Interceptor E boost glide build"TIMBERWOLF"

[hornet driver]

Very nice design. Have you considered adding control surfaces and RC servos?

I have considered it and am planning that down the road with a follow on project. a lot more planning and lets see how this one fairs. It would be a LOT more work but appears to doable

[hornet driver]

Looks great. It's a lot closer to the original profile than I expected. Nice job so far.

Thanks, trying to keep it close but had some functional considerations. It's been fun so far. There has been some challenges---there may be a few changes--for the better I think--keep watching

[hornet driver]

Another coat of primer went on last night and was sanded down this afternoon. I've used rusto's autobody grey this time. Have never been fond of rusto but this primer is good stuff. Goes on great. Lots of preasure with little overspray. The nozel requires a bit more preasure than I'm used to but well worth the results.-----The lugs went on today with a twist. If you recall the Arctic Wolf variant--she had a spine. I'll shoot down a pic of that. So be it for the Timberwolf. Used a piece of 3/8x15 square tubing from Plastruct. Notched either end to accept the kit lugs and cemented them in place with Ambroid Pro Weld. After that the assembly was epoxied to the airframe along with a front extention. AND YOU ASK WHY? All good exoatmospheric fighters deserve a rail gun. Besides I think it looks cool!!!

[paul.nortness]

It kinda of reminds me of a F-35

[hornet driver]

It kinda of reminds me of a F-35

There is that! Not ment to be, just worked out that way. I guess it was that or an F-22-- F-18-- You get the picture.

[hornet driver]

So I put the ventrals together last night. I cut the ventrals out of a single piece of balsa--the kit was a two piece deal. Surrounding the fins is a piece of piano wire-- I forget the size and i'll get that to you later. it's the same stock I used for the rod on the boom tube. This is pretty heavy--durable stuff. I wish I had a shop but a couple pair of pliars did the trick bending it with some effort. I epoxed it to the fins. This serves two purposes--1--it will act as a skid , protecting the fins on touchdown--2-- it gives me some rear ballast I needed to get the Timberwolf's CG in glide mode where I needed it. At least it's not raw ballast and serves a function. Not too worried about boost stability since the same weight was added to the nose for the pop tube and I've increased the surface area at the rear to get the CP where I need it. I will however probably reverse them for CP concerns. This is that slippery slope you go down backbuilding a rocket into a glider. A little here a little there. Not the most efficient way, but a compromise or trade off. There will be a minor wing change coming so look for it. One more thing.Putting the weight low on the tube helped offset the anahedral in the wings by moving the CG lower on the bt so I gained back some glide stability

[jms]

She's a beauty. Definitely take some video of it in flight when you take it out on its maiden voyage. Would love to see it! Great job.

[hornet driver]

She's a beauty. Definitely take some video of it in flight when you take it out on its maiden voyage. Would love to see it! Great job.

Thanks already lined up a camera guy I work with--good -bad or otherwise ya'll will see it!

[hornet driver]

Well I thought there was going to be a minor wing change so here it is. Added a little trailing edge. Had to clip off the arc in the original trailing edge. Not really a big deal except the original wing was tappered root to tip , so a lot of sanding was needed---done that -been there-.I probably will leave the seam unfilled since it gives the look of control surfaces--at least I think it's cool ---feedback?. Also the ventrals are mounted now. As you see I reversed them--I like it!.On to more sanding and finishing---test glides are next

[Doggonewild]

You're right, it looks cool.

[hornet driver]

The paint went on last night. I had a lot of choices in schemes. White was'nt going to happen from the get go. All black was too predictable although it would have been fun having white decals a la SR-71. A Kieth Ferris type scheme was one of my choices as was my wifes idea of black on top and chrome silver on the bottom----I'm still thinking about that one-- I finally settled on the Wolfcoat you see. Used actual colors found on timberwolfs and tried to pattern them similarly. As promised I rattle canned it. No airbrush so I'm still blending and finnesing but you see the direction we're going in.The canards are being painted seperately since they are requiring a little more work.

