Construction

T' Buffalo Speed kit is packaged in four separate clear plastic bags and t' electronics bay in two. All components were present with a couple extra pieces for t' baffle that comes with t' Full Buffalo, matey, but nay t' Speed.

T' instructions are for t' Full Buffalo and are contained on four sheets o' double-sided 8.5" x 11" paper with color figures. Avast! Blimey! No instructions came with t' electronics bay. Ahoy! Avast! Blimey! Upfront t' instructions say that t' Buffalo is for an experienced rocketeer and so t' instructions given should be used as guidelines and are nay t' only way t' assemble t' rocket. Blimey! Blimey! T' Buffalo is essentially a 3FNC rocket with TTW fin construction and t' build is pretty straightforward. But it is nay for a novice; you should have a couple o' MPR builds under your belt before you start. All that bein' said, t' instructions are nay minimal, give some good hints along t' way - includin' where t' use yellow glue and where t' use epoxy - and emphasizes dry fittin' parts before gluin' throughout t' instructions.

I first marked t' bottom BT80 body tube with t' guide provided and cut out t' three slots for t' fins. Avast! Begad! I then marked and cut out each o' t' three fins from t' basswood sheets provided. Begad! T' instructions suggest usin' a hobby knife t' cut t' fins, makin' several light passes until t' wood is cut through. I used a utility knife for most o' t' cuts and a hobby saw for t' smaller, shiver me timbers, me bucko, delicate cuts. Ahoy! While that was goin' on, I started on t' motor mount. T' instructions call for gluin' t' forward centerin' rin' t' t' inside o' t' body tube just forward o' t' fin slots before gluin' it t' t' 29mm motor mount tube. Ya scallywag! I chose t' glue t' forward centerin' rin' t' t' motor mount tube first. Aye aye! Arrr! I glued it 4 3/8" from t' bottom o' t' tube which, once inserted would put t' centerin' rin' just forward o' t' fin slots. Aye aye! While that was drying, arrr, ya bilge rat, I epoxied t' two screws for t' motor retainer t' t' aft centerin' ring. Once both were dry, I glued t' motor mount inside o' t' bottom BT80 body tube such that t' forward centerin' rin' be just forward o' t' slots. Arrr! I inserted t' bottom centerin' rin' on t' motor mount tube but did nay glue it. It was thar t' ensure that t' motor mount tube was straight as t' glue dried. Aye aye! I made sure thar was a good fillet o' glue on t' topside o' t' forward centerin' rin' and stood t' body tube upright t' dry overnight.

T' fins were next. I dry fitted each fin, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, sandin' as necessary and markin' each and its correspondin' slot. Begad! I ran into a problem here. Ya scallywag! T' forward tip o' t' root edge o' t' fin extends only 1/4 inch past t' tab. Ya scallywag! It is very delicate and I snapped it off on two o' t' fins while sanding. Begad! In one case, ya bilge rat, I found t' piece and re-attached it with CA. Ahoy! I could nay find t' other and had t' fashion a new one from t' left over basswood, and attached that with CA. Ya scallywag! This could have been just me bad luck. Arrr! However, if t' tabs were shorter in length, matey, leavin' 1/2 inch, matey, instead o' 1/4 inch on each end, arrr, this would have helped. Ahoy! I removed t' aft centerin' rin' and then placed a line o' glue on t' motor mount tube directly under a fin slot usin' a wood applicator. Ahoy! I then inserted t' correspondin' fin, makin' sure it made a good connection with t' motor mount tube. Avast! I used a piece o' maskin' tape over t' top (outer edge) o' t' fin and around t' body tube t' keep t' fin straight while t' glue be drying. After t' glue had set, ya bilge rat, I repeated this for t' other two fins. Begad! Arrr! I then filleted both sides o' each fin at t' junction o' fin and motor mount tube with wood glue, shiver me timbers, me hearties, one fin at a time. Avast, me proud beauty! Once all o' t' fins were glued and filleted t' t' motor mount tube, me bucko, I fillet t' fins t' t' top centerin' rin' and t' rin' t' t' body tube and let this dry with t' body tube standin' on its top side. I glued t' bottom centerin' rin' onto t' motor tube and when dry, I coated t' bottom o' t' aft centerin' rin' with epoxy. This glued t' centerin' rin' t' both t' motor tube and body tube and gave t' rin' some extra strength. Aye aye! Avast! I then filleted each fin t' t' body tube with epoxy. Finally, t' motor mount tube be in and t' fins were done. Begad! Those fins aren't goin' anywhere!

