Rascal, Estes Kit #2021

JPVegh said:

I have to agree with you. The ogive shape of the BNC-60L is more pleasing to the eye on this model. However I have to point out that the plans call for the PNC-60L and not the BNC-60L. These are two different cones varying in both shape and length from one another. Semrocs replacement for the PNC-60L is listed as the BNC-60LP.

https://www.semroc.com/Store/Scripts/prodView.asp?idproduct=1855

The fact that semroc offers two nose cones with the same shape and only differing by 0.05 inches of length (BNC-60LP and BNC-60MS) is fascinating to me. Was there really a difference between the Estes PNC-60L and The PNC-60MS?

Anyway all of this nose cone talk is probably a subject for another thread and I do not wish to take this thread off subject. Please continue with this great build, I am really enjoying it.

Click to expand...

Very good research. Thank you for shareing. I looked at the PNC-60L on the instructions and my mind went directly to BNC-60L.

The cross referance list at www.semroc.com/Store/scripts/xref.asp (scroll down page) shows Semroc changed the PNC-60L to BNC-60LP.

But inspite of all that, I just like the shape of the BNC-60L for the Rascal better then the BNC-60LP or the BNC-60MS.

RocketManDan said:

Explained the difference in the nose cones. Always wondered what the letters meant...

Click to expand...

Sometimes the letters stand for he name of the rocket the nose cone goes to...

Can't call every diffrently shaped 1.637'' nose cone by PNC or BNC-60. Some sort of designator is needed.

This Rascal was built with a 24 mm (BT-50, 3.75'') motor mount instead of the 18 mm (BT-20, 2.75'') motor mount called for in the instructions.

An 18 mm motor adapter can be inserted into the 24 mm motor mount when your budget dictates thier use, 18 mm motors are cheaper to use. You could also use 18 mm composite motors.

Motor tubes and Adapters can be found at the bottom of the Body Tubes & Couplers page at www.balsamachining.com

Or, make the adapter yourself.

Your fillets on the centering rings are perfect. Care to share your technique?

azgreg said:

Your fillets on the centering rings are perfect. Care to share your technique?

Click to expand...

Caught your attention, eh?

I think they're pretty good too.

Let me dig up some pictures for visual aides.

Here's the products and tools used for making, applying and cleaning up the fillets.


Disposable plastic coated paper plate (Dixie), epoxy will soak into regular paper plates
Paper towel for wiping tools off
Popsickle stick (one end flatend)
Round tooth pick(s)
Isopropyl Rubbing alcohol
Q tips

Spoon ended tool from Spatula Set (I have it taped to a stick, leftover from making fillets way down in a tube)

Spatula Set available at: www.hobbylinc.com/htm/squ/squ10705.htm
Tool in the bottom right hand corner of the pictured spatula set is the spoon shaped tool.

A short piece of a wooden or plasic dowel with a small diameter will accomplish the same thing.


Dispence some JB Weld on to the paper plate, mix it up really good with the flat end of the popsickle stick. The JB Weld is workable for over an hour. This means you can take your time making the fillets with no worries.

bradycros said:

Caught your attention, eh?

I think they're pretty good too.

Let me dig up some pictures for visual aides.

Click to expand...

Mine always end up looking like Ray Charles did them with a Wagner Power Painter.

azgreg said:

Mine always end up looking like Ray Charles did them with a Wagner Power Painter.

Click to expand...

Lets see if we can fix that for you.

Dip a rounded tooth pick into the JB Weld and get a manageable amount on the end of the tooth pick.

When the tooth pick is pulled out of the JB Weld, a gooie tail comes with it.

Roll the tooth pick between your finger and thumb and turn the gooie tail into a gooie ball on the end of the tooth pick.

Place the gooie ball of JB Weld into the joint, slowly with one smooth movement pull and twist the tooth pick. The ball will be left behind in the joint without making a mess.

Dip tooth pick...
Make ball...
Place ball in joint...
Pull and twist...
Repeat...

