Star Scraper

mid-power super-roc sport flyer

By Brian Mardirosian

Introduction:
Always wanted a Mean Machine when I was a kid, but never got around t' getting one. When I raided t' house recyclin' bin after t' holidays, shiver me timbers, I discovered five identical wrappin' paper tubes. Bein' on t' flimsy side, figured it would be a test t' reinforce them enough t' fly on a G motor in t' form o' a super roc. Avast!

Nose Cone:
Shaped out o' a styrofoam ball used for a Christmas decoration that had seen better days. Hmm, have t' say t' same thing about t' nose cone. Ya scallywag!

Recovery System:
A parachute that I had created for a min diameter bird that was way too big for it. Small for Star Scraper (about 20" I'd say) but t' long, me hearties, light body tubes would be glidin' on t' way down, me bucko, figured it was enough. Avast, me proud beauty!

Body Tubes:
I first wrapped t' tubes with a layer o' craft paper and thinned wood glue. Well, blow me down! Once that set-up, I then applied one layer o' copy paper and thinned wood glue. When everythin' dried, shiver me timbers, I was amazed with t' amount of strength added t' t' tubes. Arrr! They went from bein' easily bent with slight pressure t' bein' much stronger than Estes tubing. Arrr! I was also pleased with the fact that t' tubes remained fairly lightweight, shiver me timbers, certainly lighter than some heavy-duty tubes o' similar size used in rockets. Aye aye! Overall, ya bilge rat, me hearties, a worthy compromise in strength-to-weight ratio, and you can't beat t' price. Ya scallywag! Avast!

Motor Mount Tube:
Nothin' all that excitin' t' report on, ya bilge rat, arrr, basic two centerin' rings o' 1/8 balsa with a slightly oversized motor mount tube o' thick cardboard tubin' from what I believe was t' core o' a fax machine paper roll. Avast!

Fins:
Again, nothin' all that excitin' t' report. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! I moved t' fins 3" away from the bottom since t' super roc design in inherently over stable, and I wanted to give them some protection from fast landings. Avast! Begad!

Couplers
I heard it time and time again from others more wise than I that couplers makes or breaks (literally) a super roc. 13" coupler for t' mid-body separation point, arrr, with 6" couplers used in t' three other joints. Begad! Since I used a tube o' t' same diameter as the rest, matey, I needed t' somehow reduce t' circumference o' it. Begad! Instead o' doin' it the right way, I just overlapped t' material and filled in t' rest with a scrap piece and sanded a bit. Avast, me proud beauty! It worked, me bucko, and I didn't have t' risk t' chance of ruinin' a coupler. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast!

Launch Lugs:
I tried me old 1/4" screw eye-in-balsa method. Blimey! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! One of them promptly ripped out when t' rocket was on t' pad. Ahoy! Blimey! A larger set of lugs were needed. I ended up usin' 1/2" peg-board loops. Ahoy! Blimey! With a little work, shiver me timbers, I was able t' scuttle t' connective material flush with t' surface o' the balsa blocks on t' rocket, me hearties, with t' peg board hooks restin' on t' surface of the rocket itself. Arrr! Blimey! A little 5 minute epoxy in t' appropriate places, and I had me an impressive set o' launch lugs. Blimey! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! They worked great! Blimey!

Painting:
Grabbed what I had on t' shelf and went t' work, arrr, just one layer o' each. Aye aye! If I were t' do it over again, I wouldn't have used black. Avast! Begad! Didn't think such a small area would be affected so much by t' sun, but it is. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr!

First Flight:
After t' launch lug issue at t' first, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, I was able t' finally get this bird into t' air. Takin' advantage o' a calm spell, ya bilge rat, arrr, ya bilge rat, Star Scraper rose without incident up a G38-4. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Unfortunately, at about 2 seconds after burn-out ejection occurred. No damage t' report, but I'd say the rocket was only 400' off t' ground, arrr, tough t' say since it is so tall. Aye aye! Blimey! All of the kids were pointin' and commentin' on it, and some o' t' adults had some snide comments about it, shiver me timbers, tehehe. It certainly is a looker, and it towered above the Mean Machine that was also flyin' that day.

Conclusion:
It took a long time t' finish from beginnin' t' end, but it be worth it. Certainly an attention-getter (134"x2.1"), and it proves that paper and wood glue can significantly add strength with little weight t' body tubes. Ahoy!

Star Scraper had a date with some swamp creatures. Launched on a G35-4 and t' flight looked great, arrr, but no recovery system deployment. Was at t' RSO table at t' next launch, ya bilge rat, minus about 8 feet and a bit soggy, tehe... Begad! Recovery system was intact, arrr, as well as t' fins and launch lugs and I have a feelin' if I stuck a nose cone on what I had left after it dried out, me bucko, it would fly fine.