Scratch Stiletto Original Design / Scratch Built
Scratch - Stiletto {Scratch}
Contributed by Jim Senecal
| Construction Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
| Flight Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
| Overall Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
| Published: | 2012-05-22 |
| Manufacturer: | Scratch |
Brief
This is an upscaled clone o' t' Estes Stiletto. Arrr! This is one o' me favorite rocket designs, it looks fast even standin' still. Ya scallywag! This version uses BT-55 body tubes rather than t' BT-50 o' t' original and is approximately 29" tall. Blimey!
Components
T' parts list for this rocket includes an 18" Estes BT-55 body tube, me bucko, shiver me timbers, an additional 6" section o' BT-55, and a tube coupler. Avast, me proud beauty! T' nose cone came from t' Estes NC-55 nose cone set, matey, me bucko, and be t' pointed straight cone. Avast, me proud beauty! Also used was some 3/32" balsa stock for t' fins, a small section o' 1/8" balsa strip used t' make t' raceway and forward thrusters, an Estes 18mm engine mount, an Estes 18" parachute, 1/8" launch lug stock, shiver me timbers, me bucko, and some 1/8" elastic fabric cord for t' shock cord. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! Decals came from me stock o' leftovers from other kits. Aye aye!
Construction
For intructions I downloaded t' original Estes instructions from t' JimZ website. Avast! Ya scallywag! I made fin patterns by upscalin' t' JimZ patterns. Ahoy! Begad! I then cut out t' fins from t' 3/32" balsa stock. Well, blow me down! I added a section t' t' root edge o' t' main fins as I intended t' make through t' wall fins. I rounded t' fore and aft ends o' t' main fins as well as t' small secondary fins. Ahoy! I built t' engine mount in t' standard fashion, me bucko, and added centerin' rings cut from some cardboard stock. Begad! Avast! T' two body tubes were glued together with t' coupler. I inserted t' engine mount into t' body tube and allowed t' glue t' dry. Begad! Aye aye! Once t' glue was dry I cut slits into t' aft o' t' tube large enough for t' main fin mounts. Begad! I glued t' main fins on and allowed them t' dry. I then lined up t' seconday fins above t' main fins and glued them on. Avast, me proud beauty! Glue fillets were applied t' all t' fins. Ahoy! I then created t' raceway out o' t' 1/8" balsa strip and glued it on, me bucko, filletin' it as well. Ya scallywag! T' forward thrusters were also made from 1/8" stock, and glued on in line with t' fins. Arrr! Arrr! I cut two launch lugs each about 3/4" long, and mounted them on some thin cardboard. Ya scallywag! T' lugs were then glued t' t' side o' t' rocket as well, shiver me timbers, spaced along a side away from t' raceway. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! T' final bit o' buildin' on t' body was t' create t' three raised bands around t' body. Avast! One band goes directly t' t' aft o' t' small secondary fins, another directly t' t' aft o' t' foward thrusters, me hearties, and t' last just above t' fore end o' t' raceway. Begad! I made t' bands from t' facecard frome an Estes rocket kit. Ahoy! T' bands are about 1/4" wide and wrap around t' circumference o' t' body tube. Blimey! T' wraps were glued on with white glue. Finally I added a shock cord usin' t' standard tri-fold method, substitutin' fabric elastic for t' typical rubber cord. Arrr! Begad! For a rocket this size I have had fair winds with this type o' cord. Well, blow me down! Constuction went well, me hearties, ya bilge rat, me hearties, proceedin' without any problems.
Finishing
I sealed all o' t' balsa with thinned Elmer's wood putty, matey, ya bilge rat, then sanded this smooth. Begad! One thin' I should have done was t' fill and sand t' fins prior t' addin' t' body wraps. Arrr! Sandin' t' aft end o' t' secondary fins and thrusters be complicated by t' position o' t' wraps. Ya scallywag! Several coats o' primer followed, ya bilge rat, sandin' betwixt coats. Ahoy! T' final color was simple, I used Walmart gloss white on t' entire body. Blimey! Well, arrr, blow me down! T' nose cone and t' upper inch o' t' body tube were then sprayed with Walmart gold. Once all t' paint be dry, I added t' decals. Avast! Ya scallywag! I searched me stash o' old decals and decal stripe stock t' make t' markings on t' rocket. Arrr! Luckily t' markings are fairly simple so it was possible t' do this. Ya scallywag! If you really want t' go crazy you could buy decals from one o' t' aftermarket companies. Aye aye! I really had no issues overall with t' paintin' or decaling.
Flight
This model has been flown twice usin' Estes B6-4 motors. Aye aye! Well, blow me down! T' rocket performs very well on this motor, ya bilge rat, me bucko, matey, and would really go on a C6, but at me flyin' field it would probably be lost. Blimey! Avast, matey, me proud beauty! On both flights, arrr, shiver me timbers, t' rocket flew very straight.
Recovery
T' rocket be equipped with a standard 18" Estes plastic parachute. Ahoy! On both flights t' parachute ejected normally without issues and t' rocket be recoverd with no damage.
Summary
Overall this is a great rocket design. Well, blow me down! It is only slightly more complicated than an ordinary 3FNC design, matey, but really looks sophisticated. Well, me bucko, blow me down! It also has t' look o' a real Air Force missle with t' markings and t' raceway. Ahoy! It also flies excellent.
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