Boyce Aerospace Hobbies is Back!

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iqsy59

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When I began my first foray into model rocketry in the 90's, there were a small number of producers of scale kits who really caught my attention. I can remember spending hours on the Magnum Rockets webpage dreaming about building kits from Rocket R&D, Blackhawk R&D, Cosmodrome Rocketry, Cluster 'R', and Yank Enterprises to name a few. I can also remember Boyce Aerospace Hobbies. Their Mercury Redstone kits were the brass ring that I didn't dare to grasp until I had further honed my building skills.

When I returned to the hobby about 5 years ago, sadly, most of these vendors were long gone. Cosmodrome was still around and I quickly snatched up every kit Mike had available and eventually acquired at least one of every kit he has ever produced. LOC/Precision had taken the mantle of producing some of the product lines. But other than that, I had to turn to the used or collector marketplace to find the kits for which I had longed.

So with that background, I was very excited when I learned that Alex and Sheree Boyce were again making products for our hobby! I reached out to B.A.H. to learn more about their new products and received a very nice personal response to my inquiry. They are definitely back in this business for the right reasons...primarily for the community.

I had previously acquired 4" and 2.6" Neubauer Mercury Redstone kits which were the original Boyce designs. The flagship of the new Boyce product line is a 3D printed 4" Mercury Redstone capsule, so I was primarily interested in getting one to replace the molded urethane capsule that came with my Neubauer kit. However, I was thrilled to learn that with the purchase of the capsule, they also provided a full plan set to build the booster using readily available parts. My Neubauer kit could remain in its original packaging and I could still have an upgraded Boyce 4" Mercury Redstone!

Another product offering which interested me was a 3D printed "upgrade kit" for the SpaceX Falcon 9 and Fairing kit by SpaceX. The upgrade kit includes printed grid fins to replace the clear fins that come with the kit, along with very detailed printed landing legs to replace the foam legs. Lastly, I wanted to try one of their full-3D printed kits...primarily as a novelty, but also because they are producing some very interesting subjects that are not otherwise available in the market. I chose the 1/48 scale Thor-Able Pioneer.

My order was shipped the day after I placed my order and arrived just a couple of days later. The contents were packed with extreme care with each component thoroughly wrapped in bubble wrap and protected from anything the shipper could dish out. Each item came with well-written and detailed instructions.

First up, the 4" Mercury Redstone Capsule:

IMG_8324.jpg

Let me say that the detail on this capsule is nothing short of amazing. Not even the molded plastic static model capsules that I have seen compare to the quality of this printed version. Want a window version instead of the portal? 3D Printed! I don't have to worry about flying with the escape tower because it's replaceable.

Next up, the Falcon 9 and Fairing Upgrade Kit:

IMG_8327.jpgIMG_8329.jpg

I think these are going to be a great enhancement to the stock kit!

Finally, the Thor-Able Pioneer:

IMG_8326.jpgIMG_8325.jpg

It comes with a 24mm motor mount. Pretty cool, huh?! This kit is really well designed and is very high quality. I only need to find a decal set for it. Worst case scenario, Mach 2 Models makes a plastic display model in 1/48 that I can purchase and scan the decals.

The bottom line: Boyce Aerospace Hobbies is filling a very interesting gap in the hobby using 3D printing technology to produce static and flying models, as well as parts and accessories. Custom work is definitely on the menu. Quality and service are as good as it gets. I encourage everyone to visit their site and if they have anything that interests you, welcome them back to the hobby with an order. You won't regret it!

Next up for me will be a 4" Juno 1 / Jupiter C capsule for one of my True Modeler's Rocket Kits, as well as a 2.6" version of their Mercury capsule. One of the great things about 3D printing is the ability to scale just about anything!

I will use this post to update my builds in the future, but it won't be right away. I have some other projects already on the bench. Please feel welcome to add your own experiences in the meantime.

Cheers,
Michael
 
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I have a 4" Mercury Redstone capsule and a 1/21.8 Mercury Atlas capsule and missle adapter that the Boyces did for me, and the quality is excellent.
 
