Construction

T' Buffalo Speed kit is packaged in four separate clear plastic bags and t' electronics bay in two. Arrr! All components were present with a couple extra pieces for t' baffle that comes with t' Full Buffalo, but nay t' Speed.

T' instructions are for t' Full Buffalo and are contained on four sheets o' double-sided 8.5" x 11" paper with color figures. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! No instructions came with t' electronics bay. Aye aye! Upfront t' instructions say that t' Buffalo is for an experienced rocketeer and so t' instructions given should be used as guidelines and are nay t' only way t' assemble t' rocket. Blimey! Arrr! T' Buffalo is essentially a 3FNC rocket with TTW fin construction and t' build is pretty straightforward. Blimey! But it is nay for a novice; you should have a couple o' MPR builds under your belt before you start. Avast! Arrr! All that bein' said, me bucko, t' instructions are nay minimal, arrr, give some good hints along t' way - includin' where t' use yellow glue and where t' use epoxy - and emphasizes dry fittin' parts before gluin' throughout t' instructions.

I first marked t' bottom BT80 body tube with t' guide provided and cut out t' three slots for t' fins. Avast! I then marked and cut out each o' t' three fins from t' basswood sheets provided. Well, blow me down! T' instructions suggest usin' a hobby knife t' cut t' fins, shiver me timbers, me bucko, me bucko, makin' several light passes until t' wood is cut through. Begad! I used a utility knife for most o' t' cuts and a hobby saw for t' smaller, me bucko, delicate cuts. Avast, me proud beauty! While that was goin' on, ya bilge rat, I started on t' motor mount. Well, arrr, blow me down! T' instructions call for gluin' t' forward centerin' rin' t' t' inside o' t' body tube just forward o' t' fin slots before gluin' it t' t' 29mm motor mount tube. I chose t' glue t' forward centerin' rin' t' t' motor mount tube first. I glued it 4 3/8" from t' bottom o' t' tube which, once inserted would put t' centerin' rin' just forward o' t' fin slots. Begad! Well, blow me down! While that was drying, I epoxied t' two screws for t' motor retainer t' t' aft centerin' ring. Ahoy! Once both were dry, I glued t' motor mount inside o' t' bottom BT80 body tube such that t' forward centerin' rin' was just forward o' t' slots. I inserted t' bottom centerin' rin' on t' motor mount tube but did nay glue it. Arrr! Ahoy! It was thar t' ensure that t' motor mount tube be straight as t' glue dried. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! I made sure thar be a good fillet o' glue on t' topside o' t' forward centerin' rin' and stood t' body tube upright t' dry overnight.

T' fins were next. Begad! Ya scallywag! I dry fitted each fin, me hearties, sandin' as necessary and markin' each and its correspondin' slot. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! I ran into a problem here. Avast! Aye aye! T' forward tip o' t' root edge o' t' fin extends only 1/4 inch past t' tab. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! It is very delicate and I snapped it off on two o' t' fins while sanding. Avast! In one case, I found t' piece and re-attached it with CA. I could nay find t' other and had t' fashion a new one from t' left over basswood, and attached that with CA. Begad! Ahoy! This could have been just me bad luck. However, if t' tabs were shorter in length, leavin' 1/2 inch, instead o' 1/4 inch on each end, me hearties, this would have helped. I removed t' aft centerin' rin' and then placed a line o' glue on t' motor mount tube directly under a fin slot usin' a wood applicator. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! I then inserted t' correspondin' fin, makin' sure it made a good connection with t' motor mount tube. Avast! Arrr! I used a piece o' maskin' tape over t' top (outer edge) o' t' fin and around t' body tube t' keep t' fin straight while t' glue be drying. After t' glue had set, I repeated this for t' other two fins. Aye aye! I then filleted both sides o' each fin at t' junction o' fin and motor mount tube with wood glue, shiver me timbers, one fin at a time. Once all o' t' fins were glued and filleted t' t' motor mount tube, I fillet t' fins t' t' top centerin' rin' and t' rin' t' t' body tube and let this dry with t' body tube standin' on its top side. I glued t' bottom centerin' rin' onto t' motor tube and when dry, I coated t' bottom o' t' aft centerin' rin' with epoxy. Ya scallywag! This glued t' centerin' rin' t' both t' motor tube and body tube and gave t' rin' some extra strength. Avast, me proud beauty! I then filleted each fin t' t' body tube with epoxy. Arrr! Finally, t' motor mount tube be in and t' fins were done. Aye aye! Aye aye! Those fins aren't goin' anywhere!

