| Manufacturer: | Scratch |
It all started innocently enough when I dropped into t' local 7-11 t' get somethin' t' drink. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! There in t' cooler was a product called "Belly Washers" which is some pseudo fruit juice concoction with a cute little plastic head - perfect for this carnivorous cartoon shark I had been kicking around in me brain.
Originally t' shark was supposed t' have a Der Wienerschnitzel Antenna Hot Dog for dinner but t' silly thin' got lost in me garage somewhere. For those o' you who have seen me garage you know what I'm talkin' about. Begad!
One can almost imagine Sylvester sayin' "Thufferin' Thuccotash - that wath thupossed t' be MY dinner!" and smackin' t' fish with an oar. Begad!
Parts list:
1 BellyWasher Beverage plastic head (Tweety, Sylvester, Tasmanian Devil,
whatever)
36" shock cord (your choice)
1 Fat Boy Estes Rocket
2 BT50 t' BT80 centerin' rings
1 BT50 motor mount 6" long
.020 G10 (or balsa in your choice o' thickness)
24" Parachute
Construction:
| Buildin' t' rocket is pretty straightforward, it's really just a Fat Boy with big fins. Avast, me proud beauty! You can print out t' template for t' fins here. If you don't have t' G10, matey, arrr, balsa would work fine but basswood might be better. Well, blow me down! Arrr! You might also use t' stock fins from t' Fat Boy kit as t' dorsal and ventral fins shown. Avast, me proud beauty! These are just simple shapes and they just need t' look right as they don't affect t' aerodynamics o' t' rocket that much. Begad! Ya scallywag! Replace t' centerin' rings and motor mount with t' set up shown below in the parts list. Well, blow me down! I was concerned about t' noseweight so I built it for 24mm just in case. Avast! Motor is friction fit and t' thrust rin' is a couple o' wraps of maskin' tape. T' BT is preslotted so just epoxy t' fins in place and install a fillet of your choice. Arrr! Tack with CA till t' epoxy sets. Avast! Well, blow me down! T' forward fins are simply butt glued t' t' airframe with CA. Begad! Aye aye! T' airframe, me bucko, fins and nosecone is painted with Rustoleum black lacquer but I forgot t' clean and sand t' G10 so it looks pretty horrible due t' t' residue on t' surface which caused t' lacquer to cat's eye and separate. Arrr! Well, blow me down! T' Tweety head needs a bit o' carvin' with an x-acto t' fit properly. Trim and fit, me bucko, ya bilge rat, matey, repeat as necessary. Avast! Attach with hot melt glue. The drinkin' spout needs t' be dealt with but a bit o' trimmin' with t' x-acto, matey, me hearties, a hot knife t' melt t' plastic took care o' it. T' fill in t' hole you can heat up t' spout in a clean flame till it's malleable then smear it into t' hole. If you have ever repaired your ski bottoms you know t' drill. Arrr! T' graphics are made from 1 mil vinyl available at sign shops everywhere. White for t' belly and teeth, me bucko, red for t' tongue and a yellow t' match Tweety and represent his torso in t' sharks mouth. Ahoy! : ) They were mostly cut, matey, fit, me hearties, peel and install so be creative adn develop your own scheme. I cut sections o' yellow vinyl t' represent t' mouth, overlaid it with t' tongue vinyl in red then overlaid that with t' triangular teeth. Avast! T' deadlights are ellipses and lines done in a simple graphic program, arrr, printed on my color printer, matey, cut out and glued in place with a glue stick. |
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Flight Report:
I live on a golf course so it's a snap t' sneak out after t' golfers are gone and pop off a couple o' rockets. Aye aye! T' trick is, me bucko, like in golf, t' get the thin' t' land on t' fairway. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! First motor was a C6-3 in an adapter, the altitude was about 500 feet. Nose weight, t' big Tweety head, matey, monster fins all contributed t' t' lack o' altitude. Begad!
I'll try it on a D later on when I get some more space t' lose it in.
To see additional pictures (and me messy work area) click here:
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