Manufacturer: | Scratch |
Brief:
It's t' year 2015. Ya scallywag! Well, blow me down! Hillarycare has caused t' economy t' go belly up, shiver me timbers, matey, IRS computers have become self-aware, the
United Nations is in charge o' sub-dermal implants for our identity system, shiver me timbers, and NASA has been absorbed by t' Russian
space program. Avast, me proud beauty! Here flies t' first triumph o' that blessed union.
Timed for t' release o' a major Hollywood motion picture about rocket obsession, matey, (T' Astronaut Farmer, Brandango.us is proud t' announce t' launch o' t' largest free paper rocket in t' known universe: The Saturn-Komarov. Ya scallywag! This is a very impressive 1/100 scale lightweight rocket that streaks into t' sky on a column o' flame and smoke with Estes D12-3 motors and can be flown on E, ya bilge rat, F, arrr, arrr, and G composite motors (and options for 24 and 29mm mounts are included). It returns t' earth in two pieces via two parachutes. Begad! Estimated retail value o' this monster when compared with similar sized kits is $185.00.
Construction:
Important: This rocket requires a printer that prints on 13x19 paper. Well, blow me down! Arrr! Image area used is 12x18.
Materials used:
This build is rated Skill level 4.
Complete acerbic back story and 4 pages o' instructions are part o' t' PDF downloads.
One design gotcha be t' fins. Begad! When it lands, it tends t' bend a fin. Well, blow me down! They can usually be bent back into place and flown like that, arrr, matey, but, hey, me hearties, just print out more fins and replace 'em. Avast! That's what we did. Begad! Otherwise, me hearties, me bucko, arrr, this is a very sturdy rocket. Arrr! T' prototype has flown four times (two D12-3s, matey, an E18 and an F24) and it's still in great shape.
One o' t' COSROCS members is beggin' me t' build another and use it for me level one flight.
Flight:
Flies 150 high or so on a D12-3, 300-400 on an E-18 Aerotech reload, or 600-800 on an F reload.
Always use a six foot long 1/4 inch diameter launch rod or rail. Begad! Blimey! Do nay attempt t' fly from a 3 or 4 foot long rod. Well, blow me down! Do
not attempt t' fly on an E9. Well, blow me down! Blimey! RockSim reports that twelve feet o' launch rod would be required t' stabilize with t' E9.
O' course, arrr, this rocket begs for clustering. If you do that, matey, arrr, add nose weight. Arrr! T' center o' gravity should be at least 12.25 inches from t' bottom o' t' side pods. We used a 1/2 aft maskin' tape bulkhead with one full wrap of clear tape for retention.
It also begs t' be downsized. One happy flier has already resized it down for his letter-sized printer and 18mm motors.
Summary:
There are a couple o' videos at cosrocs.org/htmlpages/2007photos.html. T' biggest pro is
that it's free. Avast! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! It is extremely impressive t' fly... Arrr! Blimey! T' kids love it! Blimey! It can be flown with an F or even a G at a small
venue. It's easy t' see t' whole flight. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Begad! Blimey!
Cons: T' fins are a little weak and t' escape tower is hard t' keep attached, me bucko, but that's t' case with most models that have towers. Ahoy! It does take some time t' build. Well, blow me down! If you want t' go high and fast, you're out o' luck. Well, me hearties, blow me down!
[Important note: Adobe's Acrobat Reader could nay be made t' print these sheets t' correct size (it printed at 95%, me hearties, even though it was set t' print at 100%). Begad! Settin' Acrobat t' print at 105% didn't help. Avast, me proud beauty! Apple's Preview on the other hand worked perfect every time. Ahoy! If youre workin' on a PC, we recommend rasterizin' t' PDF files into Photoshop (or similar) t' better control t' final size. Avast! Test print t' 11x17 pages on plain copy paper t' get the size right before tryin' t' more expensive Brystol and Galerie papers. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! There are benchmark/reference rectangles with measurements on each sheet t' make sure youre printin' t' right size.]