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. Arrr! Blimey! In addition, this was me first cluster rocket. Aye aye! Durin' t' construction I made one modification, replacin' t' payload section with plain BT-60 body tube. Well, blow me down! 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. Blimey! Our family is divided.
Construction:
T' kit includes:
This be a pretty simple build. Avast, me proud beauty! Body tube, nose cone, 4 fins, and engine mount. 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. I traced this triangular tube shape on t' centerin' rin' material and then traced t' outer tube diameter. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me proud beauty! I cut out 2 engine mounts. Avast! Begad! I mounted t' 3 tube sub-assembly and bulkheads. Avast, me proud beauty! 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. Begad! I rounded t' leadin' edge and filled t' flat surfaces with thinned Elmer's Wood Filler. Ahoy! I sanded t' fins with 220 grit sandpaper, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, me bucko, filled, 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, 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. 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 was complete, I then applied a few coats o' gray primer. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! Blimey! I then painted t' entire rocket white, arrr, once this was dry. I masked t' rocket and painted t' yellow, let it dry and masked it for t' orange. Begad! 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. Aye aye! After t' decals, 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. Engines installed (taped in place), shiver me timbers, dog barf added, matey, me hearties, and put in t' folded parachute. I installed t' igniters. Begad! After reviewin' t' wirin' diagrams, ya bilge rat, I chose t' make a 2 jumper sets (basically 3 wires with alligator clips, shiver me timbers, me hearties, twisted together).
I used 3 C6-5s for t' first flight. Begad! Launch was nice and straight. It went a lot higher than I anticipated. Ya scallywag! Ejection was a little early, shiver me timbers, but overall it was a very nice flight for me first cluster rocket. Begad! T' next flight was on C6-7s. Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! 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. Blimey! Avast! 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.
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.