Loc MIM-104 Patriot Build

Looking really good sir!

ECayemberg said:

Yeah...see this is simple in comparison. Only 9 holes instead of 20 with the Dog People rocket. John, this should be a fairly low and slow endeavor....I do enjoy clusters, really like dramatic airstarts, and simply couldn't resist these new cluster rings from Loc!

Day dreaming, I'm thinking something like:

Super Thunder or White Thunder core motor, coast for a second
(4) 38mm white motors light, coast for a second
(4) 29mm white motors light

OR

A 75mm red L or M core, flanked by 4 smoky motors, all lit on the ground. Maybe airstart something

OR

Smoky core L or M, flanked by 4 red motors all lit on the ground.

OR

A cluster of 9 White Lightning motors for the ultimate Big Flame, billowing smoke flight.

I just like the options that the cluster rings present. I need to get some 38mm duplicate hardware for the outboards; got lots of 29mm Kosdon 29-310 and paired up Aerotech 29/240-360 sets for use.

-Eric-

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yes
yes
...yes

and yes

fm

Thanks Justin and FM!

Assembled the full stack for the first time. 100" fits in the garage just fine...please excuse the mess as this area of the garage gets awfully crowded during the winter with all the outdoor stuff stored inside.

All full of primer and putty. More sanding and priming to follow.



Color scheme to come. May be a bit different than the traditional scheme we're used to seeing on Patriot models.

Eric- any guess on what the dry weight will be when done?

djs said:

Eric- any guess on what the dry weight will be when done?

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Absolutely; I'll throw it on the scale tonight. Mine will be a bit heavier than stock as I glassed the tubes and have the crazy cluster mount in the rear. It may need noseweight as well, so that's TBD. So far, I'm pleased that it's light enough to toss around with ease!

djs said:

Eric- any guess on what the dry weight will be when done?

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Yo Glen, I threw the Patriot skeleton on the scale last night.



17.5lbs for the full stack; still needs recovery, ebay internals, any necessary noseweight. Remind me to post the final dry weight when the time comes.

-Eric-

ECayemberg said:

17.5lbs for the full stack; still needs recovery, ebay internals, any necessary noseweight. Remind me to post the final dry weight when the time comes.

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not too bad! I'm looking for an L3 rocket, as my 4" punisher (with tailcone) seems to break the waiver at even QCRS when simulated on any M motor.

Looks great Eric! Can't wait to see the final result!

djs said:

not too bad! I'm looking for an L3 rocket, as my 4" punisher (with tailcone) seems to break the waiver at even QCRS when simulated on any M motor.

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I reckon this here Patriot would be a good choice. On that note...

The Pat fins had a notch in them, which put the aft CR an inch or so in from the rear of the rocket. If I did it again, I'd probably just place the aft CR flush with the aft of the airframe, accepting that there's a gap between the aft edge of the fin tang and the aft CR. Say that 5 times fast!:wink: Alas, I had the aft CR butted against the fin tang, so there is some unsupported airframe aft of the CR that I thought could use some reinforcement. Cut a short 1" piece of 7.5" airframe, removed a small slice to get the diameter right, and epoxied it in the rear for some double wall support.



First flight will be at LDRS on a 75-5G Sconnie M1550 White. Single motor, no time for cluster prep between now and then. Soooooo, how do I protect all 8 of those empty outboard tubes. One could fab a whole bunch of plugs for the holes, or I could ask nicely for a custom ring to fit in the rear. Let's go with the latter; THANKS Jay!!!

75-6000 case with custom ring.



Sliding in place. Star Wars son approves.



Perfect fit.



The temps have dropped, but so have the winds. Thus, I'm going to try to get some sanding done and round 2 of primer in the next few days. Hoping for paintable weather next week!

-Eric-

djs said:

not too bad! I'm looking for an L3 rocket, as my 4" punisher (with tailcone) seems to break the waiver at even QCRS when simulated on any M motor.

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Argonia...

Looking great Eric! Can't wait to see these Giants live.

Thanks Ryan and Nick!!!!

Nothing too exciting; just got rid of the excess red filler stuff. Before round 2 of primer:



This is a military bird, so I'm not seeking flawless surfaces. Thus, will probably do one more round of sanding and priming, then hit it with color. Come on weather, work with me now!

-E-

ECayemberg said:

Thanks Ryan and Nick!!!!

Nothing too exciting; just got rid of the excess red filler stuff. Before round 2 of primer:

This is a military bird, so I'm not seeking flawless surfaces. Thus, will probably do one more round of sanding and priming, then hit it with color. Come on weather, work with me now!

-E-

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Maybe you already mentioned but are you planning on attending the Midwest Blast with one of these?

Nick@JET said:

Maybe you already mentioned but are you planning on attending the Midwest Blast with one of these?

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He better be! Lol

Nick@JET said:

Maybe you already mentioned but are you planning on attending the Midwest Blast with one of these?

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noffie79 said:

He better be! Lol

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Hey Nick, Ryan. I might...might be able to swing the Saturday, but have commitments on Sunday. I really enjoyed visiting the Michiana launches last year; and can't wait to get back on that range asap!

