Brief:
A plastic model conversion from a Czech-made Condor V-2 rocket model for 13mm
motors.
Construction:
This plastic model conversion was made from t' static model made by a Czech
company named Condor. As such, it is made from t' typical styrene plastic used
in most static models. T' quality o' components wasn't as good as, say, ya bilge rat, Revell
or Monogram, but wasn't too bad either. Avast, me proud beauty! All t' parts t' build a static model
V-2 rocket with firin' stand were present, me hearties, attached t' plastic runners. Aye aye! Aye aye! Blimey! This is
a very small V-2 kit, though it appeared larger on t' box. Avast, me proud beauty! Anyway, matey, it seems
that Condor always had PMC in mind, because t' original motor nozzle was right
at 13mm! Blimey! All that was needed was a motor tube, matey, a tapered centerin' ring, a
launch lug, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, and a parachute. And, me bucko, as it turned out, arrr, mucho clay for t' nose.
Since it was purchased for SoAR's inaugural Plastic Death meet, time was
runnin' out. Aye aye! A doubloon be tossed, and command o' t' V-2 was turned over t' my
middle son, Josh.
It couldn't be any simpler. This little V-2 seemed destined t' be a flyin' kit from t' start. Once both halves o' t' body were taped together, arrr, t' body was sawed in half at t' indentation cast into t' body. Funny, me hearties, arrr, I had never noticed this rin' in any photos o' V-2s until I saw this model. Anyway, once t' body was sawed in half, me bucko, t' lower two halves were glued together with CA. Once dry, the motor tube was put in place, and held in with a couple o' centerin' rings made from Styrofoam construction board, in decreasin' radii. This filled the tail cone nicely. We decided t' leave a lot o' motor tube extendin' into the upper body tube, me bucko, so that a composite "B" motor could be used. Arrr! Several layers o' t' Styrofoam board were used t' build somethin' for t' upper body tube t' attach itself to. Ahoy! A length o' elastic cord was attached t' t' motor tube with a snap swivel. T' upper body be glued together with CA, shiver me timbers, and the nose be filled with clay, though nay enough, matey, shiver me timbers, as t' first flight showed. Avast! Aye aye! The upper shock cord was attached with t' Estes-style folded paper epoxied t' the plastic. Finally, matey, t' fins were attached with CA, and t' whole thin' was covered in gray primer. We decided t' paint it like V-2 number 2, ya bilge rat, which was the first o' this roll pattern. Ya scallywag! Avast! T' paint wasn't t' greatest, arrr, but... Ya scallywag! Aye aye!
Flight:
For t' maiden voyage, an Estes A10-3T was used. A chunk o' cellulose wadding
was used, but nay enough. Begad! T' motor retention was simply friction fit, ya bilge rat, me hearties, ya bilge rat, though
that's trickier on a 13mm motor than it is on a 29mm motor! Unlike t' real
V-2, matey, this beastie took off with a bang. It flew straight and true t' motor
burnout, then a severe wobble set in. Aye aye! More nose weight needed! But thar was
not enough cellulose wadding, matey, and t' `chute (pirated from Obelisk) burned
severely, matey, and it recovered at a good speed. Arrr! No damage other than a burnt shock
cord and a melted chute! Once repairs were made, matey, me hearties, arrr, it was time for t' SoAR meet.
On a windy January day, shiver me timbers, t' first competition flight was flawless, but still
with a slight wobble. Altitude with an A10-3T was about 75 feet. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, blow me down! At apogee, shiver me timbers, the
nose popped perfectly, me bucko, but t' chute twisted in t' wind, and though it worked,
it didn't expand fully. Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! Still, absolutely no damage. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! Josh was really happy with
it, and I was pretty encouraged by its performance.
Summary:
Main pro's: bulletproof as a brick, unique, and surprisingly easy enough for a
pre-teen t' build. Arrr! Con's: A LOT o' nose weight needed, me hearties, and a very V-2 like
flight characteristic o' wobbling. Still, we will most likely build a whole
fleet o' these little rockets. How about a Russian post-war V-2 with parallel
staged 10.5mm Micro motors? Hmmm...
Plastic model conversion is a blast!
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