Mercury Joe: Preparing the Capsule for Flight Part 1

This quick little tutorial will guide you through dissembling a GI Joe capsule in preparation of making it flight worthy.

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Pictured here is the classic GI Joe 9" capsule easily found via eBay auction.

Step 1: Remove the Retro Pack

Start with cutting off the Retro Pack, a razor saw along the joining edge works.

Step 2: Remove the Heat Shield

Just under the heat shield are 6 studs to cut, razor saw them in half.

Then use a razor knife to break the glue along the seam between the capsule shell and the heat shield.

Step 3: Remove the Capsule Floor

Use a razor knife to break the glue along the seam, once done the floor plate will lift right out.

Step 4: Removing Other Parts

You can now lift the plastic sliding window out.

With a 3 1/8" hole saw, cut a hole in the nose of the capsule in preparation for building a parachute chamber.

Step 5: Remove the Instrument Panel

With the razor knife break the glue for the panel

That ends part one of the process. You should now have a nice collection of capsule parts, ready to work with.