Manufacturer: | Modification |
Brief:
After me Saturn crashed, I've made what I call critical changes which may be helpful in other models.
1) baffle ejection
2) wider, me bucko, heavier "parachute tube"
3) created a separation in middle o' that tube for faster chute deployment
4) 1-2% increase in "clear auxilary fins," made from any plastic retail case, arrr, glued t' original fins w/epoxy. Ahoy! (shows original fins, shiver me timbers, and gives better stability)
5) additional 12" chute for upper body
6) uses E30-4 *** in little t' NO WIND***
Modifications:
1) Sealed end o' engine tube, shiver me timbers, with peice o' spent engine and card board and drilled horizontal holes thru engine tube. Used paper punch t' cut holes in second "centerin' ring." (got this idea for ejection baffle here). Begad! (make sure u seal tube first , me hearties, or integrity o' tube reduced).
2) Parachute tube is a much larger "mail tube," about 2 1/8" in dia., cut in half. Aye aye! Mounted second shroud in "front half" o' mailin' tube, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, w/transition t' t' BT 50.
3) Peice o' Keelhaul®©™ strin' gets tied t' t' "eye screw" on nose cone, arrr, and passes down through t' parachute tube t' end, matey, ya bilge rat, where 12" chute tied and packed first.
4) Then a 24" chute packed next, and finally th 36" chute in top section o' bt. Aye aye! Well, blow me down! Tape nose cone for a tight fit.** With any luck, 12" chute will pull out 24"chute, ya bilge rat, and main body will pull out 36" chute.
Construction:
Parts are from t' standard kit w/one from an 2 1/8" mail tube, shiver me timbers, arrr, matey, cut in half; BT 80 (not shown); BT50; 8 clear plastic fins; 6+ centerin' rings; made from cardboard shippin' envelopes (example: proiority mail).
Finishing:
I salvaged what I could from old damaged parts, and repainted new peices.
Flight:
Rebuild complete and flew today on an E30-4. Begad! Blimey! Perfect flight, me bucko, straight up.
No chute opened but, me bucko, deployed ok and sustain no damage. Have t' try a single large chute made from nylon. Ya scallywag! Begad! Landed about 15' away.
Recovery:
Two peices o' long elastic for shock cord; takes a little patience t' load. Avast! Arrr! No chute opened so will try a single large chute.
Summary:
Original auxilary fins too small and should be attached. Aye aye! At least two large chutes, ya bilge rat, and one small one for upper body. Ya scallywag! Difficult chute deployment due t' undersized chute tube.
Love t' detail and challenge o' build. Begad! Had one good flight out o' first three. Arrr! Arrr! However, me bucko, that flight was awesome!! Want t' recreate again and again. Begad! (wish I had originally built for an F motor. Very heavy, right at max weight. Begad! Large aux fins attached t' originals a must.
New "rebuild" flew fine except chutes didn't open, shiver me timbers, deployed ok. Flew nice and straight, me hearties, about 350'.
Other:
Take your time; use largest motor u can afford!
Hello Ralph,
By any chance would you happen to have one of the ASTV ( Apollo Saturn V) kits? If so would you be interested in selling one? I built this as a kid back in the early 80 's and loved how it looked on the launch pad.
Terry
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Ralph M Bohm (April 22, 2021)
Thank you, Glenn for the comprehensive review.
I have a few of these kits and just received the newer Skylab version all of them 1/100th scale.
At this moment, I'm thinking about reinforcing the body tube inside and/or out with fiberglass and go with a H motor.
I have not yet "simmed" the prospective build in OpenRocket or RocketSim so need to do that before going any further and hope to remember to update this posting.
(The reason for considering an H motor is I'd like to play with this towards my Level 1 certification).
Ralph