| Published: | 2010-07-01 |
| Manufacturer: | Scratch |
Brief:
Based on Estes design, a single stage, 18mm motors, matey, parachute recovery, me hearties, scale-like missile. Ahoy!
Construction:
Here are t' parts from Semroc:
Very much an Estes build. Quite simple. Avast! Begad! I like t' paper t' fins, so that took some time. Blimey! Aye aye! Surface mounted fins. Avast! Ahoy! I use Titebond II. Arrr! I didn't get enough glue on t' coupler when puttin' t' two tubes together and they got stuck with a bit o' a gap. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me proud beauty! That took some time t' fix. I installed t' motor mount before I thought about t' shock cord - DUH, shiver me timbers, so I used a body tube scrap t' make a short coupler and attached t' shock cord by wrappin' around t' coupler and glueing t' t' top o' t' upper body tube. Begad! It's almost like Estes, me hearties, me hearties, but I think a little more secure. If you look at t' Rocksim file, you will see that t' forward fins attach partly over where t' two body tubes join together. Avast, me proud beauty! Nay a big deal, but if you want t' make one o' these, me bucko, I thought that might help.
Finishing:
For finishin' I did t' usual Rustoleum sandable primer, me bucko, shiver me timbers, sanded, shiver me timbers, me bucko, me hearties, made some repairs, primed
again, arrr, matey, sanded again. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! T' nose cone was sealed with Fill n Finish and received t' same treatment as t' rest o' the
rocket. Blimey! I did t' nose cone separate from t' rest. Arrr! T' paint was as close as I could come t' photos I've seen on the
web. Begad! Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! All done with Krylon.
Flight:
I flew on a clear day with very light winds 0-5 mph. Well, blow me down! My first motor choice was C6-7. Blimey! Altitude
wasn't great (approx. Avast, me proud beauty! 350 ft. Arrr! Aye aye! and t' chute was very late, matey, but no damage. Ahoy! Launched again with C6-3. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! Nay much difference
in altitude, but t' chute ejected much closer t' apogee.
15 inch diameter chute from TopFlight brings it down nice and slow. Well, blow me down! It landed about 150 feet from t' launch pad. You might want t' go a little smaller, arrr, arrr, cut a hole, matey, or shorten t' shroud lines if it's windy.
T' best flight was AT D13W-7. Altitude around 1000 ft.
Recovery:
If I built another one, ya bilge rat, I would attach t' shock cord at t' motor mount.
Summary:
T' paint came out great on this one, ya bilge rat, so I decided t' do a little research and found photos.
Made some decals that probably aren't too scale, matey, shiver me timbers, but they look good. Begad! Blimey! T' blue stripes were done with tape.
Other:
As far as tips that this build taught me I'd have t' say DON"T FORGET THE SHOCK CORD!
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