Public Missiles - Bull Puppy {Kit}

Public Missiles Bull Puppy

Public Missiles - Bull Puppy {Kit}

Contributed by Casey Smith

Construction Rating:
Flight Rating:
Overall Rating:

Length:	27.75 inches
Manufacturer:	Public Missiles
Style:	Scale

Photo courtesty o' PML Rocket Pic

Brief:
Scale-like rocket o' t' big brother PML Bulldog. Ahoy! Excellent military styling, matey, good experience here with boat-tails.

Construction:
T' new Bull Puppy comes with t' nice Quantum Tubin' (pre slotted for TTW fin attachment), a PML nosecone, G-10 fiberglass main and canard fins, matey, me bucko, and piston ejection system. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! It comes with 2 centerin' rings, one that goes in t' main 3" tube and one at t' aft end o' t' motor mount in t' boat-tail. Begad! Ahoy! T' piston strap is about 30" long, t' nylon shock cord is about 3 feet long, t' parachute is 36". T' chute is a nice purple and yellow, matey, me bucko, me bucko, easily visible with 8 shroud lines.

This was me first PML kit and be extremely easy t' build. Ya scallywag! I had just completed upscalin' an Estes Strikefighter (3x) and I be lookin' for a solid rocket t' level 1 on and still be able t' use for 38mm motors. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! This kit be perfect. As with most PML kits, if you are an experienced builder, t' instructions are very straight forward and easy t' follow. Ya scallywag! They tell you t' yes and no's o' what t' do, plus have nice drawings t' illustrate t' point.

T' only real problem that I had with t' kit was puttin' t' fillets on t' wings on t' boat-tail, and puttin' a positive retention system on t' motor mount. I ended up puttin' a small hole next t' t' pre-cut spots for t' wings, me bucko, t' make little "epoxy rivets". Ahoy! I had t' sand t' area around t' wings extensively t' get a good seal with t' epoxy. Ahoy! I used both Pacer Corporation epoxy and Devcon epoxy (30 minute) t' see if it was an epoxy problem, arrr, but it be not. Ahoy! It is just difficult t' glue things t' what essentially is a cut off nose cone.

I solved t' motor retention after a suggestion from a friend, I ran 2 pieces o' coat hanger wire from t' aft centerin' rin' along t' motor mount t' t' end and bent them down a little. Avast, me proud beauty! I bent t' other end o' them up and epoxied them t' t' forward portion o' t' aft centerin' ring. I had t' use a small dowel with a piece o' 220 grit sandpaper t' sand a tract on t' inside o' t' boat-tail, ya bilge rat, matey, so thar be room when you slide it on for assembly. I also sundered them together. T' result is a upgraded Estes clip system.

I cut up a ironin' board cover and made that into t' protective cover for t' piston strap. Arrr! I also glued a piece o' fiberglass cloth from WalMart t' t' inside o' t' piston, me bucko, thus further protectin' and strengthenin' t' unit. Aye aye! I also glassed t' motor mount t' strengthen it. Blimey! Check PML's website FAQ'S for strengthenin' if you want t' build an extremely strong rocket, me bucko, ya bilge rat, or one that will be takin' large engines. DO it strong t' first time right? Practice glassin' on t' inside, so if you mess up no one sees it. Blimey! Ahoy! You can also put minimally expandin' foam in t' boat-tail before you glue it t' t' main tube for increased strengthening. MAKE SURE YOU LET THE FOAM CURE PER INSTRUCTIONS ON THE CAN OR IT COULD DESTROY YOUR ROCKET!!! After curing, me bucko, epoxy t' t' main tube.

