N-1 builder kit from new manufacturer

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Nytrunner

Pop lugs, not drugs
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If you're up to it after Men into Space, I'm sure the community would appreciate a build overview!

Thanks, Nytrunner. You have talked me into it. This looks like a long build, so I will check in every now and then with some highlights. The instructions are 34 pages long. There is another overview that gives tips and drawings of all the components that is 23 pages. There is also a CD that has a RocSim file, which I haven't looked at, yet. I noticed that on page 34 the instructions point out that there are patterns in the laser-cut bulkheads to use for the 29 mm motor option instead of the six D12-5's (notice that D12-5's are recommended over D12-3's, because the model needs the extra time delay). I got an email from Matt Johnson and he recommends using the the six D12-5's. However, the kit manufacturer's offer the single 29 mm motor option if the modeler is averse to clustered motors. I asked Matt if both options could be built into the model. Conceivably, that is possible, however, the model owner would then need to cap off one set of motor mounts for the parachute ejection to work. The model is really intended to go with one option or the other to be built-in at the time of construction.
 
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This looks like a model, or Lego set, instead of a functional rocket. Good luck with this, it seems kind of interesting.
 
There is no shortage of parts here. There is actually a stack of shrouds stapled together in the photo that looks like just one sheet, but it is many.

Yeeps - I bought one but have not opened it yet. Almost scaring me away.... :wink:
 
This crystallizes a thought I had about this kit: it's kind of like your Saturn V build. It's just a guess at this point, but that's the vibe I get from it.

Hopefully without all the problems I had with the Saturn V. How much more detail one can add to this N-1 is unknown to me.
 
That means if one had Steven's Saturn V, this N-1, and the Boyce Saturn 1B, they would have a handsome set of 3 historical rockets all in the same scale.

I am finding that the directions are not as exact as I would want them. The centering rings are all laser cut and look good, but the part numbers are written on different set of stapled sheets. Even then it seems that the part numbers for now are not exactly the same as what are described in the instructions. One good thing is that the instructions have photographs that describe the construction. As I go along I am making what I making my decisions, otherwise, I would never make any progress. I was surprised to see that I needed to cut some 20 mm tubes in order to make motor hook retainers. Ordinarily, a company like Estes would supply these parts. I found that the motor mount tubes did not quite fit the centering ring holes, so I lightly sanded the holes and the tubes with a Dremel tool.

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The N-1 is at 1/122nd scale, the Boyce Saturn 1b is at 1/125th scale and the Saturn V is at 1/48th. Two of them are quite close in scale. I've been on the lookout for Sheri's Saturn 1b and have had no luck. That would match the Saturn V in scale.
 
I've finished the first page of the instructions or the motor mount assembly. The parts lists shows the 24 mm tubes as 80 mm, but the tubes are actually about 135 mm. I checked with Matt Johnson and he said that the 135 mm is correct. The CR's shown in post #19 do get kinda soft with bending back and forth to get the 24 mm tubes to fit. Again, a Dremel tool comes in handy for enlarging the holes. The 24 mm tubes are marked 13 mm from each end. This is where the CR's line up. For alignment purposes it helped to make the 13 mm mark go around the full circumference of the 24 mm tube. I used white glue for assembly. I may go back and do some reinforcing with 5 minute epoxy. I think putting in the central 29 mm motor mount is out of the question. There is not very much material on the CR's. There are outlines for the 29 mm tube marked on the CR's but they are not cut all the way through.

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I've finished the first page of the instructions or the motor mount assembly. The parts lists shows the 24 mm tubes as 80 mm, but the tubes are actually about 135 mm. I checked with Matt Johnson and he said that the 135 mm is correct. The CR's shown in post #19 do get kinda soft with bending back and forth to get the 24 mm tubes to fit. Again, a Dremel tool comes in handy for enlarging the holes. The 24 mm tubes are marked 13 mm from each end. This is where the CR's line up. For alignment purposes it helped to make the 13 mm mark go around the full circumference of the 24 mm tube. I used white glue for assembly. I may go back and do some reinforcing with 5 minute epoxy. I think putting in the central 29 mm motor mount is out of the question. There is not very much material on the CR's. There are outlines for the 29 mm tube marked on the CR's but they are not cut all the way through.

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That cluster will be fantastic. Glad you chose that way over the 29mm.

Depending on the final weight, you could do two strong reloadables, or three, and not have to fly it on 6 every time.
 
Looking good, although man oh man the cuts on those tubes are rough. Did you think about CAing and smoothing those down? I like smooth CAed edges on my motor mount tubes to ensure clean motor insertion along with the aesthetics.
 
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That cluster will be fantastic. Glad you chose that way over the 29mm.

Nyt, the instructions are really geared towards the six 24 mm motors. One could seal the 24 mm holes from being punched out, then place very short 24 mm tubes on the end and then cut a single 29 mm hole in the center. All these different options would take some forethought.

