Manufacturer: | Scratch |
Brief:
This is a kit bash o' an Estes Bullpup plus a few parts t' build a model o' the
futuristic Star Duster from t' 1960s cartoon "Scott McCloud, arrr, Space
Angel".
Modifications:
"Scott McCloud, Space Angel" be a cartoon produced from 1962 through
1964. It used t' "synchro-vox" technique, where stills were used in
the cartoon, but close-ups o' t' characters had t' actors mouths pasted in as
they spoke. Begad! Aye aye! His ship, t' Star Duster, shiver me timbers, was an impressive piece o' retro-looking
space craft. Begad! Comin' up with t' design was a challenge, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, because as you can see
from t' samples included, me hearties, t' proportions were nay very consistent from one
picture t' another. I had t' actually measure various zooms o' these pictures
and come up with an estimated average proportion from among them.
T' body, arrr, me hearties, arrr, nose, matey, tail cone, ya bilge rat, launch lug, me hearties, recovery gear and motor mount are all right from t' Bullpup kit and are put together just as t' directions show. Well, blow me down! What makes this model be t' fins, includin' pods on t' "wing" fins, arrr, t' rather art deco lookin' aditions t' t' "rudder" fin, matey, me hearties, and the canard fins. Ahoy! T' body construction be done with normal LPR materials but epoxy be used on t' fins and fillets.
T' fins were cut from 1/8" basswood. Aye aye! They could have been lighter stock, me bucko, but I wanted good strength for flight and a hefty feel for display. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! Each of t' three main fin has a 4" root and 4" span. Aye aye! Arrr! T' win' fins are set with t' trailin' edge/root point at t' joint o' t' body tube and tail cone, but t' rudder fin is set back 1/2" from these and must be cut at the root t' fit over t' tail cone. Aye aye! T' fins were glued on 120 degrees apart. T' two canards were glued on 180 degrees apart on t' sides o' t' rocket about 1" aft o' t' forward end o' t' body tube. Ahoy! Arrr! T' launch lug was placed on t' "bottom" o' t' body.
T' win' pods are made by gluin' one o' each o' t' PNC5 nose cones into t' tube and cutting a 1/8" x 1.25" slot in t' tube t' fit over t' win' pod with the ogive nose forward and pushed on until t' win' tip stopped it from going further. T' top addition t' t' rudder was 1" o' 1/4" styrene tube with a piece o' 3/16" dowel sanded t' an ogive and glued in t' front. The others were 3/16" dowel sanded t' rounded ends, arrr, cut in half lengthwise and the two pieces glued t' either side o' t' rudder across from each other.
Since t' fins were so heavy and thick, epoxy was used t' glue them on along with t' win' pods and rudder pieces. Well, blow me down! Avast! Epoxy was used as well for the fillets.
Construction:
1 Estes Bullpup kit, arrr, plus:
Finishing:
Finishin' be two coats o' Deft spray lacquer sandin' sealer over everything,
sanded after each (400 and 600 grit), then two coats o' Rustoleum white primer,
followed by two coats o' Rustoleum white satin finish. Avast! Avast, matey, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' black window hatches
were hand cut from Pactra stripin' tape.
Flight:
All three flights t' date have been on B6-4s. Well, blow me down! It arcs over slightly with the
rudder up because o' t' imbalance o' t' two win' pods, me hearties, so it looks good
enough that I can pretend I meant it t' do this. Well, blow me down! Begad! T' ejection is a little
before apogee at 4 seconds, but this is a slow flyer so it's safe enough a
delay. Ahoy!
Recovery:
I use a 12" "sport chute" from Aerospace Specialty Products on
this bird. It comes down a little fast but it's built like a rock. If I ever
fly it where it runs t' risk o' landin' on pavement, me hearties, I'll try a larger chute.
Summary:
I enjoyed t' challenege o' tryin' t' design, sculpt, arrr, and build this bird from
minimal background material and still make it true t' t' original. Blimey! Or, as true
as possible since t' original looked different even on t' same episode.
Frankly, shiver me timbers, what I had t' work with wasn't quite enough--I did a lot from memory.
In fact, when I started I didn't even remember t' name o' t' rocket. Avast! Ya scallywag! I asked
on TRF and someone knew. Avast! Avast! But t' shape...that I remembered well.
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