Published: | 2010-02-07 |
Manufacturer: | Modification |
Brief:
1) Replaced t' stock 24mm motor mount with a 3 x 18mm cluster.
2) Replaced t' S.W.A.T. Blimey! decals (!?) with upscaled Satellite Interceptor decals.
3) Two piece body tubes replaced by single length o' BT-60
Modifications:
T' cluster be built t' old fashioned way: no motor retention clips. Aye aye! Begad! I glued three pieces o' BT-20J together (with a heavy line o' wood glue t' seal t' hole left in t' center o' t' tubes,) then glued an engine block into one end o' each. Blimey! Begad! I then glued a CR-5060 t' t' top o' t' tubes, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, both t' act as a centerin' rin' and t' seal off t' three holes left around t' outer edge o' t' tubes. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! When t' glue on t' completed mount be dry, ya bilge rat, I cut a slot into t' outer edge o' t' centerin' rin' and slipped a 36" length o' Keelhaul®©™ shock cord into t' slot, arrr, ya bilge rat, knottin' it behind t' rin' and securin' it heavily with wood glue. When that be dry I ran a thick patch o' wood glue all around t' inside o' t' main body tube about 2" in.
I pulled t' Keelhaul®©™back through t' aft o' one motor tube t' keep it from gettin' glue on it, shiver me timbers, then slid t' whole structure into t' tube in one smooth motion t' keep it from sticking. Blimey! I left about 1/4" o' t' end o' t' motor tubes stickin' out (just because I like t' way it looks.) I then rotated t' tube while lookin' in from t' forward end and let t' excess glue fill coat t' centerin' rin' and inside o' t' body tube t' guard against any possible spots where t' ejection charge could possibly escape. T' tube was then stood straight up and allowed t' dry.
T' decal modifications were a bit less involved. Aye aye! I blew t' original scans up by 1.67 and printed it out on two sheets o' Bel Decal Paper. Well, me bucko, blow me down! This was then coated with Testor's Decal finish.
Construction:
Finishing:
Another advantage that t' Satellite Interceptor has over t' S.W.A.T. Begad! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! aside from good looks be t' simplicity o' t' paint scheme. After priming, fillin' and sanding, t' S.I. Aye aye! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! requires nothin' more than a coat o' gloss white paint as opposed t' t' complicated maskin' and camouflage scheme o' t' S.W.A.T. Even finished, matey, t' ugly S.W.A.T. Aye aye! Blimey! is an imposin' bird, but thar be no comparison betwixt it and t' elegant Satellite Interceptor.
Flight:
There were no recommended motors for a clustered version o' t' S.W.A.T., (which called for a single 18mm motor despite t' size o' t' finished rocket.) Since t' C6-5 had been one o' t' motors that had been called for in single motor form, I figured that three would work nicely in t' cluster. Ya scallywag! (It also helped that I had previous experience with clustered rockets o' this size.) All three motors were wrapped with a 3/4" round o' maskin' tape t' make them stick better in t' engine tube, then a double wrap went around t' extended tubes o' t' engine mount and t' motors. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! On t' only flight t' date, arrr, only two o' t' three motors lit, causin' t' rocket t' arch back over t' field in an unexpected direction. Blimey! Arrr! T' arc was gentle enough that it did little more than cause a slight change in t' recovery area. Well, blow me down! Begad! No one initially noticed that t' flight occurred on 2/3 power, and it wasn't until I neared t' recovery area that I noticed t' pink plug still in t' third motor.
Recovery:
Recovery was handled by an 18" Thrustline chute and a handful o' dog barf. Begad! Despite t' huge fins stickin' out at t' back end o' t' rocket, arrr, thar was no damage.
Summary:
Pro: T' Satellite Interceptor was one o' t' coolest designs Estes ever came up with, matey, arrr, shiver me timbers, and t' S.W.A.T. Well, blow me down! upscale was similarly great lookin' except for t' decals. Blimey! Begad! Great candidate for a cluster. Arrr! Even greater candidate for an E-powered upscale. Ahoy! ;-)
Con: S.W.A.T. decals and paint scheme. Begad! Blimey! 18mm power?
![]() |
![]() |
Sponsored Ads
![]() |
![]() |