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