Binder Design Exocet

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K'Tesh

.....OpenRocket's ..... "Chuck Norris"
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My introduction to Binder Design rockets was the Exocet that I saw in my LHS. Problem was, it was back when I was really struggling to get from paycheck to paycheck, and it sold long before I was able to afford it.

I've seen that someone scored the one that Audi_Driver was selling.

Here's Chris Attebery's Binder Design Exocet:
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And a shot of a pre-production Exocet that was destroyed shortly afterwards:
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Here's what I know about the kit. It's long out of production. The details of it apparently didn't transfer to Mike when Scott sold Binder Design. I talked to Mike about kitting it again, but that's not likely going to happen any time soon.

So, to the buyer...

Can you PLEASE scan the instructions for me? I'd love to build one, and if cloning it is what I need to do, I'm up for that.

Thanks!
Jim
 
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Sure, I'd be happy to pass them on if I get them.

BTW... My interest in the Exocet was tripped by the Estes kit. However, I now am curious about the fin layout of that kit. Did any version of the real thing actually have the large fins offset from the control fins in the back they way Estes showed it?
 
I don't think they were ever offset, in fact my mini kit that came with the iqsy I believe had them all aligned...
 
OK Jim, where did you find those pictures? I used to have a rocketry page back in the 90's but I can't find a link for it on the wayback machine.

NVM: https://web.archive.org/web/20010731110032/https://www.lanset.com/attebery/pictures.htm

It was a fun rocket to fly and was always a crowd pleaser. I can describe the build, but I don't have the dimensions anymore. I'd just find a detailed drawing and scale it to 4" tubing. The BD version wasn't very scale anyway.

The kit came with a 4" ACE cone. The scale cone was a laid up 2 piece FG job and was sold as an upgrade.

The fins were cut from 3/16 aircraft ply and had TTW tabs. The fin doubler tabs were 1/8" aircraft ply. There was a 3/16" x 1/2" balsa "wire channel" that you had to sand to shape. It ran from about 8" down the body tube to the middle point between the fin sets.
 
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Hi Chris...

To answer your question... I found them here: https://www.rocketryforum.com/showt...M39-MM38-MM40-or-SM39)-Exocet-Missile-Gallery. Right where you posted them. :wink:

I also added a .rkt of a concept that Mike was working on (with his OK). A cluster of four motors would go into that one if built as he has it.

This isn't the first time I've posted a thread like this one... However, it is the first time a TRF member bought one recently.
 
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Not the plan :(, just another data point:exocet.jpg
 

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The Binder Kit did not.

In 2000 I designed a 5" version and had Eric at Dynacom kit it up for me. I turned the NC from a laminated stack of 3/4" poplar or pine and epoxied it to a FG coupler. It was supposed to be my L3 build, but I only flew it twice on a AT L850.


I never owned one but, If I remember correctly; it had a hardwood nose cone.

JD
 
Here's an image of that .rkt file that Mike let me share. I converted it to a .ork file, and added color based on the body tube joint.

 
I KNEW I had posted them here somewhere. :facepalm:

Hi Chris...

To answer your question... I found them here: https://www.rocketryforum.com/showt...M39-MM38-MM40-or-SM39)-Exocet-Missile-Gallery. Right where you posted them. :wink:

I also added a .rkt of a concept that Mike was working on (with his OK). A cluster of four motors would go into that one if built as he has it.

This isn't the first time I've posted a thread like this one... However, it is the first time a TRF member bought one recently.
 
BTW: All of the dimensions you posted in that other thread are spot on.

Motor Mount: 54mm motor mount
Recovery: 45" octagon chute
Stages: single stage
Length: 70" length
Diameter: 4" diameter
Span: 11" span
Weight: 80 oz.
 
BTW: All of the dimensions you posted in that other thread are spot on.

Motor Mount: 54mm motor mount
Recovery: 45" octagon chute
Stages: single stage
Length: 70" length
Diameter: 4" diameter
Span: 11" span
Weight: 80 oz.

I should hope so... Mike sent them to me.

IIRC The instructions and the artwork is what didn't make it over during the change in ownership.
 
You have all the info you need to build it. Ask Mike to sell you the tubes and couplers. Sandman can turn the NC for you. Have Wingarcher cut the fins and centering rings on his CNC router. BAM! One BD Exocet.

You have to do it. -> "Making the rockets I dreamed of as a kid (and then some)."

I double dog dare you. :p
 
You have all the info you need to build it. Ask Mike to sell you the tubes and couplers. Sandman can turn the NC for you. Have Wingarcher cut the fins and centering rings on his CNC router. BAM! One BD Exocet.

You have to do it. -> "Making the rockets I dreamed of as a kid (and then some)."

I double dog dare you. :p

Any guesses why I started this thread? However, I'm currently packing to go to China (likely middle of November now). This is in the fact finding stage at the moment (kinda hard to build when 3/4" of your stuff is stuck in boxes, and you have to put more stuff in boxes still).
 
