Art Applewhite Rockets Flying Saucer 29mm (10.25")

Art Applewhite Rockets - Flying Saucer 29mm (10.25") {Kit}

Contributed by Dick Stafford

Manufacturer: Art Applewhite Rockets
Rating
(Contributed - by Dick Stafford - 11/15/02)

Brief:
I don't know what Art is feedin' his saucers, ya bilge rat, but they just seem t' keep gettin' BIGGER. His latest offerin' is 10.25 inches in diameter and flies on 29mm motors. T' construction is almost identical t' his 7.5 and 9-inch saucers, with a few components beefed up a bit. Ahoy! This one is fluorescent orange, but he also offers a 'Texas Special', USAF, shiver me timbers, Stas and Stripes, Smiley Face, and several other solid colors.

Construction:

T' parts are simple, matey, are all o' good quality, and include:

  • Preprinted card stock for t' top and core assembly.
  • One thick 10.25" plastic picnic plate for t' bottom.
  • One thick walled 29mm motor tube
  • One 3/16" launch lug
  • 3/32" basswood fin stock

Tools and materials required:

  • Scissors
  • Exacto knife
  • Elmer's white glue
  • Devcon. Blimey! 2 Ton Epoxy or clear, 30 minute epoxy
  • Clear enamel (Rust-Oleum Crystal Clear or equivalent)
  • Tape (clear or masking)
  • 150 grit sandpaper

This saucer is another easy build. Ya scallywag! Begad! Blimey! There are five pages o' detailed instructions with plenty o' diagrams. White glue is used t' assemble the conical top and core assembly. Well, blow me down! I will re-emphasize t' construction notes about usin' thin layers o' white glue. More does nay help and will only warp the paper. If you follow this guidance, t' results will be nice. Arrr! Begad! Blimey! Art has added some notes about usin' plates and bowls t' hold t' pieces together as they are assembled. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! These techniques worked great, takin' advantage o' t' geometry of the structures t' keep them uniformly in contact with one another. Begad! Once t' top and core are assembled, me bucko, it is time t' add t' plastic plate t' t' bottom. Aye aye! Blimey! He provides a template t' cut out t' center. Unlike its smaller cousins, the plate is epoxied t' t' top assembly. You first sand t' plate t' fit, and then spread a thin layer o' epoxy over t' entire inside o' t' top and core. Ahoy! Blimey! You reinstall t' plate and clamp it down with a suitably sized bowl. Ya scallywag! Blimey! I know this is an odd statement comin' from me (Mr. Begad! Blimey! UseWhatYou'veGot), but use t' Devcon 2-ton epoxy recommended in t' instructions. In a previous experiment, I found that Bob Smith epoxy would bleed through t' cardstock. Avast, me proud beauty! T' fin can assembles with white glue (I used carpenter's glue for this step) like any other set of fins. Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' basswood fin stock is nice and easy t' work with. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Unlike t' smaller saucers, t' fin unit is glued in place, matey, completin' t' assembly.

Finishing:
I sealed t' fins with Fill-and-Finish and painted t' fin can in a camouflage pattern with various day-glow colors. Avast, me proud beauty! I painted 99.9% before installation, me hearties, shiver me timbers, and touched up around t' fillets after it was glued into t' body. Ya scallywag! Finally, per the instructions, I sealed t' cardstock with clear enamel. Looks pretty good if I do say so myself.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
T' recommended motors list includes t' Ellis G35, matey, all Aerotech 29mm SU, and all RMS 29/40-120 reloads. Avast! I flew t' model on a G38 with t' ejection charge removed. Ahoy! I angled t' rod slightly away from t' crowd and almost parallel to the t' t' light wind. T' flight be a real crowd pleaser, me bucko, ya bilge rat, with lots o' black smoke. Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! T' boost started straight (with t' wind) and t' saucer did a half-corkscrew turn into t' wind. Ya scallywag! It gently landed maybe 20 feet from t' pad. I didn't catch a launch shot, me hearties, but you can see t' flight o' a beta-test version at t' top o' this review, also on a G38 (the materials were identical except for t' decoration). Ahoy! On this flight, me bucko, t' winds were stiff so it weathercocked quite a bit, me hearties, as is t' be expected. Ahoy! Nevertheless, arrr, it be also a cool flight.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
Once again, Art has shown himself t' be a master o' simple, elegant designs. This saucer is mostly made out o' common household materials, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, yet it looks great and holds up t' G motors! This is a far cry from me first attempt at a mid-power saucer, which was built like a tank and flew like one too.

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5

Other Reviews
  • Art Applewhite Rockets Flying Saucer 29mm (10.25") By Bob Goffena (November 30, 2009)

    Brief: Won this Art Applewhite saucer kit as part of the 2009 EMRR Rocket Video Contest . www.artapplewhite.com offers numerous cool oddrocs in various styles (saucers, pyramids, monocopters, hourglass/spools, etc) and sizes (i.e. 4" to 18" diameter saucers). I had been thinking about scratch building a saucer for sometime, and am glad I got hold of this kit first. The ...

Comments:

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DAU (July 21, 2003)
The only thing I would improve would be to mark the center of the plate, and the center of the cut out template. If Art were to build a jig for the plate, that centered the plate and poked a center hole, it would be a lot easier to center the template. Other than this, the rocket was an easy built. From start to finish, about 2 hours (including waiting for glue to dry). Flights are fantastic. I've flown it on an F20 and an F23. The rocket rips of the pad, and then drag takes over. The recoveries have been slow and gentle. Since the F20 is one of the loudest little motors out there, this would be a spectacular school demo rocket: loud, colorful, interesting and easy to recover.
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S.S. (October 25, 2003)
With this design, you can burn pounds of AP, one motor at a time! I just flew it today. Winds were steady at 15-20mph. Noone was flying. I put my 29x10.5 Saucer up on a G40 with the ejection charge removed. Despite the wind, she went straight up. It's awesome to see such a small rocket with such a big flame under it. The motors work so hard to achieve such little altitude. The recovery was the best. Mine always stops, turns over and falls gently to the ground! I can't wait to build my 38mm saucer.

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