Borky's wife build, a Big Daddy: "Get in the kitchen and build me that rocket boy"

IMAG2955 by beerorkid, on Flickr

It is not done yet, but I am getting ulcers sitting on this one and had to share.

The Wife, Theresa, helped me pick out my next builds. I wanted a Big Daddy, just cuz. When they showed up we just laughed at how insane the Big Daddy seemed to us. Asked her if she would like to paint it.

I had purchased a painting from a Colorado artist named Nick Reitenour. It was darn cool and Theresa said she wanted to try and decorate a rocket with that theme. The Big Daddy has lots of canvas and she went to town. We picked up some paint and brushes.

A few days passed and she pretty much demanded me to get in the kitchen and build the rocket so she could paint it. I put her to work sanding the balsa and fins. BD is such an easy rocket to build, but I built her strong with epoxy and the through fins just slay. My first time doing epoxy fillets too.


IMAG2894 by beerorkid, on Flickr


IMAG2901 by beerorkid, on Flickr

Light blue on one side for day, dark blue on the other side for night. Pearl spray on the dark side that looks like stars. Will have a tree trunk on each side and the "leafs" will connect and be different on each side.


IMAG2930 by beerorkid, on Flickr


IMAG2942 by beerorkid, on Flickr

It is far from done, but will get launched once and then hanged up in her awesome room. It has been so much fun to watch her handle such a great rocket while painting all weekend long. She even makes the rocket sounds while flying it around

:eyeroll:

Will update when she launches it and when it is done and clear coated. I also have to pick up another Big Daddy so I can shoot it off as often as I want.

WOW !! :y: that's great!!!

Krusty

krusty said:

WOW !! :y: that's great!!!

Krusty

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Oh yeah!

IMAG2967 by beerorkid, on Flickr

She finished the light side. She is so proud of it. She is sorta getting like me where she just stared at how cool it looked for a bit before she handed it to me for pics.

Neither of us are artists in any sort of way, but she is rocking it and I bet more awesome will follow.

When does it stop being a rocket and start being a piece of art??

That really is stunning

Krusty

Wow, your wife lets you build rockets in the kitchen? I'm relegated to the basement.

Awesome paint job! I'd be afraid to launch it.

Holy #@%* do you really have over 20,000 pictures in Flickr?

krusty said:

When does it stop being a rocket and start being a piece of art??

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Exactly. Her room is cool as crap.


IMAG2706 by beerorkid, on Flickr

So this is a piece of art she is making. Before she started working on it we agreed that it has to launch. I am planning on a D12-5 out at the local sod farm beside a killer park a few furlongs away. It will get a 24 inch Top Flight X chute, be recovered, and hung from her ceiling for the rest of its planned life. I can't wait to see her push that button. Will see if she will let me put the keychain camera on it.

After she finishes the dark side, I plan on some poly and then future finish.

As for the kitchen... I built it from 4 feet of counter space to 13 feet. We do all our crafting there and just put stuff in bins. It is the main workbench for sure. I spent a few hours smashing out plaster this weekend. I earn my keep around these parts and get some leeway when it comes to counter space

Nathan said:

Holy #@%* do you really have over 20,000 pictures in Flickr?

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LOL

I did not realize that. Yeah... I am a super internet whore and love taking pics of pretty much anything. I can pay flickr $24 a year to back up all my pics. None of that fancy crap though. Mostly just phone pics. I also host all the pics i put up on my main site on flickr so my webhost does not have to load them up.

You guys have no clue how hard I have been holding back on posting tons of crap on this forum. Figure I do not want to scare or annoy yall


squeaker by beerorkid, on Flickr



Check my extensive gif gallery out sometime https://www.beerorkid.com/avatars/?C=M;O=D

you had to show this in the kitchen .. .

its a Rocket ! no its Art ! no its a ROCKET! No its ART !!!

reminds me of the old Saturday Night Live skit : its a floor wax, no its a dessert topping . . .

Kenny

if you don't want a heart stopping moment, use a D12-3. 5 sec delay is (imo) 2 sec too long.
rex

BeerorKid said:

She finished the light side. She is so proud of it. She is sorta getting like me where she just stared at how cool it looked for a bit before she handed it to me for pics.

Neither of us are artists in any sort of way, but she is rocking it and I bet more awesome will follow.

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She has every right to be proud of that work. Absotutely Fantabulous!! I would call her an artist. Maybe she need some outside inspiration, but she did the work. My best artistic moments should only be displayed in the halls of the local elementary school.

Beautiful build, beautiful finish!!

Rex R said:

if you don't want a heart stopping moment, use a D12-3. 5 sec delay is (imo) 2 sec too long.
rex

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Agree. The first launch of my Big Daddy was with a D12-5 and it was halfway down before the ejection charge went off.

I've been flying mine on E18-4's (well ok I did try an F39-6 once) you may find that a 24" chute to be over large(20 -21") is about right.
rex

I can only imagine how much masking that thing took...

D 12-3 it will be. Thanks for the tip.

Figured the 24 inch one would be best since it is a X type chute.

No masking, just a couple brushes and little paint bottles.

Dude that's so cool! So, Van Gogh-esque!

she ought to sign her work.
rex

Uber Cool ! That is a really nice change from the norm--very nice !!

That is one excellent paint job! A rocket that need not hide in the basement or closet.

But... I wonder if you may be tempting fate by 1) having so much work on something that could end up in a tree, and 2) painting something that could end up in a tree, with a tree theme.

Ironnerd88 said:

That is one excellent paint job! A rocket that need not hide in the basement or closet.

But... I wonder if you may be tempting fate by 1) having so much work on something that could end up in a tree, and 2) painting something that could end up in a tree, with a tree theme.

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She will hang it in her room. She is almost done with the darker side.

And her next rocket will once again have a bit of a tree theme sorta based off closet astronaut's daughter's Bug Bertha. The wife thought that was an awesome build and story. She wants a long Bertha too. Will leave the fins stock, a 24mm engine mount, and animal print

It should be in the Big Daddy Gallery with the other BD's.

foamy said:

It should be in the Big Daddy Gallery with the other BD's.

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Will get it in there when it is done for sure.

IMAG2996 by beerorkid, on Flickr


IMAG2995 by beerorkid, on Flickr


IMAG2994 by beerorkid, on Flickr


IMAG3001 by beerorkid, on Flickr


IMAG3005 by beerorkid, on Flickr


IMAG3004 by beerorkid, on Flickr


IMAG3003 by beerorkid, on Flickr


IMAG3006 by beerorkid, on Flickr

Just need to future coat it next weekend 4 or 5 times so all the acrylic can dry. She will not be smooth, but will fly.

D12-3 motors are on the way. It was so much fun to make such a simple rocket and have her paint it so. She has plans for another, but I got my own to do as well.

That's awesome, Ill mail you mine if you wanna paint it! ill pay! lol..That really looks great.

krusty said:

When does it stop being a rocket and start being a piece of art??

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Probably about a week before Estes even manufactured that one, it has to have been predestined.
Absolutely had to share this thread with friends, an inspiring project!

Thanks for sharing.

It is simply beautiful and I am so proud of her for it. She is working on her next rocket, but the work is slow and it seems like it will be a while. The Big Daddy now sits on her dresser and I see her stare at it every now and then. Once it gets warmer it will fly though. She is excited, but does not want to stand in cold wind to have it happen. I am actually pushing for a launch tomorrow since it will be in the upper 60s F.