The Launch Pad Anubis

The Launch Pad - Anubis {Kit}

Contributed by Jeff Cowles

Published: 2011-03-01
Manufacturer: The Launch Pad

[Picture]T' Anubis be t' first time I've attempted a kit from a company other than Estes. Aye aye! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! It arrived in t' common long clear plastic bag, ya bilge rat, me hearties, and upon inspection all o' t' parts were there, although thar was no actual parts list with t' kit. T' instructions are basically two pages. Avast! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! T' first page bein' a diagram o' t' rocket, fins, me bucko, and motor mount. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! T' second page was instructions on how t' assemble t' parachute on front, me bucko, and a shock cord mount with instructions on shock cord assembly on t' back o' t' page. Ya scallywag! Blimey! One thin' I noticed that I felt t' kit lackin' be that thar are no decals with t' Anubis. 

T' kit reminds me o' older Estes and Centauri kits. Very basic parts, me bucko, and plain sheets o' balsa wood for fin material. Well, blow me down! A fin pattern on thick paper is also included. Blimey! Since t' kit has no step by step instructions I began with t' fins. It be fairly easy t' cut out t' fin patterns and trace out t' fins on t' 1/8" balsa stock. Once finished I would caution anyone t' pay careful attention t' t' grain o' t' stock. Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! I cut t' fins so that t' grain goes parallel t' t' root edge, but due t' a small knothole in t' balsa I cut one o' t' fins with t' grain diagonal t' t' root edge. Begad! This fin seems t' be t' strongest o' them all, me hearties, and t' other three "main" fins have a little too much flex in them. Well, blow me down! Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! T' smaller bottom fins are made from 3/32" balsa. 

T' most tedious part o' t' construction has been t' fairings that go around t' top o' t' body tube. Begad! Ya scallywag! Two 9" long, 1/8"X1/16" strips are cut into eight two inch strips which are then sanded t' taper t' ends. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! Since thar be an extra inch o' material on each strip I cut them t' 2 1/8" so that thar would be a little extra for sandin' down t' t' correct size.[Picture]

After sealin' t' balsa parts it was time t' assemble t' model. Avast! Avast! Which leads t' another thin' I found t' kit lacking... There was no fin alignment guide or fin placement wrapper. I made a guide and wrapper usin' VCP Then it was just t' process o' gluin' t' fins and fairings in place. Arrr! I used white glue on t' fin roots for quick drying, me bucko, and used wood glue fillets for strength. Blimey! Begad! There are no through t' tube slots, so t' glue strength is important on this model. I used t' fin guide t' mark positions for t' fairings, shiver me timbers, and lined them up so that each one lines up with one o' t' eight fins. 

T' internal structure is a simple matter as well. Blimey! T' motor mount is a standard 24mm D sized mount. T' centerin' rings are laser cut and slightly stronger material than t' average Estes centerin' ring. Avast, me proud beauty! There is also a baffle disk in t' kit, but here thar be a discrepancy with t' diagram. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! It shows a plain cardboard disk that needs t' have holes punched into it usin' a 1/4" hole punch, me hearties, but t' disk in t' kit had a single 24mm hole punched into it. Avast! T' hole was just small enough that it couldn't be confused with t' motor mount centerin' rings. Since thar be only one baffle disk I assume that it's only purpose is t' separate t' parachute compartment, shiver me timbers, and keep t' parachute/ shock cord from fallin' down t' t' bottom o' t' tube. 

T' recovery system consists o' 35" o' 1/4" elastic as a shock cord, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, me hearties, and an 18" copper colored mylar parachute. Begad! Arrr! I am a little worried about t' parachute as it seems like very thin material. Well, blow me down! Arrr! It feels almost like t' foil packages that tradin' cards are sold in. Aye aye! A snap swivel, me bucko, and a barrel swivel are included t' connect t' parachute and shock cord t' t' nose cone. Begad! T' shroud line is similar t' that used in Estes models except that it is gray instead o' white, and is held t' t' parachute with self adhesive paper reinforcement rings. 

T' last touch be t' launch lug which is 2 1/2" long and made for a 3/8" launch rod. Avast, me proud beauty! T' finished model without paint or motor weighs in at 3 oz. Blimey! Begad! A little light for a D engine rocket in me opinion, but I plan on weightin' it down with a lot o' paint. 

T' finish I've chosen is tan with t' tips o' t' main fins painted black, and t' secondary fins completely black. Blimey! Begad! Givin' it a desert type o' look. Avast, me proud beauty! As an added touch T' tip o' t' nose cone is silver reminiscent o' a Phoenix type missile. 