Yep. Link worked. Hard earned money spent... Mercury and Gemini 4" capsules plus an Honest John ordered...
Fun on the way!!! :horse:
 
Alex and Sheree Boyce have released a 1/14 Nike Hercules for preorder.
Check out Boyce Aerospace hobbies.com for details.
4x24mm first stage, 1x24mm second stage.
I committed for one.
Really pretty!

Allen
 
Alex and Sheree Boyce have released a 1/14 Nike Hercules for preorder.
Check out Boyce Aerospace hobbies.com for details.
4x24mm first stage, 1x24mm second stage.
I committed for one.
Really pretty!

Allen

I saw that as well. Very cool!

I understand they need 40 pre-orders in order to run the batch, and it will be the only batch this year. I’ve resisted so far, but it’s probably just a matter of time...

Cheers,
Michael
 
I saw that as well. Very cool!

I understand they need 40 pre-orders in order to run the batch, and it will be the only batch this year. I’ve resisted so far, but it’s probably just a matter of time...

Cheers,
Michael

I've committed to buying one. I had a model similar to this about 6 years ago. It worked pretty good and is still ready to go. I only flew it twice. It still looks good and takes some prep and, so I've been reluctant to fly it. It will be fun to try a new one. There will be some sanding with this new one, but the tubes do not require sanding. The upper fins will take sanding, but if they were balsa it would take sealing and sanding, too.
 
Boyce has received 35 Nike-Hercules pre-orders at the special price of $100 plus $20 shipping, which is close to their goal of 40. There are only about 2 more days in the special offer. Order now, if your are interested. Otherwise, the kits will not be available until summer of 2019 at about $140.
 
I was told I was #40! Plus they have a few contingent offers as backups should someone back out. Looking for to the Nike-Hercules.... as a plus also got a Saturn 1B at 1/100 scales added to my order.


Sent from my iPhone using Rocketry Forum
 
Here is a short video from Boyce Aerospace showing the making of plastic parts for the new Nike-Hercules using their 3D printer machine.

[video=youtube;tJ0uRA8wOnk]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJ0uRA8wOnk[/video]
 
I started work on the Boyce Nike Hercules. In some ways it is similar to the Nike Hercules limited production that the Sandman from Roachwerks put out about 6 years ago, but there are differences. There was 4 printed parts that I wet sanded and then painted. I got tired of wet-sanding, so I dry sanded the 4 fins for the second stage main body. I had plenty of the Rust-o-leum automotive gray primer left over, so I continued to use it for the dry sanding.
 

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Just opened my Boyce Saturn 1b. Assembly was somewhat quicker than I anticipated.

boyce.jpg
 
The Saturn 1B and the Nike-Zeus go together very easily. The parts fit just right. The challenge is in the finish. Both the painting and decals, but especially the sanding of the 3-D printing striations, if you elect to remove or decrease them.
 
I just completed a Canadian Arrow using Boyce 3D printed V2 fins - see attached photo. I built this from an old Estes Maxi V2 kit (4" diameter) but I used a body tube 5 inches longer than the stock V2 tube, then finished it with StickerShock decals.
 

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Just received my 3.90 Mercury capsule and Redstone "kit" looks great.

Mike
 
So has anyone finished/flown the 1/14 Hercules? What motors? Pictures?

Finished but I have not flown it yet. I used a Perfect flight time in it. Balanced it weighs 1 LB 12 ounces without motors. Would like to find the decals for the booster tubes. I have a cad file but I have not tried to scale and print them yet. Not real sure on how ink jet printed yellow will turn out on the decal paper.
20180916_164039.jpg
 
Finished but I have not flown it yet. I used a Perfect flight time in it. Balanced it weighs 1 LB 12 ounces without motors. Would like to find the decals for the booster tubes. I have a cad file but I have not tried to scale and print them yet. Not real sure on how ink jet printed yellow will turn out on the decal paper.
View attachment 361794

OUTSTANDING!

Cheers,
Michael
 
You’re making me want to get back to my plans to scratch build an LPR Nike Hercules... and I tried so hard to ween myself away from the idea!

[emoji12]
 
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