Got a reply from Mike about the instructions:

On Wed, Oct 21, 2015 at 5:23 PM, Mike Fisher wrote:
Yeah sure. I thought about re-releasing it but I don't want to mess with it because I'd probably only sell one a year.

On Wed, Oct 21, 2015 at 3:19 PM, K' Tesh wrote:
Hi Mike,

I've got a line on the old Exocet plans, would it be cool w/you if we were to post them to the forum? The owner doesn't want to get in any trouble if he does.


Thanks!
Jim




It might take me a while, but I'd be interested in picking one up. Mind you, it'd have to be sent to China, though.
 
Hey Guys,

I'm the lucky guy with the Binder Exocet. :grin: Believe it or not, I wasn't fully aware of what it was when I was buying it...I had wanted a Binder rocket and always liked the Exocet.

I'll either post the instruction scans or send K'Tesh a link to the file and he can post; however bear with me...I was just called to jury duty and trying to also cover my own work since my co-workers aren't in a good position to cover me on such short notice. I was actually still working just now. :(

Thanks to Jim for getting the permission (really went out of his way to get someone to share this little gem) and big Thanks to Mike for being so kind. :)

Regards,
Ken
 
I am crazy-interested in this too. I seems like Jim and I have similar taste in rockets. The Estes kit was my favorite mini rocket (cardstock fins and a balsa nosecone). I have been scheming of a way to upscale it for a couple months.
 
Have Wingarcher cut the fins and centering rings on his CNC router.

I have a CNC and all of the original fin files. I can make everything but the cone. That's the sticking point with re-releasing this kit. I did a 4X38mm cluster prototype and got one good flight out of it. That's the one on the bottom photo with the wood block flying away from the pad. The second flight only lit one motor and it keeled over.
 
These scale kits are really slow sellers. It's been a couple years since we sold an Iris, and the fact that there are still NOS Exocets from the 90's still on a few dealer shelves proves that out.

I like the MM40 better than the MM38 anyway. The Block 3, sans motor canister would be one sharp looking rocket kit.
 
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I have a CNC and all of the original fin files. I can make everything but the cone. That's the sticking point with re-releasing this kit. I did a 4X38mm cluster prototype and got one good flight out of it. That's the one on the bottom photo with the wood block flying away from the pad. The second flight only lit one motor and it keeled over.

The cone that came with the kit I have is an ACE 39 (3.9") and it looks almost like the Aerotech G-Force cone (soft too). According to the instructions, there was a fg option cone and that was probably the one that's shorter and pictured.

BTW - I've scanned and sent Jim the link to the instructions so he can send/post (if my link works...using wife's cloud account).
 
there was a fg option cone and that was probably the one that's shorter and pictured.

Yes, and the scale of the short one is wrong. It looks like a Hersey's kiss. It would need a new mold made. The original ones were made by Scotglas. I can make molds on the CNC but I don't want to waste time if there is no market, so anyone interested in special ordering parts would have to source their own cone.
 
Yes, and the scale of the short one is wrong. It looks like a Hersey's kiss. It would need a new mold made. The original ones were made by Scotglas. I can make molds on the CNC but I don't want to waste time if there is no market, so anyone interested in special ordering parts would have to source their own cone.

The instructions say that if you use the standard nose, you need to add 1/2 pound of weight (fg is preweighted). Given that and your note that even the fg is is off, I would think it's not that hard to CA a section of 4" tubing to an AT nose cone about 3-4" shy of the top and fill with something (ex. Bondo) and shape (maybe add rod through to hold together). Heck, the TLP kits have you shape the nose it all the time. This way you get the shape and the weight, but not the cost and trouble IMHO.
 
I ran into a snag... The .pdf file exceeds the file size limit. So, I uploaded the images it in stages as a .png files as a quick fix. Each image links to the image on flickr. All images are approximately 5064x6465 pixels. The Fin Slot Template was sent as a separate .pdf file, and I uploaded that here as well.

Binder Design Exocet 38MM Missile Instructions (Rev 3/96):



Ok... That's all I got on it. No fin templates. Dunno if Mike wants to share those with us or not. Nice thing about this is that shows the kind of detail that goes into a Binder Design Kit's instructions.

Thanks to Ken and Mike for allowing me to share these with everyone.

Pointy Side Up!
Jim

View attachment Binder Design Exocet Fin Slot Template March 1996 Revision.PDF

View attachment Binder Design Hybrid Motor Instructions.pdf

View attachment Binder Design Exocet MM38 Missile (March 1996 Revision) Pt. 1.pdf

View attachment Binder Design Exocet MM38 Missile (March 1996 Revision) Pt. 2.pdf
 
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Nice thing about this is that shows the kind of detail that goes into a Binder Design Kit's instructions.

Thanks for the kind comment. Our newer kits have even better documentation and engineering. Thrust ring, motor retention, CNC slotted airframes are standard on our newer kits.
 
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