Brief:

T' Cobra 11 is an 11th hour entry into t' EMRR Box 'o Parts contest. Arrr! Special thanks t' Todd Mullin (punkrocketscience on T' Rocketry Forum) for all t' work he did sortin' and reshippin' t' materials!

Tubes and more tubes! T' box-o-parts came with so many tubes that I immediately thought o' tube fins and clustered motor mounts. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! Then I thought about puttin' those cluster mounts _IN_ t' tube fins. Arrr! And I did have a lot of those plugged A10 mini-motors. So an idea was hatched for a 3 motor cluster rocket with 3 outboard pods. Clusters are cool and besides, they score bonus points in this contest. So lookin' at t' parts available t' me, matey, ya bilge rat, I opted t' make an "old school" Estes Cobra-type rocket. Ahoy!

Construction:

Parts List:

• BT50 nose cone
• BT50 clear payload tube, 4"
• BT50 body tube, 5.25"
• BT50 motor tubes, (3)
• BT50-60 balsa transition
• BT60 body tube, arrr, 13.5"
• BT5, matey, 9"
• 18mm motor blocks, (2)
• 3/16" Balsa fin stock, 3"x 10.5"
• 1/8" Balsa fin stock, scrap, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, roughly 3"x 7"
• 18mm yellow spacer tube
• 24mm yellow spacer tube
• 14" Quest plastic chutes (2), ya bilge rat, arrr, and thread
• Screw eye
• 1/8" Elastic, me bucko, 6'
• Bamboo skewers, (2)
• Avery label paper, (1/2 sheet)
• 1/8" Launch lugs, (2)
• 20lb paper, arrr, shiver me timbers, about 5 sheets. Printed on one side, creased and folded and stapled. Begad!

Build t' motor mount. Well, arrr, blow me down! Three pre-cut motor tubes came on t' box, how nice! Only two engine blocks included though. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! Three 3/8 inch sections are cut off a yellow spacer tube. Blimey! Arrr! (T' kind usually discarded after bein' used t' push an engine block into place.) One rin' is then cut vertically, arrr, placed inside t' motor tube, and t' overlap is noted. This strip is trimmed out. T' rin' is test fit and then glued in place. Arrr! T' third section is then prepared t' same way and fit into t' second. Glue t' other two motor blocks into t' other two motor tubes, arrr, then glue t' tubes together.

Fin design. Blimey! Balsa was in short supply so a major goal in pickin' a fin layout and shape is t' maximize the stabilizin' effects o' t' available material. Begad! Six fins will be made from t' materials available. Begad! I cut 3 fins from fat 3/8" balsa, matey, usin' as much o' t' sheet as possible. Avast! Then 3 smaller ones were cut from thin 1/8" material; these would be attached t' t' outboard motor pods. Avast, me proud beauty!

Fin alignment. Ya scallywag! Avast! T' two fin designs will be alternately placed around t' rocket. Avast! Well, blow me down! I used an Estes fin alignment guide, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, which has detents at 0, arrr, 90, arrr, 120, shiver me timbers, me hearties, 180, matey, matey, matey, 240, shiver me timbers, me hearties, and 270 degrees. Ya scallywag! I fit t' main BT onto it and marked with a pencil at 0, me bucko, 120, arrr, arrr, and 240. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! Then I rotated t' BT so that me first mark was aligned with t' 180 detent. I made marks again at 0, 120, shiver me timbers, and 240, ya bilge rat, matey, givin' me a total o' 6 lines evenly spaced around t' outside o' t' tube. I lengthened these lines by placin' a strip o' angle iron against t' tube as a guide. Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty!

Side pods. Begad! I cut BT5 tubin' on a 45* angle usin' a razor saw and mini miter box. Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! I drew a circle o' glue on scrap paper and dipped t' BT5's beveled end into it. Then I cut a 1" square o' balsa and pressed t' BT5 onto it. When the glue be dry I trimmed off t' excess balsa and then sanded t' edges flush t' t' tube. Begad! This was repeated for the other two pods. Begad!

