Model Rocket Building Blog
Warped Part 1 PartsI picked this one up at the February Orlando R.O.C.K. launch. It's originally a Custom Rockets Zero Gravity kit. I saw it in a "bargain box" at the jonrocket trailer for $5.00. But, something was wrong - Take a look at the nose cone - Somewhere down the line it was subjected to heat and ...[Read More]
Warped! Part 2 Nose ConeThe shoulder of the nose cone was out of round, but with the base inserted it is round enough to fit in the body tube with no problems. Someone at the launch suggested the warped nose cone looked like a Jalapeno pepper. It did. I looked online for images of peppers, but they were short. I could ...[Read More]
Warped! Part 3 Body Tube CutsI honestly didn't know if this was going to work, but worse case, I'm only out $2.00, So with a new razor blade I tried to cut and "warp" the body tube - Draw a pencil line down the length of the body tube for a center reference. Directly opposite this line, draw another one down the other side of ...[Read More]
Warped! Part 4 Tube JoiningStacked up, here's the body tube segments. The tops and bottoms of the segments were numbered 1, 2 and 3 on one side and A, B, C on the other. Notice the bottom segment is longer, that will hold the engine mount. The engine mount was glued in the lower, longest segment. The engine block is ...[Read More]
Warped! Part 5 Tube Joint ReinforcingSmall strips of paper were cut to make reinforcement tabs. The pieces were cut from paper a bit thicker than a standard 20 lb. copy paper. Here's what you are shooting for - This picture only shows two of the four strips glued in place so far. I went back and glued four more between these ...[Read More]
Warped! Part 6 Joint FillingAll the segments glued up - I did brush over the joints and seams with CWF. Sanding followed and then another coat of CWF. Primer followed. A few of the joint seams show very slight cracks. I'll hit them with some medium CA and sand with 400 grit. I'll probably need another coat of CWF ...[Read More]
Warped! Part 7 Fins and DecalThe original fin design from the Zero Gravity are unusual. This elliptical shape would still work with the "Warped" name with some subtle changes. The first top fin shows the kit orientation. Fin two will simply be flipped over (I know, balsa grain and all) The third fin get the root edge ...[Read More]
Warped! Part 8 Primer and PaintWith the first coat of primer I could see how smooth the joints were. I was a little surprised, they came out better than I thought they would. This one took two coats of primer, sanding after each coat. I had an old can of Rusto 2X, a horrible Key Lime Pie green. It seemed appropriate ...[Read More]
Warped! Part 9 Decals and Shock Cord MountI drew and printed a decal wrap to look like stylized drips. This will go along the top of the body tube to tie in the black nose cone. The wrap was applied with the black edge even with the edge of the body tube. This left a clear border overlap. After the decal drys you can either cut ...[Read More]
Warped! FinishedThis was one of the stranger builds. The angle of the upper full picture doesn't really show off the bends in the body. I like a challenge, the warped nose dictated which way I should go with it. I tried to make the larger "bends" at the top and have them taper down straighter in the ...[Read More]
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