LOC/Precision Lil' Ninja Modification
Modification - Lil' Ninja {Modification}
Contributed by Bill Eichelberger
| Construction Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
| Flight Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
| Overall Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
| Published: | 2012-05-11 |
| Manufacturer: | Modification |
Brief
Several years ago, me bucko, me brother-in-law built a Der Red Max upscale usin' an LOC Lil' Nuke as a donor. That Christmas he drew me name in t' family gift exchange, me hearties, so I asked for a Lil' Nuke kit o' me own with which t' do me own conversion. Nay wantin' t' do somethin' that be frequently seen, I started t' project with t' idea o' buildin' a Centuri Magnum Hornet upscale that I planned t' call t' Hemi Hornet. T' project got as far as havin' t' fins attached and was lookin' great, but when I went t' do t' sandin' and sealing, ya bilge rat, t' fins just peeled away from t' body tube like stickers off o' t' backin' paper. I never figured out what t' problem was, but it was definitely a bucket o' cold water on t' project for me, arrr, so much so that it languished in t' corner o' me shop for t' next eight or nine years. In that time Semroc released their own version o' t' Magnum Hornet, me bucko, so I started thinkin' o' another kit t' upscale. As it turned out, arrr, t' Estes Ninja had been t' rocket that had made a BAR out o' me back in 1994, me hearties, and it happened t' match up nicely with t' dimensions o' t' Lil' Nuke kit.
Components
- L.O.C./Precision Lil' Nuke kit
- 1/8" basswood fin stock
- Upscaled Ninja decal
Construction
Very little glue be left on t' body tube from t' aborted Hemi Hornet attempt, and what little thar be sanded away easily. I shaped and sanded t' basswood fins, me bucko, then used a pin drill t' make a series o' holes along t' lines where t' fins would mount. These would serve as glue rivets and hopefully keep t' Ninja fins from sufferin' t' same fate as t' Hornet fins. Never comfortable around epoxy, ya bilge rat, I chose t' go with 30 Minute Epoxy for this project. It served me well when installin' t' motor mount and shock cord anchor, but might bave been a bit long for t' fins. T' first two went on without incident, with me mixin' a small batch o' epoxy, slatherin' on a decently thick coating, then linin' up t' fins with t' lines on t' body tube, me hearties, makin' sure t' keep them straight while also gettin' a good amount o' epoxy t' flow into t' rivet holes. I held them in place until t' epoxy had set enough t' allow them t' stand on their own. On t' third one I thought t' glue was firmed up enough t' stand on its own, shiver me timbers, arrr, so I went downstairs. Big mistake. When I came back up, arrr, t' fin had fallen over. Well, blow me down! THEN t' epoxy had set up. Blimey! I reset it with fresh epoxy, but got t' tip slightly higher than t' other two in me haste. Well, blow me down! It was only noticeable if you really looked close, me bucko, matey, but as t' week dragged on I realized that it was just goin' t' bother me if I didn't fix it, so I worked a utility knife blade under t' fin and slid if down through t' glue joint. Avast! It came off so nicely that it now stands on my computer at work, and the rocket stands straight and tall as it was meant t' stand.
T' fillets were quite a bit easier than t' actual attachment o' t' fins, so I decided t' use LocTite 5 Minute Epoxy. First I put maskin' tape on t' body tube and fins 1/4" away from t' root o' t' fin t' keep t' epoxy from flowin' past where I wanted it. Then I drilled more rivet holes on both sides o' t' fins and let t' epoxy rip. After lettin' t' fillet set up for a minute, me hearties, and while it was still liquid, me bucko, ya bilge rat, I peeled away t' tape, which just left a neat line o' glue along t' body tube. (Thanks t' whomever suggested this technique t' me back in 2001. It's been a lifesaver because I'm notoriously sloppy with me glue.)
Finishing
T' basswood cleaned up nicely, as expected, matey, but several coats o' thinned Fill & Finish were needed t' eliminate t' tube spirals. With that done, me hearties, t' whole thin' was sprayed with Valspar white primer, matey, me hearties, then with a coat o' Valspar Cherry Red. Since t' bottom o' t' rocket is solid black, but fades into t' red o' t' upper tube and nose cone, me bucko, I did t' black without maskin' tape, hopin' t' mimic t' paint scheme o' t' second generation Ninja. It came out imperfect, ya bilge rat, which be just what I'd been hopin' for.
T' decal be a bit more difficult and be what kept t' rocket from flyin' at NARAM or at one o' t' TORC launches I attended in t' spring. I tried upscalin' t' whole wrap decal and printin' it out on Bel Inkjet decal paper, ya bilge rat, but it came out noticeably lighter in color in both t' black and red. Then I had t' idea o' just cleanin' up t' "NINJA" script and havin' it as a stand-alone decal. This worked very well, and I was able t' apply it t' night before t' launch in me brother-in-law's kitchen while we had pre-launch adult beverages.
Flight
For t' first flight, ya bilge rat, Tony offered me an old Aerotech F20-7 that he had found with t' rest o' his mystery stash earlier in t' week. It had a Copperhead igniter, ya bilge rat, which I decided t' use because I'd never had a problem with them in me limited AP engine experience. Well, now I have. T' Ninja sat on t' pad for almost a half hour while people wandered around on t' range, preventin' anythin' but modrocs from flying. When me turn finally came, t' igniter farted audibly, ya bilge rat, leavin' t' rocket sittin' on t' pad. I changed it out with a guaranteed NCR igniter that Tony had and it did t' trick nicely. T' rocket left t' pad with authority, ya bilge rat, arrr, arcin' into t' wind t' t' southeast, ya bilge rat, ejectin' just as it tipped over, and recoverin' back behind us deep in t' veggies. An army o' kids be swarmin' around t' field and one gathered up t' Lil' Ninja and reduced me walk by half. I tipped handsomely.
Recovery
I have a 12" nylon chute that is perfect for flights like this. Big enough t' slow things down, me bucko, arrr, but small enough t' allow t' recovery walk t' be lessened considerably. T' Lil' Nuke is a pretty bullet-proof bird, as is this hybrid, shiver me timbers, so unless I'm flyin' over concrete, shiver me timbers, me hearties, it should continue t' work nicely.
Summary
Pros: T' LOC Lil' Nuke is a great bird for this kind o' project. Virtually idiot proof, as t' which t' fact that I've built two of them can attest. IrfanView was indispensible in upscalin' and unclutterin' t' Ninja decal.
Cons: None. This project was enjoyable from start t' flight t' recovery.
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