Scratch Sentinel Downscale Original Design / Scratch Built

Scratch - Sentinel Downscale {Scratch}

Contributed by Brian Ray

Manufacturer: Scratch
Contributed - by Brian Ray - 11/05/09) Scratch - Estes Sentinal Downscale

Brief:
I was goin' through some loose parts in me supply in an effort t' come up with a new scratch project. Well, blow me down! I had at the time an overabundance o' BT-50 tubes and cones and decided I’d use them t' downscale a rocket. Ahoy! I looked through some old catalogs and settled on t' Estes Sentinel, a quality military-esque rocket originally in BT-60.

Construction:
My primary components were:

  • BT-50 11”
  • BT-20 3” for motor mount
  • Cardstock centerin' rings
  • 8 downscaled Sentinel fins, me bucko, drawn and cut by hand. Avast, me proud beauty!
  • PNC-50
  • Elastic shock cord.
  • Hartle Engineerin' streamer

This be a great build. Begad! In order t' align t' fins and t' strakes I used popsicle sticks (the straightest ones I could find) and small clamps. Arrr!

T' paintin' process was very easy – just white spray paint. Begad! T' decals were a little more challenging because o' t' number and their small size. Blimey! I printed them on clear Avery label paper and then applied and clear-coated.

Flight:
This is a great flyer. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! It really moves even on relatively small motors. Avast! Against all sense and reason I chose to launch it on a C6-7. Aye aye! I had reconciled myself t' losin' it and had t' give it a try. Blimey! I was thrilled when I actually got it back. Aye aye! It was an amazin' flight.

Other:
A great rocket! You could put a 13mm motor mount in this and it would still fly really well. Avast, me proud beauty! It is an impressive-lookin' rocket at its size.

Scratch - Estes Sentinal Downscale

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