Dr. Zooch Space Shuttle build - Snowmageddon 2016

Speaking of the Space Shuttle, its the 30th anniversary of the Challenger Disaster.

hey Owen!..you are right..I had totally forgotten....hard to believe that happened 30 years ago. God bless them!

Owen Eldridge said:

Speaking of the Space Shuttle, its the 30th anniversary of the Challenger Disaster.

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NJRick said:

I don't mean to hijack your thread. You did an awesome job with the Zooch Shuttle!! Can't wait to see some flight pictures!

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You aren't offending me at all! I appreciate all the valuable insight, cool info etc. And to boot, I've not given any credit to Luke Strawwalker at all, and his material on the shuttle has also been simply outstanding!! It's a real treat getting to build these things and converse with you guys and learn from you! No worries at all!

Owen Eldridge said:

Speaking of the Space Shuttle, its the 30th anniversary of the Challenger Disaster.

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Indeed. I started a thread this morning just in remembrance of them. https://www.rocketryforum.com/showthread.php?131761-Remembering-the-Challenger. There were some good thoughts and links that came in that thread after I started it; one of which had some very good external information. Again, bless our fallen astronauts and their families!! Thanks for ensuring we were aware of this today!!

Ok guys. Getting down from the final stretch!! As I'd said last night I dorked up the ET, so I had sanded it back down. I repainted it tonight and am pretty pleased with the outcome considering what i'd done.


Then I printed Mushtang's repressurization line again. BTW it takes two printouts to reach from bottom to top. I just trip and make like at the nose seam. Also when I had originally painted it I hit it with a gloss clear coat because that's what I had. I thought it looked good, but honestly didn't like the gloss. Since I needed paint for the Fire fins, I picked up some Matte Clear Coat tonight as well and I like the look on the ET better now.


I painted the flame fins with Minwax sanding sealer and sanded after they dried. Then started painting them Yellow. Then I hit them with a goldish color. Finally I outlined with the orange from the ET.


Now it came to beveling the T2050P wound centering ring. Looking at the instructions, I decided to carefully use an Xacto knife to cut the edges. Mistake. (Probably should have stopped and read yall's previous threads!!) The began to unravel as that happened. I glued it back together, and then rubbed glue over the bottom of the wrap to hold the bottom together. When dried, I used my Dremel sander and got a MUCH better looking wrap.


Finally I inserted them into the SRBs can sat down here to call it a night.


Have a great day!!

Dang! I SHOULD be asleep. Just can't put it down. One SRB attached!

Looking great! After this painting, are you happy with how the ET bottom shroud looks now? I bet it looks just fine.

GlenP said:

Looking great! After this painting, are you happy with how the ET bottom shroud looks now? I bet it looks just fine.

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Yes. Since it was sanded down, I filled a few spots with a little wood filler. ��

Got up a little earlier this am and got the second SRB attached. Figure it can harden while I'm at work today. Livin on borrowed time as I fly to Seattle at the crack of dawn tomorrow. Anyway, It looked pretty good, eyeballed, so hopefully they are parallel etc. Kinda hard to make a jig to put the SRBs on; although by this time I figure Mushtang probably has one made or in the works with all the shuttles he's building! Here's the second SRB


Also cut all the SRB 1/4" attachment dowels. I sanded the first and then thought of paint. Later I read Mushtang's post stating he wished he'd have painted first. Then I had a thought, grabbed some masking tape and looped in on some spare cardstock. Stuck the dowels down on that and then ran out back real quick and hit them with white. I could hear the Guiness commercial guys in my head "Brilliant". Figure the side that's stuck on tape is the side that's gonna be glued between the SRB and ET so who cares. Still gotta sand those little PITAs but very slightly. Will get those on tonight when I get home.

kcobbva said:

I figure Mushtang probably has one made or in the works with all the shuttles he's building!

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Not exactly. My wife has a stack of cookbooks in the kitchen, which is where I do all my builds, and I use them to make little stair step shapes on each side that seems to hold everything in place really well. Very similar to how you're using the wax paper and bowl.

Also cut all the SRB 1/4" attachment dowels. I sanded the first and then thought of paint. Later I read Mushtang's post stating he wished he'd have painted first. Then I had a thought, grabbed some masking tape and looped in on some spare cardstock. Stuck the dowels down on that and then ran out back real quick and hit them with white.

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I remember that, and on future builds I did paint first. It would be impossible to mask those little suckers wouldn't it? But I have always painted a long dowel first and cut pieces off of it as I needed. That keeps one side of them from being bare, although your plan to hide the non-painted side should be great. Nobody would really see under them anyway.

