Another QCC Explorer build thread

The train is coming! At least you can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Sometimes its easy to start cutting corners when ya get tired of a build. Thumbs up to you for sticking with it .You did a great job,especially being a longer build than your usual. :clap:

Yup ,she is a beauty ,well done sir !

That`s two kits on my shopping list for next week.....this one and a Photon Probe (for a 4" upscale project this winter much like Judo`s great build )

Should look nice with the decals on,hope they are good quality


Paul T

Nice job! This is a great kit IMO, hope Estes does more along the same lines. The "DART legacy" gang must have at least half a dozen of these waiting to get built - at least kenrico has started his (wistfully eyeing the unopened QCC in my "pending" box).

As always, nice job Jim!

JumpJet said:

You know I just noticed you didn't use the included tail cone. You also moved the intakes forward of the rear tube. Was this done on purpose?


John Boren

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Hey John, I was thinking. What was your inspiration for the name? Is QCC an acronym for something?

Thanks again for all the compliments. I could have done better, especially with the finish. But I get impatient, and it will look good on the pad. I must say, in spite of all my complaints about this kit, I did get a lot of satisfaction out of the assembly of it. Now maybe I'll tackle the Interceptor E kit I've had for almost two years.

"Hey John, I was thinking. What was your inspiration for the name? Is QCC an acronym for something? "


It took a couple months getting a name for the QCC Explorer. All the COOL names we came up with where already being used. I didn't select the final name for this model and yes the QCC is an acronym, and NO I am not going to tell what it stands for.


John Boren

JumpJet said:

yes the QCC is an acronym, and NO I am not going to tell what it stands for.


John Boren

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Oh come on. That is just wrong!

Nice job QQ! :clap: A little small for you isn't it? :wink: Good news is it should be low and slow on a C11, and even on a D12. But if you do something like a E28 or F39... who knows! :eyepop:

caveduck said:

Nice job! This is a great kit IMO, hope Estes does more along the same lines. The "DART legacy" gang must have at least half a dozen of these waiting to get built - at least kenrico has started his (wistfully eyeing the unopened QCC in my "pending" box).

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Hey guess what ! Think I am getting close to finishing .

First off , file the engine hook before installing the MMT if you want to use your Hobbyline motor hardware ( I didn't ) .

Second off , follow the instructions - there are some great instructions ! I followed the diagram and glued in the nozzle, the instructions say to paint it black first ( I didn't ) .

Speaking of the instructions , another great build team moment just how it went down, Ken: " Hey Dave , it says to 'twist ' . Dave: " Let me see . Wow, thats alot of balsa " Ken: " There are three more like this in the bag " Dave : " Wow "

Kenny

gdjsky01 said:

Nice job QQ! :clap: A little small for you isn't it? :wink: Good news is it should be low and slow on a C11, and even on a D12. But if you do something like a E28 or F39... who knows! :eyepop:

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No, I actually have smaller rockets, believe it or not. But I do prefer them bigger. (No, I'm not compensating! LOL) According to Thrustcurve, it'll go 190ft on a C11, 440ft on a D12, and 745ft on an E9. If I decide to go with reloads, it'll go 835ft on an E11 or a little over 1000ft on an F12. It only weighs 6oz dry, but it's very draggy. Should be a fun flier!

KenRico said:

First off , file the engine hook before installing the MMT if you want to use your Hobbyline motor hardware ( I didn't ) .

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I see that you're using a 24/60 case, which is why you need to file the motor hook. I have a 24/40 case which will fit the motor mount with no modifications.

KenRico said:

Second off , follow the instructions - there are some great instructions ! I followed the diagram and glued in the nozzle, the instructions say to paint it black first ( I didn't ) .

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Fortunately, I caught that in the instructions. I haven't glued the tail cone in yet. I'm also going to brush paint the white motor tube black so it doesn't show up so much.

KenRico said:

Hey guess what ! Think I am getting close to finishing .

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Congratulations! It's a good feeling to finish a difficult build, isn't it?

qquake2k said:

No, I actually have smaller rockets, believe it or not. But I do prefer them bigger. (No, I'm not compensating! LOL) According to Thrustcurve, it'll go 190ft on a C11, 440ft on a D12, and 745ft on an E9. If I decide to go with reloads, it'll go 835ft on an E11 or a little over 1000ft on an F12. It only weighs 6oz dry, but it's very draggy. Should be a fun flier!

