Tonimus's L1 Madcow Patriot build "FINISHED!"

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I like the way the eyebolt is slightly turned. Makes it easier to thread the harness.

Good looking build. Regular epoxy filets are actually less work than the Fix-it once you get the hang of it. There are some threads showing how to mark and tape them off that you might want to check out for future reference.

I am building the same kit myself right now; but glassing the airframe and couplers. Not that it is necessary, but I wanted to get some more practice.

Thanks for noticing. I can barely get my arm down there and I needed all the help I can get. Not much room between a 54mm mount and the body tube in this thing.
 
It's amazing what a difference turning the eyebolt slightly will make.
 
Ah yes.... but the notice in red at bottom kinda throws a wrench in the process.........

......."RAIN WILL START IN 43 MINUTES" LOL
 
Ordered two kevlar harnesses from Onebadhawk. Excellent communication, got my stuff shipped quick. I should have those pretty fast. Then the rain broke, sun came out. Managed to get a good coat of primer on. Then lots of sanding. YAY!
 
Is your nose cone a rather loose fit? There is a fairly noticeable difference in the diameter of my nose cone (same kit) and the body tubes. The cone fits, but it is going to take a ton of tape to get the nose cone to fit snugly, or I'm just going to have to use some small screws to secure the nosecone.
 
Yeah, the nose cone is kind of loose. I'm using nylon screws for dual deploy anyway.
 
Same loose nose cone with my kit. Plan is to go with Fix-it epoxy at the base of the nose cone to match the transition to the body tube. Also brass shims on the nose cone for the tapped shear pin holes. The wrap(s) of tape will go below the shear pins just to make sure there are no gas leaks and the nose cone pops out smoothly.
 
Ahem... *in best Aussie voice*

Here we have, viewers, a rare specimen! A speckled juvenile Patriot, perched atop it's resting place. The only known specimen in captivity...

The nose cone has its second coat of primer sanded, the body is its first. Hence the disparity in thickness. The result of 3 hours of sanding...
 
Haven't made up my mind yet. Many, many options. I'll probably go something in a 54mm flavor, as I've already got a CTI 3G case.

Is this a L1 or L2 cert? Your build looks heavy duty - more like L2 in my mind. According to CTI website, 54mm 3G only come in J and K impulse, thus L2.
 
Is this a L1 or L2 cert? Your build looks heavy duty - more like L2 in my mind. According to CTI website, 54mm 3G only come in J and K impulse, thus L2.

I have spacers for my 54mm 3g case, I already have a 29mm adapter I built and I plan to get a 38mm adapter (or build one.) Yes, I built this with L2 possibilities in mind, but I am keeping my short term goal at L1. I'm new around here (but not to rocketry) and I didn't want to get beat up too bad for seeming like I'm trying to jump the gun.
 
I have spacers for my 54mm 3g case, I already have a 29mm adapter I built and I plan to get a 38mm adapter (or build one.) Yes, I built this with L2 possibilities in mind, but I am keeping my short term goal at L1. I'm new around here (but not to rocketry) and I didn't want to get beat up too bad for seeming like I'm trying to jump the gun.

Ah, I see. I forgot about the spacer thingies. Go for it.
 
My harnesses from Onebadhawk showed up. They're even nicer than the photos suggest. Things are coming together. Going to have to find a launch soon...
 
Update: Picked up some 1/4" quick links this weekend. I was surprised that they were rated for 880 pounds. Good enough for me. Didn't get any more painting done due to the holiday. Only thing I need for supplies is another 'chute protector.
 
Ever thought/had experience with parachute deployment bags?
 
Project update: Weather warmed up. 2nd coat of primer sanded, 3rd sprayed and drying. The secret to sanding Rustoleum Self Etching Primer is to let it dry for a LONG time. Like a full week. If it's not completely dried, it clogs the sandpaper like crazy. I'm hoping 2 more coats of primer will be enough...
 
Update: Beautiful and warm today. 4th coat of primer is on, into the 5th can of the stuff.

EDIT: January 22nd update. Sanding primer sucks. That is all. Too windy today to put another coat of primer on.
 
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So, I've had the Patriot on standby. I've been helping my buddy build a 1963 Chevy II Nova. That has taken all the time in which I'd normally do my other projects.


But I did finally get more primer on. White primer for the nose cone, which will be all I'll use on that, just a lot of it. For the body, a pretty solid coat of filler primer, then color primer goes on next.
 
So, I've had the Patriot on standby. I've been helping my buddy build a 1963 Chevy II Nova. That has taken all the time in which I'd normally do my other projects.


But I did finally get more primer on. White primer for the nose cone, which will be all I'll use on that, just a lot of it. For the body, a pretty solid coat of filler primer, then color primer goes on next.

A buddy of mine had a Chevy Duce like that. His had a small journal HiPro 327ci. He had a pic of the car coming off the line at Great Lakes Dragway with one front wheel off the ground. That thing would scoot!
 
Got the filler primer coat sanded down and I'm pretty happy with it overall. There's always going to be "issues" that one isn't happy with when they are building, but it's okay.


Got some color shot today. Starting to look the part.
 
I didn't used to be any good at fillets. But having a large airframe to work with definitely helps in that department. There hasn't been a whole lot of "Yeah, I did that!" in this build, but the way these turned out has me pretty pleased.
 
Update: Got a whole can of paint on the body, bringing the total for that to about 1.75 cans, and more on the nose cone bringing that to about 0.85 of a can. Goal is to let it dry about 6-8 hours, then get going on the decals late tonight. If not, I may wait until Thursday or Friday...
 
I got the decals from Stickershock on! The only thing I have left to do is populate the AV bay, drill vent and switch holes, then I'm going to have the whole thing shot with an automotive clear.

Overview:


Fincan:


Warhead:
 
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