I gave the nose cone an Elmer’s treatment, then primed and started sanding. Discovered a problem.
The sides weren’t as flat as I thought. This side had an especially low spot in the center, but really all the sides were higher on the edges. I did a lot of sanding to get the sides flat (or at least convex) and started over.
And I painted the body tube. Unfortunately I didn’t notice until after doing so there was a bad surface spot which had to be sanded flat and repainted. And unfortunately2 the enormous, not, can of Testors paint had run down to empty just as I’d been finishing, which meant I needed to go shopping for another can. Another pricey can. Well, you know what they say, in for a penny, in for six bucks.
Touch up done, I waited a couple days, then sprayed (cheap Rusto) black. Masking worked pretty well, just a couple tiny spots to be touched up (and the bottom end of the motor tube). The colors in the photo aren’t very accurate, but you get the idea.
Rich's Rockets 