Paperin' t' fins and pods. Those old printouts would be used t' paper t' fins. Ya scallywag! T' trick be t' have the unprinted side face outward and avoid usin' creased areas. Avast! I used 3M 77 spray t' stick t' paper t' t' balsa, then trimmed off t' excess paper. Avast, me proud beauty! Worked great as always t' strengthen t' balsa and provide a smooth surface. Arrr! Aye aye! However it was nay an ideal technique for t' side pod "caps". Blimey! Arrr! Trimmin' off t' paper proved t' be difficult because of the bevel. Ya scallywag! It also does nothin' t' cover t' exposed edge o' t' balsa. Avast! Avast, me proud beauty! (Wood Filler would have been a better way to smooth out t' pod tops.)

Small fin attachment. Begad! T' small fins were glued t' t' short side o' t' pods. Arrr! I wanted t' paint t' pod assembly separately but I also didn't want t' glue onto a painted surface. Blimey! These short, small diameter tubes would present very little surface area for glue against t' main BT60 body tube. Begad! Begad! Pretty weak considerin' they'll be packin' A10 motors. Begad! I decided t' beef up t' attachment area. Avast, me proud beauty! Bamboo skewers were cut into six 2-inch dowels. These were tacked in place with CA about 1/8" on each side o' t' BT markings for t' pods. Avast! Arrr! If done right t' pods would rest against both dowels and t' body tube. Mine weren't perfect but close enough that a few thick glue fillets would close t' gaps.

Large fin attachment. Begad! T' 3/16" balsa is so thick that it doesn't rest well against t' curved surface o' the body tube. Avast! Well, blow me down! So I sanded a very shallow channel down t' centerline o' t' fin's root edge. Aye aye! Ahoy! T' fins were then attached to t' body tube with double wood-glue joints. Begad! Two thin white glue fillets were added later. Begad!

Launch lug. Ya scallywag! One into a fin fillet, me bucko, another further up t' body. Begad!

Spacer tube saves t' day. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! A lowly 24mm yellow spacer tube provided materials for both an adapter and a coupler block. Arrr! Aye aye! One end was dipped in glue and then pressed t' a small square o' balsa. Well, blow me down! When dry, arrr, t' excess balsa was trimmed away and sanded flush t' t' tube's edge. This assembly was a loose fit inside BT50 so some Avery label paper, ya bilge rat, matey, printed red t' match t' nose cone color, shiver me timbers, was wrapped around t' spacer tube. Blimey! Blimey! Another piece be used t' cover t' balsa cap. T' spacer tube was then cut in half. Begad!

Payload. Arrr! Begad! T' piece o' spacer that had a cap was glued halfway into t' top o' t' upper body tube. T' payload section be then attached with Testor's glue. Avast! Ya scallywag! T' red color visible through t' clear tubin' balances t' red nose cone shoulder. Ya scallywag!

Transition. Begad! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! T' transition's top was too skinny for BT50, me hearties, so I glued t' other half o' t' 24mm spacer tube onto it. Blimey! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! T' transition's base was too thick, so I used a file t' brin' it down t' BT60 size. Blimey! Blimey! An eye hook was screwed in, then backed out again. Ya scallywag! Blimey! A drop o' wood glue went into t' hole and then t' hook was replaced. Blimey! Blimey!

Finishing:

T' balsa transition was rough and needed t' be filled. Ahoy! I spread undiluted Fill+Finish wood filler around, avoidin' t' shoulders, and then "dry rubbed" it into t' grain with me fingers. Begad! Rub vigorously and the excess F+F comes off, leavin' a smooth surface. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! Almost No sanding! T' fins were paper covered and t' outside + trailin' edges filled with a FnF dry rub. Aye aye! Begad! NO Sanding!! And t' spirals on all t' body tubes were tiny so I opted not to fill them. Well, blow me down! Avast! NO SANDING!!! Sweet. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! In keepin' with t' No Sandin' theme, I skipped t' use o' primer and went straight for t' paint. Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! Besides I was runnin' out o' time before t' contest deadline.

My paint maskin' skills are weak, matey, so from t' beginnin' I had planned t' build process t' avoid this. Avast! Parts would be built into modules, ya bilge rat, then t' modules painted before final assembly. Ya scallywag! I only needed t' mask t' small areas where the pods met t' main body tube, shiver me timbers, betwixt t' bamboo dowels.

