Trade Surplus - a 3in Basic Blues kit build

The Rocketry Forum

Help Support The Rocketry Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

NateLowrie

Spark Rocket Labs Team Lead
TRF Supporter
Joined
Jun 28, 2016
Messages
676
Reaction score
15
Location
Lebanon, PA
I needed to build some smaller airframes for 38mm and 29mm motors that are electronics capable. I only have 2 currently in that size and both were motor deploy only. So I ended up with a basic blues 3in kit. I didn't want cardboard because I've had it zipper so many times on me and I wanted something pretty cheap, so blue tube it is.

IMG_8116.jpg

Here are the parts in the kit plus the Av-Bay. I did not order any hardware or sleds as I'll install those myself. Should be a quick build.
 
IMG_8117.jpgIMG_8118.jpg

The fin slots were cut about 3/32 short. They were also rounded. I wanted the back centering ring flush with the end of the tube so I dry fit a centering ring in and carved the sides down flush with an exacto knife. Then I cut out chunks of the top of the slot until I got the size and fit I wanted.
IMG_8120.jpgIMG_8121.jpgIMG_8122.jpg


First epoxying of the kit. Did the rear and front centering rings and the aeropack adapter. Also did the Av-Bay switch band and bulk plat supports. The ARR bays use a split section of blue tube that gets epoxied on the inner coupler. It then uses non-stepped av-bay plates that seat on those rings inside the coupler.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_8123.jpg
    IMG_8123.jpg
    91.5 KB · Views: 42
Back
Top