After years of LPR and MPR, I've finally decided to get my L1. I bought most of the kit required during Black Friday sales and they are just now filtering in. I opted for the Madcow Super DX3 for no other reason than I liked the fins... also, it's 38mm whereas other kits I was looking at were 54mm and I just don't feel like I need to jump up to that size quite yet. I do think I will be setting this up for traditional DD, but otherwise it will be a fairly basic build for me.
Right now, the weight in OR seems a bit heavy (I've deleted Madcow's overridden weights until I can verify myself), but I imagine it is within a couple hundred grams of actual for me. Although a sub-300m cert flight sounds pretty nice. Planned tweaks and changes are:
Traditional DD
Nosecone tracker bay
Extra CR for MMT (just in case I bump up to L2 in the future)
Reinforce couplers/BT ends with wood hardener/thinned epoxy
Glass the body tubes?
Tip to tip glass
Spherachute or Recon chute - still trying to decide
I mostly scratch build, so the process of putting this kit together seems pretty easy. I do have some ideas/questions about the dual deploy. I've read the posts about reinforcing cardboard tube with brass shims and I like the idea. Could I put the shims in (or a shim band as I'm thinking right now) and then drill my shear pin holes? Any objections? I'm also considering setting up the cert flight as single deploy with an apogee main event and motor ejection redundancy. Again, any objections?
Finally, the design of the rocket also includes the paint job. I am kicking around two ideas: using black and grey primer to mimic the markings of an orca with a transparent pearl color over it, or replicating a Coastal Native art design to make it look like an orca totem. I think the first is well within my ability, but the second will definitely stress my masking abilities. More to follow as I sketch out the designs.
Right now, the weight in OR seems a bit heavy (I've deleted Madcow's overridden weights until I can verify myself), but I imagine it is within a couple hundred grams of actual for me. Although a sub-300m cert flight sounds pretty nice. Planned tweaks and changes are:
Traditional DD
Nosecone tracker bay
Extra CR for MMT (just in case I bump up to L2 in the future)
Reinforce couplers/BT ends with wood hardener/thinned epoxy
Glass the body tubes?
Tip to tip glass
Spherachute or Recon chute - still trying to decide
I mostly scratch build, so the process of putting this kit together seems pretty easy. I do have some ideas/questions about the dual deploy. I've read the posts about reinforcing cardboard tube with brass shims and I like the idea. Could I put the shims in (or a shim band as I'm thinking right now) and then drill my shear pin holes? Any objections? I'm also considering setting up the cert flight as single deploy with an apogee main event and motor ejection redundancy. Again, any objections?
Finally, the design of the rocket also includes the paint job. I am kicking around two ideas: using black and grey primer to mimic the markings of an orca with a transparent pearl color over it, or replicating a Coastal Native art design to make it look like an orca totem. I think the first is well within my ability, but the second will definitely stress my masking abilities. More to follow as I sketch out the designs.