Finishing:
I use a 220 grit t' sand t' whole model, matey, and then prime it with Duplicolor primer. Begad! You can get this at most WalMart's or auto store. Blimey! Ahoy! They have it in a few different colors, me hearties, be sure and get t' filler/sealer, nay just sealin' primer, me hearties, it has more solid in it. Begad! Do nay be afraid t' sand/prime, shiver me timbers, sand/prime. Ya scallywag! You should have a nice glass like finish on t' model. Ya scallywag! Begad! I like t' use Krylon White for t' kit, but your favorite white will do. Begad! Let a few light coats dry first before you go for t' gusto. Arrr! Ahoy! This way you will see what needs more sandin' or where t' problem areas are. Begad! T' rest o' t' directions are very clear, and you can be like me, take it t' an auto body shop, buy t' paint, and have them paint, clear coat it. It will shine!!!! Good Luck!!

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
Aerotech's G40-4 goes great in this kit for a first flight with an 29mm adapter, or in small fields. Well, blow me down! I will be flyin' it on 29mm H220's mostly, but plan on usin' I357's and I300's in it at our high power launches. Blimey! I used a standard LOC 29-38 motor mount adapter, but added a longer 29mm tube and also another set o' rings and this is very strong. Begad! Ya scallywag! I have flown mine twice now out o' me yard on a G40 and G80. Begad! It went just as t' motor predictor on PML's site said it would.

Recovery:
This is a strong kit, it deploys with a nice POP and landin' on t' road in 10+ MPH winds caused some paint damage, shiver me timbers, but none t' t' integrity o' t' kit. Beautiful straight boosts!

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
Main PRO- excellent kit t' level 1 on (I used me Cosmodrome Nike Apache instead) and t' explore t' range o' 38mm motors on, strong enough t' take them all. Avast! It is a classic example o' PML quality. Main CON- figurin' out positive motor retention, shiver me timbers, makin' sure you sand t' piston enough so it slides freely!

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5

Other Reviews

Public Missiles Bull Puppy By Lucas Kalathas (November 15, 2007)
Presented with written permission from RocketyPlanet: Product Review by Lucas Kalathas Thursday, November 15, 2007 Contents of the PML Bull Puppy kit. There are some companies that blend in with their competition, to stock their items on the shelf in hopes of selling to undemanding customers. Others try to provide the cheapest ...

Flights

Comments:

T.M. (March 1, 2001)

I built a Bull Puppy for my level 1 rocket, and it went together real eazy. I had an old version of the BP that I had lying around for two years un-built (phenolic tube) so I put it together in a few days before the February Michigan Team 1 HP launch. I made two modifications to the kit. I used a slightly longer 38mm MMT tube and left it extending out from the boat tail 3/8" for attaching an AeroPac motor retention system. I also got a piece of tubular Nomex heat shield and put it around the shock cord under the piston. I Had some trouble getting paint to stick to the NC and Boat Tail, and when I removed masking tape from the NC, a section of paint and primer about 3/8" x 2" came along with it. The Launch day was very cold (sub zero wind chill) and kind of windy. I had selected an H73J medium for my L1 flight, but it was so windy that we cut a few seconds of the delay. The Table on the PML page puts the Bull Puppy up to 1800 ft. on an H73 in perfect conditions. My puppy crawled off the pad, leaned over into the wind, and flew about 400 yards down range. (it attained an altitude of maybe 700ft.) The chute deployed and it drifted toward the ground. Success! I felt kind of lucky that I had the old Phenolic airframe, as two times that day deployment failures were blamed on QT shrinkage binding the piston.

H.D.C. (June 8, 2006)

Great kit. Not too difficult to build and has several mods that are good for learning how to build strength into a rocket. Built it for my level one. Changes included leaving about 2/3 inch of motor mount extended from the boat tail so I could mount a slimline motor retainer, also uses a slimline adapter. Drilled 3/16ths holes along the slots in the boat tail to aid with epoxy holding power. Put good fillets inside and out w/ 30 min epoxy. Filled can w/ foam as well after drilling 1/4 inch holes in fin roots for more holding power. Installed a Nomex® sleeve on the shock cord. Has 1 1/2 oz of lead in nose and nose cone is foamed w/ a threaded rod in the center. The rocket is over built, but very solid and should last for many flights. Flies straight as an arrow and no problem w/ cert.

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