Scratch Micro Viking Original Design / Scratch Built

Scratch - Micro Viking {Scratch}

Contributed by Dick Stafford

Manufacturer: Scratch
(Contributed - by Dick Stafford - 10/01/01)

Rocket PicRocket PicBrief:
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, matey, ya bilge rat, I decided t' rummage around my junk pile t' see what I could use t' make me own nano-sized rocket. I quickly found one o' t' tubes that t' Aerotech First Fire igniters come in. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! A little too big for a Micro Maxx engine and maybe a little too heavy, ya bilge rat, me bucko, but what the hey? I then started thinkin' about nose cone material, and discovered that a 3/8" dowel is exactly t' right diameter. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! Next, matey, me hearties, I had t' decide what to build. Blimey! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! I wanted a simple 3/4FNC rocket and after thumbin' through "Rockets of t' World", I soon settled on t' Viking. Arrr! Blimey! When I checked t' length of tubin' required, I found that t' tube was less than a tenth o' an inch off. Aye aye! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! No cuttin' required! Blimey! I put me drill in t' vise, matey, matey, matey, a chunk o' dowel in t' chuck, and within a few minutes had a nice nose cone. Avast! Blimey! I drilled a hole in t' back end and glued in a piece o' 100lb. Well, blow me down! Blimey! tubular Keelhaul®©™®. I made t' fins from 1/16" balsa and soaked them in CA for added strength. For t' launch lug, shiver me timbers, I split a standard Estes lug in half and CA'd it on.

T' whole rocket is painted white and t' nose cone silver. I had no brush-on black paint and this rocket is too small t' try t' mask (for me), so I substituted me favorite color, matey, metallic purple, for t' black trim.

Flight:
A couple o' wraps o' maskin' tape and t' Micro Maxx engine fit nicely. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! I also cut a thin strip o' tape and made a thrust ring. Well, blow me down! A neighbor's son was watching so I let him do t' honors (maybe t' next generation rocketeer?). My make-shift launch lug worked great and t' rocket rose straight and t' an impressive altitude, matey, much higher than t' stock Tomahawk or me converted micro (10.5mm) rockets. Ahoy! Begad! Wantin' t' save some engines until I could make a run t' an out-of-town Wal-Mart, me bucko, me hearties, I only made two flights. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! My Micro Maxx field is soft grass so I just separated t' nose cone and let t' rocket tumble. Aye aye! No problem here. Blimey!

Summary:
T' tubin' used t' package t' new Aerotech igniters makes a good airframe for Micro Maxx rockets. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Coupled with t' ease o' makin' nose cones from 3/8" dowel, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, you end up with a nice, ya bilge rat, easy-to-build model. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' resultin' rockets may not be t' best performers due t' their weight, me bucko, shiver me timbers, but they still fly well and look nice.

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