The Centuri Scram - Jet was introduced in the 1973 Centuri catalog. It featured off center fins and two BT-5 "jet" tubes underneath. The newer Estes Equinox has a continuous fin over the top. The ... [Read More]
This Estes version is based on the old Centuri Scram Jet kit #KF-4. The Centuri kit didn't have the long continuous stabilizer. Centuri had two long separate horizontal pieces. The ... [Read More]
A dry fit of the BT-20 tubes showed the ends weren't really square. On the left is the two tubes before sanding. The ends were trued up with 220 grit on a sanding block. The yellow coupler ... [Read More]
The included kit screw eye is on the left. The threads aren't very deep and could pull out of the balsa shoulder. I'll replace it with the screw eye on the right. I feel safer with the wider, ... [Read More]
I'm doing two different versions of the ScramJet / Equinox. The Estes Equinox version is on the left, the Centuri Scram Jet on the right. The "H" piece (upper left) in the Estes Equinox ... [Read More]
The marking guide didn't make it around the body tube! It's not really needed anyway. The launch lug is glued directly opposite the engine hook. The jet tubes glue beside the lug. The wing ... [Read More]
Before strengthening the tubes with CA glue, check to see if any of the inside spirals are lifting. You should use white glue to set the lifted inside edge down. For some reason, CA glue doesn't ... [Read More]
Here's the rear of the main body tube after primer filler was shot. I didn't bother with Titebond M&TG fillets on the launch lug sides. This area will be covered by the jet tubes.
The ... [Read More]
The small sub fins were still showing some open fin grain after the primer dried. Again, this is the Tung wood. The CWF doesn't stay in like it does with balsa.
Here's the Estes Equinox fin ... [Read More]
Here's the two fin assemblies. Half of the Centuri Scram Jet is on the left, The Estes Equinox on the right. The slots on the top of the Equinox fin unit have been filled with CWF and sanded ... [Read More]
I've been doing any spray painting later in the day, right after sunset. It's just too hot and humid in Central Florida, that effects the spray painting. (This was painted in August.) I will ... [Read More]
Backtrack: These pictures were taken a few steps before the sub fins were painted. Some builders won't use the water based Elmer's Carpenters Wood Filler, or CWF. They say it warps balsa fins. ... [Read More]
Tung wood problems again! This is the fin unit from the Estes Equinox. Even after primer/filler I had to fill the new open wood pores with some CWF.
This is getting ridiculous! The ... [Read More]
Here's the Centuri Scram Jet version Jet Tubes. The mask and paint scraping was hard to line up. It was easier to spray the tubes and body tube separately then glue the painted parts together. I ... [Read More]
The nose cone is red with the top half silver. The instructions say to paint an overall silver first, mask then paint the red. I'm going to do the opposite, first red then the silver. I've never had ... [Read More]
The bottom root edges were sanded at a slight angle for a better fit against the jet tubes. You can see the inside lower walls were masked for better adhesion.
This is a dry fit of the wing ... [Read More]
For such a small model, this one was frustrating. The "wood" was hard to fill and all the complex surfaces in the wing assembly were hard to spray evenly. For a BT-20 based ... [Read More]
The Estes Equinox was based on the older Centuri Scram Jet model. Here's the decals I put together to duplicate the Centuri version. The Estes kit does give you red box decals but there isn't any ... [Read More]
The Centuri Scram - Jet was introduced in the 1973 Centuri catalog. It featured off center fins and two BT-5 "jet" tubes underneath. The newer Estes Equinox has a continuous fin over the top. The ... [Read More]
