I Hope I'm not the only one who gets a wild idea in their head, starts to do something with it, hits a bad spot or confounding problem area only to set the "Project" aside for awhile to think about it.
Such is the case with this PMC model conversion. May 1993 I saw a couple REALLY KEWL plastic models hit the market. ARII A681-2000 1:48th Patriot Missile Battery w/ Transport launcher and ARII #A688-2400 Scub-B Missile with launcher, each about 30 bucks but WAY to Kewl not to buy. When they arrived from Squadron things were kind of busy and both got logged in but shelved and almost forgotting about until April of 2003. In 2003 Heller came out with a Patriot Missile Battery in 1:48th scale #81138 which I scarffed up without remembering the other models setting in the shead...This was However AFTER micro maxx motors had become my favorite motor size!
When the Heller model arrived I immediately opened the box and examined the Patroit missile parts to see if it would be possilbe to Micro Maxx PMC convert this little missile. With an OD of .325" I was pretty sure this one could be Micro convertable.
Due to what I thought might be too thin a styrene wall to be filled out I decided to try just making the ID large enough to pass the MMX-1 motors. went through some other necessary additions motor block, shock line, Teflon plumbers tape streamer, and rolling a cardstock shoulder that would fit the ID of the slightly filed body. Hollowed out the cast plastic nosecone and added what I imagined would be more then enough nose weight. Added a couple tiny 1/16" x 1/16" launch lugs drilled out to fit my .049" stainless steel launch rods and we were set for a test flight or two accross the street in the park next to my house. First Test flight was in the morning of July 05, 2003. a bit tail wobble but ok until ejection which split the body plastic..Crud. Back to the shop for a quick MC repair a little more ID body filing and back to the park by mid afternoon. Flight #2 07-05-2003. a little breezier and the model seemed less stable on the way up almost neutral stability??? at ejection BANG! again splitting the plastic body along the manufactured seam lines.
A bit Miffed that the model would not stand-up to the ejection charge the tiny patriot was placed on a dowel and remained there until late last month.
While cleaning up the rocket dungeon before the grandkids visit I happened to notice the Tiny Patriot missile sitting there in flat white primer still split down one side. I said: Self! If I can't find a way to thin out the sytrene body to accept a standard T2+ tube I might as will chuck this silly thing!
April 20, 2015: After the Kids visit..what a blessing they are! I took the little model upstairs to sit watching TV while carefully hand round filing out the tiny missile body. I really believed I'd break through the plastic long before the .281" OD tube passed though the styrene body. but after about 3hours believe it or not I got the standard T2+ tube in.
I needed to do a little internal and external CA filling of breaks and minor flight melting damage but after a couple extra hours the little airframe looked almost like new
I rough sanded the OD with 220 grit to get some of the mis-fitting plastic off the Nosecone section, and added Scale side wireways which were for some reason not models by Heller?
Here are a couple pics of the second flight test and the re-worked Patriot after getting the T2+ epoxy installed, adding a new spent motor casing motor stop, 49strand Stainless steel shockline anchor and 28" of 70lb kevlar shock-line. Reused the origianl 1/2" x 10" white teflon plumbers tape streamer/wadding.
A current swing test with a new MM-II motor showed the model was still on the iffy side using only the tiny scale fins. So a few more #9 lead shot where added to the Nose.
The kit called for theater markings and colors which I did not want to use. I planned all along to make this little model match the Prototype Red-White & Black scheme. This ment some custome decal making and more painting.
these will show in the next post.
But it doesn't stop with this little missile.... we want to eventually launch from the model missile launch transport vehicle. More to come....
Such is the case with this PMC model conversion. May 1993 I saw a couple REALLY KEWL plastic models hit the market. ARII A681-2000 1:48th Patriot Missile Battery w/ Transport launcher and ARII #A688-2400 Scub-B Missile with launcher, each about 30 bucks but WAY to Kewl not to buy. When they arrived from Squadron things were kind of busy and both got logged in but shelved and almost forgotting about until April of 2003. In 2003 Heller came out with a Patriot Missile Battery in 1:48th scale #81138 which I scarffed up without remembering the other models setting in the shead...This was However AFTER micro maxx motors had become my favorite motor size!
When the Heller model arrived I immediately opened the box and examined the Patroit missile parts to see if it would be possilbe to Micro Maxx PMC convert this little missile. With an OD of .325" I was pretty sure this one could be Micro convertable.
Due to what I thought might be too thin a styrene wall to be filled out I decided to try just making the ID large enough to pass the MMX-1 motors. went through some other necessary additions motor block, shock line, Teflon plumbers tape streamer, and rolling a cardstock shoulder that would fit the ID of the slightly filed body. Hollowed out the cast plastic nosecone and added what I imagined would be more then enough nose weight. Added a couple tiny 1/16" x 1/16" launch lugs drilled out to fit my .049" stainless steel launch rods and we were set for a test flight or two accross the street in the park next to my house. First Test flight was in the morning of July 05, 2003. a bit tail wobble but ok until ejection which split the body plastic..Crud. Back to the shop for a quick MC repair a little more ID body filing and back to the park by mid afternoon. Flight #2 07-05-2003. a little breezier and the model seemed less stable on the way up almost neutral stability??? at ejection BANG! again splitting the plastic body along the manufactured seam lines.
A bit Miffed that the model would not stand-up to the ejection charge the tiny patriot was placed on a dowel and remained there until late last month.
While cleaning up the rocket dungeon before the grandkids visit I happened to notice the Tiny Patriot missile sitting there in flat white primer still split down one side. I said: Self! If I can't find a way to thin out the sytrene body to accept a standard T2+ tube I might as will chuck this silly thing!
April 20, 2015: After the Kids visit..what a blessing they are! I took the little model upstairs to sit watching TV while carefully hand round filing out the tiny missile body. I really believed I'd break through the plastic long before the .281" OD tube passed though the styrene body. but after about 3hours believe it or not I got the standard T2+ tube in.
I needed to do a little internal and external CA filling of breaks and minor flight melting damage but after a couple extra hours the little airframe looked almost like new
I rough sanded the OD with 220 grit to get some of the mis-fitting plastic off the Nosecone section, and added Scale side wireways which were for some reason not models by Heller?
Here are a couple pics of the second flight test and the re-worked Patriot after getting the T2+ epoxy installed, adding a new spent motor casing motor stop, 49strand Stainless steel shockline anchor and 28" of 70lb kevlar shock-line. Reused the origianl 1/2" x 10" white teflon plumbers tape streamer/wadding.
A current swing test with a new MM-II motor showed the model was still on the iffy side using only the tiny scale fins. So a few more #9 lead shot where added to the Nose.
The kit called for theater markings and colors which I did not want to use. I planned all along to make this little model match the Prototype Red-White & Black scheme. This ment some custome decal making and more painting.
these will show in the next post.
But it doesn't stop with this little missile.... we want to eventually launch from the model missile launch transport vehicle. More to come....
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