T' body got several light coats o' Krylon Semi-gloss White. Avast! T' transition and external motor pods were painted Krylon Silver. Begad! Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! T' silver-colored pods blended right into t' white o' t' body - t' make them stand out more I used a black Sharpie marker t' color t' bamboo rods. Avast! Arrr! T' nose cone be already a nice color red - after extra flashin' was carefully removed I simply coated it with NuFinish. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty!

Decals. Begad! Blimey! I created some classic roll-patterns and other decals in Inkscape. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! These were printed printed on the supplied half-sheet o' Avery label paper. Aye aye! Blimey! T' sheet was sprayed with two light coats o' fixative before t' decals were cut out and applied.

LINK HERE TO DECALS

T' completed rocket had a nice semi-gloss finish overall. I liked it so I did nay try t' apply any clear coat. Arrr! Well, me bucko, blow me down!

Final assembly. Ya scallywag! Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' transition and payload area were then glued together. Aye aye! Blimey! Blimey! T' shock cord was attached with a traditional tri-fold mount. Arrr! Avast! Blimey! T' motor mount was glued in, shiver me timbers, but what t' do about t' gaps? I tore a few chunks of cardboard off t' shippin' box and soaked them in water overnight. Begad! T' layers softened and separated. Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' cardboard was squeezed dry, coated with a little Gorilla glue, ya bilge rat, and wadded into t' motor mount gaps. Arrr! Avast! Blimey!

Flight:

T' rocket was completed on t' day before t' contest deadline! And t' forecast for t' next day be rain! Why did I wait so long? I charged me launch battery that night, shiver me timbers, in case t' weatherman be wrong. Arrr! Begad! Oh yeah, shiver me timbers, and I had to solder together a clip whip too! T' next mornin' thar was drizzle and a heavy low cloud cover, ya bilge rat, me bucko, but just after lunch the clouds lifted a little and t' sprinkles subsided. So it be a race t' t' park!

I might only get one flight in before t' rain came back, shiver me timbers, me hearties, so why nay go for broke? T' central 18mm tubes were loaded with C6-7s and t' outer 13mm tubes got A10-PT's. Motor retention relied on fiction fittin' with maskin' tape. There are no motor blocks in t' pods so a few extra wraps o' narrow tape were wrapped around t' nozzle end t' prevent the A10s from shootin' through t' tops o' t' pods. Avast, me proud beauty! It felt tail heavy so I put a 1 ounce bag o' sand into t' payload section t' move t' CG up. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! Man, me hearties, it took a long time t' prep and hook up 6 motors. Well, me bucko, blow me down!

On ignition thar be plenty o' smoke and fire. Well, blow me down! T' flight be magnificent! Straight and true, me bucko, shiver me timbers, she flew t' maybe 1000 or 1200 feet. Begad! Well, matey, blow me down! Ejection appeared t' be right at apogee (though t' be honest it be hard t' see.)

Recovery:

Both chutes deployed perfectly. One had been attached t' t' middle o' t' shock cord and t' other t' the transition's eye hook. Begad! Blimey! T' rocket descended at a good rate, but a breeze blew it toward t' edge o' t' park. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' good news was it missed t' treeline. Ahoy! Blimey! T' bad news be it went into t' river. Blimey! Blimey! Splashdown! Blimey!

Five o' t' six motors had lit. Ya scallywag! Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! One o' t' outboard A10's still had a plug and igniter in it.

Four motors had swollen with water so badly that I couldn't get them out. Begad! Her impressive maiden flight may be her last. Begad! Blimey! I need t' let t' rocket dry out a bit and see how it goes. Begad!

Summary:

That be me first big cluster rocket and I'm very happy with how it flew. I think I received t' right mix of Parts t' Junk in order t' keep t' competition fun, me bucko, challenging, me bucko, and nay too serious. It be a good way t' find new uses for odd parts, and try new techniques, matey, both for buildin' and flying. Well, matey, blow me down!

I now have some unusual parts left over that can be used t' scratch build other things. Begad! Or they can go back into the pool for next year's contest!!! Blimey!