Looking good, although man oh man the cuts on those tubes are rough. Did you think about CAing and smoothing those down? I like smooth CAed edges on my motor mount tubes to ensure clean motor insertion along with the aesthetics.

I could do that later. I sanded the tubes a little bit, but not enough. Perhaps, painting later might help. The tubes may not all be exactly the same length, too.

I tried putting a D12 motor in each tube. The fit is tight and the motor hooks are a tight fit, too.
 
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These are photo's of the first stage fuel line covers (page 2 of the instructions). There are 3 pieces for each part, i.e., two profiles and a top cover. There may be extra pieces available to help the builder in case he makes mistakes. These turned out to be harder than I thought and it took a while to figure out a good method. You need to score the top covers in order to bend the covers around the profile. There are 6 wide fuel line covers and 6 narrow fuel line covers. I decided to use medium CA around the head-end bend first and then holding the cardboard in place with my fingers, I sprayed CA accelerator. Normally, in the past I have not trusted accelerator, but this time it worked good. Then I proceeded to do the same thing on the aft-end slant surface. On most of the top covers I cut off a forward-most tab, but afterwards it looked to me that it should be there. I will keep extra pieces in case need to go back and put them on. It also looked like from the instructions that the profiles might go on the outside of the covers. I tend to think bending the covers around the profiles was easier to construct, although it may not be entirely correct.

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I may have borrowed some ideas from the instructions and used some license and intuition with regard to attaching the shock cord to the motor assembly mount. In any case I drilled a small hole in the forward CR of the assembly and threaded one of the 12' lengths of kevlar string through the hole. I then tied a loop around one of the aft motor mount tubes and tacked the kevlar in place along the motor mount tube with thin CA and CA accelerator. Later, I came back and applied 5-minute epoxy to the shock cord and to other places on the assembly to give it strength.

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I completed the paper shrouds on the instructions page 3, but I am holding off on the gluing the CR to the Stage One Skirt Shroud. I tried steaming one of the shrouds in the microwave oven to make it easier to curve, but I didn't think it helped much. I like Matt Johnson's idea of wrapping the shroud around a wooden dowel or just try curving the paper with my fingers. Each shroud comes with a joiner or small paper tab to glue in place over the shroud joint. Perhaps, using thin CA with CA accelerator on this joiner might work. I ended up liking putting masking tape on the joint first. Using thin CA on the large joints alone does not work. The hardened thin CA then just snaps when it is bent. I found on the two small shrouds masking tape and thin CA worked alright. On the larger shroud joints using the CA gel on the joiners works good either with or without the masking tape. The masking tape helps to hold the joint in place while the CA manipulations are going on. The CA does tend to make the ink markings on the shrouds to run.

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I've found that pre-curling the large shrouds with a body tube works for me. Makes it easier to join the glue tab and shroud edge. Is there a reason you are using CA instead of yellow/white glue? And did you receive two LES towers in your box? There is a note from Matt that he will send a better, 3D printed tower in the mail but then I found two towers in the box, one black and one white. I'm assuming the black one is the resin and the white is the 3D piece. Is that right?
There is a warning that there will be no refunds issued on the purchase of this kit on the Apogee website, due to the complexity and the "roughness" of the parts. For true builders only, I guess.
 
I've found that pre-curling the large shrouds with a body tube works for me. Makes it easier to join the glue tab and shroud edge. Is there a reason you are using CA instead of yellow/white glue? And did you receive two LES towers in your box? There is a note from Matt that he will send a better, 3D printed tower in the mail but then I found two towers in the box, one black and one white. I'm assuming the black one is the resin and the white is the 3D piece. Is that right?
There is a warning that there will be no refunds issued on the purchase of this kit on the Apogee website, due to the complexity and the "roughness" of the parts. For true builders only, I guess.

kuririn,
I bought my kit on the general offering before it went to Apogee as a dealer. Actually, I had some coupon from Amazon and maybe somewhere else and got a pretty good price. I don't know if I have a 3D printed tower, because I have been so busy with the lower part of the kit. I don't recall seeing anything like a black and/or white tower, so I don't know if that if that is right. You can send a message to the manufacturer through the Apogee website. I would recommend doing that. Make sure that you put "N-1 kit" on the Apogee message. Otherwise, Tim might try to answer the question, but you really need to ask the manufacturer. Eventually, I think you will get in contact with Matt. The kit is indeed "rough". I am beginning to make more and more decisions/improvising on my own. Perhaps, this is because it is a pre-Apogee distributed kit. I find that the numbering system for the CR's is wanting.

I think that the builder really needs to use CA on the paper shrouds, because you need to have the adhesive set up fast. You don't want to hold the shrouds all day. Perhaps, white glue might work. I do have to admit you will get CA on your fingers.
 
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