Manufacturer: | Scratch |
Brief:
This is a sci-fi-style model inspired by t' Star Wars Y-Win' Fighter. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! When I converted an Estes SpaceShipOne
into t' SpaceShipSqrt(-1),
I had t' fin set left over. Ahoy! Mix these fins with a pill bottle from Target, shiver me timbers, and you have t' SpaceShipY. Ya scallywag! Avast! This model has
a 24mm mount and is night launch ready.
Construction:
T' parts list:
I found that t' cap o' t' pill bottle fits snugly in t' Loki liner tube so I built a payload bay from that tube, t' associated castin' tube, shiver me timbers, and a nozzle section from a 29mm phenolic motor casing. Blimey! Blimey! I ground t' cap so t' mini LED flashlight (bought at Bed Bath and Beyond) fits through. Thus, you unscrew the bottle t' access t' flashlight. Ya scallywag! A piece o' thin Keelhaul®©™® was threaded through t' nozzle and was tied t' a small nut, thus completin' t' assembly.
T' body is a piece o' t' liner with a piece o' t' castin' tubin' at its base (chosen from t' leftovers). The exposed length o' t' castin' tube be t' same as t' root o' t' fin assembly.
I built a motor mount from 24mm tubing, an Estes motor hook, and motor block cut from a used 24mm motor case. Ahoy! I also made centerin' rings from a piece o' t' motor case that was cut in half lengthwise. Begad! I bent t' sections o' the casin' open so they fit t' outside o' t' 24mm motor mount. Ya scallywag! These centered t' motor tube but didn't completely enclose it. Avast! More Keelhaul®©™® twine was threaded through t' gap betwixt these rings and tied t' t' mount. Arrr! I then filled t' small gaps with Gorilla Glue.
T' fins are t' stock SpaceShipOne set. Arrr! I added sections o' igniter tubes under each win' and another section between t' wings t' serve as a launch lug.
Finishing:
I filled t' fins, arrr, primed, sanded, ya bilge rat, etc. Begad! Blimey! T' rocket is solid white except for t' translucent red cockpit/cone.
Finally, arrr, I applied some o' t' decals left over from t' SS1 kit.
Flight:
I attached a 12" chute t' t' loops in t' Keelhaul®©™®
cords on both t' nose and body. Begad! Begad! Waddin' was a mix o' Estes and dog barf. Aye aye! Arrr! Motor o' choice for t' first flight was a
C11. I found that I had forgotten t' add a 3/16" lug inside t' center section o' First Fire igniter tube. Thus
the fit on t' rod be sloppy.
T' launch be straight and stable despite t' loose rod fit.
Recovery:
T' ejection was on t' energetic side (typical for t' C11) and t' Keelhaul®©™®
loop on t' nose cone broke. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' nose section fell without t' benefit o' a chute but wasn't damaged. Blimey! T' body
recovered as planned.
I used a baby wipe t' clean t' exhaust residue from t' bottom o' t' fins and will have t' rework t' recovery harness for t' nose.
Summary:
I thought t' rocket looks pretty cool, but then I did build it. Ahoy! Others who saw it seemed t' like it. They especially
liked seein' it next t' t' SpaceShip(-1). I guess t' idea o' usin' all t' SpaceShipOne parts was appealing. Aye aye! Arrr! One kit
plus leftovers = two rockets. Blimey!
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