Brief:
This is a 1.5X upscale o' t' classic Centuri rocket. Begad! This rocket appears in t' early 1970's Centuri catalogs. Blimey! Blimey! Mine flew perfectly but many people had trouble with theirs.
Construction:
Here is what you'll need:
All o' t' nose cones must be hollow so that you can add clay t' them. Blimey! I used a 3.6:1 ogive nose cone for t' weight pod because that's all I had in me parts box. I recommend usin' a shorter or elliptical one if you can.
Whenever buildin' an upscale, I recommend downloadin' all t' instructions and things found on Jim Z's website. Aye aye! I've done many upscales and this is how I get started and build every one o' them.
T' engine choice is critical. Begad! Well, me hearties, blow me down! You can build this t' use either an 18mm or a 24mm motor, matey, but you'll have t' stick t' t' motor choice. T' weight o' t' burnt out motor is critical for this t' fly properly, me hearties, arrr, ya bilge rat, so an adaptor may nay work without havin' t' completely rebalance it betwixt engine sizes. Avast, me proud beauty! I went with an 18mm version.
T' hardest part o' this build is up scalin' t' fin patterns. T' upscale mine, ya bilge rat, I printed various copies o' t' fin pattern found at JimZ's site until I measure them at 1.5x. Well, blow me down! Avast! These big fins fit perfectly on t' 4" width o' t' balsa sheet. Begad! I used a 4" by 36" sheet and had plenty left over for another project.
Draw lines on t' body tube 180° from each other. Avast! Avast! One will be t' attachment point for t' wings and pod and t' other will be t' attachment point for t' tail.
Glue t' two larger fins together t' make t' win' and allow t' dry. Arrr! I laid mine on wax paper butted together and used CA t' glue them. Allow t' dry. Glue win' assembly on t' t' body, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, 2 1/16" from t' motor end. Avast, me proud beauty! This needs t' be done carefully t' keep t' alignment perfect. Well, matey, blow me down! This is a glider and all t' fins must be straight. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! Add t' launch lugs t' t' win' assembly. Well, blow me down! Glue one on each side. Begad! Well, blow me down! This will keep it aerodynamically balanced and helps t' support t' wings.
Glue t' tail "tip" assembly onto t' tail as shown. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! T' aft o' t' tail fin should be 3/8" from t' aft o' t' main tube. Arrr! Make sure everythin' is square. Aye aye! Use generous fillets t' strengthen t' completed assembly.
Build your motor mount as you would any kit. Glue this assembly into t' BT-50 tube. Once this is dry, matey, glue it into t' main body tube underneath t' tail. It must be square with t' wings and tail. Begad! T' only other important thin' here is that t' motor needs t' stick out 1/4" from t' back o' t' rocket. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! This helps balance t' rocket.
Glue t' pod assembly t' t' front o' t' body as shown. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! Blimey! Since I did nay use t' correct pod cones, I had t' place mine further back. Aye aye! Ahoy! Blimey! T' thin' t' know here is that t' further back you glue it, t' more weight will be needed t' balance it for flight.
Assemble t' window assembly and glue it 1/2" from t' front on t' top, arrr, aligned with t' tail assembly. Give it a good soakin' with thin CA.
Finishing:
T' original kit had two color schemes. Begad! One was all blue like a Navy fighter and t' other was white like an Air Force fighter. Ya scallywag! Avast! I went with t' white scheme.
Balancin' must be done after all t' paintin' and finishin' is complete. Aye aye! Blimey! Remove t' large nosecone with t' streamer and set it aside. Arrr! Blimey! This is how t' Mach 10 will weigh when it's flying. Begad! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! Add some clay t' t' front nose cone in t' pod. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! Holdin' it by t' tank pod, gently throw it. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! If it turns up and stalls, you need t' add more weight. Aye aye! Blimey! If it takes a nose dive, me bucko, you have too much weight. Ahoy! Blimey! Keep playin' with it until it glides straight. Ahoy! Blimey! Once you have it balanced and flyin' well, arrr, matey, ya bilge rat, take note o' t' CG.
Now install a new motor, t' streamer, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, waddin' and t' large nose cone. Blimey! Add clay t' t' larger nose cone so that it balances about 2" in front o' t' CG you had in t' previous step. Ahoy! T' further forward it is, me hearties, t' better it will fly in t' "rocket mode"
With everythin' in place, me bucko, shiver me timbers, t' CG is forward o' t' CP. Ahoy! Aye aye! When t' motor ejects t' nosecone and streamer, t' CG shifts back over t' CP and it becomes a glider.
Flight:
I launched this rocket several times before this review with C6 motors. Begad! Blimey! I found that t' 3 second motor worked better than t' 5 second delay. Ahoy! I recommend launchin' it in as little wind as possible because t' wind can catch it and flip it over durin' t' boost phase.
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