Another QCC Explorer build thread

qquake2k · Jul 19, 2011

What kind of devious mind does it take to design 11 separate interlocking puzzle pieces to make one faux intake? Having said that, I'm amazed at the ingenuity and engineering that went into this kit. I can't imagine having to design all these pieces, then programming them all into a computer so a laser cutter can cut them out. But I have to wonder, as does my son, couldn't they have come up with a simpler solution? This has got to be my most tedious build yet. Of course, on my last build, the smallest pieces were the rail buttons. I know a lot of you more craftsman like rocketeers out there would enjoy this kit. It's just not my thing, although I did get some satisfaction out of finally getting the intakes together. I would never have bought this kit for myself, my nephew bought it for me for my birthday, God love him.

I will also say that the instructions are lacking, with more illustrations than text. Not what I'm used to from Estes. I did manage to break a piece during assembly, but glued it back together no problem. Once I finally discovered how to hold my mouth, it all started to come together.

qquake2k · Jul 19, 2011

I managed to get a lot of CA on my fingers during the CA application stages. But apparently, I got enough CA on the intakes to hold them together. Took me about 4 hours to get these put together, with each subsequent one becoming easier.

qquake2k · Jul 19, 2011

I put some filler is spots before sanding them.

qquake2k · Jul 19, 2011

I didn't like Estes' method of using the balsa spacer with a square for gluing in the fins. So I simply placed my square on a block of wood to get it above the intake. I held the fins in place against the square, and wicked CA into the joints. Worked out pretty good.

[POW]Eagle159 · Jul 19, 2011

I love this rocket... It flies better than any other estes rocket to me.

C11-3 are good low(250'-300') engines. One thing to note here is that the decals on the side of the intakes are only for the the one side...after you cut then out you will see. :wink:

judo · Jul 19, 2011

qquake2k said:
I didn't like Estes' method of using the balsa spacer with a square for gluing in the fins. So I simply placed my square on a block of wood to get it above the intake. I held the fins in place against the square, and wicked CA into the joints. Worked out pretty good.

Where did you get that sanding block? I had one way back when and cannot for the life of me find a replacement.

qquake2k · Jul 19, 2011

judo said:
Where did you get that sanding block? I had one way back when and cannot for the life of me find a replacement.

I got it at Lowes.

https://www.lowes.com/pd_278865-995...entURL=/pl__0__s?Ntt=sanding+block&facetInfo=

qquake2k · Jul 19, 2011

[POW]Eagle159;216997 said:
I love this rocket... It flies better than any other estes rocket to me.
C11-3 are good low(250'-300') engines. One thing to note here is that the decals on the side of the intakes are only for the the one side...after you cut then out you will see. :wink:

Yeah, I've heard that about the decals.

JumpJet · Jul 19, 2011

The next production run of this kit will have the decals corrected so you will get both sides of the air intake decals.

Nice build pictures by the way. And yes I do have a DEVIOUS Mind!

John Boren
Estes R&D

qquake2k · Jul 19, 2011

JumpJet said:
The next production run of this kit will have the decals corrected so you will get both sides of the air intake decals.

Nice build pictures by the way. And yes I do have a DEVIOUS Mind!

John Boren
Estes R&D

So YOU'RE the one! I commend you, sir, on your ingenuity. But whatever possessed you to design it this way? Surely there must have been a simpler way to do it. And thank you for your compliment on my pictures. Will us owners of the 1st gen kits be able to get the correct decals?

o1d_dude · Jul 19, 2011

Good on Wes for coming up with the QCC as a gift.

Looking over your build pictures, I'm reminded rather a bit of some of the balsa airplane models I built in my younger days. Back when I started out with them we used Ambroid cement so there was a lot of pinning, gluing, and WAITING. Hot Stuff (tm) changed all that.

Hopefully this puppy will soon be complete, painted, and decal'd so we can see the inaugural launch in October.

sodmeister · Jul 19, 2011

After seeing this build and the other by John (Boosterdude) I keep saying that I really,really ,really need to buy one......and i will !!

Glad to see another build of this cool looking kit !

I`m watching.

Paul T

BEC · Jul 19, 2011

qquake2k said:
So YOU'RE the one! I commend you, sir, on your ingenuity. But whatever possessed you to design it this way? Surely there must have been a simpler way to do it. <snip>

Self-jigging structures like this that you can assemble dry and then just carefully flow thin CA into the already-assembled structure are pretty much standard fare amongst the better-quality laser-cut airplane kits these days. See the marvelous kits at www.stevensaero.com or www.mountainmodels.com for examples of the state of the art.

So far laser-cutting in model rocket kits has lagged far behind what can be done, especially where wood parts come together like this. It's cool to see some of the possibilities being realized now.

JumpJet · Jul 19, 2011

But whatever possessed you to design it this way?

I was trying to make a skill level 4 kit! The first new one for Estes in Many years if yo don't count the Saturn V. What fun would it be if you simply had to glue two molded plastic sides together. Plus I can now upscale the parts and make myself a bigger version.

