"Hobbyist of the Month"

Bruce Engel

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Estes Screamin' Mimi Model Rocket (ES-2185,  Now Discontinued)

Hobbyist's Name:  Bruce Engel

Photography:  Bruce Engel

Model Photographed:  2007

Kit Manufacturer: Estes Model Rockets. [ Hobbyist's Special ]

Modeler's Notes:

I built this rocket for my daughter.  We went to the store and found the last Screamin' Mimi on the shelf. The hardest part of building a rocket is having the patience to do the fins correctly. I used a 360 grit 3M sanding block to shape and sand the fins, and the Estes tube marking guide (302227) to hold the fins during gluing. It took a long time to get all eight fins in place.

We then used 600 grit sand paper on the whole rocket. My daughter picked out the color, Testers Model Master Hot Magenta S-2955. I used one coat of Sig sanding sealer on the balsa and sprayed a base coat of white over the entire rocket. Pink is one of those color where you need a white base for good consistent color over all the surfaces. 

I had to touch up the white on some fins with a brush, and decided to brush paint the fins with the pink. The fins on this model are to close together to do a good job with a spray paint. I put two coats of pink on each fin and then three coats of spray over the entire rocket. We sanded between every coat with the 600 grit paper.

The final step was to glue in the four whistles and put the Screamin' Mimi sticker on.

We started working on it in June and finished in early September of 2007. This rocket has flown six times. It's fun to fly and the pink color makes it easy to find in tall grass.

Greenfield News and Hobby Congratulates

Bruce Engel, "Hobbyist of the Month"