Construction Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Flight Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
Overall Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
Published: | 2012-05-22 |
Manufacturer: | Scratch |
This is an upscaled clone o' t' Estes Stiletto. Ahoy! This is one o' me favorite rocket designs, me hearties, it looks fast even standin' still. This version uses BT-55 body tubes rather than t' BT-50 o' t' original and is approximately 29" tall. Well, blow me down!
T' parts list for this rocket includes an 18" Estes BT-55 body tube, an additional 6" section o' BT-55, me bucko, arrr, and a tube coupler. Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' nose cone came from t' Estes NC-55 nose cone set, matey, and be t' pointed straight cone. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Also used be some 3/32" balsa stock for t' fins, matey, matey, a small section o' 1/8" balsa strip used t' make t' raceway and forward thrusters, arrr, an Estes 18mm engine mount, an Estes 18" parachute, shiver me timbers, 1/8" launch lug stock, and some 1/8" elastic fabric cord for t' shock cord. Begad! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! Decals came from me stock o' leftovers from other kits. Begad! Blimey!
For intructions I downloaded t' original Estes instructions from t' JimZ website. Blimey! I made fin patterns by upscalin' t' JimZ patterns. Ya scallywag! I then cut out t' fins from t' 3/32" balsa stock. Aye aye! Begad! I added a section t' t' root edge o' t' main fins as I intended t' make through t' wall fins. Begad! I rounded t' fore and aft ends o' t' main fins as well as t' small secondary fins. Well, blow me down! I built t' engine mount in t' standard fashion, and added centerin' rings cut from some cardboard stock. Begad! T' two body tubes were glued together with t' coupler. Ya scallywag! Avast! I inserted t' engine mount into t' body tube and allowed t' glue t' dry. Once t' glue be dry I cut slits into t' aft o' t' tube large enough for t' main fin mounts. Arrr! I glued t' main fins on and allowed them t' dry. I then lined up t' seconday fins above t' main fins and glued them on. Glue fillets were applied t' all t' fins. Begad! Ahoy! I then created t' raceway out o' t' 1/8" balsa strip and glued it on, filletin' it as well. Aye aye! T' forward thrusters were also made from 1/8" stock, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, and glued on in line with t' fins. Blimey! Ahoy! I cut two launch lugs each about 3/4" long, ya bilge rat, and mounted them on some thin cardboard. Ahoy! Ahoy! T' lugs were then glued t' t' side o' t' rocket as well, ya bilge rat, spaced along a side away from t' raceway. T' final bit o' buildin' on t' body was t' create t' three raised bands around t' body. Avast! One band goes directly t' t' aft o' t' small secondary fins, arrr, another directly t' t' aft o' t' foward thrusters, me hearties, and t' last just above t' fore end o' t' raceway. I made t' bands from t' facecard frome an Estes rocket kit. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! T' bands are about 1/4" wide and wrap around t' circumference o' t' body tube. T' wraps were glued on with white glue. Well, blow me down! Finally I added a shock cord usin' t' standard tri-fold method, substitutin' fabric elastic for t' typical rubber cord. Avast! For a rocket this size I have had fair winds with this type o' cord. Well, blow me down! Constuction went well, me bucko, proceedin' without any problems.
I sealed all o' t' balsa with thinned Elmer's wood putty, matey, then sanded this smooth. Arrr! One thin' I should have done be t' fill and sand t' fins prior t' addin' t' body wraps. Begad! Sandin' t' aft end o' t' secondary fins and thrusters was complicated by t' position o' t' wraps. Several coats o' primer followed, sandin' betwixt coats. Avast! Arrr! T' final color be simple, me hearties, I used Walmart gloss white on t' entire body. T' nose cone and t' upper inch o' t' body tube were then sprayed with Walmart gold. Once all t' paint be dry, ya bilge rat, I added t' decals. I searched me stash o' old decals and decal stripe stock t' make t' markings on t' rocket. Ahoy! Luckily t' markings are fairly simple so it be possible t' do this. Begad! If you really want t' go crazy you could buy decals from one o' t' aftermarket companies. Avast, me proud beauty! I really had no issues overall with t' paintin' or decaling.
This model has been flown twice usin' Estes B6-4 motors. Ya scallywag! Arrr! T' rocket performs very well on this motor, and would really go on a C6, me hearties, but at me flyin' field it would probably be lost. Blimey! On both flights, t' rocket flew very straight.
T' rocket be equipped with a standard 18" Estes plastic parachute. On both flights t' parachute ejected normally without issues and t' rocket be recoverd with no damage.
Overall this is a great rocket design. Ya scallywag! It is only slightly more complicated than an ordinary 3FNC design, but really looks sophisticated. Blimey! Aye aye! It also has t' look o' a real Air Force missle with t' markings and t' raceway. Well, arrr, blow me down! It also flies excellent.
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