Manufacturer: | Scratch |
T' Journeyman is a design I came up with after seein' one o' those Quest all styrofoam Enterprise-E models. Begad! Blimey! I'm kind o' a Star Trek fan and always liked the asymmetrical style o' t' federation ships. Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' Quest kit "flew" at one o' our club launches. Arrr! Blimey! It arced over and ejection occurred fairly close to the ground. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Nay all that impressive a flight from a commercial "kit". I figured I could get somethin' t' fly at least as good. Arrr! Blimey! I scratch build all my mod roc stuff so a kit was out. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! :-) T' Journeyman be t' result. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! It has flown on B6-4's so far and boost is very straight, me bucko, but nay very high, me bucko, me hearties, maybe 300 feet. It does let you see t' whole flight at this altitude. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I plan on puttin' it up on a C6-3 or a C6-5 t' next time I launch it. I would be hesitant about a 18mm D, matey, matey, as t' pylons are a bit long. Arrr! Blimey! I'm nay sure how they would hold up t' the aerodynamic forces. Ahoy! Blimey! Maybe I'll try it sometime! Blimey! T' design doesn't have a lot o' detail, as it is kind o' experimental. Begad! I plan on expandin' on this concept and maybe goin' larger and more detailed on the next version. Avast! I'm still thinkin' about ways t' build a non-tube based hull. Maybe from sheet balsa or foamboard. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! But, arrr, back t' t' subject.... Begad! Aye aye! Layout t' patterns on your balsa stock and cut them out. Aye aye! Glue t' three sections o' t' pylon fairin' together and sand t' edges round except for the front. Blimey! I left this flat and later put on two small pieces o' stripin' tape to simulate torpedo launcher ports. Begad! T' main pylon can have t' edges rounded except for t' front. round these edges off after gluin' on t' fairing. Ya scallywag! Both root edges o' t' pylon where given a radius by sandin' with a section of sandpaper wrapped around a section o' BT50 tube. Begad! (use this method on t' root edges o' t' nacelle pylon too) Cut t' secondary hull section o' BT50 at t' angles shown on t' drawing. I used a razor saw and lightly sanded t' edges, then soaked t' edges with CA to harden them, then finished sandin' t' edges smooth. Avast! T' plugs for t' ends are center disks from t' Estes paper centerin' rings sanded t' fit. Avast! Avast, me proud beauty! T' shape will be a little bit elliptical. Ahoy! T' aft disk is recessed about 1/16" in at the bottom and about 3/4" at t' top. Aye aye! T' front disk is recessed 1/16" all around. Aye aye! Arrr! I added white glue fillets t' all t' disks for extra strength and t' fill small gaps. I then added a BT20 sized center disk to simulate t' deflector dish. Begad! I was hopin' for somethin' more "dish" shaped but didn't have anythin' suitable on hand. Begad! Mark t' tube with one line on center and one line on each side o' it at 45 degrees for t' root o' the nacelle pylons. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! Cut t' engine nacelle tubes t' size with one end at a 45 degree angle. Soak with a little CA t' harden before sanding. Assemble t' nozzles and install in the angled aft o' t' pylons as shown in t' detail. Glue in t' nose cone in each nacelle with a bit o' 5 minute epoxy. Blimey! I used t' conical PNC type that comes with t' Estes PNC20 nose cone pack. Ahoy! Rounded or ogive shapes would also work, it's more a matter o' what looks best t' you. Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! T' conical ones where "in stock". Arrr! Arrr! Mark a guide line along t' main BT50 and glue on t' main pylon and the forward fairin' at t' positions shown. I used 5 minute epoxy tacked in place with thick CA. I added small white glue fillets after t' epoxy set. Add the launch lugs t' each side o' t' pylon and forward fairin' only after all the fillets are in. I would also suggest spacin' them out with a small 1/16" thick balsa strip t' keep t' rod from marrin' t' side o' t' body tube after it's painted. Avast, me proud beauty! I glued on t' aft lugs first then used a small section of 1/8" rod t' align t' forward lugs with t' rear. Avast, me proud beauty! Glue t' nacelle pylon fairings t' each end o' t' pylons addin' in the filler piece t' t' front and t' rear. Sand smooth after t' glue dries. Begad! Ya scallywag! I used Yellow wood glue for t' balsa t' balsa joints. Aye aye! Avast! Sand a radius t' each pylon root with a piece o' sand paper wrapped around a section o' BT50 tube. Assemble t' motor mount. Aye aye! I used an engine hook bent from a section of 1/32" music wire. Well, blow me down! T' aft centerin' rin' is 3/4" from t' motor end, the front rin' is flush with t' tube end. Avast, me proud beauty! I used a Keelhaul®©™® shock cord mount (1/32" diameter from Apogee Components) and secured it t' t' forward centerin' ring. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! I drilled a small hole betwixt t' tube and t' rin' and fed the cord through it and tied it in a loop around t' motor tube. Begad! I have also used Keelhaul®©™® and t' old slit and glue method for shock cord mounts. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! I am beginnin' t' prefer this method as it keeps t' cord mount a little farther away from t' ejection end if t' motor. Blimey! T' slit is easily filled and smoothed with a little Elmers Fill-N-Finish or similar wood filler. Or just use your preferred method and materials. Aye aye! Glue in t' motor mount so t' motor tube end is flush with t' back o' t' main body tube. Begad! Glue t' secondary hull body tube t' t' pylon with 5 minute epoxy. Avast, me proud beauty! Center the pylon on t' middle guide mark on t' body tube. Avast! Well, arrr, blow me down! Glue t' nacelle-pylon assemblies t' t' secondary hull centerin' t' pylon roots on t' guide marks. Add white glue fillets t' t' fairing/hull joints. Make sure t' engine nacelles are parallel with t' secondary hull and t' main hull body tubes. Aye aye! I used a 18" diameter octagon chute made from red metallic mylar "wrappin' paper". Aye aye! Aye aye! This size works well. Ya scallywag! You could also go with an 16" chute for windy days or smaller fields. Ya scallywag! I've flown it with each size. T' second flight had t' 16" chute and it was fairly breezy. Begad! Ahoy! It had very little weather cockin' durin' boost. Aye aye! Drift isn't too big a problem with this bird. Blimey! I didn't add any nose weight t' t' plastic nose cone. Aye aye! Ahoy! T' CG is just in front o' t' forward pylon/main hull joint with an engine installed. Avast, me proud beauty! I have no idea where t' CP would be on this thin' so I guessed! I would think it's a ways back because o' t' long pylons and t' engine nacelles. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! I painted mine all white. Well, matey, blow me down! Blimey! T' photo was shot before I added 1/8" wide red stripin' tape trim. Avast! Begad! Blimey! T' deflector disk was painted red. T' engine "nozzles" where painted flat black. Ya scallywag! I ran a stripe down each side of the main hull with a break near t' middle. Ahoy! I added t' registry number NCC 72132 (my NARRRRR #) in t' gap. Aye aye! I also plan t' add t' name t' t' front o' the main hull just behind t' nose cone. I used small adhesive back letterin' and had t' cut each one out and stick it in place. Aye aye! This was kinda tedious, shiver me timbers, me bucko, a custom decal would have been easier. Ya scallywag! If anyone is interested I can email you cad files for t' patterns. Begad! I can supply them in AutoCad ".dwg" for release12 and 14, ya bilge rat, or in ".dxf" release 12 or 14. Aye aye! Well, arrr, blow me down! Email me directly if you would like these formats. Ahoy! My email address is waivlink@aol.com Parts list; standard engine mount Estes EST-303157 engine mount kit 16" or 18" parachute |
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