N-1 builder kit from new manufacturer

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I put on the wide and narrow fuel cowlings with medium CA along with the conduits. The wide cowling locations are marked on the shroud and they alternate with the narrow cowlings. The shroud markings suggest that the cowlings go higher up, but all the pictures show that the cowlings extend below the the cradle ring, so that is how I mounted them. The stringer lengths also match this placement. The stringers went on with thin CA. My model stands about 33.5" from the engine hooks. (It is difficult to make the model stand up straight right now, because it is top heavy.) The advertisement says that the model is over 34", so my model is a slightly short. I still have some more surface detail to put on the first stage.

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Here's a video: "A Soviet Moon: If History Had Gone Differently" Kerbal Space Program. Try to ignore the large helmet of the stylized Kerbal cosmonaut.

[video=youtube;ZfQG3X4ekNY]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfQG3X4ekNY[/video]
 
I started surface detail on the second stage. The instructions call for gluing the smaller fuel cowling profiles together to put 8 fuel cowlings on the second stage and 4 cowlings on the third stage. I counted 37 profiles. I found the instructions to be confusing, so I glued 4 profiles together to make four wide cowlings and 3 profiles to make a four narrow cowlings alternating on the circumference for the second stage. This left 2 profiles each to make 4 cowlings for the third stage using 36 profiles in all. An alternative will be to simply make 12 cowlings from 3 profiles each. I glued the profiles together with white glue, which was easier to manage than CA. I did coat the cowlings later with CA and lightly sanded them.

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The N-1 kit comes with vacuum form parts. The instructions warn to be careful with CA on these parts and warns that activator softens plastic. This stands to reason because activator may contain acetone. I filled the separation jet parts with Elmers wood filler before cutting the parts out. I then lightly sanded the parts after cutting, but I found that the filler tended to crumble. I think next time I may try filling with epoxy and micro-balloons. I then glued the separation jets to the second stage using super glue gel.

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I went back to the shrouds for the 3rd and 4th stage shown in post #52 and did some work on those. I found that just changing a shroud a little bit can make a difference in the looks. The primary problem for the 3rd stage shroud is the cut-out for the cradle ring. The printed cradle ring pattern is way off. I tried several things for the 3rd stage shroud including printing out the shroud from RocSim. I did not like the size from RocSim. Matt Johnson sent me an electronic copy for all the N-1 shrouds, but they are essentially the same as what came from the kit. I finally found a shroud calculator on the internet that printed a good-looking shroud pattern. I used 1.94" for the small diameter, 2.65" for the large diameter, and 3.6" for the height of the frustum. I tried to tear off the 3rd stage shroud, but realized that would be a bad idea. So, I made a new shroud and glued it over the old shroud, but I did not cut out the cradle ring part. I did draw an estimate of what the cradle ring cut-out should be. My 4th stage shroud was a little bit short on the circumference, so I glued in a small piece of card stock to make up the difference.


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I filled the vacuum form parts with a mixture of 5-minute epoxy and micro-balloons, but this stuff is hard to sand. I finally found that I could file it down with a rat-tail file. I'm not this approach is better than the crumbly wood filler. I attached one part to the 3rd stage with super glue gel.

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I did not like the Soyuz shroud, so I made a new shroud to go over it. Previously, there was a gap between the Soyuz shroud and the LOK shroud that did not look right. I found the following shroud calculator to be helpful (I used it in post #67). I used a small diameter = 0.90", large diameter = 1.10", and height = 1.23"

https://rocketry.newcenturycomputers.net/shroudcalc.html

Even with these measured dimensions the shroud was still not quite right, which is probably due to alignment problems, etc. The shroud calculator actually can print out a shroud. Experimenting with this printed shroud, I found something I liked. I already had an electronic copy of the shroud printed on card stock and I drew the new shroud on top of it. Gluing the new shroud in place gave me something that I liked better. Not all of the lines on the new shroud are straight, but they will be painted over and the locations on the shroud should give an indication as to where surface detail should be placed.

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I'm continuing to put on the epoxy/micro-balloon filled vacuum parts. The parts are small and hard to sand. I'm using every trick in the book including rat-tail file, sanding block, and even holding a part with needle nose pliers and carefully grinding with a small Dremel bit. I put separation jets on the LOK stage shroud and the fourth stage. LOK hinges went on the aft end of that shroud. I cut the Soyuz shroud periscope from the vacuum backing using an Xacto saw blade. All the parts were glued on with super glue gel.