By the way I am an airplane guy as well. Check out my web site

www.johnboren.com

John Boren

bill2654 · Jul 19, 2011

That would make a cool looking upscale Jim!

[POW]Eagle159 · Jul 19, 2011

JumpJet said:
I was trying to make a skill level 4 kit! The first new one for Estes in Many years if yo don't count the Saturn V. What fun would it be if you simply had to glue two molded plastic sides together. Plus I can now upscale the parts and make myself a bigger version.

By the way I am an airplane guy as well. Check out my web site

www.johnboren.com

John Boren

I really don't think all of the estes kits are that hard... I got this one done in under a week. I think that they are so easy because I've made Guillows balsa model planes for years before rockets:wink:...

Wayne's World · Jul 19, 2011

I bought this kit a couple of weeks ago, because it was cheap, and I had a coupon. I built the intakes assembly line style, all at one time. Thats as far as I have gotten. I'll post pics later, but I think this is a good kit, even with 48 parts for four intakes and fins.

KenRico · Jul 19, 2011

qquake2k said:
Yeah, I've heard that about the decals.

Somebody call a Sandman . . . !

If he can do a mirror of them, can grab a set to use with the existing set. Could also use a Renegade F decal too!

pick1e · Jul 20, 2011

Looks like a lot of fun to me! I will be getting one of these too. I'm another one who used to build peanut scale balsa planes on wax paper and lots of pins- brings back memories!

qquake2k · Jul 20, 2011

o1d_dude said:
Good on Wes for coming up with the QCC as a gift.

Looking over your build pictures, I'm reminded rather a bit of some of the balsa airplane models I built in my younger days. Back when I started out with them we used Ambroid cement so there was a lot of pinning, gluing, and WAITING. Hot Stuff (tm) changed all that.

Hopefully this puppy will soon be complete, painted, and decal'd so we can see the inaugural launch in October.

Yeah, Wes did good. It's a VERY cool looking rocket, and he even took the bus to RCC to get it. He put forth a lot of effort. A friend of mine used to make the paper covered balsa airplanes back in the day. I never had the patience for them, myself.

qquake2k · Jul 20, 2011

JumpJet said:
I was trying to make a skill level 4 kit! The first new one for Estes in Many years if yo don't count the Saturn V. What fun would it be if you simply had to glue two molded plastic sides together. Plus I can now upscale the parts and make myself a bigger version.

By the way I am an airplane guy as well. Check out my web site

www.johnboren.com

John Boren

Well, you succeeded! This is definitely a level 4 kit. The first one I've built since the 70's.

qquake2k · Jul 20, 2011

bill2654 said:
That would make a cool looking upscale Jim!

Yeah it would, but how would I make the intakes? I'm certainly not going to upscale all 11 pieces!

bradycros · Jul 20, 2011

qquake2k said:
Yeah it would, but how would I make the intakes? I'm certainly not going to upscale all 11 pieces!

Wing it.

MrGneissGuy · Jul 20, 2011

sodmeister said:
After seeing this build and the other by John (Boosterdude) I keep saying that I really,really ,really need to buy one......and i will...

Me too. In fact on the way to my club's meeting last night I stopped at the LHS planning on picking one up. I had it in hand and was just turning to walk up front to the registers when I saw the Der Red Max...with the skull and crossbones parachute and everything. I had been looking for one of those for a while and had only seen the mini version. It took me a while to make up my mind, but I put the QCC back and grabbed the Max. Next shopping trip for the QCC I guess.

A question on the QCC, for those that may know, how similar is the construction of its intakes compared to the air intakes on the Estes Screaming Eagle kit? I just finished one of those last week.

[POW]Eagle159 · Jul 20, 2011

A question on the QCC said:
I thought the estes screaming eagle had card stock intakes.

qquake2k · Jul 24, 2011

Finally did some more work on it. I've decided to put a bulkhead in the coupler, and have the rocket separate there. The coupler was really tight, so I flooded it with CA, mounted it on my lathe, and sanded and polished it. Much smoother now and fits a lot better. I cut out the bulkhead with a hole saw, and sanded it to size on the lathe.

sodmeister · Jul 24, 2011

Sheesh ,for a moment there ,I thought you were making a coupler out of Black Cherry wood !

What would we do without super thin CA

Paul T

qquake2k · Jul 24, 2011

Got the motor mount done. I'm using Kevlar string for the shock cord attachment. And using a tip I saw on YORF, I used a piece of aluminum angle as a guide to keep the intakes straight when I sanded them against the body tube.

qquake2k · Jul 25, 2011

Got the motor mount epoxied in, with the Mythbusters in the background. For some reason I can't figure out, the instructions say to attach the fins/intakes before gluing the motor mount in the body tube. I decided to glue it in first, so there's less chance I'll deform the body tube when I'm gluing on the intakes. I also epoxied a piece of dowel into the bulkhead, to put the screw eye into.

qquake2k · Jul 26, 2011

Got the bulkhead epoxied in the coupler. The yellow cap is used as a spacer to keep the bulkhead at the correct depth while the epoxy sets.

Another QCC Explorer build thread

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