Scratch Los Alamos Chicken Original Design / Scratch Built

Scratch - Los Alamos Chicken {Scratch}

Contributed by Jeff Lane

Manufacturer: Scratch
(Contributed - by Jeff Lane - 04/19/08) Los Alamos Chick Portrait

Brief:
A large plastic Easter egg with nuclear waste-colored legs bustin' out. Arrr! Ahoy! Blimey! Since it's from Los Alamos, matey, it's a mutant with three legs.

Construction:
T' parts include:

  • 1 8" diameter Easter egg ($1 post-Easter sale at Hobby Town). Ahoy! Ahoy!
  • 1 2" diameter Christmas wrappin' paper tube
  • 1 29mm thin-wall Apogee motor tube
  • 2 foamcore centerin' rings
  • 1 motor clip
  • Keelhaul®©™® and elastic shock cord
  • 1/4" plywood main legs
  • 1/8" plywood toes

It took about 5 hours t' build. Avast, me proud beauty! T' plywood was cut out with a power jigsaw, arrr, me hearties, then two coats o' Giant Leap Megafoam was poured on each side o' t' plywood. T' "overfoam" was cut off all around usin' t' plywood as a guide, then an orbital power sander was used t' fine-shape t' foam. Avast, me proud beauty! Some half-cured Megafoam was dribbled around t' joints where t' two side "toes" are glued on. This serves as good reinforcement and also makes for a yummy "guts" look. T' 29mm motor mount is a standard build, with Keelhaul®©™® shock cord. Arrr! T' legs were glued t' t' 2" scrap Christmas paper core usin' wood glue, matey, which be t' hardest part of t' build. Slots were cut in t' bottom o' t' plastic egg with a Dremel and t' leg-and-tube assembly was slid in and glued usin' Gorilla glue. Arrr! Each time it has landed so far, me hearties, arrr, a leg needs t' be glued back on.

(Scratch) Los Alamos Chicken(Scratch) Los Alamos Chicken

(Scratch) Los Alamos Chicken(Scratch) Los Alamos Chicken

(Scratch) Los Alamos ChickenFlight and Recovery:
T' first flight was on an E23-2, ya bilge rat, matey, but it CATOed and ejected t' chute on t' pad. Ya scallywag! It wasn't big enough anyway, so second flight be on a G71-4 Redline, which worked fine. Well, blow me down! Begad! Minimum recommended motor is an F72-2. Arrr! Recovery system space limits motors t' fairly short ones. An H128 wouldn't fit unless you wanted "featherweight" recovery. Ahoy! Blimey!

Prep is normal. Waddin' and chute. Ahoy! Tight fit required changin' elastic after second flight from scorching. Well, blow me down!

Flight path is a lazy corkscrew (see video). Recovery is good on a 54-inch chute.

Summary:
T' good: it's fun. Avast! Well, blow me down! One comment I especially liked: "It looks like somethin' from Heavy Metal"

T' bad: it's heavy and draggy, shiver me timbers, so it doesn't get much altitude. Aye aye! Aye aye!


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