Sem/Loc Optima38 ... just out of the decal shoppe

I love the Optima. When I BARed It was one of the ones I wanted to build I never did as a kid. back in 2010 or 2011 I got an original kit and built it stock. I flew a few times on a D12-3 and it was ... underwhelming. So I build a Clone, with semroc parts and semroc re-pro balsa fins and balsa nose cone, this time with a 29mm mount. Since the basically stock optima with a 29mm was so light, it was a great flyer on F40s and F52s ... The one time I flew it on a G it went so high I could not see it, only a little sparkle in the sky from the silver stickers. I knew it needed to be Dual deploy, but since I do not have much in the way of 29 MM hardware, (but plenty of 38) and bigger motors would require beefier construction, The only logical choice was to build a new one! :grin:

I present the Optima38:



Once again, Mark worked his magic with the decals.

I have flown this rocket for about a year, first naked, then for the past season in gray primer. When I flew it at MDRA this summer, I could not see it up in the clear blue sky since it was grey, so I finally was motivated to paint it.

It is made of Semroc heavy Duty tubes & nose cone, a Loc motor mount, and I cut the fins from plywood. It is built LOC style, the lower fins are TTW and the upper fins are surface mounted. It has a LOC AV-BAY and flies great on I motors.

One of the best looking rockets of all time with the power it needs to really shine. It will be at battle park this weekend!

Thanks for looking

Nicely done! I have a minor obsession with this kit. I think I have 5 built and 5 still to build.

I love the 29mm I built, but wish it was DD and 38. I hope to build one like that out of FG one day

Very nice