I made the last minute decision to add a flexible noseweight system in the nosecone. With all those tubes in the rear, there's a great deal of variability in motor mass in the rear end.

So, I began by cutting out the center of the base of the cone.





A Loc 5.5" to 3" ring slips through the void. With some T-nuts, this will be a backer to which a cover plate is secured.



A 3" tube runs from the base of the cone to the point at which it intersects the ID of the cone...a few inches aft of the tip of the cone. Marking it to be cut to length:



Fast forward a bit....holes drilled, ply backer with T-nuts installed, 3" tube installed, all epoxied together. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't covered in Rocketpoxy during this step!:eyepop:



All ready for installation of variable noseweight; capped by a 5.5" bulkplate.

-Eric-

Let's turn this military iron into something other than gray! After a few rounds of sanding, some of the texture of the glass remains, visible in the following photo:



The weather hasn't been great....but I'm determined. So the garage turned into a paint booth. Final sanded with 600 grit prior to adding color; ready to paint!





Painting the parts Paprika!





Final color is much less orange than the photo shows, and Satin finish after it dried.

-Eric-

Hi Eric...Those rockets are really turming out very nice. I like the colors and looks of all of them. Good-luck on their flights. Greg Olson

ECayemberg said:

Hey Nick, Ryan. I might...might be able to swing the Saturday, but have commitments on Sunday. I really enjoyed visiting the Michiana launches last year; and can't wait to get back on that range asap!

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I hope you can make it. It'll be great to see you again. And you as well Nick!

noffie79 said:

I hope you can make it. It'll be great to see you again. And you as well Nick!

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Absolutely Ryan; looking forward to seeing you on the range again soon!

ThePlmbr said:

Hi Eric...Those rockets are really turning out very nice. I like the colors and looks of all of them. Good-luck on their flights. Greg Olson

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Thanks Greg! Great to see you at the Bong the other day; even if it was a brief visit! I'm so relieved to finally get some color on the builds!

Put the last of the color on the Patriot yesterday. The main airframe color was taped off in preparation for painting the fins and aft section a phenolic color.



Didn't have all the tape pulled here yet, but you get the idea.



More to come....

And the paint is on, dry, finished! Decals up next...

....And we've been Stickershocked! Mark supplied another beautiful set of vinyl for the big Pat. Like the Dinosaur thread, no time for a nice outdoor shot yet, but here's the odd-lighting-in-the-basement-shop shot! Again, this is the Operational scheme, not the Promotional round scheme; a bit different than the trim we're used to seeing on most model Pats. You know, I like to be a bit different!:cyclops::eyepop:



Loc has a winner here; I believe this may just become a popular kit. Look for this critter at LDRS...going up on a 75-6000 white M; and keep your eyes and ears peeled for the kit version...possibly even at LDRS!

-Eric-

Eric- is there a chance these might appear at the Bong launches anytime this year? what kind of altitude are you expecting on the 75-6000 M motor?

Eric, we are all a bit different!

Looks killer!

djs said:

Eric- is there a chance these might appear at the Bong launches anytime this year? what kind of altitude are you expecting on the 75-6000 M motor?

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Hi Glen, Definitely; if it survives LDRS, it should be a good Bong/Princeton flyer! Thinking around a mile with the baby M. I'll get you a final weight of the thing too, when all the guts are in her.

rfjustin said:

Eric, we are all a bit different!

Looks killer!

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Indeed! Thanks!!!!

*Sorry for bombing the High Power forum tonight with photos; I'm on a roll!:wink:*

Big Patriot is ready to rock! Final prepping of the electronics and we can slide it on the rail. Super sweet stickers from Stickershock; thanks Mark!



For the record, I really like this rocket! Good sized rocket; flight ready it comes in under 40 lbs....so around 28lbs dual deploy, glassed, with 1" tubular nylon, all chutes, and even a few quick links. I'm a fan; hope she flies well! Off to LDRS in a few days!

-Eric-

Pretty cool man. Pretty cool.

Yeah, I dig that paint scheme. Very cool.

Reviving an oldie! Really enjoying this big bird, so thought I'd share. Put two flights on the big Pat now; one at LDRS in Maryland and one this past weekend at the Tripoli Wisconsin Launch at the Bong.

The first flight was at windy LDRS 36 at MDRA. A research Sconnie M1550 White took it to 8175'. No photos handy of that flight.

This weekend at Bong it flew on a 75-3G L1175 Kosdon Fast clone to 4394'. The motor had the look, feel, and sound of Kos Fast...so I was happy! Got a few good shots of the flight; here they are.

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And that camera guy Mr. Kevin H took some neat shots of the flight too.

Frozen guy in photo for scale:



Q: How many pellets did I use for ignition? Note: for those that say dowels in motors vaporize "immediately", this photo disagrees with you. Neat photo!



I just like it!



Now...for some clustering in this thing...!

Nice photos man!!! You know, I was day dreaming about a 7.5" IRIS today... I dismissed it quickly. Now looking at these photos.... hmmmm Get it up there on the big ol 1939