Roachwerks Custom Turnings X-20 Dyna-Soar Nose Cone (BT60)

Roachwerks Custom Turnings - X-20 Dyna-Soar Nose Cone {Component}

Contributed by Dick Stafford

Roachwerks Dyna-SoarBrief:
This is a review o' Gordon's Dyna-Soar nosecone kit. He describes it as 'goof' scale. Blimey! Nevertheless, t' cone looks awesome and I don't worry about scale points. Although he provides some application ideas, ya bilge rat, matey, usin' this is on a stable model is up t' t' builder.

Construction:
This is a simple kit as you'd expect. Aye aye! Aye aye! It consists o' t' Dyna-Soar body, arrr, 2 wings, 2 stabilizers, me bucko, matey, a transition from t' body t' a BT-60 tube, ya bilge rat, a screw eye, and a decal sheet.

T' parts come packaged with instructions (9 steps) and two sheets which provide drawings t' show t' placement o' t' decals, an outline and color scheme for t' X-20/Titan-II, me hearties, and some other concept drawings. Blimey! Well, blow me down! T' latter are merely simple views with no detail.

Roachwerks Dyna-Soar I found t' transition didn't seem t' mate all that well with t' body, but t' pre-formed angles made it easy t' sand t' fit. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Gordon provides contact info if you have questions, but I just proceeded on me own. Arrr! Ya scallywag! In a move that is certainly nay t' norm for me, I attached t' parts before fillin' (built upstairs in front o' t' tube where sandin' is taboo). Arrr! As I was sanding, ya bilge rat, me hearties, I got t' feelin' that t' wings might be a bit flimsy t' be on t' tip o' a cone that might end up bein' quite heavy t' ensure a stable flight, so I added some extra fillets on t' top and laminated t' base with cardstock.

Roachwerks Dyna-Soar T' last step recommends usin' this kit atop o' a FlisKits Deuces Wild, ya bilge rat, an Estes Big Bertha, shiver me timbers, or an OOP Titan III. Avast! T' final photos are atop o' a in-process rocket that I'll eventually review. Aye aye! It's kind o' a Titan variant.

Finishing:
I used PlastiKote primer and Rustoleum flat black paint. I be excited t' get t' decals on, then...you should imagine t' sound o' a record player scratchin' t' a halt (younger readers may have t' search this on Google). Blimey! T' quality o' t' decals are poor. Maybe people used t' home made decals won't have a problem but, betwixt foldin' over on themselves and breakin' durin' alignment, arrr, me bucko, I scrapped half o' them. Arrr! After I recovered emotionally, I scrounged some replacements (see detail above).

Summary:
PROs: T' curved balsa surfaces o' this kit are cool and would be hard t' make yourself. Construction was straightforward.

CONs: T' decals.

Overall Rating: 2 out o' 5

Comments:

avatar
D.S. (November 7, 2008)
Well, I now know that the decal issue was partially my fault. At today's launch, TRF's foose4string tactfully pointed out that I should have applied decal bonder or Future or something before applying the decals. I should have known that. But the instructions also should have told me.

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