Accur8 Indigo Ragnarok Orbital Interceptor Build Thread

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This is one of the finishing kits I would love, BUT have zero skills to complete. That is the ONLY reason I haven't bought an Accur8 skin yet. He holds my skills too highly to do it justice :D
Good on you though...this looks awesome.
 
This is one of the finishing kits I would love, BUT have zero skills to complete. That is the ONLY reason I haven't bought an Accur8 skin yet. He holds my skills too highly to do it justice :D

My suggestion is a Trajector skin set. The Trajector itself is a trivial build (E2X after all) so you can focus on the skin technique. And there's not a lot of complex cutting or forming work to be done, other than the nose. Unfortunately the Trajector is no longer available on clearance from Estes but you can still get it at AC Supply for $28.

Anyway, I did a Trajector before this so I'd feel comfortable working with the skins. The Ragnarok is definitely a couple of steps up in challenge, both for the build and for the skinning. Occasionally frustrating and/or maddening, but lots of fun.
 
This rocket (and my NASA Trajector) flew yesterday on AT E15-4s. Everything went smoothly, although the Trajector landed out of sight behind a stand of trees and I didn't know if I was going to be able to recover it. It turned out to be easily visible and reachable after a long drive down an assortment of dirt roads that my Prius did not appreciate.

This one, on the other hand, landed in some easily accessible high weeds, giving it the softest possible landing and leaving it with no damage. I was nervous because I realized rather late that the 18" nylon chute from the Cosmic Interceptor was probably a bit too small for this rocket at 10.5 oz unloaded weight.

The E15-4 was a nearly perfect motor for this rocket. It is what I will use in the future, although I don't expect this guy to fly that often.

It weather-cocked off the rod a bit, as shown in the picture below:
ragnarok.JPG

I think next time I'll try to get a longer rod, maybe that'll help, although airplane-styled rockets do look cooler when they're not flying vertical.

Anyway, it was a good flight.
 
My suggestion is a Trajector skin set. The Trajector itself is a trivial build (E2X after all) so you can focus on the skin technique. And there's not a lot of complex cutting or forming work to be done, other than the nose. Unfortunately the Trajector is no longer available on clearance from Estes but you can still get it at AC Supply for $28.

Anyway, I did a Trajector before this so I'd feel comfortable working with the skins. The Ragnarok is definitely a couple of steps up in challenge, both for the build and for the skinning. Occasionally frustrating and/or maddening, but lots of fun.

Trajector is indeed a fun build and a great introduction to using epoxy. I bought a couple during Estes clearance sales but even at AC Supply’s price it’s a good value. Great suggestion using it as an introduction to Accur8 skins - I’ve been thinking of buying a skin set for my second, unbuilt Trajector.
 
Congrats on a successful flight with tail feathers intact!

Seems like mini rail buttons would be good for these birds.

Regarding flying it again---- this thing is so pretty, and since you've proved it's rocket-worthiness, I think it has earned hanger queen status!
 
I have the Intereceptor E with the Accur 8 blue confederate air force decals. I am afraid to even START the build!
 
Yeah, that's a pretty drastic off vertical boost, I'd use a longer rail and avoid wind. It looks like it is going right toward the tail which just may be because off the assymetric drag and if the T tail got any angle at all can exacerbate the issue.

This rocket (and my NASA Trajector) flew yesterday on AT E15-4s. Everything went smoothly, although the Trajector landed out of sight behind a stand of trees and I didn't know if I was going to be able to recover it. It turned out to be easily visible and reachable after a long drive down an assortment of dirt roads that my Prius did not appreciate.

This one, on the other hand, landed in some easily accessible high weeds, giving it the softest possible landing and leaving it with no damage. I was nervous because I realized rather late that the 18" nylon chute from the Cosmic Interceptor was probably a bit too small for this rocket at 10.5 oz unloaded weight.

The E15-4 was a nearly perfect motor for this rocket. It is what I will use in the future, although I don't expect this guy to fly that often.

It weather-cocked off the rod a bit, as shown in the picture below:
View attachment 346104

I think next time I'll try to get a longer rod, maybe that'll help, although airplane-styled rockets do look cooler when they're not flying vertical.

Anyway, it was a good flight.
 
Regarding flying it again---- this thing is so pretty, and since you've proved it's rocket-worthiness, I think it has earned hanger queen status!
For better or for worse, I kind of enjoyed the flight, maybe more than I expected. So it will be flying again, although I'm not sure when, and certainly it won't be a frequent flyer. But I'm gonna get a bigger parachute in there, and maybe a Chute Release. I got so lucky with the soft landing this time, can't rely on that luck forever.
I have the Intereceptor E with the Accur 8 blue confederate air force decals. I am afraid to even START the build!
I've seen the stuff you build, you can handle it. :) Just do the nose cone last.
Yeah, that's a pretty drastic off vertical boost, I'd use a longer rail and avoid wind. It looks like it is going right toward the tail which just may be because off the assymetric drag and if the T tail got any angle at all can exacerbate the issue.
The tail is way way back there behind the motor, so it's possible this was just garden-variety weathercocking (it did go into the wind). Longer rod should hopefully help.
 
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