Also, I really like your flame fin paint job! My fins have always just been painted yellow, I've never tried to get that creative with the colors like you and others have done. Maybe I should do that on the kit I just ordered.

https://www.museumofflight.org/content/inspiring-rockets

If you have the time, this is a nice museum, this exhibit was opened at NARCON last year.

It's finished!!! But photobucket is down!! GRRRR

Ok am going to try from computer for these last few pics since Photobucket is down and I need to pack for Seattle! So I painstakenly sanded the little support PITAs for the SRBs and then attached between the ET and SRB



After that, I completed the parachute assembly. I noted that there were only supports enough +1 to complete the outside of the chute. I've had issues in the past, with tears, so I made supports for the opposite side out of some packing tape.


Finally I inserted the flame fins and for the first time got to see the final product!! YEAH!


What an awesome ride this has been! To all that have contributed to my success....a sincere Thank YOU! I am sorry to see this thread come to a close as it has really been a thrill! When I get a chance to actually launch, I'll post the outcome.

she looks AWESOME!!! well done!!

kcobbva said:

Ok am going to try from computer for these last few pics since Photobucket is down and I need to pack for Seattle! So I painstakenly sanded the little support PITAs for the SRBs and then attached between the ET and SRB
View attachment 281005 View attachment 281006 View attachment 281007


After that, I completed the parachute assembly. I noted that there were only supports enough +1 to complete the outside of the chute. I've had issues in the past, with tears, so I made supports for the opposite side out of some packing tape.
View attachment 281008 View attachment 281009

Finally I inserted the flame fins and for the first time got to see the final product!! YEAH!
View attachment 281010View attachment 281011View attachment 281012View attachment 281013

What an awesome ride this has been! To all that have contributed to my success....a sincere Thank YOU! I am sorry to see this thread come to a close as it has really been a thrill! When I get a chance to actually launch, I'll post the outcome.

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kcobbva said:

What an awesome ride this has been! To all that have contributed to my success....a sincere Thank YOU! I am sorry to see this thread come to a close as it has really been a thrill! When I get a chance to actually launch, I'll post the outcome.

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It's beautiful! You did a really great job on this kit! Well done you.

Be sure to take some pictures and video when you launch it. We like those too!

NJRick said:

the Lifting Body tends to knife through the air..but is another neat kit. Fun to build and fun to fly!
https://www.rocketryforum.com/showt...Zooch-Lifting-Bodies&highlight=lifting+bodies

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Rick it's all your fault man! I couldn't help myself! I bought a lifting body kit a little bit ago! So I didn't have to pay shipping I added the Freedom 7 Redstone to the order. Now I WILL be studying those pictures of yours to get an idea of what I want to do. It won't be the stock white after seeing all your pictures. Where is your build thread so I can study that?

Hi Kcpbbva....you are going to love the Zooch Lifting Body....but a warning is due..they are like eating potato chips...you can't make just one. the Zooch LB is one of my favorite kits he sells....it flies great and I love coming up with paint schemes for them,. just a cool little gem of a kit I think!

First thread here is Luke Strawwalkers thread....Luke painted his like an F-117 and I thought that was a great idea...Luke's threads are awesome!

https://www.rocketryforum.com/showthread.php?2092-Dr-Zooch-Lifting-Body-build-thread&highlight=dr+zooch+lifting+body

look for post 50 on page 2 of the thread....you will see where I gave the thread a bump

I also did a build thread of my Israeli fighter version....again...just fun to play around with different schemes.

https://www.rocketryforum.com/showthread.php?59262-Dr-Zooch-Lifting-Body-build-thread&highlight=dr+zooch+liftinbodyg+

These are really fun kits! post pictures if you can or even a build thread of your own!

Rick

kcobbva said:

Rick it's all your fault man! I couldn't help myself! I bought a lifting body kit a little bit ago! So I didn't have to pay shipping I added the Freedom 7 Redstone to the order. Now I WILL be studying those pictures of yours to get an idea of what I want to do. It won't be the stock white after seeing all your pictures. Where is your build thread so I can study that?

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thought you might like the videos that Dr. Zooch made for his Lifting Body!


Part 1

[video=youtube;S4lJ67Jg3_g]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4lJ67Jg3_g[/video]

Part 2

[video=youtube;JBIyI5p53ww]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBIyI5p53ww[/video]
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kcobbva said:

You HAVE to post a picture if they actually draw the Batman!!

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Hooray! Here's my screen confirmation after I ordered the rocket. Note the special instructions at the top.




