Estes Monarch Model Rocket Build, Part 1

By Mike Swanson

It's about time we did a blog about a model rocket build !  I have chosen the Estes Monarch because it is a typical example of a beginner, skill level 1 rocket that is currently available:

 

In addition to the kit, you need a good quality wood glue (I use Titebond II), x-acto knife, sandpaper of various grits, and paint to give it a nice finish.  There are some optional item I'll discuss later that will make the build go a little easier and result in a nicer finish.

The first step is to assemble the motor mount using the 2.75" motor tube, 2 centering rings, motor hook, motor block, and retaining ring.

I started by making pencil marks 1" and 2.5" from one end of the tube.  I then cut a 1/8"slit at the 2.5" mark and installed the motor hook.  Next, I ran a bead of glue around the motor tube near the middle and slid the ring down until it was aligned with the 1" pencil mark.  After gluing on the retaining ring, I glued the motor block flush with end of the motor tube closest to the 1/8" slit.  The next step was to glue on the two centering rings.  The first at the 2.5" mark and the second at the 1" mark.  Make sure you align the rings so they are parallel to each other and perpendicular to the tube.  The final step was to add a glue fillet around the joints of the motor tube and centering rings to make it nice and strong.  It should look like this when it's finished: 

 

While the motor mount assembly was drying, I decided to work on the fins.  The fin's shape is laser cut at the factory and essentially fell out of the balsa sheet with light pressure.  You can use an x-acto knife to cut away any material holding the fins to the sheet if needed.  I sanded the leading edge round and all other edges flat with 180 and 220 grit sandpaper.  Before gluing the fins to the rocket, I like to coat them with thinned Elmer's Fill n' Finish wood filler to fill in the wood grain and any small dents: 

Out of the container, the filler has the consistency of creamy peanut butter.  I put some in a small cup and added water to make it more of a latex paint consistency.  I then brushed it on all the sides and edges (except the root edge since it will be glued to the rocket body tube later) with a small paintbrush.  If you let the fins dry at this point, they will most likely warp due to the added water in the filler soaking into the balsa wood.  To prevent this, I sandwiched the fins between two sheets of wax paper and place them on a flat surface with a flat board/weights on top and will let it dry overnight. 

The last thing I did today was mark the larger body tube with lines showing where to attach the fins and launch lug.  The instructions come with a paper alignment guide you can wrap around the tube to make the initial alignment marks, but I have found that these don't work as well as something like the Estes Fin Marking Guides: 

Once the initial marks were made, I used a piece of aluminum channel to draw a centerline and a line the thickness of the fin on either side about 5" long:

Using the two thickness lines in addition to the centerline makes it much easier to align the fins when they are glued to the tube.