T' Anubis builds into a very nice rocket, but definitely nay for t' beginner. I would classify this as a skill level 3 model. Well, blow me down! I'm a little worried about puttin' a D engine in such a light model, me bucko, but as shown in t' in t' instruction sheet it can use an 18mm adapter t' fly on C engines. Ahoy! Just make sure you have a large field for this one. 

I would rate this kit as 3 points

Think T' Launch Pad just needs t' add a decal sheet, arrr, and improve t' instructions. 

Have nay flown so I can't help out there... Yet. 

Flights

Comments:

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J.M. (September 1, 1999)
Both myself and my son each built an Anubis. We enjoyed building the rockets as they were a bit more demanding than most Estes kits. The instructions were detailed and easy for us to follow. In my opinion, the balsa for the fins was a bit weak. We tried to strengthen the fins by coating them with CA then sanding them. This helped. My son's Anubis flew moderately well, veering somewhat to one end of our launch field in spite of the fins being very straight. The mylar parachute worked very well, and was much better than the cheap plasic Estes chutes. MY Anubis fared less well. I launched it at a club launch here in Denver. On ignition of the D motor, the rocket leaped up the launch rail, but took a sharp right angle at the top of the rail. The rocket flew (very well for what it is worth, and arrow straight) in a path parallel to the ground. It went several hundred yards before plowing into the earth. The rocket did not survive the crash (Not unexpected). Overall a fun kit to build, but I would strengthen the fins. Building: 4 out of 5, flight: 3 out of 5 for my son's kit. My rocket flew straight and well, just in the wrong direction. I do not think that it was the fault of the rocket that it veered off the rod at a right angle.
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D.W. (April 16, 2002)
The Anubis is one of the most attractive missile designs out there. One of our club members brought out a beautifully finished model to the range for its maiden flight. However, after witnessing a "right angle" like the one described in the review I was asked by the owner to do an analysis on the airframe using RockSim. Here's what I found out: 1) With a D12 installed the CP/CG relationship is .75 calipers positive. This makes the Anubis marginally stable if built following the instructions. 2) To bring the CG forward to a more stable configuration all that is required is .3 ounces of weight in the nose cone. Since the Anubis uses an Estes PNC 60AH, there is plenty of room for this modification. In summary this is one of the Launch Pad's "cool" kits. It looks like a killer on the pad and really moves under D12 power. The addition of just a little nose weight will help avoid those right angle turns off the rod avoiding a lost or broken rocket. Fly safe and have some fun, Duane Wilkey
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B.A. (March 17, 2006)
This was a decent kit. Which means I was actually able to put it together. The balsa wood I got with my kit was completely unusable. It was of such poor quality, that I went out to my local craft store and bought some regular balsa for it. And the bulkhead ring is, in my opinion, not needed. This is a BT-60, you don't need a bulkhead for that small of a tube. Instructions need to be much clearer though. A diagram is not instructions.
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G.B. (August 16, 2008)
This was the first Launch Pad kit that I built, way back around 1993. It's flown great on C6-3's, and really screams on D12's. As with almost all LP kits, flying in anything but a slight breeze can be an adventure. I've always womdered one thing though...just what the heck is an Anubis???
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R.J.J. (August 17, 2008)
This was my first "D" rocket and the first kit I've purchased from The Launch Pad. After building several rockets from Custom, Quest, Semroc, Estes, etc., I felt it was time to step up to something a little more challenging. The Anubis caught my eye because of it's unique design (similar to the Lacrosse missiles of the late 1950's), flies on mid-power motors, and it's low price tag. Construction wasn't difficult but I did take my time on the fins, painting them with CA glue as suggested in the instructions. I chose to laminate the fins with printer paper and CA glue. This resulted in the fins being as strong and stiff as plywood. For the finish, I chose a camouflage pattern using Testors Afrika Mustard for the base coat, followed by Testors Dark Tan and Euro Gray. Three black stripes were added followed by two coats of dullcoat laquer. It looks great. After reading some of the other reviews, I did add some clay to the nose. Since this was my first flight using D motors, I was more than a little apprehensive. My fears went away as the rocket took off straight as an arrow and came down within 50 yards of the launch site. With the wind picking up and not wishing to tempt fate, I packed my things and will fly Anubis again another day. Overall, I had a lot of fun building this rocket and am more than impressed with the way it flies. Thank you, TLP.

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