Here's what showed up at my door today.



This is awesome! Thanks Sirius!!

HA!!! that is AWESOME!!!! talk about customer service!!


QUOTE=Mushtang;1545286]Hooray! Here's my screen confirmation after I ordered the rocket. Note the special instructions at the top.

View attachment 281071


Here's what showed up at my door today.

View attachment 281072

This is awesome! Thanks Sirius!![/QUOTE]

Mushtang said:

Hooray! Here's my screen confirmation after I ordered the rocket. Note the special instructions at the top.

View attachment 281071


Here's what showed up at my door today.

View attachment 281072

This is awesome! Thanks Sirius!!

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That is too awesome!!! They did it!! Now that's worthy of doing business with them for attitude alone!! Man..no rockets for a week. Gonna get the DTs!

NJRick said:

thought you might like the videos that Dr. Zooch made for his Lifting Body!


Part 1

[video=youtube;S4lJ67Jg3_g]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4lJ67Jg3_g[/video]

Part 2

[video=youtube;JBIyI5p53ww]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBIyI5p53ww[/video]
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Those were great!!

My Recommendation: BUY AND FLY the Zooch Shuttle! This thing was AWESOME today on it's maiden flight. I only had my phone to video and it came out horrid, but this thing just flies GREAT! Highly Recommend!!!


[video=youtube;DM_15hJWyT8]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=/DM_15hJWyT8[/video]

Well done! It's such a fun model to fly but damn near impossible to get a good video of it in flight. I've recorded about a dozen launches of my shuttles and realized that I'm missing the fun by doing that because all the video ever shows is clouds or sky, and I can never see the shuttle until after it's on the ground.

I guess the same can be said for most rocket launches now that I think about it.

Someday I hope that batteries and servos will be small and light enough to be able to have a single channel rudder radio control of a shuttle and be able to steer it back to launch site. That would be fun to fly it a dozen times at a club launch and not tell anyone that it's being controlled by a friend off to the side, and have it land right at the launch pad every single time. Folks would lose their minds.

awesome!!

kcobbva said:

My Recommendation: BUY AND FLY the Zooch Shuttle!... Highly Recommend!!!...

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Welcome to the club. Always a crowd pleaser, and hard to catch the Orbiter on video. Mine usually circles to land very close by the ET/SRBs on the chute. The last time I launched it at our Cub Scout rocket launch, one of the smarty-pants parents jokingly commented, "isn't the Shuttle supposed to keep on going into space? Why is it landing?" There's one in every crowd.

GlenP said:

Welcome to the club. Always a crowd pleaser, and hard to catch the Orbiter on video. Mine usually circles to land very close by the ET/SRBs on the chute. The last time I launched it at our Cub Scout rocket launch, one of the smarty-pants parents jokingly commented, "isn't the Shuttle supposed to keep on going into space? Why is it landing?" There's one in every crowd.

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Hey I think a few of my parents must have another son in your Den!! I can see that being said by a few indeed!! funny. I just showed my Pack the video from the HPR this weekend and got them excited to build and come out to a club launch event. Hopefully we can get it all squared away. I will definitely fly this then as well. You all were spot on about getting addicted to this little model!

kcobbva said:

You all were spot on about getting addicted to this little model!

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Now try and build a bigger one. Heh. My 1.5x scale version looks great, but flies like crap. I wish I knew why and what it would take to get it flying.

Mushtang said:

Now try and build a bigger one. Heh. My 1.5x scale version looks great, but flies like crap. I wish I knew why and what it would take to get it flying.

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oh man. You gotta go an say something like that! You know it's gonna get me itching and thinking about it! Not sure if I'm a good enough modeler to scale my own shuttle though and keep it flying. Maybe a kit if I could find one that would
fly on a G or H. That'd be totally awesome..

kcobbva said:

oh man. You gotta go an say something like that! You know it's gonna get me itching and thinking about it! Not sure if I'm a good enough modeler to scale my own shuttle though and keep it flying. Maybe a kit if I could find one that would fly on a G or H. That'd be totally awesome..

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I had to have the three nose cones turned specifically for me, but the guy had already turned some Shuttle ET and SRB cones so he had the dimensions, and scaled them up easy enough. I really thought scaling up 1.5x would be just slightly bigger, but it's much bigger! It flew on a D and the orbiter just wouldn't fly. It would either tumble, or nose dive. Currently the nose of the orbiter is destroyed but I can cut and glue up another one pretty easily. The trick is getting the nose weight right and I'm not sure that's even possible.