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Hummm, estes says on an E9 than its 1225 feet :y: How did you get those numbers anyways....

[POW]Eagle159;229227 said:

Hummm, estes says on an E9 than its 1225 feet :y: How did you get those numbers anyways....

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I got the numbers from Thrustcurve.org. Estes estimates the weight at 5oz, but mine weighs 6oz. And I estimated the drag pretty high, as it is a draggy rocket.

qquake2k said:

I got the numbers from Thrustcurve.org. Estes estimates the weight at 5oz, but mine weighs 6oz. And I estimated the drag pretty high, as it is a draggy rocket.

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I would guessimate a CD of at least .6 and maybe more with those intakes.

gdjsky01 said:

I would guessimate a CD of at least .6 and maybe more with those intakes.

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I guessed a Cd of 1.5. LOL

JumpJet said:

"Hey John, I was thinking. What was your inspiration for the name? Is QCC an acronym for something? "


It took a couple months getting a name for the QCC Explorer. All the COOL names we came up with where already being used. I didn't select the final name for this model and yes the QCC is an acronym, and NO I am not going to tell what it stands for.

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How about an informal contest to see if anyone can guess what QCC stands for?

I'll start - "Quality Construction Control"

And seeing the build threads here, I had to get one myself...

FC

I finally bought one this weekend Great price for a kit of that quality !


Paul t

KenRico said:

Speaking of the instructions , another great build team moment just how it went down, Ken: " Hey Dave , it says to 'twist ' . Dave: " Let me see . Wow, thats alot of balsa " Ken: " There are three more like this in the bag " Dave : " Wow "

Kenny

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I must say I WAS totally impressed. Kenny sure caught me with my jaw on the floor there.

BEC said:

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.

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That's exactly why i'm building a QCC Explorer. I don't have much experience with CA and recently got a Stevens Aero parkflyer kit. The Estes kit seems like a good way to practice the CA build techniques and catch up with modern times.

I assembled the first duct last night. I did it the way Stevens Aero insists on for their plane kit -- dry fit ALL the pieces of an assembly to keep things square, then wick in the thin CA.

It went easily, but that thin CA can sure spread out!

CG

BEC said:

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.

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Yep. Hope to see this one soon:

Boeing X-51 Waverider (from Wikipedia)

CG Zaft said:

Yep. Hope to see this one soon:

Boeing X-51 Waverider (from Wikipedia)

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Not that hard to do with an X-acto knife.

sandman said:

Not that hard to do with an X-acto knife.

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Nice!
That's the right tool for the job, I guess.

I do hope the laser cutters will find some cool subject for their next kit.

Scale, semi-scale, stand-off scale, faux scale, it's all good.

[POW]Eagle159;216997 said:

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:

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The kits they gave out at NARAM-53 had a second set of decals that were made correctly (and changed to blue). I have pics of mine in the gallery section.

Well, I have 2 ducts assembled. This is my first time to use thin CA, and I'm getting better at it.

I have a few questions for you all.

How do you keep from sanding too much off the unhardened balsa surrounding the CA splotches? What grit would you use? sanding block or sponge?

Will Elmer's Fill'n'Finish stick to CA-hardened balsa? Is there a better filler to use over CA?

Will wood glues stick to the hardened balsa?

Thanks,
CG

P.S. Mark II, I read your post on CA yesterday in a TLP thread and it was a big help for the 2nd duct.

I finally got around to painting the motor tube and nozzle.

NNOOOO!!! I FORGOT TO PAINT THE NOZZLE SEPARATELY! :cry:

It's glued in now.

DAllen said:

NNOOOO!!! I FORGOT TO PAINT THE NOZZLE SEPARATELY! :cry:

It's glued in now.

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Hand brush it.... Lika me :wink:

DAllen said:

NNOOOO!!! I FORGOT TO PAINT THE NOZZLE SEPARATELY! :cry:

It's glued in now.

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Yeah, I'm afraid you're going to have to brush paint it, like Eagle said. Bummer.

I got the nozzle epoxied in. The rocket is finally done, except for the decals. We might even have a club launch this Saturday. Woot!