Dr. Zooch Vanguard Eagle Build

[slugmas818]

I am finally going to build the Vanguard Eagle that has been haunting me for months! First, I checked to make sure I had all the pieces. I did, so I preceded to make the interstage can. This is made of some T-55 tube and a very precisely placed centering ring. I'm not sure why so precise, so now I am unsure about the quality of my can.

While I let that dry, I began work on the first-stage motor mount. The body tube is huge, bigger than the tube in an Estes Wizard! I thought it was going to be cut up... but then the instructions told me to put the engine hook in! Giant motor mount...

[slugmas818]

Next, I cut some holes in the top of the motor mount. This is to vent the gasses for gap staging. I didn't like the job with the razor so I decided to use a hole-puncher for the interstage can. The theory in punching holes in both the interstage can and the motor mount is to create a sort of baffle for the vented gasses, as not to create a tumbling, burning first stage.

Also to not destroy the first stage with burning gasses, I slit one of the short T-20 tubes open and glued it around the top of the motor mount.

Then, the interstage can was glued onto the motor mount top after having holes poked in it with the hole-puncher. This completed the "baffle" for the vented gasses. It was quite the search around the house for the puncher. For some reason, above the rulers and pencils and pens, the hole-puncher is placed in the strangest places. The guts of the first stage are done, it seems.

Next: Gluing the motor mount inside the T-60 first-stage tube.

[closet astronaut]

Nice build pics, we need more of this.

[slugmas818]

Thanks.
Yesterday, I glued the motor mount into the first stage. It was a pain because the bottom centering ring caught on the wood glue before it reached the bottom of the tube. This messed up the centering ring a bit. Quite a bit. I was unsure if the ring was still attached, so I filleted it with wood glue.
Attachment 87672
Today, I discovered why this kit is a Zooch "Advanced" kit. I started on the SRBs. First, two little balsa "plugs" were sanded into little "bullet" shapes. Did I mention that this is a bit nerve-racking? Well it is. While doing work on the plugs, my knees were shaking. After the bullets were formed, the plugs were each cut in half, then each half was cut into four pieces. I was left with four half-domes, and lots of little balsa half-circles.
Attachment 87673
While I don't think of this as building above my skill level, it will certainly be finishing above my skill level. I've never filled balsa grain before. Any suggestions?
Anyway, I took a break while working on the balsa plugs to do some of the second stage. One inch was cut off of the T-55 and made into a DIY T-55 tube coupler. then, a fairly standard motor mount was constructed, with the engine hook bulging out the back by a lot. Sorry if the picture is sideways.
Attachment 87681
Next, the motor mount was glued into the rest of the T-55 tube. After this was glued in, the DIY coupler was glued in.
Attachment 87684
Next, I resumed progress on the SRBs. The T-20 tubes were cut "accurately" in half with scissors. Then, I sanded bevels on the tube edges and snipped two corners off. Now I have four pieces of T-20 that will be the SRBs. The smoothest half-circles of balsa were glued on the tubes and left to dry.

Sorry for the messy photo.
Next: Marking the T-60 tube with an "Alien Technology Anti-Gravity Telekinesis Pencil"

[luke strawwalker]

Nice build pics, we need more of this.

Do a search on basically any rocket you're interested in and odds are you can find a build thread on it... I've done about half the Dr. Zooch kits complete with build threads with tons of pics and tips/tricks that are good for use on ANY rocket... I do beta builds for Wes at Dr. Zooch so I get the kit while it's still in the "test phase" and build it out, proofread the instructions, offer suggestions or clarifications if any are warranted, and test fly the rocket and report back, so that hopefully everything is smooth as silk once you open the box. I usually post the beta builds here and on YORF and RP as a build thread, complete with pics and step-by-step instructions if anybody wants to follow along or has any questions. It gives the rocket community here an opportunity to see what Wes and his clever ants are coming out with in the near future and get a sneak peek at it... You can search my username "luke strawwalker" and should take you to a list of all the build threads I've done... (not all of them are Dr. Zooch related, but many are... )

Sorry if this is a bit of a derail... I did the beta build on the Vanguard Eagle awhile back-- it's a VERY cool kit with some novel construction techniques and it's a great flyer... Good luck to the OP on his build!

Later! OL JR

[luke strawwalker]

Thanks.
.
Attachment 87684
Next, I resumed progress on the SRBs. The T-20 tubes were cut "accurately" in half with scissors. Then, I sanded bevels on the tube edges and snipped two corners off. Now I have four pieces of T-20 that will be the SRBs. The smoothest half-circles of balsa were glued on the tubes and left to dry.

Sorry for the messy photo.
Next: Marking the T-60 tube with an "Alien Technology Anti-Gravity Telekinesis Pencil"

I included finishing tips and pics to demonstrate in the beta build thread I did on this kit...

http://www.rocketryforum.com/showthr...a-Build-Thread

Nice work so far!!! KUTGW!!!

Later! OL JR

PS... sorry your centering ring stuck... that's why Wes recommends using white glue to install the motor mount into the main body tube... yellow glue has the VERY nasty habit of "freezing up" about halfway through the motor mount installation... same thing with stage or tube couplers... white glue is a lot slower about "setting up" and therefore gives you a lot more working time... Plus, for paper/paper joints, the white glue is just as strong if not stronger... (although I DO usually use yellow glue to attach the rings to the motor tube itself, since the motor tube absorbs a lot of warmth from the motor casing in flight... and yellow glue IS stronger than white glue when a joint is heated up like that... BUT, gluing the motor mount into the main body tube-- white glue is fine-- the air gap between the motor tube and main body tube is sufficient to insulate the motor tube heat from the glue joints on the outside edges of the centering rings)... just so ya know for next time!

[slugmas818]

Unfortunately, this thread is going into stasis until mid August due to summer traveling. Sadly, no pics of the rest of the SRB stiffeners glued in or them attatched to the rocket. I put the rest of the stiffeners in, sanded the SRBs to fit on the body tube, glued them on, thenfilled the seams with "Amazing Goop".