Repeat...

Repeat until joint is filled.

First picture shows using the spoon from the spatula set. Lay the spoon into the joint and lightly pull a centimeter or two, slowly remove the spoon ( because there is going to be a gooey, sticky tail on the bottom of the spoon when you lift it) and wipe excess onto a paper towel. Repeat.. repeat.. repeat.

Do not push the spoon all the way down into the bottom of the joint, pull and remove a little at a time until you've gone all the way around the joint.

This may or may not take a couple of turns around the tube. It will depend on how much JB Weld you put down. Once you see that most of the excess has been removed, the spoon can be pushed down into the bottom of the joint and pulled all the way around the tube for a smooth finish.

If you've done this right you'll see two beads of JB Weld have been left by the spoon, one on the centering ring and one on the wall of the tube. These will need to be removed.

If you turned the spoon over and used the concave surface for scraping, you will produce an even smaller fillet. If you want a fatter fillet use the round edge of a wooden or plastic dowel as scraper.

Next picture shows the fillet smoothed out after pulling the spoon around the joint and the beads left from using the spoon to make the fillet.

Thank you very much.

I like this one a lot. Interesting bit about the variations or ambiguity in the parts.

I gotta defend bradycros against scotty bustin' him on build time...no one is slower than me, dogster just hasn't woken up to that yet

azgreg said:

Thank you very much.

Click to expand...

Your welcome.

If you liked the 'making the fillet posts', you should like the finishing up posts as well!

By now the JB Weld is starting to set and getting just a bit rubbery.

Lay the tip of a tooth pick flat on the tube and scrape off a small amount of the bead, then wipe the tooth pick on a paper towel. Srape, wipe, and repeat... repeat... repeat until the bead has been removed.

Remove the bead off the centering ring also. You'll find the removel of this bead a bit more demanding on your patients.

To remove the JB Weld residue from the scraping, pour some alcohol into the bottle cap and dip a Q tip into it.

Lightly rub off the residue while being careful not to disturb the fillet.

Q tips are cheap, don't try to get the job done with only one. Do not redip a used Q tip into the alcohol, toss it and use new ones.

How's that for a smooth, finished fillet?

To bad it's going to be coverd up with the tail cone.

Same process used on the Rascal.

Very nice, again thank you very much.

azgreg said:

Very nice, again thank you very much.

Click to expand...

Thank you for taking the time to say so. Your welcome, again!

caveduck said:

I like this one a lot. Interesting bit about the variations or ambiguity in the parts.

I gotta defend bradycros against scotty bustin' him on build time...no one is slower than me, dogster just hasn't woken up to that yet

Click to expand...

Scotty Dog is gett'n old and long in the tooth, doesn't like to come bust'n off the porch much any more. But he's still game & will bark at anything that moves (if he can see it)!

Fin template for the Rascal is available at www.spacemodeling.org/JimZ?estes/est2021.pdf

Even when everything goes right with recovery, the Rascal is going to land on one or two of those large fins.

A couple of modifications were made.

Changed to TTW fins instead of surface mounted fins. Also, basswood replaced the balsa for durability.

I just won a unopened Rascal kit on Ebay for $11.

Socknic said:

I just won a unopened Rascal kit on Ebay for $11.

Click to expand...

:w::wave:

Socknic said:

I just won a unopened Rascal kit on Ebay for $11.

Click to expand...

Gonna build it?

Of course! But when I launch it, I'm going to use my C11 and up field to be safe.

A tooth pick was use as a depth gauge (because I don't have one) to get one of the two measurement needed to get the fin tab sized up. The tooth pick was placed into the fin slot and bottomed out on the motor tube. A dent from my thumb nail was placed on the tooth pick were it meet the O.D. of the BT-60. The tooth pick was removed and then measured.

Or, the outside diameter of the body & motor tubes could be used to determine the same measurement.

...:marshmallow:

The TTW basswood fins have been beveled on the leading and following edges.