[hornet driver]

The paint is coming along albeit slowly. Redesigned the front canards to give them a bit more authority. They are shown in primer.This was about a 65% increase in canard area. This DID NOT help my CP-CG balance in boost but is still in my limits and cost no extra weight. These will be used for glide tests and a new composite pair will be made for launch.

[hornet driver]

Well the old girl is dressed and ready to dance. Thought about using subdued versions of the kit decals --then I thought about the early 70's when the subdued paint schemes began to appear and still had the red white and blue stars and bars---F-14-15-16-18---So I went retro. Glide tests will start as soon as this bloody Texas wind lays down on my scheduleShe has not been dulcoated yet--let me know what you think --good, bad or otherwise!! You'll notice a defect in one of the canards--they were modified and the boost version will have composite . these are enough for glide tests. Canards are shown in thier deployed position.

[degreaser]

Wow! Nice paint job. You can paint my rockets any day.

I hate painting. I'm impatient, it's always wet when I touch it, it runs.... Necessary evil.

[hornet driver]

Wow! Nice paint job. You can paint my rockets any day.

I hate painting. I'm impatient, it's always wet when I touch it, it runs.... Necessary evil.

Thanks,--- but trust me this one had its fair share of headaches---by the way Im still waiting on the wind to lie down

[hornet driver]

Well the wind laid down this evening as expected before these storms run through so I took advantage. Took the T-wolf out for a glide test. Results were mixed but not bad. Added 1 gm of weight to the back end thinking I was going to offset the nose heavy status---NOT NEEDED!!--but I had to find out. Ended up stalling right before touchdown and banged a tail fin busting it off at the mounting point but easily repaired. Remember the canards were enlarged--they did they're job. I believe NO rear ballast is needed and that is a BIG win also glide speeds were slower than the expected post launch speeds SOOO---I'll make the assuption we're near good to go as far as balance goes. As far as stability goes she was straight as an arrow. There was concern about wing walking because of the pronounced anahedral ---NO PROBLEM-- wings level until post stall. All in all a positive flight test. After repairs I will do a few more glide tests to tweek her but I think we're real close. Construction has begun on the SRB and I'll post photos of that in a day or so

[hornet driver]

Ok, the booster is installed and the whole operation was quite simple once I got my original idea out of my head--duh--Originally I wanted it to fall off after boost and the nose cone pop or simply tumble. easy enough until you start thinking of misfires or worse a late ignition--that ruled out friction fit or rail and lug arrangement. I even thought about magnetsFinally I went with an upper and lower bt arrangement held on by a thrust lug/rail and a rear holddown. Sounds weird but is very simple and safe!! To make it simple the ejection charge blows the front bt forward off the thrust lug/rail-- it is attached to the rear bt by a short shock cord and simply pulls it off pivoting around the rear holddown. I know sounds odd but is really simple. That said it really diminished the coolness factor of a single peice booster. recovery is by streamer. Used an Estes Patriot kit for all the parts --hand carved the nose cone and tilted the motor mount a bit to make up for the off center thrust.Wanted to use some of the Patriot decals but they are self adhesive and I don't like that so I'll paint something on the booster later.--YUP thats a little mud on the ventral --- the wire did its job glide testing

[hornet driver]

Must have different dads

[Rocket86]

That's a very cool project, and the results look awesome. And now...when does it fly? Best of luck when it does.

[RocketManDan]

Very impressive build ... it amazes me you painted you kit with rattle cans...

Excellent...I hope she flies as good as she looks!! AWESOME!!!!!

[hornet driver]

Very impressive build ... it amazes me you painted you kit with rattle cans...

Excellent...I hope she flies as good as she looks!! AWESOME!!!!!

Sure wish I could launch but the ban is keeping me down for now . I am going to get a keychain camera for her . I've been tweeking her and still am undecided on my engine combination--second guessing a bit. That said ,I plan on doing another one and will airbrush it, the rattle can is kinda cool but really adds a lot of weight to the bird. We'll learn from this one, so be on the lookout for the follow on E mod---DIRE WOLF-- bigger and baddest of the wolf cubs--coming to a forum near you this Christmas !! I just love this stuff

[T-Rex]

This is amazing. I wish I had a fraction of your initiative, and talent.

