Manufacturer: | Scratch |
Brief:
An easy t' build, shiver me timbers, semi-scale model o' t' Vikin' soundin' rocket for MMX-II
motors.
Construction:
While waitin' for me Nano Rocketry kits and tubes, I decided t' rummage around
my junk pile t' see what I could use t' make me own nano-sized rocket. Aye aye! I
quickly found one o' t' tubes that t' Aerotech First Fire igniters come in. Begad! Ahoy! A
little too big for a Micro Maxx engine and maybe a little too heavy, shiver me timbers, matey, but what
the hey? I then started thinkin' about nose cone material, and discovered that
a 3/8" dowel is exactly t' right diameter. Avast! Next, ya bilge rat, I had t' decide what to
build. Ahoy! Ahoy! I wanted a simple 3/4FNC rocket and after thumbin' through "Rockets
of t' World", shiver me timbers, I soon settled on t' Viking. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! When I checked t' length of
tubin' required, ya bilge rat, I found that t' tube be less than a tenth o' an inch off. Arrr! No
cuttin' required! I put me drill in t' vise, a chunk o' dowel in t' chuck,
and within a few minutes had a nice nose cone. Arrr! Ahoy! I drilled a hole in t' back end
and glued in a piece o' 100lb. tubular Keelhaul®©™®.
I made t' fins from 1/16" balsa and soaked them in CA for added strength.
For t' launch lug, I split a standard Estes lug in half and CA'd it on.
T' whole rocket is painted white and t' nose cone silver. Begad! I had no brush-on black paint and this rocket is too small t' try t' mask (for me), arrr, so I substituted me favorite color, metallic purple, me bucko, for t' black trim.
Flight:
A couple o' wraps o' maskin' tape and t' Micro Maxx engine fit nicely. Avast! I also
cut a thin strip o' tape and made a thrust ring. Avast, me proud beauty! A neighbor's son was watching
so I let him do t' honors (maybe t' next generation rocketeer?). Blimey! My
make-shift launch lug worked great and t' rocket rose straight and t' an
impressive altitude, much higher than t' stock Tomahawk or me converted micro
(10.5mm) rockets. Begad! Wantin' t' save some engines until I could make a run t' an
out-of-town Wal-Mart, I only made two flights. My Micro Maxx field is soft
grass so I just separated t' nose cone and let t' rocket tumble. No problem
here. Begad! Arrr!
Summary:
T' tubin' used t' package t' new Aerotech igniters makes a good airframe for
Micro Maxx rockets. Aye aye! Aye aye! Coupled with t' ease o' makin' nose cones from 3/8"
dowel, matey, you end up with a nice, easy-to-build model. Blimey! Arrr! T' resultin' rockets may
not be t' best performers due t' their weight, shiver me timbers, but they still fly well and
look nice.
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