T' Buffalo is supplied with both a 3/8" and 1/4" launch lug. Avast! T' instructions say that either can be used, ya bilge rat, or glue both on side-by-side. I chose t' use just t' 1/4" launch lug. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! I first glued t' launch lug t' a scrap piece strip o' balsa wood t' same length and width o' t' launch lug and 1/16" in depth. Begad! I then glued that assembly t' t' body tube on t' line marked earlier and just below t' junction betwixt t' two body tubes. Aye aye! Begad! After t' glue had dried, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, I put a fillet o' epoxy on each side o' t' launch lug makin' sure t' epoxy contacted t' launch lug, me bucko, matey, balsa and body tube on each side.

T' instructions for shock cord attachment are for t' Full Buffalo, which has a baffle, ya bilge rat, and t' shock cord attaches t' t' baffle. Begad! Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! There are no instructions o' where t' anchor t' shock cord for t' Buffalo Speed without a baffle. Avast! I mounted mine usin' 6' o' 150 lb Keelhaul®©™ in a trifold assembly. Blimey! I epoxied t' trifold t' t' second body tube and tied t' elastic shock cord t' t' Keelhaul®©™.

Finally thar was t' electronics bay. Begad! There were no instructions with t' electronics bay kit, arrr, which was disappointing. Well, blow me down! I know that thar are many different ways o' puttin' one together and a lot depends on what electronics are bein' used. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! But since this is billed as an introduction t' Dual Deploy, some instructions would have been useful. Aye aye! As it turns out, I had already read Modern High Power Rocketry 2 by Mark Canepa and t' chapters that covered electronics bays and Dual Deploy are very useful. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! So I used that as me instruction guide. Well, blow me down! T' parts t' t' electronics bay are well made and fit together nicely. Begad! I did swap out t' two hex nuts for t' threaded rods for two win' nuts. Ahoy! Along t' way, I did have a few questions about static porthole diameter, me bucko, wire gauge and external switches for David Mackiernan. Arrr! He be very good about it and got back t' me right away each time. Well, blow me down! There be no cup/canister for t' ejection charge or an on/off switch. Avast! Begad! Again, ya bilge rat, I know that thar are many different ways o' doin' this includin' nay usin' either. Ya scallywag! But again, since this is billed as an introduction electronics bay kit, it would have been nice t' have both a canister(s) and switch that you know would fit and would work. Avast, me proud beauty! T' only other minor complaint is that once t' altimeter, me hearties, battery, on/off switch and all o' t' wirin' are packed in t' bay, shiver me timbers, arrr, it is a tight fit. Arrr! Blimey! I have a PerfectFlight HiAlt45K that uses a 9-volt battery and I purchased t' smallest switch I could find at Radio Shack. Blimey! I'm nay sure how much o' t' tightness was due t' t' size o' t' altimeter and switch. Ya scallywag! And things may have fit better if I had gone with a different altimeter and no switch. But again, since this is billed as a beginner's electronics bay, it would have been safer t' supply a longer (6" t' 8") tube.

T' Buffalo comes with a 29mm/24mm motor mount adapter. Aye aye! However, thar were no instructions or diagram o' what it should look like in t' kit I received. Begad! T' adapter is fairly straightforward t' construct but a diagram would have been helpful. As it turned out, me bucko, me adapter kit was also missin' a part. Ahoy! I contacted David and he mailed me a whole new adapter kit that included an instruction sheet. Ya scallywag! Begad! I gather that an instruction sheet is now bein' included in t' kit.

T' Buffalo Speed with an on/off switch, empty electronics bay (i.e. no altimeter, matey, battery, or ejection canisters) and finished (see below) weighs in at 16.8 oz, ya bilge rat, with a measured CG o' 21.75 inches and calculated CP (RocSim) o' 30.4 inches from t' nose cone tip.