New Wildman 38mm BlackHawk prototype....first look !

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blackjack2564

Crazy Jim's Gone Banana's
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Wildmans added a big brother to the BlackHawk series. Dual deploy, ready to eat 38mm motors for breakfast, and disappear in a nano-second if you blink.

Just in time for Thanksgiving holidays! You'll be really thankful if you get one,something to build after all that Turkey.

This 38mm Black Hawk is neither carbon nor G-12. Rather a special graphite loaded fiberglass spiral wound at different angles than normal G-12. Resulting in airframes stronger than G-12 but not as strong as carbon.

I call it "Carbonite"
It is a minimum diameter rocket

Make no bones about it. It is a blatant copy of the Mongoose 38, [tad bit shorter] but sells for 1/2 the cost. 125.00

Comes with :

G-10 fin alignment guides
3 Black graphite G-10 plate fins beveled
1 Carbonite 32in [ 81.28 centimeter fincan] black tube
1 Carbonite 16in [40.64 cent payload] black tube
1 6in [15.24 cent] coupler/av-bay
bulkplates [4] for av-bay
1in [2.54 cent] coupler to attach shock cord to.
Von Karmen black NC.
12ft [ 3.65 meters] kevlar shock cord 800lbs test 1/4 in shock cord [2 one for apogee.one for main]
30in [76.2 cent] premium Topflight chute

Pro-line black epoxy [same stuff is supplied in the Mongoose kits] 500 degree high temp for minimum diameter rockets. Not shown in photo.

This one weighed in at 1.85 [ 840 grams] loaded and ready for launch. Chute, shock cord altimeter[PerfectFlite] 9v battery and clear coated. It can handle ANY 38mm commercial length motor.

Overall length of BlackHawk 38 is 52 inches or 132 cent. making it one mean, lean, mach-busting machine! These are the raw tubes clear coated.

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Some of you lucky enough to be at Red Glare or Mid West power got to see one firsthand. Never know what Tim's gonna pull out of the trailer or when!

I finished the proto just in time to fly it at MWP. Was going to test it on a wimpy little H-123, just to make sure everything worked correctly. [charges,vents,shearpins etc.]

But as luck would have it, my buddy Daryl from Wildman Kentucky was there. He stopped me from making this wimpy blunder in the nick of time.

Seeing the new Blackhawk 38, he immediately challenged me to a Drag race with his Mongoose 38.
Hmmmm, a chance to see how this beast would do against a carbon fiber speedster,something that was going to happen sooner or later anyhow.

Well you know the rule: if a Wildman brother throws down the challenge,ain't no back'n out. Like I'm going to turn down a chance to drag race?:D

And don't forget the other Wildman rule, something about sticking the biggest motor you can in the pipe that will fit.

So much for the wimpy test flight and working my way up with motors. Start right off the bat with a biggie in a drag race. Must be in the Blackhawks bloodline! I wouldn't have it any other way.

Soooo.....we rounded up 2 CTI blue streak J-595 6 grain XL's and it was game on. If you haven't tried a blue steak yet, DO IT,do it now, they are really something! [and they match my eyes, most of the time, Sunday morning they look more like the red lightning!]

BlackHawk 38 weighed 4.7 lbs on the pad.
Mongoose 38 weighed 4.3lbs on the pad. [6inches longer]

Button pushed and away they went in a blurrrrr...........
Thanks to Daveyfire we got a pic of the first flight. Thanks David, don't know how you do what you do, but you do!

The results speak for themselves, Mongoose was a tad faster off the rail,but when it was time to count the cards......

Blackhawk hit 12,188ft
Mongoose hit 11,001ft

Whoa! partners....we got us a winner here, er....Wildman does!
Just goes to show something I've been saying all along, carbon can be overkill for alot of things and fiberglass can do much more than given credit for.
Especially at less than HALF the price. Got ya thinking now, don't I!

Just one problem though. What to fly next to re-capture the thrill? I'm sure I'll think of something. [reminder to self:must look in Tim's & Dr. J's area 51]


On with the build!:pop::cheers:

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First thing to be done is sand and fit the fin guides so the tube and fins slide in freely when it comes time to glue.

Crazy Jim tip:
Sand off the corners of guide so when tacking the fins on, the glue squishing out from underneath won't end up gluing the guides on the tube. Don't ask how I came up with this!

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I would think sometime this week? The Darkstar Mini is already on the site..:)
 
Hi Jim, Any idea when these will be available ?

