Dr. Zooch Saturn 1b build thread

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I think the PDF is too large of a file to post on this forum, so it just gets sent via email upon request via PM. They have all the variations of the Saturn 1B missions, that's why the file is so large. These were created by rosco_racer who might not be that active here these days, but anyone who has them can send you a copy when you need it. The 1B is kind of like the other Zooch kits, this one is addictive and makes you want to build more of them. I think I will have to build a black tank version eventually, maybe when I finish the Soyuz kit to go with this ASTP kit.


Many thanks. They will look much better with a fold-over paper wrap on the leading edge.

I also will tweak the shape of the little fillet part that goes between the tanks, and print them up as well. hcmbanjo posted a neater shape on his blog, which is who you should really be following along to learn some great techniques.


Guys, I am still around. And I do check this and only a few threads on TRF. So if anyone is interested in the wraps send me a PM with your eee mail add ress and I will send the file to you.

BTW Glenn, your 1B is looking great. Also, thanks everyone for the comments on the wraps. I do like the idea of making the fins out of cardstock. May try it myself but fatherhood is at full swing this spring. Not much time for rocketry but some left to still check the forums.

- R_R
 
Hey Rosco! congratulations...sounds like you are expecting a little one?
your wraps are awesome!!


Guys, I am still around. And I do check this and only a few threads on TRF. So if anyone is interested in the wraps send me a PM with your eee mail add ress and I will send the file to you.

BTW Glenn, your 1B is looking great. Also, thanks everyone for the comments on the wraps. I do like the idea of making the fins out of cardstock. May try it myself but fatherhood is at full swing this spring. Not much time for rocketry but some left to still check the forums.

- R_R
 
...but fatherhood is at full swing this spring. Not much time for rocketry but some left to still check the forums...
Congrats! sounds like we have another future prospective rocketeer.

I keep fiddling with these engines, and could not leave well enough alone. Trying out a concept here for a "remove before flight" display of the internal set of 4 nozzles. To get them all to fit, I had to sand them down a little. This shows the layout, next to the original size. I made a cardstock engine-sized tube to insert for display-only mounting.

DSC_6474.jpg

Potentially I could cut the 4 internal nozzles and mount them around the engine tube permanently, as an alternative. Still toying with that idea.

DSC_6475.jpg
that's my version of a Shamrock for St. Paddy's Day
 
that's a great idea!!!!

Congrats! sounds like we have another future prospective rocketeer.

I keep fiddling with these engines, and could not leave well enough alone. Trying out a concept here for a "remove before flight" display of the internal set of 4 nozzles. To get them all to fit, I had to sand them down a little. This shows the layout, next to the original size. I made a cardstock engine-sized tube to insert for display-only mounting.

View attachment 285325

Potentially I could cut the 4 internal nozzles and mount them around the engine tube permanently, as an alternative. Still toying with that idea.

View attachment 285326
that's my version of a Shamrock for St. Paddy's Day
 
Well, I will have to figure out a different type of display stand now that the engine mount is otherwise occupied. I went with a lighter color of acrylic paint called Metallic Sterling, it looks a little better than the darker metallic steel. I will paint all of the exposed pink cardstock paper that same color to help it blend in. I covered the body tubes with printer paper taped around it to avoid getting finger prints on it and smudging the ink. When I was working on this, I dropped one of the little nozzles into the engine tube, it did not come out the other end because I installed a BAFFLE!. Luckily, it did not get hung up on the engine block and I was able to shake it out, if it was much bigger it would have been a one-way trip.

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Now I can get back to the remaining parts of the build that are essential to flight, like the fins...
 
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Okay that's just cool!! Well done you!

The rocket needs a angled but mostly horizontal display when you're finished building, as though it were in flight, so you can see the engines when it's sitting on your shelf.

That's just awesome!
 
I think I will make a similar engine mount insert for my Soyuz with those nozzles as well. I might be able to fashion a smaller diameter dowel to fit in the center for a display mount, or use the launch lug somehow. I finally got around to papering the fins and they are looking fairly decent. I will upload some pictures and my printable template.

I am not having much success with my attempt at the fillet pieces with seams under the fins, they just get too narrow and flimsy at the edge and the paper creases, I might accept defeat on that and just use parts like the stock wrap sheet.
 
sounds good Glen....from what you have shown so far she looks excellent! the fillets are acceptable, in my opinion, at this size and scale....they end up being the size of a finger nail and are partially covered by the fin....somebody makes 3D printed fillets...I tried it and totally messed them up..I was thinking of trying them again on my next Zooch 1b build


I think I will make a similar engine mount insert for my Soyuz with those nozzles as well. I might be able to fashion a smaller diameter dowel to fit in the center for a display mount, or use the launch lug somehow. I finally got around to papering the fins and they are looking fairly decent. I will upload some pictures and my printable template.

I am not having much success with my attempt at the fillet pieces with seams under the fins, they just get too narrow and flimsy at the edge and the paper creases, I might accept defeat on that and just use parts like the stock wrap sheet.
 