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Do you think it'd help if you used a piece of body tube to form the epoxy while it's still pliable?
 
Do you think it'd help if you used a piece of body tube to form the epoxy while it's still pliable?

Nyt,
That is an interesting idea. I'm assuming that you mean rolling over the top of the epoxy in the vacuum form. The body tube would have to have a non-stick surface. It might work. In retrospect I think that maybe if the epoxy didn't fill the vacuum form all the way to the top, there could be less sanding afterwards. I tend to think that the vacuum parts are a little bit too high and in general that they protrude a little too high about the surface for scale realism. I think that using 30-minute epoxy would allow more working time. I find that micro-balloons tend to reduce the pot-life.
 
I would use West Systems 105 with the 206 slow hardener in that situation. 105/206 is what I use for most things. Even with microballoons it doesn't go off seriously quick, even when it is 100degF+ in the workshop.
 
The kit comes with two inter-stage strut support systems laser-cut from 1/64 plywood. The material is very light, flexible, and can stretch a little bit. Following the instructions on page 27 I was able to attach with either thin or medium CA and accelerator. Conceivably, the modeler could put nozzles on the bottom of the second and third stage. The instructions discuss this, but I elected to not do so. I am not sure I saw enough small tubes in the kit to do this.

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At first I was a little skeptical of the "Skill Level 6" claim of this kit...but this post has sold me on the validity of this claim lol.
 
How in god's name are you supposed to paint that thing after it's built?

Great work so far BTW. You seem to be moving along very steadily. Have you gotten extremely frustrated at any point?
 
At first I was a little skeptical of the "Skill Level 6" claim of this kit...but this post has sold me on the validity of this claim lol.

It is a challenge!

How in god's name are you supposed to paint that thing after it's built?

Great work so far BTW. You seem to be moving along very steadily. Have you gotten extremely frustrated at any point?

I'm thinking that painting will not be that bad. I just need to mask half of the third stage and the remaining upper stages. BTW the instructions stated that nozzles could be put on the second and third stages and then painted silver by using a small brush and going through the inter-stage support struts. Like I said previously, I am not going that route. I must admit that I have been frustrated at times. I can't imagine that the manufacturer has failed to capture any major or even minor details and they have provided all the parts. I think the manufacturer does know where all the parts go and the instructions are extensive. Still, the calling out of the parts and the quality of the parts could be better. Nevertheless, I have kept going, keeping in my that I want this thing to fly within a year. With that in mind I have kept moving and have taken some short-cuts. For example, there are these very tiny ladder and triangular antennae that actually project a few mm off of the surface. I'm thinking that they are not very robust and have simply glued them on flat. Keep in mind that this model will have six burned out D12's and nose weight and the parachute must be small enough to fit into only the fourth stage.

Looking good!

thanks, les. I think I can sympathize with your Saturn V project.
 
I must add that Matt Johnson at Altaira Rocketry has been very helpful. My gird support pattern didn't quite make it around the 1st stage-2nd stage gap. It was just a little bit short. Matt is going to send me an additional pattern for both gaps only for the cost of postage. The patterns are already in the mail.

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I started making the struts for the grid fins. These are on the fiber board sheets (stiff cardboard) and look like Roman numeral "tens". Fortunately, extras are provided. The instructions said to cut these in half and then glue the halves together at a 50 degree angle. I found that it was much easy to cut them partially in half and then bend them backwards away from the cut. I then made a small cardboard jig, placed the bent struts in the jig, applied medium CA at the bend, and froze it place with accelerator.

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I got two extra sets of support struts from Matt. It is interesting stuff, laser-cut from 1/64 inch plywood. I needed a little bit of extra length to make it all the way around the circumference. The instructions say to lightly brush the struts with epoxy. I have not done that, yet, but it sounds like a good idea. Also, I think some conduits go over the struts. I will go back and check.

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Looking good! A real high falutin strutter that one is!

Daddy, here is some more struttin' stuff. The instructions say to glue the grid fin struts in place on the lower skirt and then attach the grid fins. I decided first to put on a cross beam using some pieces that I cut from the frame that the grid fins came in. Then following the instructions I located the hole markings for the fin struts. I looked at using a scratch awl to make holes in the paper shroud, but it seemed like a hole would not start easily. So, I ended up using a drill with a very small bit. The struts have been tacked in place with medium CA and accelerator. I still need to glue on the grid fins.

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Those grid fins are nuts! Are they wood squares with a bunch of holes burned through them?

Somehow I'm imagining those snapping off upon landing rather frequently.
 
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