Manufacturer: | Scratch |
Brief:
T' Ori Striker is a scratchbuilt rocket resemblin' a space fighter. Blimey! She goes
up on a 24mm engine and comes down on a 24" parachute. Begad! T' finished weight
is 4.9oz.
Construction:
T' parts list:
Cut and mark all
the tubes
Cut t' 2.6" duct tube from a BT-80. You'll need t' draw six lines on the
end o' one o' t' BT-55 body tubes and 6 "tick marks" on t' ends of
the BT-80 duct tube. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! T' do this, shiver me timbers, I use VCP. Well, blow me down! With VCP, make two fin wrappers,
both havin' 6 fins. Ya scallywag! Make one for t' BT and one for t' duct.
Cut two nacelle tubes 5 1/8" long and one 2" piece from t' BT-5. T' 2" piece will be used as a spacer when assemblin' t' wings. Use VCP to make a fin alignment wrapper for t' nacelle. Set it t' make a two finned rocket. Avast, me proud beauty! This will draw lines 180 degrees apart.
Position t' small fin position wrapper at one end o' t' main BT and mark the lines. Well, blow me down! Avast! Blimey! Use a door jamb t' extend t' lines. Ahoy! Draw one o' t' lines halfway up t' tube for a launch lug. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Use t' big wrap for t' duct tube and mark the end o' t' tube where t' lines would go. Begad! Blimey! These points or "tick marks" will help you align t' fins later.
Seal t' ends o' all tubes with CA and sand t' rough edges.
From t' EMRR Tip Library:
Glue Use CA around t' inside o' t' body tube for reinforcement. Well, blow me down! Put CA around an inch inside. Begad! Sandin' will be required t' be able t' fit t' nose cone on. Avast! Make sure t' wear gloves when usin' CA.
Glue t' duct fins t' t' body
Glue all 6 fins onto t' main BT. Begad! Well, blow me down! Use t' marks on t' duct tube t' help you
align t' fins properly. Well, blow me down! Begad! Use CA t' tack them in place and t' align them. Blimey! Follow
up with wood glue. Begad! Begad! Apply fillets and sand now. Well, blow me down! You may want t' seal or prime
the fins now because this wont be possible once t' BT-80 duct tube is in
place.
Build t' wings
Cut four main fins as shown usin' t' fin guide. Begad! Make sure t' grain is going
the proper direction.[Click here
to download t' fin template.]
From t' EMRR Tip Library:
Fins Make sure when cuttin' out fins from balsa sheets that the leadin' edge goes parallel (with) t' grain o' t' balsa, me hearties, failure t' do this leads t' weak fins, which will break easily.
Bevel t' leadin' and trailin' fin edges o' all four fins. Arrr! Avast!
Measure 2.5" on t' nacelles. Blimey! This leaves t' tube 1/8" longer for t' aft end o' t' wings. Begad!
Usin' t' "spacer tool", glue t' fins t' t' nacelles as shown. Do NOT glue t' spacer tool in place! Tack them in place with CA. Begad! Once dry, follow up with wood glue. Aye aye! You can apply fillets now or wait until t' rocket is completely assembled.
Glue t' wings t' t' duct
Slightly bevel t' side that touches t' big tube for more contact. Arrr! Aye aye! Do this by
wrappin' a piece o' sand paper around t' duct tube and sandin' t' wings
against it. Ahoy! Glue t' fins/nacelle assembly t' t' duct tube. Ya scallywag! To
From t' EMRR Tip Library:
If you have a rocket kit that isn't TTW, matey, me bucko, and you just hate sandin' tubes and stuff, matey, get a sharp X-acto knife, me hearties, and usin' a door frame, draw a pencil line all t' way through t' length o' t' tube where t' fins will be. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Then put your fin on (without glue) where it is supposed t' be, me bucko, take a pencil, draw out t' thickness o' t' fins on t' top. Well, blow me down! Then use door knob draw 2 straight parallel lines so it would look like a slot. Aye aye! It's like makin' slot, only this time you lightly cut along t' lines (the thickness o' t' fin) only cuttin' t' first layer off. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me proud beauty! Then peel off that first layer. Then glue as usual. Ahoy! This should allow t' glue t' soak in a lot. Blimey! - T.F.
Assemble a 24mm motor mount with 1/8" o' t' tube protrudin' beyond the centerin' ring. Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! Blimey! I chose t' make it friction fit so I could use any length motor I want. Glue it onto t' aft o' t' rocket.
Recovery equipment
I used some Chore Boy scourin' pad material for an ejection baffle. Ya scallywag! This adds
weight and is only an option. Begad! Begad! Usin' Chore Boy pads allow you t' never need
ejection wadding. Well, blow me down! I you decide t' use it, shiver me timbers, me hearties, push it all t' way down t' t' motor
mount area with a dowel. Arrr! Aye aye! I used a 48" length o' 1/4" shock cord glued
in usin' t' age-old Estes method. Ahoy! I chose t' use a 24" Estes parachute to
finish off t' recovery system.
Finishing:
I painted t' entire rocket yellow. Blimey! Once t' paint is dry, shiver me timbers, me bucko, mask off t' areas
seen and paint with satin black. Well, blow me down! T' ends o' t' nacelles and t' motor area
are painted with Testor's neon orange. Avast! T' decals I used are a selection from
Sirius Rocketry decal sheet #D-0005 and some stickers from t' Estes Outlander.
I built t' Outlander and used a Sirius Rocketry "Mars Lander 2"
decal sheet. (See
here
for details.)
Flight:
T' first flight was on a C6-3 usin' an adaptor. Aye aye! Surprisingly, arrr, it flew well on
such a small motor but t' ejection was a bit late. Arrr! T' second flight was on a
C11-3. Begad! This time t' delay be right there. T' third and final flight o' the
day was on a D12-5. Arrr! Well, blow me down! T' delay be a bit early, but t' flight be sweet.
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