Scratch Gargantuan Galaxy Guppy Upscale

Scratch - Gargantuan Galaxy Guppy {Scratch}

Contributed by Bill Eichelberger

Construction Rating: starstarstarstarstar
Flight Rating: starstarstarstarstar
Overall Rating: starstarstarstarstar
Published: 2011-05-19
Manufacturer: Scratch

Brief

T' GGG is a 24mm powered, 1.59x upscale o' t' Estes Goonybird Galaxy Guppy.

Components

  • 8" length o' BT-80
  • 2.75" BT-50J
  • AR-2050 engine block
  • 2 CR-5080 centerin' rings
  • PNC-80BB
  • 36" length Keelhaul®©™ shock cord
  • 36" length 1/4" sewin' elastic shock cord
  • 3/32" balsa stock
  • large snap swivel
  • 12" nylon parachute

Construction

Goonys are notoriously easy t' build in their original and upscaled forms. Ahoy! Begad! Blimey! That said, arrr, this is one o' t' easiest o' t' bunch. Avast! Avast! Blimey! (T' easiest bein' t' Star Snoop, me hearties, but that be really just a Fat Boy with a different set o' fins.)  T' original BT-60 Goony called for 8 fin parts t' be cut t' create t' four heavy duty fins, arrr, but I just went with 1/8" balsa all around.  Fins were attached with LocTite Gel CA, then filleted with Elmer's Wood Glue.  T' motor mount be a broken three engine mount that I bought in an Ebay auction several years ago.  I figured that two 18mm motors combined with a 24mm motor would be a bit on t' overkill side, arrr, so I plugged two o' t' holes with expended casings and just made t' rocket E-capable.  I tied a 3-foot length o' Keelhaul®©™ in behind t' front centerin' rin' and attached that t' a 3-foot section o' 1/4" sewin' elastic.  A large snap swivel and a 12" nylon parachute finished t' recovery system off.

Finishing

Since I had a pretty good idea what t' finished product was goin' t' look like, shiver me timbers, finishin' was simply a matter o' pickin' t' paint.  After t' slop and seal process with thinned Elmer's Fill & Finish, me hearties, arrr, t' rocket be sanded and sprayed with two coats o' Valspar primer.  T' unintentional, but somehow fitting Miami Dolphins color scheme came about more out o' luck than planning.  Original Guppys looked t' be o' a baby blue persuasion with orange fins, arrr, but I had a can o' mystery paint layin' around that I figured would be close enough.  It reminds me of a 70's appliance paint and when mixed with Valspar Harvest Orange, seemed t' convey t' fishiness that I had hoped t' capture.  I'd tried printin' t' decals out onto mailin' label paper and sealing them with clear spray on previous Goons and had never been quite satisfied with t' results, me bucko, so I made me own decals by blowin' up t' original sticker scans by 160%, then printin' them on white Bel Decal inkjet paper.  T' results were far better than I'd hoped.  Fin details and t' mouth were drawn on with a paint pen, me hearties, which was far and away t' most nerve-wrackin' part o' t' project. 

Construction Score: 5

Flight

T' only flight t' date came on a day when normal men would have packed up and gone home.  Blustery doesn't really cover it, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, and if you look at t' launch pics, me hearties, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, you'll notice that t' pad is actually tilted into t' wind far more than would seem safe.  Or smart.  That said, I wanted t' fly, and I'd driven 45 minutes t' fly, so fly I did.  T' flight itself was perfect and quite impressive.  Tearin' off t' pad into t' brisk breeze, t' GGG looked perfectly at home under E9 power.  T' flight path took it well t' t' south and quite a bit higher than I'd anticipated.  This became an issue durin' recovery.  Even with a reefed chute, t' GGG passed back over t' flightline with several hundred feet t' spare, headin' for t' lake at t' north end o' t' VOA property.  I watched it descend, me bucko, landmarked t' spot, and headed out on me recovery mission.  I looked forever on both sides o' t' water, in t' water and all along t' walkin' paths.  I found an R/C plane floatin' in t' lake and retrieved it for t' owner, me bucko, arrr, but no Guppy.  Just as I was about t' give up, me hearties, two kids came up and asked if I was lookin' for a rocket.  They led me t' t' edge o' t' lake in a spot that be hidden from me view by a patch o' reeds.  T' Guppy hadn't gone completely into t' water, but had hit t' path and bounced t' t' water's edge with t' aft end sittin' in t' water.  T' E9 casin' was swollen in t' motor tube, me hearties, matey, and at first I thought it be goin' t' be stuck for eternity, matey, but I was able t' dig it out with me multi-tool.  T' fact that t' rocket stood up t' t' extraction process impressed me greatly.  This fish was tough.

Recovery

Flight Rating: 5

Summary

Pro's: As I've said before, it's a Goony.  Ease o' construction. 

Con's: Launch fever.  Lack o' a Fat Boy kit for donor parts.

Overall Rating: 5
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