Here are the balsa fins papered with my fold-over template.
DSC_6508.jpg

Need to clean up the balsa a little. I tried to allow for the extra width in the fold-over template, but I trimmed it too small before I papered the fins. Next time I will cut them large and paper the fin, then trim to match. So, I have to clean up the balsa with some sanding now to match the paper, rather than vice versa. I am thinking the option 1 cardstock fins would have been lots easier, and I would have been done by now.
DSC_6507.jpg

Here is the fail on the trim parts. I made a fairly accurate transition part, which would have been great if all of my tank tubes were perfectly equal in size and spacing, but each one is a little unique. Cutting these parts the way I had originally envisioned just does not work out well. So, I plan on trimming them more like the stock tank fillet parts, but I think my outer curve will match the thrust structure body tube radius better. (this will be very similar to the reshaped parts in hcmbanjo's Model Rocket Building Blog mentioned earlier) but I will print them up in black and white to match the thrust structure tube wrap and fins.
DSC_6506.jpg
 
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pretty much done, except maybe I might add the Rosco wrap for the CM, not sure if I want to do any more detail work on the capsule, I kind of like the clean lines at this scale. I made the protrusions from layers of cardstock instead of balsa, again out of laziness so I would not have to paint them, except for the APMs that I painted silver. Fun kit, nice looking, well worth the effort and a great value out of the box.

Here's my updated attempt at the fillet parts, I cut multiple copies of my tank transition wrap into individual parts with a little overlap so one side could be tucked under the adjacent one. I installed all of the fillet parts first, then installed the fins. I could have done a better job of tailoring the fin shapes to match, but I think they are close enough. This bird is destined to poke holes in the sky not sit on a shelf all the time.

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update: Now why do I rush to getting that first clear coat on before I have glued on the LAUNCH LUG?!
 
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Glen..I think she look outstanding!! well done!!



pretty much done, except maybe I might add the Rosco wrap for the CM, not sure if I want to do any more detail work on the capsule, I kind of like the clean lines at this scale. I made the protrusions from layers of cardstock instead of balsa, again out of laziness so I would not have to paint them, except for the APMs that I painted silver. Fun kit, nice looking, well worth the effort and a great value out of the box.

Here's my updated attempt at the fillet parts, I cut multiple copies of my tank transition wrap into individual parts with a little overlap so one side could be tucked under the adjacent one. I installed all of the fillet parts first, then installed the fins. I could have done a better job of tailoring the fin shapes to match, but I think they are close enough. This bird is destined to poke holes in the sky not sit on a shelf all the time.

View attachment 287612

View attachment 287615

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update: Now why do I rush to getting that first clear coat on before I have glued on the LAUNCH LUG?!
 
many thanks! I know I made a goof with the seam-lines of the upper tank wraps, I could have fixed it, but decided to leave it. I should have offset the placement of the antennas to stagger them from the retro-rockets, but I will pay more attention to that on the black-tank version for my next build. I was kind of in a hurry to finish up the final bits to get it ready to fly. which brings me to: flight report: TOTALLY AWESOME! I got to maiden this Zooch ASTP set yesterday, beautiful weather, a C6-3 fired these puppies up like a, well like a rocket. If I wasn't before, I am officially now a steely-eyed rocket engineer. This is one eight-finned beast, my first Zooch kits that do not have simulated-flame fins. I need to make a minor repair to the Soyuz LES tower, it went kaputnik on landing, the chute did not fully unfurl and it came down kind of hard on the weighted nose. I might rig up a string to have it drop horizontally.

Oh, and I had another idea I will try on my next build: to print up an extra wrap to cut out a cardstock template to roll-your-own launch lugs to match the main body tube and thrust structure wraps. That way the launch lug would blend in better and match the tank. Rolling a launch lug is not much harder than rolling those tank tubes, just use a 1/8" rod or dowel.
 
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Thank you so much for all the great info. Just started my Saturn 1b last week. Was wondering if anyone had the Rosko Racer wraps pdf? If you do could send them to me on PM? Thank you.


Sent from my iPhone using Rocketry Forum
 
Karhunt...I hope my thread will be of some help for you. The Zooch 1b is a great kit! I don't have the wraps stored since this is a new computer..the old one blew. Rosko is still on here...send him a pm and he will respond. He is a great guy and his wraps are awesome!


Thank you so much for all the great info. Just started my Saturn 1b last week. Was wondering if anyone had the Rosko Racer wraps pdf? If you do could send them to me on PM? Thank you.


Sent from my iPhone using Rocketry Forum
 
Sad to report a Facebook post by Wes that he is closing Dr. Zooch Rockets in 2018. Stock up while you can! I just purchased 2 more 1bs and a Lifting Body.
To Dr Zooch, thank you for the years of enjoyment that your kits always brought. From the cool little boxes to the crazy humor in the directions...there is a lot of fun in that package! Dr. Zooch's 1b was my BAR rocket and I admit that I purchased one or two of his 1bs....ok...maybe more..probably 10 or 15. (I lost count) That kit not only brought me back to building rockets again, but building plastic models too. And for that, thank you!
 
Karhunt...I hope my thread will be of some help for you. The Zooch 1b is a great kit! I don't have the wraps stored since this is a new computer..the old one blew. Rosko is still on here...send him a pm and he will respond. He is a great guy and his wraps are awesome!

Hello everyone and Happy 4th of July!!!

I am still around, mostly browsing the forums without logging in. I have responded and sent copies of the 1B wraps to those who have asked. If there is anyone who has not received their copy or would like to get them again send me a PM with your email and I can resend them. The last version is Revision 7.0 dated January 2014. I just took a look at them and I think they are done. Feedback on these and how to improve them is always welcome.

- R
 
Rosko thank you! your wraps are just awesome! To any that still have some Zooch 1bs waiting patiently in their build pile, the Rosko wraps really help to complete the model.


Hello everyone and Happy 4th of July!!!

I am still around, mostly browsing the forums without logging in. I have responded and sent copies of the 1B wraps to those who have asked. If there is anyone who has not received their copy or would like to get them again send me a PM with your email and I can resend them. The last version is Revision 7.0 dated January 2014. I just took a look at them and I think they are done. Feedback on these and how to improve them is always welcome.

- R
 
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