"Fly the Logo" Contest, LPR-style

[hcmbanjo]

Amazing work!
Reminds me of "planking" a model ship.

It seems the old school assembly combined with modern laser cutting is a good combination.

[RGInCanada]

Wow... That is ole' school cool..

This is my first foray with silkspan in years and years. (A Guillows SE-5a circa 1992 was the last..) I like it so much that I may switch to it instead of filling or papering balsa fins!

Man that is starting to look great. Don't nt forget a small red maple leaf even if hidden when finishing it

Hmmm....

I'm getting ready to shoot the first primer coats on the airframe. I'll be using a building primer, and alternating colors to identify high spots. Next time I try balsa skinning a rocket, I'll leave the fins off until the skinning is done, use thicker balsa, and chuck it in a lathe to sand it smooth. It would save on the weight and time I am spending now.

The tailcone needs to be redone, and the nosecone is my weekend project... then some swing tests and a test flight... If it fails, I can get back to this point really fast. (Working out the "how-tos" is the tricky part!)

[RGInCanada]

Amazing work!
Reminds me of "planking" a model ship.

Funny you should mention that... Scale R/C boats is my primary hobby

[sodmeister]

Lovely work on both accounts ! I remember building a Bluenose Schooner when I was a kid ,all wooden except for the sails ,what a great looking ship.Being from Winnipeg and in the heart of the prairies ,my parents thought it odd for a 12 year old boy to ask for a model ship as an Xmas gift LOL


Paul T

[nukemmcssret]

I bought the laser from Full Spectrum Laser, and the turn key costs with shipping, auxillary equipment, and installlation was roughly $10,000.[/QUOTE]

So do you do custom laser cutting for others? If so what would you charge?

[RGInCanada]

I do custom laser cutting when the machine has down time. The rates depend on material, detail, and how much setup work is required. PM me if you'd like a quote.

[Fred22]

Lovely work on both accounts ! I remember building a Bluenose Schooner when I was a kid ,all wooden except for the sails ,what a great looking ship.Being from Winnipeg and in the heart of the prairies ,my parents thought it odd for a 12 year old boy to ask for a model ship as an Xmas gift LOL


Paul T

Some of our best sailors come from the prairies
Cheers
Bill

[RGInCanada]

Lovely work on both accounts ! I remember building a Bluenose Schooner when I was a kid ,all wooden except for the sails ,what a great looking ship.Being from Winnipeg and in the heart of the prairies ,my parents thought it odd for a 12 year old boy to ask for a model ship as an Xmas gift LOL

My oldest son just started that same model!

[RGInCanada]

Today was nosecone day. A dowel was glued into a laminated balsa block, and then turned using a template. The dowel will be trimmed and fitted with an eyescrew shortly

[Marc_G]

I bet there was a lot of sawdust!

I love the picture of the turned cone. It almost looks like a clam or something, if you let an optical illusion happen and dampen the depth of field.

[RGInCanada]

I bet there was a lot of sawdust!

Not too bad. I used the vacuum right where the dust was coming off... worked quite well!

I love the picture of the turned cone. It almost looks like a clam or something, if you let an optical illusion happen and dampen the depth of field.

It took me a second, but I see it. That is pretty cool.

Here is the product of a lazy weekend's work:



After a round or two of primer and sand




One more round to go

[RGInCanada]

Well, apparently the thread title should be "Fly the Logo" Contest MPR style... As the weight is now closing in on 120g without the motor, I have ordered these from Pavel at AllRocketEngines:


Aerotech D10-5W

Once the motors show up (probably tomorrow) I'm ready to maiden her in primer whenever the weather agrees. (I plan on being picky...)

Hopefully I don't get kicked out of the forum for this breach of protocol

[Rocketbuilder]

Hmmm, those look like E30's to me! (Check the picture.)
Don't you hate waiting for packages in the mail? I just ordered a bunch of stuff from Hobbylinc, shipped from Georgia, I live in Florida, and USPS tracking says they sent it from Georgia to Tennesse, "on the way" to Florida! (Whoops, I got a little off topic here didn't I? )
Oh, and aren't D impulse motors LPR? I thought MPR was E and up.

[RGInCanada]

Hmmm, those look like E30's to me! (Check the picture.)

Ahhh! Oops... it said D10-5W in the cart and on the page... I never checked the actual image...

Don't you hate waiting for packages in the mail? I just ordered a bunch of stuff from Hobbylinc, shipped from Georgia, I live in Florida, and USPS tracking says they sent it from Georgia to Tennesse, "on the way" to Florida! (Whoops, I got a little off topic here didn't I? )

I'm lucky, as AllRocketMotors is in the next town over, and anything I order is here next day. Its awesome, if a little dangerous on the budget.