Right now, Just call in the order, you know me I'm always giving the forum guys first crack at stuff.

It takes a few days for Tim to get things on the web and announcement page.

The instructions are almost finished, and I will continue to post assembly here shortly
 
Ok then here ya go....instructions!



I measured 1.75in [ 45mm] from rear of tube and taped to mark for fin positions.

This does 2 things, gets the fins slightly more than the one caliper needed [from rear of tube]to allow the turbulence from the fins to return to laminar flow.

Protects them from landing damage.


Next mark all 3 fin positions.



Extend lines using your favorite method.

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Measure and mark front for tape ring. [ I just used the fin, pure lazy]


Rough up the surface on each side of line with 60-80 grit sandpaper for fillet adhesion.

If you are clear coating, might want to tape off the tube so you don't get scratch marks all over the place. They are extremely hard to cover. If painting, not needed.

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Fins come beveled, so you only need to sand the root for glue adhesion and fillets.

Fin guides are labeled with a "T" for top on one corner. I mention this due to the many inquiries I've had asking what it was.
It works best when oriented this way

Prep tube & guides by pre-fitting a fin in place to show where they should be located. I had to shim the tube a little with tape to get a snug fit, then taped guides in place.

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Looks great! Are you useing the Feather weight Av bay or are you going to "roll your own" using the parts in the kit?

Now I need to replace my BH 24, unless I find it this month when I go to Price, AND get a BH38. and a Ultimate WILDMAN this spring. I have the sticker already, so I HAVE to get the rocket. Right?

I am glad I have a very understanding wife.
 
So many new rockets, so little time/money!

I hope you find your BH24, Ray. That was a sweet boost!
 
Tell Tim I wanna know when mine is gonna arrive -- I have 24, 29, and 54... There's a gap there that needs to be addressed!

-Kevin
 
Jim, thanks for the information and the build thread. What was the max. acceleration? What was the max. velocity?

A 38mm speedster would be perfect for me. My 54mm Kestrel is too much for Ohio and it will be a hassle to adapt it down to 38mm. Tim has already solved that problem for me. I just need one more Wildman rocket! :D

What did you use for a tracker in the small 38mm airframe?

What method of motor retention does it use? Friction? The fins are not through the wall, correct?
 
Looks great! Are you using the Feather weight Av bay or are you going to "roll your own" using the parts in the kit?

.

Did you have a tracker in it? If not you are a brave, brave fellow!

I used a sled from my NSL Thor which is 38mm. Barely can get the battery in. Perfect flight HiAl 45.

I would love to have the Raven setup and really need to get one. I get peppered with questions about them all the time. BUT I use a Mac and cannot program or download data.
[NO I am NOT going to run-any parallels type programs, I am computer illiterate and don't want to hear how easy it is to do this!]

Hopefully I can find a used or cheap windows unit to do this. My old one just died. Then I will invest in the raven and AV-bay.
For now 12,000+ feet is plenty with my old setup.

The sled from the mini Thor fit right in the 6in bay.

By the way..... Your wife is lucky you don't have a Ferrari sticker!

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Jim, thanks for the information and the build thread. What was the max. acceleration? What was the max. velocity?

A 38mm speedster would be perfect for me. My 54mm Kestrel is too much for Ohio and it will be a hassle to adapt it down to 38mm. Tim has already solved that problem for me. I just need one more Wildman rocket! :D

What did you use for a tracker in the small 38mm airframe?

What method of motor retention does it use? Friction? The fins are not through the wall, correct?

The vel was Mach 1.65 if I remember right, but that was the other rocket [mongoose] He had a raven in his. I used a non data unit. We did fly the same motor.

Tracker was the the Communication Specialty unit [or rocket hunter as they used to be called]. It will fit in my 29mm Hawk, but you have to take the case off for that. These are the units Tim sells, transmitter is around 100 bucks.

Motor was held in by good old friction fit, with one wrap of duct taped around the outside of motor closure and rear airframe.

The fins ARE surface mount, kit comes with G-10 alignment guides and the black 500 high temp epoxy to mount them with.
Fins ARE beveled as supplied in kit.
This is a lot of high performance rocket for the money.
 
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This is a lot of high performance rocket for the money.

Looks just like a MG, flies better than one for half the price. What more could you want? Glad I could be of help with the launch pic... it's a little blurry cause those things were GONE :cool:

When does the 54 come out? I bet it'll compete favorably with the KestreL...
 
First one back in the ground wins right?

