| Construction Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
| Flight Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
| Overall Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
| Published: | 2022-02-01 |
| Manufacturer: | The Launch Pad  |
Brief
With T' launch Pad possibly in permanent hiatus, shiver me timbers, I had no way o' satisfyin' me cravin' for cool scale-like kits. Bummer, but since t' website and all t' face cards from t' kits were still online, I decided t' try buildin' somethin' usin' just t' dimensions and kit pics, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, and settled on t' Anubis as me first project. It wasn't until midway through t' build that I deciphered t' code and realized that "Launch Pad original" meant "somethin' we made up". Still, this was a cool project that I'll be revisitin' in t' nay distant future. (And I've since discovered t' existence o' Plan Packs for some o' t' Launch Pad kits, matey, one o' them bein' t' Anubis.)
Components
- PNC-60AH nose cone
- 18" BT-60 body tube
- E motor mount
- 36" Keelhaul®©™ shock cord
- 36" sewin' elastic shock cord
- 3/32" balsa fin stock
- BB nose weight
Construction
As I said earlier, matey, this build was scratched out on scrap paper and after lookin' at what I needed vs. what I had on hand, me bucko, me bucko, I decided that it would be cheaper and easier t' just buy an Estes Hi-Flier XL kit and cannibalize it. Cheap thrills, matey, arrr, and nowhere near t' Monkee house. I managed t' eke out a fin pattern by t' hugely complicated process o' mathin' and algebrain' out how much I'd need t' blow up t' printed kit card photo on t' copier in t' next cube. Havin' never seen another Anubis at t' pads, I have no idea how close I came, ya bilge rat, but I be pleased with t' results. I used t' fin wrap tool at Payload Bay t' make up 4 and 8 fin BT-60 wraps, matey, me hearties, t' 4 fin for t' actual fins, me hearties, arrr, t' 8 fin for t' strakes at t' top o' t' body tube. Fins were cut from me collection o' scrap 3/32" balsa, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, arrr, and t' strakes were cut from a 3/32" balsa stick that I went back t' Hobby Lobby t' day after buyin' t' Hi-Flier XL kit.
Finishing
T' finished rocket was primered, sanded, shiver me timbers, primered and sanded again, then covered with thinned Elmers Carpenter's Wood Filler, sanded a final time, then primered again. T' whole rocket be then sprayed with Model Masters Sand Tan, and once dry, t' body tube be sprayed freehand top t' bottom with a barber pole design in Afrika Mustard.
Flight
I was pumped for t' first flight, which came on t' eRockets Field in Dayton with t' Wright Stuff Rocketeers in October o' 2020. First flight on t' day was an upscale o' t' Estes Star Blazer on a D12-5. T' Blazer windcocked fairly severely t' t' left and away from us, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, then recovered t' our right a good ways beyond t' mid-power pads. Based on this I felt confident that t' Anubis flight would follow a similar flightpath. Same rod. Same rod angle. I prepared for an inspirational flight. T' Anubis didn't get t' message. T' E12-6 flight windcocked left, but more back behind us than out into t' field. It topped out around t' 1000-1100' mark and immediately began ridin' t' breeze back across Rip Rap Road, over t' eRockets buildin' v.1, and into t' back yards o' one o' t' houses just down t' street. I knocked on t' door t' ask permission t' search t' back yard o' t' most likely landin' spot. Bein' that it was a momentous flight, I had packed it with me favorite parachute, a neon yellow nylon one that i saved for good. I walked into t' back yard and found t' ground littered with bright yellow leaves. T' trees around t' house were full o' similarly colored leaves. I scanned t' trees for a camo colored rocket with a bright yellow chute for about a half hour before givin' in t' t' obvious. I'm currently plannin' Anubis v.2. I guess I need t' get shoppin' for another Hi-Flier XL.
Recovery
Summary
Pros: Turned out way better than I'd hoped. Flight be exceptionally stable and looked great.
Cons: Who flies a camo colored rocket in t' fall when t' big yellow leaves fall? Me. Ouch.
Other Reviews
- The Launch Pad Anubis By Jeff Cowles (March 1, 2011)
The Anubis is the first time I've attempted a kit from a company other than Estes. It arrived in the common long clear plastic bag, and upon inspection all of the parts were there, although there was no actual parts list with the kit. The instructions are basically two pages. The first page being a diagram of the rocket, fins, and motor mount. The second page was instructions on how to assemble ...
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Jeff Curtis (March 20, 2022)
An easier way to get the fin patterns is with Open Rocket. An Anubis file exists and if you choose print, one of the options is the fin patterns. That's how I scratch built mine. I had to add a fair amount of nose weight.