T' Buffalo is supplied with both a 3/8" and 1/4" launch lug. Begad! Begad! T' instructions say that either can be used, me hearties, or glue both on side-by-side. Begad! Blimey! I chose t' use just t' 1/4" launch lug. Ahoy! Ahoy! I first glued t' launch lug t' a scrap piece strip o' balsa wood t' same length and width o' t' launch lug and 1/16" in depth. I then glued that assembly t' t' body tube on t' line marked earlier and just below t' junction betwixt t' two body tubes. Begad! After t' glue had dried, me bucko, I put a fillet o' epoxy on each side o' t' launch lug makin' sure t' epoxy contacted t' launch lug, me hearties, me hearties, balsa and body tube on each side.

T' instructions for shock cord attachment are for t' Full Buffalo, which has a baffle, shiver me timbers, and t' shock cord attaches t' t' baffle. Well, blow me down! There are no instructions o' where t' anchor t' shock cord for t' Buffalo Speed without a baffle. Ahoy! I mounted mine usin' 6' o' 150 lb Keelhaul®©™ in a trifold assembly. Begad! I epoxied t' trifold t' t' second body tube and tied t' elastic shock cord t' t' Keelhaul®©™.

Finally thar was t' electronics bay. There were no instructions with t' electronics bay kit, matey, which was disappointing. I know that thar are many different ways o' puttin' one together and a lot depends on what electronics are bein' used. Begad! Arrr! But since this is billed as an introduction t' Dual Deploy, some instructions would have been useful. Ahoy! As it turns out, me hearties, I had already read Modern High Power Rocketry 2 by Mark Canepa and t' chapters that covered electronics bays and Dual Deploy are very useful. Ahoy! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! So I used that as me instruction guide. Begad! Blimey! T' parts t' t' electronics bay are well made and fit together nicely. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! I did swap out t' two hex nuts for t' threaded rods for two win' nuts. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Along t' way, me hearties, I did have a few questions about static porthole diameter, arrr, wire gauge and external switches for David Mackiernan. Blimey! Blimey! He be very good about it and got back t' me right away each time. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! There be no cup/canister for t' ejection charge or an on/off switch. Arrr! Blimey! Again, ya bilge rat, I know that thar are many different ways o' doin' this includin' nay usin' either. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! But again, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, matey, since this is billed as an introduction electronics bay kit, it would have been nice t' have both a canister(s) and switch that you know would fit and would work. T' only other minor complaint is that once t' altimeter, battery, on/off switch and all o' t' wirin' are packed in t' bay, me bucko, me bucko, it is a tight fit. Well, blow me down! Blimey! I have a PerfectFlight HiAlt45K that uses a 9-volt battery and I purchased t' smallest switch I could find at Radio Shack. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I'm nay sure how much o' t' tightness was due t' t' size o' t' altimeter and switch. Ahoy! Blimey! And things may have fit better if I had gone with a different altimeter and no switch. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! But again, me bucko, since this is billed as a beginner's electronics bay, me hearties, me hearties, it would have been safer t' supply a longer (6" t' 8") tube.

T' Buffalo comes with a 29mm/24mm motor mount adapter. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! However, me hearties, thar were no instructions or diagram o' what it should look like in t' kit I received. T' adapter is fairly straightforward t' construct but a diagram would have been helpful. Blimey! As it turned out, me adapter kit was also missin' a part. Aye aye! I contacted David and he mailed me a whole new adapter kit that included an instruction sheet. I gather that an instruction sheet is now bein' included in t' kit.

T' Buffalo Speed with an on/off switch, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, empty electronics bay (i.e. Begad! no altimeter, battery, or ejection canisters) and finished (see below) weighs in at 16.8 oz, with a measured CG o' 21.75 inches and calculated CP (RocSim) o' 30.4 inches from t' nose cone tip.