How about....First one back ON the ground...LOL

Black epoxy is mixed 5.5 resin to 1 part hardener. This stuff is pretty gooey and a tad hard to work with if you've never used it before. I use a scale to weigh it. It does flow out beautifully however.
For tacking the fins, I use JB Weld, either will work fine. I just did not want to measure and mix such a small amount of the high temp stuff.

Butter the root edge of fin to tack. If it's your first time with minimum diameter or you're a tad uncomfortable doing all 3 at once, just do 1 at a time. Building should be fun, not stressful & aggravating. JB is so easy to mix small amounts.

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I recommend a dry run with all 3 fins and no glue to find any pitfalls for the first timer.
You may wish to re-adjust guide placement for ease of slipping the fins in place. It helps to number each fin & corresponding slot. They always seem to fit better this way when it's time to glue.
anyhow......

Take fin with thin bead of epoxy on bottom [buttered root edge] slip it into the front guide at a down angle, going past the rear guide. Don't let fin touch tube yet!

With one hand holding fin in front of guide, use other to grab fin between guides. Slide fin through rear guide and position above the line.


Keep front of fin up and lower back onto line, and into proper position.

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Working from rear to front, push fin down into position.
Not to hard but firmly, you do not want to push out all the epoxy from under the fin.

Rotate guide and repeat for 2nd and 3rd fins.

Or just do one. Set aside to cure.


My guide held the fins a tad loosely so I improvised by using pencils to wedge them in place while curing so they could not move.

A little more tape to hold things proper, and all was in happy land for the night.

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Just trying to finish up my Blackhawk 38 build. Had a brain fart while drilling all the holes. I used the half hole method for my wires. I added 2 1/8" vent holes for the av bay. When all was said and done I noticed that one rivet was in line and about 1/2" above the wire hole. The 2 1/8" av bay vents are fine, nothing above them. I was wondering if the rivet above the wire hole for the av bay will cause any problems with my MissleWorks alt? Should I move the wire hole so it isn't in line with the rivet, our will it be OK since I have 2 other 1/8" vent holes?
 
Nah, you're alright. I almost did the same thing myself.

Just remember when flying subsonic to tape wire to the payload. I goofed once & taped them to fincan, not very pretty when apogee comes! LOL

I tuck them inside for mach.

What you using in the av-bay? [altimeter set up] Don't forget to post some pics of your project and follow up with some flight reports please.
 
Just remember when flying subsonic to tape wire to the payload. I goofed once & taped them to fincan, not very pretty when apogee comes! LOL

Yup, I've done that before! :rolleyes: I got lucky and it missed the runway by less than 6 inches. :eek:
 
Nah, you're alright. I almost did the same thing myself.

Just remember when flying subsonic to tape wire to the payload. I goofed once & taped them to fincan, not very pretty when apogee comes! LOL

I tuck them inside for mach.

What you using in the av-bay? [altimeter set up] Don't forget to post some pics of your project and follow up with some flight reports please.

Since we are on the topic of "brain farts,drills and av bays" I also am building my BH38 and made the (half hole) hole in the av bay 1/4" instead of 5/32" I assume this is also no big deal. Should I skip adding any other "vent holes" in the av bay since I made the one too large??
Thanks in advance Jim

Jason
 
I would still put 2 more vent holes in(1/8")..Even though you made the 'half hole' bigger then you intended you will find it easier to fish your power wire through(if you do the 'twist and tape' method)..
 
Since we are on the topic of "brain farts,drills and av bays" I also am building my BH38 and made the (half hole) hole in the av bay 1/4" instead of 5/32" I assume this is also no big deal. Should I skip adding any other "vent holes" in the av bay since I made the one too large??
Thanks in advance Jim

Jason


Ya should be OK, but then I'm SURE somebody will eventually disagree. I stuck vent holes in a NC for a bay installed there once. It worked just fine, even though I was told no way.

Hey... you're a Wildman ain't ya?!!! Just fly it!


I would add 2 tiny others ones, just so a gust of wind doesn't "trick" the alt if it's baro. [ I used 3/32]

Don't forget to set you "mach" delays on this one guys! [if using baro units for apogee] You most definitely will need to.
 
Should I skip adding any other "vent holes" in the av bay since I made the one too large??

IMO, yes. Leave the single .250" hole there to vent the bay. More holes are not needed.



Justin
 
what motors have people been flying their blackhawk 38s on and what kind of altitudes have been achieved? has anybody flown one on an at j510w yet?
 
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