lcorinth
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I started building the Estes Leviathan, along with two other PSII kits, nearly a year ago. Eventually, I decided one of them would be my L1 cert flight vehicle. This one got finished first, so it'll probably be the one. It turned out nice, so I thought I'd post the build here.
Before we begin, I'm sure someone will tell me I overbuilt this thing, and it's true. But I had a year's less experience when I started, and I wanted to try some of the stronger HPR building techniques on something cheaper, and from what I understand, it's pretty common for HPR beginners to be a little overcautious with the building. So, the rocket's a little heavier than it could be, but it will be less likely to lose a fin.
I started with the fins.
I usually shape balsa fins on LPR models, so I wanted to see if it was doable with a plywood fin, since all I have is a hand sander. Since I wasn't sure how easy it would be, I swiped one fin from my Estes Scion (which is the same rocket, but with a longer body. The Scion has three fins, but since it's just repackaged Leviathan parts, it comes with four). I figured if it worked, I'd use the rest of the Scion fins for this rocket, and if it turned out terribly, then I'd just leave the fins on the Leviathan square, and I'd still have three fins for the Scion.
Whether it'll make this rocket fly better or not was kind of irrelevant to me, as I knew I'd be building heavy. I just like the look of airfoiled fins, so I figured I'd give it a go.
I mark where I want the tapers to be using a... actually, I forget what this thing is called, but it's a cheap tool for measuring hemlines on pant legs and such.
I'd have a slight taper on the leading edge with the actual edge rounded over, and a slightly longer taper on the trailing edge.
Connecting the marks...
I start sanding at about a 45 degree angle on the leading edge, down to the darker middle ply. This gives me a corner I can sand off, slowly working my way down to the line where I want the taper to start.
Before we begin, I'm sure someone will tell me I overbuilt this thing, and it's true. But I had a year's less experience when I started, and I wanted to try some of the stronger HPR building techniques on something cheaper, and from what I understand, it's pretty common for HPR beginners to be a little overcautious with the building. So, the rocket's a little heavier than it could be, but it will be less likely to lose a fin.
I started with the fins.
I usually shape balsa fins on LPR models, so I wanted to see if it was doable with a plywood fin, since all I have is a hand sander. Since I wasn't sure how easy it would be, I swiped one fin from my Estes Scion (which is the same rocket, but with a longer body. The Scion has three fins, but since it's just repackaged Leviathan parts, it comes with four). I figured if it worked, I'd use the rest of the Scion fins for this rocket, and if it turned out terribly, then I'd just leave the fins on the Leviathan square, and I'd still have three fins for the Scion.
Whether it'll make this rocket fly better or not was kind of irrelevant to me, as I knew I'd be building heavy. I just like the look of airfoiled fins, so I figured I'd give it a go.
I mark where I want the tapers to be using a... actually, I forget what this thing is called, but it's a cheap tool for measuring hemlines on pant legs and such.
I'd have a slight taper on the leading edge with the actual edge rounded over, and a slightly longer taper on the trailing edge.
Connecting the marks...
I start sanding at about a 45 degree angle on the leading edge, down to the darker middle ply. This gives me a corner I can sand off, slowly working my way down to the line where I want the taper to start.