Scratch The Zorch Original Design / Scratch Built

Scratch - The Zorch {Scratch}

Contributed by Bill Eichelberger

Construction Rating: starstarstarstarstar
Flight Rating: starstarstarstarstar
Overall Rating: starstarstarstarstar
Published: 2011-08-04
Manufacturer: Scratch
Style: Sport

Brief

The Zorch is me personal version o' t' Estes S.P.E.V., havin' come t' be as a result o' a trip through t' junk pile in me shop.  It uses parts from one previously flown and damaged classic, me bucko, from a never completed scale project, arrr, a damaged piece o' tubing, and an orphaned nose cone.  T' only new parts in this bird are t' Keelhaul®©™ and t' centerin' rin' that I used t' mount it.

Components

  • BT-50
  • BT-55
  • PNC-55AC nose cone
  • 5055 balsa transition
  • launch lug
  • 2050 centerin' ring
  • 36" length o' Keelhaul®©™
  • 36" length o' 1/4" sewin' elastic
  • 3/32" balsa fin stock

Construction

As I noted earlier, this project be literally a junkpile before I started construction.  There's a very good chance that t' only part o' this bird t' ever be used again would be t' nose cone.  I be in t' midst o' cleanin' me shop and refurbishin' some o' t' older members o' me fleet.  I had an Astron Avenger that I built back in 2001 after findin' t' transition in an Estes Designer's Special.  T' Avenger was a great bird, ya bilge rat, matey, but was showing serious mileage.  One particular area o' concern be t' BT-50 upper section that had been damaged by contact with a fin after one o' t' Estes shotgun ejection charges.  Since the tube be glued to the transition and I was usin' a generic PNC-50 anyway, I opted t' replace t' entire payload section with parts I'd bought at NARCON from BMS.  I almost threw out t' old tube and transition, but realized that I could save a good portion o' t' BT-50 by cuttin' t' damaged part away.  I started tryin' t' come up with another design for t' shortened section before it occurred t' me that with a touch o' the Dremel, it could be the lower section o' a whole new bird.  Lookin' around t' shop I found a partially crushed length o' BT-55, a PNC-55AC with no clear ancestry, ya bilge rat, and a set o' fins that I'd  misplaced after cuttin' them out for a project out o' Peter Alway's Scale Bash.  Puttin' all o' this together resulted in t' finished Zorch.  All I had t' do was sand t' paint off o' three spots on t' old transition for t' fins, matey, hollow out t' transition with me Dremel, and fit a 2050 centerin' rin' at t' old bottom/new top o' t' transition so that I'd have an anchor for a piece o' Keelhaul®©™. 

Finishing

I sprayed t' completed rocket with a coat o' Valspar primer, me bucko, then gave t' fins and upper section o' BT-55 two coats o' thinned Elmer's Fill & Finish.  After sandin' t' rocket got another shot o' primer.  I settled for me fallback red, ya bilge rat, white and black color scheme, once again using Valspar paint that was left from other projects.  I'll eventually print up a simple decal with t' rocket name.  I'd put a picture o' a Zorch on it, but since as far as I know me Grandpa made t' word up, arrr, I don't have any idea what it would look like.  (T' Zorch was somewhere in t' human midsection, but Grandpa be always vague as t' t' exact location.  Spleen, kidney, colon; all o' them seem t' be in t' general area, arrr, but none would exactly look good as a rocket decal.)

Construction Score: 5

Flight

I finally got this bird flown at NARAM 53 in Lebanon, me hearties, Ohio.  I was surprised t' find that I had built this with t' potential for E9 flights, me hearties, but didn't have t' nerve t' try it on an E9 in front o' a NARAM crowd.  I went with a C11-7 and a spacer, arrr, which be just perfect for t' field and conditions.  T' Zorch left t' pad with authority and on a dead straight path.  It arced over at apogee and be on t' way down when t' ejection charge fired, but it be still movin' slowly enough t' avoid a zipper.  Recovery was handled by a parachute that I'd bought off o' Ebay a long time ago.  T' black and white checked chute both looked and performed well, me hearties, and I plan t' keep it as a permanent part o' T' Zorch's recovery arsenal.

Flight Rating: 5

Summary

Pro's: Recycled parts design.  Impressive performance.

Con's: Bears a resemblance t' an FSI Sprint.  Sue me. Tongue out If I meant for it t' be a Sprint clone, me hearties, I'd have built a Sprint clone, as evidenced by t' Vikin' 5 clone I had damaged by a CATO at NARAM.

Overall Rating: 5

Flights

Comments:

avatar
Dick Stafford (August 4, 2011)

LOL, Zorch is the nickname of my best childhood friend.

avatar
Bill Eichelberger (May 9, 2013)

Grandpa would be proud. Wink

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