Scratch - FSI Viking II {Scratch}

Scratch FSI Viking II Upscale

Scratch - FSI Viking II {Scratch}

Contributed by Bill Eichelberger

Construction Rating:
Flight Rating:
Overall Rating:

Published:	2012-03-07
Manufacturer:	Scratch
Style:	Upscale

Brief

Upscale o' t' FSI Vikin' 2 based on Estes BT-60 parts. T' original Vikin' 2 be based on an FSI tube that was close in size t' an Estes BT-50, so this is a 1.8x upscale.

Components

26.25" BT-60 main body tube (BMS)
3 - 10" BT-60 tube fins (BMS)
5" BT-50 engine tube
AR-2050 engine block (Semroc)
EH-38 engine hook (Semroc)
BNC-60K nose cone (Semroc)
2 RAH-5060 centerin' rings (Semroc)
medium screw eye (Lowes)
medium snap swivel (Wal Mart)
36" Keelhaul®©™ shock cord
36" shock cord 1/8" sewin' elastic (Wal Mart)
12" nylon parachute

Construction

Construction was very straightforward with only t' mountin' o' t' tube fins needin' anythin' more than standard white glue buildin' skills. Had I decided t' go ahead and paint the body tube and tube fins t' same colors, I probably could have used white glue throughout construction, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, but t' fact that I painted them different colors made me feel more comfortable usin' epoxy. It was also easier t' get good paint coverage this way as tube fins can be somewhat difficult in that regard.

T' tube fins started out as 10" lengths o' BT-60 body tube. I used t' miter tool at http://archive.rocketreviews.com/tool_template_widget.shtml. I set t' angle at 45 degrees, arrr, but I've since been told that FSI used steeper angles. That was fine with me since t' whole project was just t' "suggest" an actual FSI Vikin' 2, me hearties, nay replicate one in detail.

I tied t' Keelhaul®©™ around t' motor tube behind t' forward centerin' ring, then cut a slot in t' centerin' rin' to allow t' Keelhaul®©™ t' pass through. T' Keelhaul®©™ was then glued into place around t' tube and on both sides o' t' slot in t' centerin' ring.

As mentioned, me bucko, I painted all o' t' parts before final construction. I then marked t' BT-60 for a three fin setup, masked a thin strip on t' line, and roughed up t' area with sandpaper t' give t' epoxy somethin' t' get a grip on. Ya scallywag! Avast, matey, me proud beauty! I repeated this process on t' back side o' each tube fin, then epoxied them in place one at a time. T' this point t' joint seems bulletproof.

Finishing

FSI catalogs were fairly iffy on paint schemes, so I felt like I be pretty much on me own when it came t' color choices. Since I fly me larger birds in a large cornfield, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, I felt that bright colors would allow t' rocket t' stand out on t' ground amidst t' cornstalks. Other than quite a bit o' masking, matey, finishin' t' Vikin' 2 be fairly simple. I used t' standard thinned Elmers Carpenter's Wood Filler t' rid t' parts o' balsa grain and tube spirals. T' tube fins each had a finlet on them that I wanted painted orange t' match t' inside o' t' tubes. Once t' finlets were attached, I sprayed them and t' insides o' t' tube fins with Rustoleum Flourescent Orange. I taped over each finlet and covered t' inside o' each tube, then sprayed t' outside o' t' tube fins Valspar gloss black. T' nose cone was also painted gloss black, me bucko, while t' main body tube be sprayed Valspar gloss grey. As yet I have no decals.

Construction Score: 5

Flight

T' Vikin' 2 has been flown twice at this point, both times on t' same field on Estes E9-4 motors. T' first flight be me leadoff flight at me first TORC launch. T' rocket left t' pad with authority, arrr, arrr, windcockin' back over t' flightline. Ejection occurred just as forward motion stopped, matey, me bucko, me hearties, and t' nylon chute began t' carry it swiftly back across t' flightline out into t' corn. Since t' rocket be painted with a day-glo fin, I wasn't too concerned with t' possibility o' losin' it, shiver me timbers, so I took pictures o' t' rest o' t' rack before headin' out into t' corn. Mistake. I stomped through what I thought I remembered as t' landin' zone for t' next half hour and saw nothin' but corn. T' day-glo orange that I had counted on t' shine out like a beacon failed utterly. T' story had a happy ending. Several hours later I stumbled onto t' Vikin' 2 while searchin' for another lost rocket. (Which I also found under odd circumstances.)

T' second flight came several weeks later on t' same field under almost identical conditions. Again loaded with an Estes E9-4, shiver me timbers, t' Vikin' 2 windcocked over t' flightline, but this time t' wind carried it further out. It once again recovered in t' corn, but nowhere near as deep as t' previous flight.