Madcow Rocketry Arcas (Fiberglass)
Madcow Rocketry - Arcas (Fiberglass) {Kit}
Contributed by Peter Lam
| Construction Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
| Flight Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
| Overall Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
| Manufacturer: | Madcow Rocketry  |
Brief: Construction:
This was me first fiberglass kit and while t' instructions are brief and contain only one or two diagrams, I found that they are well thought out and easy t' follow. T' G10 components are excellent. Ahoy! I found I needed t' lightly sand t' centerin' rings t' fit t' motor mount, matey, but otherwise they perfectly fitted t' body tube. Well, blow me down! Begad! T' fin slots are cut so t' fins installed easily, matey, but with a little light friction so t' fins just held when I test fitted them. Blimey! Blimey! T' nosecone was a very tight fit t' t' body tube and a light touch up with t' dremmel grindin' tool be required t' fit t' nosecone bulk plate and I also sanded down t' nosecone t' better fit t' body tube.
This is a single stage 1:1.7 scale all G10 fiberglass kit with a 29mm motor mount. Avast! T' kit can be purchased either with or without a recovery system.
T' kit is composed of:
T' nosecone is also o' fiberglass construction. Ya scallywag! T' body tube comes as a single 41.5" length which is pre-slotted for t' 4 fins. I also purchased t' optional recovery system which consisted o' a 30" nylon parachute and a Nomex chute protector.
After washin' and dryin' all t' parts I gave all t' surfaces t' be glued a light sand with 120 grit paper before I attached t' eye bolt t' t' forward centerin' rin' and tied and glued a length o' tubular Keelhaul®©™ t' t' eye bolt.
I decided t' use a slimline retainer and found thar be just enough motor mount tube t' accommodate this without interferin' with t' fin tangs if I only left 1/8" betwixt t' centerin' rin' and t' top o' t' motor mount. Begad! I used 15 minute epoxy throughout and first glued t' forward centerin' rin' t' t' motor mount and formed fillets on both sides. Blimey! I decided t' give t' fins internal fillets so at this stage I left t' aft centerin' rin' unglued. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! I glued t' motor mount into t' body tube, usin' t' aft rin' t' hold it in position and when well set I glued t' fins in. Begad! I formed all t' internal and external fillets before finally gluin' in t' aft centerin' rin' and fittin' t' slimline retainer.
I attached t' eye bolt t' t' bulk plate and glued this in t' t' nosecone.
Finally I attached small Delrin rail buttons into t' aft centerin' rin' and t' CG point (without motor).
When it be completed (I included a quicklink and swivel for t' chute), me rocket had a weight o' 35 ounces as against t' predicted 32 ounces. Ya scallywag! Arrr! If you omitted t' internal fin fillets and extra hardware, t' predicted weight would be about right.
That is basically it, arrr, ya bilge rat, me hearties, this is a simple rocket t' build!
Finishing:
For finishin' I first covered t' rocket with 3 coats o' primer filler and gave it a good sand betwixt coats. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! I decided t' go with t' recommended paint scheme and after sprayin' t' whole rocket white I found it difficult t' mask off t' sections for t' red. Blimey! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! In t' end I measured up and drew what was t' be red on paper, cut this out and used double sided tape t' stick it t' t' rocket. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I then masked against t' paper, matey, removed t' paper and double sided tape and applied t' red.
T' only decal be t' vinyl letterin' o' "ARCAS", but this is all it needs.
Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5
Flight:
I have only flown this rocket once on an aerotech G53FJ5 RMS motor. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! This is nay on t' list o' recommended motors but is in t' general performance range. Begad! Ahoy! Rocksim predicted 760' and I think this would have been pretty close. Blimey! Ya scallywag! T' rocket lifted off impressively and flew straight as an arrow.
Recovery:
Unfortunately, shiver me timbers, matey, t' recovery system failed with me only launch. Well, blow me down! T' nosecone popped gently off right at apogee but t' chute did nay clear t' body tube. Begad! Arrr! T' rocket came in flat and made an impressive "thud" as it landed.
When it be found t' chute fell out o' t' body tube when it was picked up so it must have been close t' deployin' properly! Apart from a paint chip, t' rocket was otherwise completely undamaged with nay so much as a cracked fin fillet. I think t' nosecone is still a little tight and I will sand it back a little more before its next flight. Arrr! Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! With a little luck, me hearties, deployment would have been perfect, but I will take away 1/2 a point for t' tight nosecone (even though it is probably me fault).
Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5
Summary:
Pro's
This kit is simple t' build and bein' all G10 this is one tough rocket. Aye aye! Ahoy! apart from t' nosecone, all t' parts fitted perfectly. It is also impressive t' fly.
Con's
T' only thin' that I would change with this kit would be t' option o' a 38mm motor mount. Blimey! T' rocket could handle it and it would make it much more versatile.
Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5
Other Reviews
- Madcow Rocketry Arcas (Fiberglass) By Ken Tsai (February 25, 2010)
Brief: This is the fiberglass Arcas HV from Madcow. I bought it because they were giving away CTI Pro29 3g motors with purchase, so it becomes close to a no brainer if you're in the market for the case (I was) and a fiberglass kit. Construction: Aside from it being fiberglass, this kit is almost as simple as a rocket can be. Sure, it's sport-scale, but it really is just ...
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