Oh, and aren't D impulse motors LPR? I thought MPR was E and up.

See how I demonstrate how little I know? It even says A thru D on the forum... *duhh*

[RGInCanada]

Apparently the rocket is stable:

[Rocketbuilder]

I would be way to afraid to swing test a rocket I had put that much work into. I'd worry that it would fly off the string and destroy itself!
Stability looks very good, though. I guess all it needs now is a pretty paint job!

[RGInCanada]

The rocket is assembled, painted, swing tested, and flight ready.

The completed unit stands 15" tall, 3.5" in diameter with a fin diameter of 7". The all-up weight is 175g, when loaded with a Aerotech D10-5W. For recovery, it is using a 12" plastic chute. This is a little on the small size, but space is limited.

It is on standby for its maiden flight, waiting for a clear, absolutely calm day.

[Pem Tech]

Which laser did you get? I got the hobby laser for about $2500. I was going to use it for this challenge, but you beat me to it.

Al

How is the 40W laser working out for you?
We've been looking at lasers for a while now and could use your feedback on the entry level model.
Will it cut 1/8 ply? How about TTW fin slots?

[RGInCanada]

How is the 40W laser working out for you?
We've been looking at lasers for a while now and could use your feedback on the entry level model.
Will it cut 1/8 ply? How about TTW fin slots?

I'm not sure if RocketAl has left the building, so I'll pipe up.

The 40W laser should handle 1/8" lite ply in a few passes, no problems. The 6 ply aircraft grade stuff is an exercise in frustration even at 80W (I cut a lot of it, and hate doing it). The binding agents they use in the plywood char and burn.

Think of the advantages for prototyping cardstock though!!! (It is awesome...no more slicing out a million little triangles to get a conical section "right")

[Pem Tech]

I'm not sure if RocketAl has left the building, so I'll pipe up.

The 40W laser should handle 1/8" lite ply in a few passes, no problems. The 6 ply aircraft grade stuff is an exercise in frustration even at 80W (I cut a lot of it, and hate doing it). The binding agents they use in the plywood char and burn.

Think of the advantages for prototyping cardstock though!!! (It is awesome...no more slicing out a million little triangles to get a conical section "right")

Thanks!
Have started looking and all info is welcome..

[RGInCanada]

The rocket is ready for launch this weekend. I fiigured while I was waiting for some perfect weather, I would build a matching launch pad as well... (still in progress)

[qquake2k]

Wow! That looks unbelievable!

[Mushtang]

It looks great!! Are you going to match the color scheme of the logo too (3 color nose cone, windows filled with 2 different colors), or is that your final finish?

I'm very impressed with the rocket, and I can't wait to see pictures and video of it flying.

[foamy]

I'm very impressed as well. What a nice, little, retro rocket. Good job.

[RGInCanada]

Wow! That looks unbelievable!

I'm very impressed as well. What a nice, little, retro rocket. Good job.

Thanks! This has been a lot of fun, and a learning experience to boot!

It looks great!! Are you going to match the color scheme of the logo too (3 color nose cone, windows filled with 2 different colors), or is that your final finish?

The nosecone is actually painted in all three colors. I had a bit of a brain fart and painted just the section that was supposed to be the darker tip, so that the proportions are off. It will bug me until I sand, prime and paint it again... Whether there is time to do that and get my launches in is a good question

In the interest of full disclosure, I have chosen not to disclose everything...

[RGInCanada]

It flies!

[RGInCanada]

A few more sneak peeks:


I like this frame, lots going on...


Dusk launch recovery pics not so impressive...

[cwbullet]

Very nice. I can't wait to see this kitted.

Is it going to be low, mid, or high power?

[RGInCanada]

I found a couple of these flashing buttons, that made me say, "Hmmm..."



I pulled them apart,



With a little experimentation, I found that I needed to snip off the board mounted LED, desolder the battery clips, and wire in a jumper to short out the on/off switch. Then I soldered on leads for attaching a remote battery, and three small LEDs.



I made two of these, one with three white LEDS and one with three red ones. If I had seen the thread that used surface mount LEDs, I would have gone that route, but I had already installled 3mm units with leads. The flasher units were installed under the top bulkhead, and the lights around the outside of the rocket. They are there in all the photos since post 19, just not very obvious

[troj]

I found a couple of these flashing buttons, that made me say, "Hmmm..."

Very intrigued to see closeups of what you did with these!

-Kevin