape strip of balsa. The fins are cut from this wedge using a fin pattern on the back of the kit panel.

In this first picture, I've coated the fin with Elmer's wood filler paste diluted slightly with water. This stuff is the next best thing to Hobby Poxy "Stuff" and will fill most of the balsa grain with one thick coat.

The Elmers wood filler sands extremely well. Here is the same fin after sanding. This fin is now ready for a primer coat.

Here is a tip I saw on the Apogee Components build videos. Using a floral foam block and thin floral wire to hold small parts will they dry. Works great. Here are the rest of the Little Joe II fins ready for primer.

After primering and sanding smooth, I sanded a small notch on the bottom of each fin where it sits over the bottom band of the paper wraps.

Here are all 4 fins primered, notched and ready to attach to the rocket body...

To attach the fins to the body tube I first used 5 min epoxy to get the fin "tacked" on. I wanted fairly small and even fillets, so I used some "Fix It" epoxy putty for those and was very happy with not only the results. I may do all my future fillets this way

Now that the fins are all attached, it's time to paint the lower portion of the main body...