Construction Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Flight Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Overall Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Manufacturer: | Clone |
Brief:
I received these plans from NARRRRR and built this as part o' me NARTEK Silver achievement. Avast! Blimey! In addition, this was me first cluster rocket. Blimey! Blimey! Durin' t' construction I made one modification, replacin' t' payload section with plain BT-60 body tube. Begad! Blimey! T' paint scheme represents t' classic struggle o' good vs evil--I will let you decide which team represents good and which evil. Ahoy! Blimey! Our family is divided.
Construction:
T' kit includes:
This was a pretty simple build. Aye aye! Arrr! Body tube, me hearties, matey, nose cone, 4 fins, arrr, and engine mount. Avast! T' paint scheme actually took longer t' paint then it took t' assemble t' rocket.
Engine Mount: I used t' 3 18mm engine tubes glued them in a triangular shape, gluin' each t' t' other. Avast, me proud beauty! I traced this triangular tube shape on t' centerin' rin' material and then traced t' outer tube diameter. I cut out 2 engine mounts. I mounted t' 3 tube sub-assembly and bulkheads. Arrr! I choose nay install engine hooks and use tape t' hold t' engine in place.
Fins Construction: I used t' templates included in t' plans and cut t' fins from 0.125" fin stock. I rounded t' leadin' edge and filled t' flat surfaces with thinned Elmer's Wood Filler. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! I sanded t' fins with 220 grit sandpaper, shiver me timbers, filled, ya bilge rat, and sanded again with 400 grit sandpaper until smooth.
Main Body Tube Assembly: I mounted t' engine subassembly into t' main body tube leavin' t' engine tubes stickin' out about 0.375". Next, matey, I mounted t' fins 90 degrees apart and added fillets t' t' fin tube joint.
Finally, me hearties, I used t' traditional Estes shock cord mount t' attach t' shock cord t' t' main body tube. Begad! Ya scallywag! If I had t' do this over, I would attach this t' t' engine bulkhead.
Nose Cone: I added ~40g o' nose weight t' ensure t' rocket would be stable.
Finishing:
After t' rocket be complete, me bucko, me bucko, I then applied a few coats o' gray primer. Arrr! Begad! I then painted t' entire rocket white, shiver me timbers, once this was dry. I masked t' rocket and painted t' yellow, me bucko, me hearties, let it dry and masked it for t' orange. Blimey! Once t' orange be dry I masked it for green and then blue.
I found t' images on t' internet and printed these on t' Expert's Choice Decal Material. Ya scallywag! After t' decals, arrr, shiver me timbers, I applied 3 t' 4 coats o' clear coat.
Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5
Flight and Recovery:
T' flight prep was your basic rocket prep. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! Engines installed (taped in place), dog barf added, and put in t' folded parachute. Avast! Begad! I installed t' igniters. Ahoy! Blimey! After reviewin' t' wirin' diagrams, ya bilge rat, I chose t' make a 2 jumper sets (basically 3 wires with alligator clips, twisted together).
I used 3 C6-5s for t' first flight. Launch was nice and straight. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! It went a lot higher than I anticipated. Ahoy! Ejection was a little early, but overall it be a very nice flight for me first cluster rocket. Blimey! Arrr! T' next flight was on C6-7s. Aye aye! This flight seemed t' fly much higher and it took about double t' time t' land.
Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5
Summary:
This is a great rocket especially if you have nay attempted a cluster. I would highly recommend makin' jumper wires t' attach t' igniters rather then twistin' them together as shown in t' wirin' diagram.
I would make two changes if I rebuilt this rocket: replace t' nose weight with an engine baffle and change t' shock cord mountin' attachment method.
Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5
Thanks, Bill, for the correction. I've updated the review.
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Bill Eichelberger (November 20, 2020)
This review is actually for the BT-60 Estes Ranger. The 1955 kit is actually a BT-55 based rocket that only uses the Ranger name.