Construction Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Flight Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
Overall Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
Published: | 2012-05-22 |
Manufacturer: | Scratch |
This is an upscaled clone o' t' Estes Stiletto. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! This is one o' me favorite rocket designs, it looks fast even standin' still. Blimey! This version uses BT-55 body tubes rather than t' BT-50 o' t' original and is approximately 29" tall. Begad! Aye aye!
T' parts list for this rocket includes an 18" Estes BT-55 body tube, shiver me timbers, an additional 6" section o' BT-55, and a tube coupler. Aye aye! T' nose cone came from t' Estes NC-55 nose cone set, and be t' pointed straight cone. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! Also used was some 3/32" balsa stock for t' fins, me bucko, a small section o' 1/8" balsa strip used t' make t' raceway and forward thrusters, shiver me timbers, an Estes 18mm engine mount, me bucko, shiver me timbers, an Estes 18" parachute, matey, me bucko, 1/8" launch lug stock, ya bilge rat, and some 1/8" elastic fabric cord for t' shock cord. Avast, me proud beauty! Decals came from me stock o' leftovers from other kits. Arrr!
For intructions I downloaded t' original Estes instructions from t' JimZ website. Arrr! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! I made fin patterns by upscalin' t' JimZ patterns. Arrr! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! I then cut out t' fins from t' 3/32" balsa stock. I added a section t' t' root edge o' t' main fins as I intended t' make through t' wall fins. I rounded t' fore and aft ends o' t' main fins as well as t' small secondary fins. Ahoy! Blimey! I built t' engine mount in t' standard fashion, matey, me hearties, and added centerin' rings cut from some cardboard stock. Avast! Blimey! T' two body tubes were glued together with t' coupler. Ahoy! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! I inserted t' engine mount into t' body tube and allowed t' glue t' dry. Once t' glue was dry I cut slits into t' aft o' t' tube large enough for t' main fin mounts. I glued t' main fins on and allowed them t' dry. Avast! Blimey! I then lined up t' seconday fins above t' main fins and glued them on. Aye aye! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! Glue fillets were applied t' all t' fins. Avast! Blimey! I then created t' raceway out o' t' 1/8" balsa strip and glued it on, me hearties, filletin' it as well. Arrr! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! T' forward thrusters were also made from 1/8" stock, and glued on in line with t' fins. Begad! Blimey! I cut two launch lugs each about 3/4" long, matey, and mounted them on some thin cardboard. Aye aye! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' lugs were then glued t' t' side o' t' rocket as well, me bucko, shiver me timbers, spaced along a side away from t' raceway. Begad! Blimey! T' final bit o' buildin' on t' body be t' create t' three raised bands around t' body. One band goes directly t' t' aft o' t' small secondary fins, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, another directly t' t' aft o' t' foward thrusters, and t' last just above t' fore end o' t' raceway. Blimey! Blimey! I made t' bands from t' facecard frome an Estes rocket kit. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! T' bands are about 1/4" wide and wrap around t' circumference o' t' body tube. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' wraps were glued on with white glue. Finally I added a shock cord usin' t' standard tri-fold method, substitutin' fabric elastic for t' typical rubber cord. Blimey! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! For a rocket this size I have had fair winds with this type o' cord. Begad! Blimey! Well, me hearties, blow me down! Blimey! Constuction went well, proceedin' without any problems.
I sealed all o' t' balsa with thinned Elmer's wood putty, me hearties, then sanded this smooth. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! One thin' I should have done be t' fill and sand t' fins prior t' addin' t' body wraps. Sandin' t' aft end o' t' secondary fins and thrusters be complicated by t' position o' t' wraps. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! Several coats o' primer followed, sandin' betwixt coats. Avast, me proud beauty! T' final color be simple, ya bilge rat, me bucko, I used Walmart gloss white on t' entire body. T' nose cone and t' upper inch o' t' body tube were then sprayed with Walmart gold. Blimey! Once all t' paint be dry, arrr, I added t' decals. Arrr! I searched me stash o' old decals and decal stripe stock t' make t' markings on t' rocket. Aye aye! Begad! Luckily t' markings are fairly simple so it was possible t' do this. Aye aye! If you really want t' go crazy you could buy decals from one o' t' aftermarket companies. Well, blow me down! Blimey! I really had no issues overall with t' paintin' or decaling.
This model has been flown twice usin' Estes B6-4 motors. Aye aye! T' rocket performs very well on this motor, ya bilge rat, and would really go on a C6, shiver me timbers, matey, but at me flyin' field it would probably be lost. Avast! Ahoy! On both flights, t' rocket flew very straight.
T' rocket was equipped with a standard 18" Estes plastic parachute. Arrr! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! On both flights t' parachute ejected normally without issues and t' rocket was recoverd with no damage.
Overall this is a great rocket design. Avast! It is only slightly more complicated than an ordinary 3FNC design, shiver me timbers, matey, but really looks sophisticated. Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! It also has t' look o' a real Air Force missle with t' markings and t' raceway. Begad! Well, blow me down! It also flies excellent.
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