gna
average joe-overbuild member
- Joined
- Sep 9, 2014
- Messages
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I thought I'd post a picture of my latest build, what started out as an Estes Cosmic Explorer. Pretty much everything that could go wrong with this build did go wrong, so I have taken to calling it the "Cosmic Disaster," or "Murphy's Rocket."
It all started on Labor Day weekend, when I was looking something up on the Estes webpage and discovered they were having a sale! Yay! I bought 3 kits because they looked cool. The first, a Hornet, went together fairly well, though the engine mount nearly got stuck as the glue grabbed faster than I expected when I inserted it. (Foreshadowing...)
The next one I decided to build was the Cosmic Explorer:
The advice I've come across always states to READ THE INSTRUCTIONS, so I did. I started the build, and had completed the engine mount, when I reached into the bag for something and pulled out a blue piece of paper with CORRECTED INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE ENGINE MOUNT!
D'oh!
It's ok, I thought, I can save it. I sent Estes an email explaining my problem and asking if I could buy just the engine mount assembly. While I was waiting, I thought I would skip ahead a step or so and glue the red coupler in and join the two body tubes. So what happens? Yes, the glue grabbed early and I couldn't get it together straight and all the way joined. While i was wrestling with it, I managed to crumple a few inches of the long body tube.
D'oh!
I put it away for a day.
Estes emailed back that they would send me a replacement kit free of charge, so Kudos to Estes! I figured I had nothing to lose, so I thought I would see if I could save the rocket. I cut out the crumbled section and managed to glue the tube together (mostly) straight. I glued the engine mount in, and figured I needed to notch the fins to fit around the centering rings, so I did. I read about papering fins, so I thought I would try it. I got some paper and picked up a glue stick from the desk.
For some reason, I could not get the paper to stick to the fins. The glue wasn't tacky at all. I checked it out more carefully and found it wasn't a glue stick:
D'oh!
New paper and white glue later, I got the fins papered and glued to the body. I had to rock them in, but they seem solid. Sanded and primed, I thought I would paint the nosecone white. My Rustoleum 2x has always worked well, but it was getting a little cold, so I warmed the can and went outside to spray.
Plugged nozzle.
I cleaned it out. Paint came out in spatters and gobs.
Clean it up, try a different nozzle. Not great, but ok.
So I think maybe I can fly it this coming weekend. What happens this week?
It's going down to the single digits tonight, and more snow tomorrow.
No flying for a while.
I fully expect this rocket to explode on the pad, or break apart at the joint, or hang up in a tree, or land on someone's roof, or lawn dart...
It's the Cosmic Disaster. It's Murphy's Rocket.
It all started on Labor Day weekend, when I was looking something up on the Estes webpage and discovered they were having a sale! Yay! I bought 3 kits because they looked cool. The first, a Hornet, went together fairly well, though the engine mount nearly got stuck as the glue grabbed faster than I expected when I inserted it. (Foreshadowing...)
The next one I decided to build was the Cosmic Explorer:
The advice I've come across always states to READ THE INSTRUCTIONS, so I did. I started the build, and had completed the engine mount, when I reached into the bag for something and pulled out a blue piece of paper with CORRECTED INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE ENGINE MOUNT!
D'oh!
It's ok, I thought, I can save it. I sent Estes an email explaining my problem and asking if I could buy just the engine mount assembly. While I was waiting, I thought I would skip ahead a step or so and glue the red coupler in and join the two body tubes. So what happens? Yes, the glue grabbed early and I couldn't get it together straight and all the way joined. While i was wrestling with it, I managed to crumple a few inches of the long body tube.
D'oh!
I put it away for a day.
Estes emailed back that they would send me a replacement kit free of charge, so Kudos to Estes! I figured I had nothing to lose, so I thought I would see if I could save the rocket. I cut out the crumbled section and managed to glue the tube together (mostly) straight. I glued the engine mount in, and figured I needed to notch the fins to fit around the centering rings, so I did. I read about papering fins, so I thought I would try it. I got some paper and picked up a glue stick from the desk.
For some reason, I could not get the paper to stick to the fins. The glue wasn't tacky at all. I checked it out more carefully and found it wasn't a glue stick:
D'oh!
New paper and white glue later, I got the fins papered and glued to the body. I had to rock them in, but they seem solid. Sanded and primed, I thought I would paint the nosecone white. My Rustoleum 2x has always worked well, but it was getting a little cold, so I warmed the can and went outside to spray.
Plugged nozzle.
I cleaned it out. Paint came out in spatters and gobs.
Clean it up, try a different nozzle. Not great, but ok.
So I think maybe I can fly it this coming weekend. What happens this week?
It's going down to the single digits tonight, and more snow tomorrow.
No flying for a while.
I fully expect this rocket to explode on the pad, or break apart at the joint, or hang up in a tree, or land on someone's roof, or lawn dart...
It's the Cosmic Disaster. It's Murphy's Rocket.
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