High Power Noob and a Madcow 2.6" AGM-33 Pike

ChrisAttebery said:

I may have missed it but which epoxy system are you going to use?

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I am using the Rocketpoxy G5000, figured since Madcow is predominantly a fiberglass kit maker, and they are selling it, it must be good stuff.

On most of my builds I like to build the entire motor mount with all centering rings and fins glued in place, OUTSIDE the rocket. Then when I cut my fin slots I extend the cut all the way thru the bottom of the airframe. You can leave the rear CR off or on it doesn't seem to matter. I dip a dowel into my mixed epoxy and reach up in the airframe to where the front CR will be and apply there, then slide everything in and apply some epoxy for the rear ring then shove it in all the way and I put a rubber band around the rear ring. By doing it this way (outside the airframe) I was able get exactly equal distance between all my fins. It also seemed easier for me when it came to 6 fin rockets to a line that many fins.
There are lots of ways to skin the cat and every ones different and you just need to come up with a method that works for you. Wait till it comes to those fin slots, we can probably come up with a few suggestions for that too.

bill2654 said:

On most of my builds I like to build the entire motor mount with all centering rings and fins glued in place, OUTSIDE the rocket. Then when I cut my fin slots I extend the cut all the way thru the bottom of the airframe. You can leave the rear CR off or on it doesn't seem to matter. I dip a dowel into my mixed epoxy and reach up in the airframe to where the front CR will be and apply there, then slide everything in and apply some epoxy for the rear ring then shove it in all the way and I put a rubber band around the rear ring. By doing it this way (outside the airframe) I was able get exactly equal distance between all my fins. It also seemed easier for me when it came to 6 fin rockets to a line that many fins.
There are lots of ways to skin the cat and every ones different and you just need to come up with a method that works for you. Wait till it comes to those fin slots, we can probably come up with a few suggestions for that too.

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This was my go to method up until I had a body tube with one fin slot off a bit. Had to remove the fin. Granted it was only tacked at the time, but it was tacked good. It only happened once buat that was enough. I had a thread about it so I won't elaborate here, but from now on I tack them with the MMT in the tube.

Mikey D

RLB454 said:

Thoughts? <- I know, that is a dangerous question, but I am a big boy.....

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I'd mount the tip with either an eye bolt or the original bolt, then use 2-56 screws to attach the cone to the av-bay. using the nosecone tip to pull everything together is going to get old fast.

RLB454 said:

Ok, back to the subject at hand.....

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Now that....is pretty hot.

RLB454 said:

Ok, back to the subject at hand.....

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KZ1000? Back when I was riding the KZ900 was top dog. Love those inline 4s

A little progress, nothing earth shattering, and I am sure it has all been done before....many many times. Someone said they like pics, well here are a few more :wink:

Nose cone and av bay all glued up and one piece, a couple wing nuts on the bulk plate to make access quick and easy:


Turned down a 1/16" nylon washer to act as a centering ring for the nose cone tip. No wiggling around anymore:


Made a quick jig today to get my fins perfectly square. All layed out but only cut one slot, wanted to make sure all three lined up with the body tube slots. They all lined up perfect, so I'll cut the others tomorrow so I can glue on the next fin. Cut the slot just a whisker big so I could shim it with some paper to get it just right and not move whilst the epoxy is drying. I opted to keep the aft centering ring loose until everything is glued in place on the motor tube. I thought about slotting the body tube and sliding in the completed motor tube/fin assembly, but I just couldn't see this method as better. Guess it just boils down to build techniques of the individual, maybe I'll try it on the next kit????:

Handeman said:

KZ1000? Back when I was riding the KZ900 was top dog. Love those inline 4s

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Yes, it is a 92' KZ1000 Police. KZ's were beasts back in the day, and this one still is I have been into motorcycles for 35 years, and I would have to say this is by far the funnest one I have ever ridden .... but then, I built it 100% specifically for me.

After a bit of a delay, I finally got back to work on this bird. Again, nothing earth shattering about this build, and it has all been done before.... here are a few more pics:





T nuts for rail buttons epoxied in, now to finally epoxy in the aft centering ring, then on to the fin fillets.


I am pretty excited about seeing this model fly, if it flies half as good as it looks I will be a very happy camper! I cant say enough how impressed I am with this Mad Cow kit :smile: Still need to order up a JL Chute Release and most likely a Missile Works altimeter. a killer paint job, then off to the field!

Looking good.

How did you reach into the tube to install/epoxy the t-nut for the forward rail button?

First off, nice build!

One bit of advice with a rocket with that amount of fin area and the JLCR. I have a scratch built 4" Standard Missile that I built for my L1/L2 bird. At this month's launch, I put it up on a H180, Eggtimer Quark for apogee deployment, and the JLCR to handle the deployment of the main. Everything went beautifully until the main unfurled, and briefly fouled the fin can because everything came down relatively "flat". Fortunately it popped loose a second or two later and I only have a small ding to the payload bay to show for it, but my next flight I'm going to use a drogue on the payload bay to make sure it is above the fin can.

