Estes D tomahawk and Maxi Alpha fins

They come with plastic fins, does anyone cut balsa or basswood to replace them? If so what is your technique?

Why replace them?

chadrog said:

Why replace them?

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cause they are plastic? just seems cheap, and if one breaks, how can you fix your rocket?

i bought them from ac supply, and they list them as wood fins. while they are cool rockets, i may not have bought them due to the plastic. I was very disappointed when i looked inside the package.

Don't all the Aerotech rockets have plastic fins ? Leave the hook and baffle off and they are pretty much ready to rock an I200 with very little modification .

Have the D Region Tomahawk built with a 29mm mount - may have been a bit overkill but the stock fins are solid . If I were to do over would have replaced stock mmt with loc 24mm and just extended out the back far enough to have a 24mm aeropack clear.

After seeing the bigger Executioner fly on a F35, think that is really more than enough to really make the D Region cook.

Kenny

Built an Estes D Region Tomahawk with the only mod being a 29mm motor mount. Flew great all the way up to an H268 redline. The fincan and fins held on but the airframe failed bigtime. Good fun

I have another one to build and I will definitely stick with the plastic fins. Plus they paint nice.

i guess iw ill stick with the plastic fins, since everyone else does too :caffeine:

The only problem I had with the plastic fins was the model glue I used the first time. They didn't hold. Ended up roughing up the fin tab and slot and using epoxy. It's flown just fine with 24/40 E & F motors and using an E9 with a D12-0 chad staged is also pretty cool.

For the D-Region, check out this extensive build thread:

https://www.rocketryplanet.com/forums/showthread.php?t=622

One thing I've done where I feel a little uncomfortable about how the glue will hold - switch to epoxy and drill some small holes through the fin where the fillet will be. This gives a the epoxy a good grip on the fin.

I've built two of the Maxi-Alphas. Haven't seen the D-Region fins. I find the attachment of the plastic fins on the Maxi to be too weak. They break off that canister too easily. I've gone to attaching and filleting with epoxy and they seem to stay put now. The quality of these plastic fins are crap (thin and flexible) compared to the Aerotech plastic fins. The Aerotech's are completely different - rigid, heavy, through-the-wall. Definitely designed to take more power.

farsidius said:

I've built two of the Maxi-Alphas. Haven't seen the D-Region fins. I find the attachment of the plastic fins on the Maxi to be too weak. They break off that canister too easily. I've gone to attaching and filleting with epoxy and they seem to stay put now. The quality of these plastic fins are crap (thin and flexible) compared to the Aerotech plastic fins. The Aerotech's are completely different - rigid, heavy, through-the-wall. Definitely designed to take more power.

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That is true, the Aerotech are designed to fly on D to G motors. The Estes on D12 and E9 motors only. If you stick with 24mm you can glue the fins on well enough the glue doesn't give out, the fins will stand up to any motor you want to put in the rocket. You're not going to hurt the fins with motor power. Landing impacts, that's another question.

3boydad said:

cause they are plastic? just seems cheap, and if one breaks, how can you fix your rocket?

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Exactly ... and precisely why I don't like or buy those kits.