[El Cheapo]

RC is completely foreign to me. Wait, pretty much all electronics are foreign to me. I'm really challenged in that regard. Nevertheless, I enjoy reading threads...shoot, have to stop myself again. I skim over the electronic mumbo jumbo and look at the pictures if truth be told. Anyway, I get a kick out of threads like yours. It's cool stuff. Can't wait for some video.

[burkefj]

Here is an example of an Intereceptor I made from depron using a 24mm RC E6 motor, length is 39" and AUW ready to fly was approx 8 oz, full flying tail only, 2 servos. Maybe you can use the planform to give you some ideas on your version. I upscaled the wings for wing loading reasons and moved them forward. Look is still pretty Interceptor ish.

You could do a 2mm skin with formers to give the rounded look as well.


Frank

[JStarStar]

This is a very cool-looking project. The Interceptor just looks so ready to fly, I think everybody just has a gut feeling it could be converted to glide recovery. As you are showing it is much easier to think it than to actually do it.

In the "what goes around comes around" department -- last year, I got ahold of a copy of the original (early 1965) First Edition of the Handbook of Model Rocketry by G. Harry Stine.

It's very fascinating to see how things have changed in 40 (well, nearly 50) years. And how many things have not.

As it turns out the First Edition was released exactly at a pivotal moment in the development of model-rocket boost-glide design, when the revolutionary and now-predominant front-engine design had just been introduced a year or so earlier by Larry Renger.

At the moment of the First Edition's release, pop-pods per se had not been invented yet -- the Renger-style B/Gs ejected the motor in a special mini-fin module designed to flutter down unstably in tumble recovery (thus becoming contest-legal). It would be only a short step from that to ejecting the entire motor pylon with the pop-pods we now know so well.

It was pretty clear Harry had written a good deal of the chapter on boost-gliders before the Renger-style front-engine designs broke loose, because a lot of the chapter is devoted to other designs, mainly canard designs, which had been very cutting-edge a year or so earlier (1962-63).

OK anyway to make a long rambling story short, your Interceptor-Timberwolf design looks an awful lot like some of the canard designs which were among the top B/G performers in the early Sixties period.

So I guess form does follow function. Either way they look awesome.

[hornet driver]

Burkefj your E- bird looks great and at first glance i'd say it glides great,lots of wing area and lite. I'm willing to bet it flares nicely with all that flat area---very nice. J star thanks for following the build and the homework-your right , form did follow function. If all goes as planned Timberwolf will be a FAST WALKER in gilde mode --pretty much as planned-That said I'm still grounded with this burn ban---for good reason--- and have taken time to tweek her a bit . New SRB for altitude and such. The R/C for the canards is doable and MIGHT happen--it does make sense. Still thinking about that retrofit. Am in the middle of 2 more E mods now. One chute recovery the other glide. The chute bird is more of a tech demonstrator for the other one. Both are being built parallel so should be fun. Of course both are Wolf pups -so everyone can guess at the names now. By the way ----as I'm writing this ,the namesake is under my desk wrapped around my feet keeping the house safe --"I like this ship"

[Fred22]

Man all those gliders look great. Hornet man that paint job is awesome and i hope the ban is ended soon.
Cheers
fred

[SooBaldwin]

A very cool project. Thanks for sharing...

Mike Smeltzer

[RocketManDan]

Sure wish I could launch but the ban is keeping me down for now . I am going to get a keychain camera for her . I've been tweeking her and still am undecided on my engine combination--second guessing a bit. That said ,I plan on doing another one and will airbrush it, the rattle can is kinda cool but really adds a lot of weight to the bird. We'll learn from this one, so be on the lookout for the follow on E mod---DIRE WOLF-- bigger and baddest of the wolf cubs--coming to a forum near you this Christmas !! I just love this stuff

Yeah that would make sense using an air brush..you do outstanding work!

[hornet driver]

Thanks guys for the compliments. Just going to check out some of the threads tonight with a couple glasses of wine to put out the flight fever. DIRE WOLF is in the assembly hanger. As it goes right now --they may all launch the same day.By the way -rain is coming