Nice thing was that despite the wind that day, it all came down about 100' from the pad. Definite win for the JLCR!

Buckeye said:

Looking good.

How did you reach into the tube to install/epoxy the t-nut for the forward rail button?

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With the T nuts, I first made sure I would have enough room between the motor tube and the air frame to sneak them in before I epoxied in the motor tube. I really didnt want to make a flat spot on the front centering ring so it would have as much surface area for epoxy as possible. Since there was plenty of room, I installed the motor tube and all of the fins before even drilling the holes for the T nuts. To get the forward T nut in, I ripped down a 1/8" X 1/4" stick about 20" long, wrapped tape backwards around one end (sticky side out), stuck on the T nut, the globbed on epoxy to the flat surface of the T nut. It was easy to just slide it up into the tube and poke it through the hole, then I installed the rail button and screw on so the T nut didnt move. Using the same stick, I was able to reach up into the tube and spread more epoxy over the nut, as well as applying the fillets on the fins to the motor tube. Make sense? I use the term "globbed" because it certainly aint pretty, but it will be strong

byoungblood said:

First off, nice build!

One bit of advice with a rocket with that amount of fin area and the JLCR. I have a scratch built 4" Standard Missile that I built for my L1/L2 bird. At this month's launch, I put it up on a H180, Eggtimer Quark for apogee deployment, and the JLCR to handle the deployment of the main. Everything went beautifully until the main unfurled, and briefly fouled the fin can because everything came down relatively "flat". Fortunately it popped loose a second or two later and I only have a small ding to the payload bay to show for it, but my next flight I'm going to use a drogue on the payload bay to make sure it is above the fin can.

Nice thing was that despite the wind that day, it all came down about 100' from the pad. Definite win for the JLCR!

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Thanks for the tip, I was going to ask about the drogue in addition to the Chute Release, and if it was a good idea.

RLB454 said:

With the T nuts, I first made sure I would have enough room between the motor tube and the air frame to sneak them in before I epoxied in the motor tube. I really didnt want to make a flat spot on the front centering ring so it would have as much surface area for epoxy as possible. Since there was plenty of room, I installed the motor tube and all of the fins before even drilling the holes for the T nuts. To get the forward T nut in, I ripped down a 1/8" X 1/4" stick about 20" long, wrapped tape backwards around one end (sticky side out), stuck on the T nut, the globbed on epoxy to the flat surface of the T nut. It was easy to just slide it up into the tube and poke it through the hole, then I installed the rail button and screw on so the T nut didnt move. Using the same stick, I was able to reach up into the tube and spread more epoxy over the nut, as well as applying the fillets on the fins to the motor tube. Make sense? I use the term "globbed" because it certainly aint pretty, but it will be strong

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Got it. Good thinking.

Hi All, I have been so stinking busy the last couple of months and havent had much time to get this project finished. I did finally get this crazy bird completed though...and have a few pics to prove it I havent flown it yet, waiting for my son and son in law to get theirs finished up and we'll light them all off together for our L1's. I wound up not using the Rocket Man chute, I made the mistake of getting the heavier one, and it was just too bulky to fit nicely in the body, so I went with a 36" Fruity Chutes classic elliptical, it packs really nice. Also ditched the supplied nylon shock cord and went with 5/16" kevlar. Aeropac motor retainer, as well as an Aeropac 29mm adapter...you know, for those occasional launches from the back yard :lol: I still want to order up an altimeter just for kicks, and I'll probably put a camera on it too: heck, it is only money right? :surprised:

I am sure I will post up some video of the L1 launch when ever we get around to it, so stand by.....

A bit of masking for the external fillets. Figured since the Rocket Poxy came with some black pigment I aught to try it out...



voila!


After some sanding and filling, and some black primer, I laid down some gold base for the stripes, then did some masking trickery:


Simple black with gold stripes....easy peasy. Also polished out the nose cone tip. Sorry, I didnt bother to wipe it down before taking the pics, so it has a lot of dust and finger prints on it. (as a side note, it is hard to get a decent pic of a rocket where it actually does it justice!):

Those curves are nice. What tape did you use?

Nytrunner said:

Those curves are nice. What tape did you use?

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I use 3M vinyl masking tape for the stripes, 1/4" and 1/8" widths. Takes a little practice to make tight radius' like this to get a nice smooth curve with no kinks in the tape, but well worth the patience and time. The black and gold paint is just Dupli Color rattle cans, but used Nasson 497 clear and polished down to 3000 grit. Not the best finish for a hard landing, but hey, it will look amazing on the first launch LOL!