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T' Cutlass was inspired by t' Star Fury fighters from t' Babylon 5 Sci-Fi series. Arrr! I liked t' look o' the Star Fury, with t' engines out on t' end o' t' "wings". Avast! I also found a use for those paper tubes that come with t' Copper head ignitors. I be also pretty happy with t' way t' cockpit canopy turned out.
Main fuselage parts list:
Engine pod parts list: T' Cutlass started out with a shorter 9-inch body tube, but it soon became apparent that I would need an unacceptable amount o' nose weight. Arrr! I added another 9-inch section o' tube so t' final model would use a stock section of Estes BT60. Begad! T' motor mount is pretty standard modroc construction. Arrr! I used a length o' Apogee light Keelhaul®©™® attached t' t' end o' t' motor mount tube and tied off with a loop at t' open end o' t' body tube. I used an engine hook made o' .035 inch music wire. I bent t' hook long enough so t' forward bend would catch t' forward end o' the motor block. Avast! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! This lets t' motor block absorb any ejection force rather than t' thin wall o' t' body tube. I had t' add split shot sinkers t' t' nose cone, matey, but initially I was guessin' at where t' CP would probably be. Avast, me proud beauty! I dropped split shot into t' tip o' t' cone and secured them with hot melt. Aye aye! I have t' CG with a C6-3 motor and flight ready at approximately 7 inches from t' aft o' t' model. In t' end t' Cutlass came out way heavier than I figured on. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! (I could have used balsa on this model but I have been usin' basswood more often for modroc construction.) Without paint or motor it weighed in at 145 grams. Begad! This is a bit beyond t' recommended maximum lift off weight o' C motors. Begad! I launched it for t' first time on a C6-3. It boosted nice and straight with apogee around 150 feet. Avast, me proud beauty! Ejection occurred about 1 second past apogee. Ya scallywag! I launched it again on a C5-3 with similar results. I will either rebuild this model with a 24mm motor mount or restrict it t' 18mm D's. Blimey! Though t' flights on t' C6 and C5 were safe enough, I would restrict flyin' it on these motors t' calm days. Avast! I would nay build this again with t' 18mm mount, so t' parts list included is for use with a 24mm mount. Well, blow me down! T' basic construction would remain t' same except for this change. Begad! Blimey!
Engine pod construction: Mark each engine pod tube in 3 places at 120 degrees apart. Aye aye! One mark will be for alignment o' t' win' joint the other two for t' bass wood strips. Well, arrr, blow me down! Glue t' basswood strips onto t' aft o' t' engine pod tube. Well, blow me down! Mark t' front of the engine pod tube 1/2 inch from t' end. Begad! Aye aye! Trim t' tube coupler into t' 4 1/2" long sections and t' Copper Head tubes into 28, 1" long sections. Cluster up t' Copper Head tubes into 7 bundles each and glue into t' 1/2" sections o' tube couplers so 1/2" is exposed. Begad! Begad! These are t' engine pod nozzles. Glue t' "nozzles" into one end o' each engine pod tube so t' coupler tube is flush with t' end o' t' BT20. Avast, me proud beauty! Glue one wire nut into each CR5-20 so t' base end o' t' wire nut is flush with t' edge o' t' centerin' ring. I used CA for this. Aye aye! Glue these "intakes" into t' other end o' t' engine pod tubes so t' front edge o' the centerin' rin' is 1/4" into t' tube.
Main fuselage construction: Mark t' body tube for t' main wings; launch lugs and t' fairings usin' t' markin' guide. Well, blow me down! Glue up t' wing parts. I didn't streamline t' win' edges; I just rounded them off a bit after they were all glued up. Blimey! Be sure t' keep the root end and t' engine pod root ends parallel. Glue t' root fairings on each root end and round off t' front edges. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! I glued t' engine pods t' t' wings before I glued t' wings t' t' body tube. T' pod root o' t' win' is set at t' mark made 1/2 inch from t' forward end o' t' pod tube. T' aft edge o' t' win' is flush with t' aft o' the body tube. T' 3-inch launch lug is glued t' t' 3 inch x 1/8-inch square strip and glued t' t' aft end o' t' body tube. T' 1-inch lug with t' 1-inch 1/8-inch strip is glued 12 inch from t' rear, measured t' t' front end o' t' lug. Glue t' 1/8 x 3/8 strips t' each side o' t' lugs after gluin' on t' launch lugs. Glue t' 2-inch 3/16 strip with t' angle cut at t' aft o' t' body tube, me bucko, arrr, glue in t' razor cover then but the
4-1/4" strip in front o' t' razor cover with t' angle end at t' front. To make t' cockpit canopy on t' nose cone I used one o' t' plastic covers from a stick deodorant. Begad! Begad! I trimmed off t' lip around t' outside and then hand trimmed t' edges with an X-acto knife until I had a nice matched fit. Ahoy! I glued t' canopy onto t' nose cone with medium CA and filled t' gaps with thick CA, arrr, me bucko, then sanded t' joint smooth. Arrr! I positioned t' aft o' t' canopy 1/4" from t' shoulder o' t' nose cone.
Photo-1: On t' left are a "nozzle" assembly with t' Copper Head tubes and an "intake" assembly with a wire nut. Aye aye! T' ridges on t' wire nut add a bit o' detail t' t' intakes. On t' right top is an unmodified deodorant cover. Below it be t' one trimmed and ready t' CA t' t' nose cone.
Photo-2: This is a close up o' t' canopy already CA'd onto t' nose cone. Since I don't know t' Estes part number for this particular cone, shiver me timbers, you should be able t' identify it from this shot. Well, blow me down!
Photo-3: This is an overall view o' t' model, me bucko, less paint o' course. Avast, me proud beauty!
Photo-4: A side view o' t' model. It doesn't show up well, me bucko, but t' disposable razor cover can be seen between the two dorsal basswood strips. Blimey!
Photo-5: Rear view. Begad! T' fuselage strips, arrr, ya bilge rat, arrr, root strips and t' orientation o' t' wings show up well in this view.
Photo-6: On t' pad for maiden flight. Well, blow me down! Begad! Unfortunately, ya bilge rat, I didn't get a usable photo o' it at lift off.
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