ATTENTION! All 29mm Estes D Region Tomahawk (2037) Modders

If you are even thinking of modifying an Estes D Region Tomahawk (2037) to a 29mm motor, you need to read this!



I've found that the Wendy's TruMoo milk bottle (found typically in kid's meals) is a PERFECT match for the Estes 29mm Motor Tube (031360). It slips into the retention rings/ridges (inside the fin body halves (part no. 61743) that hold the motor tube in place without any issues at all. With the back "bulkhead" removed, the milk bottle's lid can fit inside the fin body, thus recessing it slightly. With a motor in place the rocket would sit on the nozzle however without the motor, the rocket will almost sit on the fins (it rocks slightly, but the fins do prevent it from tipping over). I removed my own rocket's upper bulkhead. I could have kept it, but I am going to use a 2nd milk bottle's neck to create another bulkhead and not have to worry about all the hassle of widening the hole for the motor tube.

[EDIT] By using two milk bottle's necks, you can move the rear bottle neck to above the fin body's retention rings/ridges (sandwiching them), and still manage to hold the motor tube securely, recessing the neck even further inside the fin can. Thus, with the lid removed (you can store it inside the rocket) eliminating the rocking issue noted below. In the photos below, the one on the left has the bottle's neck secured inside the retention rings, and the one on the right is sandwiched over them.[/EDIT]





Here's a photo that shows the two side by side.



I'd say that this recesses the cap about 2mm, and makes the difference on whether or not the rocket can sit on its fins (and not rock) when a motor isn't installed.



You will need to remove the top 5mm of the neck of the bottle to get an Estes Pro Series II F26-6FJ motor to fit, but there is a convenient ridge that helps you align your razor saw when cutting it off.

Good Find!!!

Milk from Burger King (white is nonfat... awful , their chocolate milk is low fat and actually pretty good) is the same size as the Wendy's bottles. OTOH, Hershey's (too sweet/more expensive, and not likely to be given away by consumers)(found at 7Eleven's) are a little to tight for the Estes 29mm Motor Mount tube (031360) without sanding. After cutting it out, and roughing up the surface a little, it fit the motor tube beautifully.

Nice work sir! I've got one left to build and I will most likely do this.
Ken

This thread is right up my alley. I purchased one from fleebay recently and the nose cone tip was missing so I emailed Estes to get a replacement and they sent me a whole new rocket! That's outstanding customer service. This one will have a 29mm motor for sure. I'm also thinking of an av-bay in the payload section.

I removed the first bulkhead by cutting it away one small piece at a time. I realized afterwards, I should have scraped it out using the back of an Xacto knife which I did for the remaining bulkheads. On the rear bulkheads, I started by cutting a small notch on the tab (at the tab/bulkhead joint) that was intended to lock the original Engine cap (61748) in place.



Then scraped the joint between the fuselage and the bulkhead, trying to keep my knife as parallel to the length of the rocket as possible (to prevent thinning the rear edge). After removing the bulkhead, I sanded the edges smooth for aesthetic reasons.



To help tighten my lid, and prevent the motor tube from spinning (at least while it's not glued in place), I cut a notch in the edge of the bottle's neck (you can see the shape in the shadow on the motor tube in the photo below), and one of the fin body's retaining rings. Next, I epoxied part of a coffee stir stick to to hold the the bottle's neck/centering ring in place.



In my testing, I've decided that both bottle's necks should face down, one pressing up against the upper ring at the transition, and the other at the retaining rings.



When there is no motor in place, don't overtighten the lid, as it may force the two halves of the fin body apart (an observation made while the parts were press-fit together and not glued).

Considering it holds things at the bottom end of the rocket, you could call it anal retentive.

bill2654 said:

... I'm also thinking of an av-bay in the payload section.

Click to expand...

You mean to do something like this?



After finding that page, I'm thinking... I'm thinking... I'm thinking....

Weight reduction tip: if you are using the bottle necks to create a centering ring, you don't need the threaded portion of the neck for them to work.



Didn't think about that on my first DRT, but my 2nd will weigh that much less.

Caveat on the Milk bottle idea... It fits Estes' 29mm Motor tubes beautifully (without modifying the tube). I just checked, despite being thicker, Sunward's 29 mm motor tubes will fit the Estes 29mm Motor Retainers (without modification of the tube). If you want to use the milk bottle retainer on Sunward tubes, you'll need to remove a layer or two of the paper (at least where the parts meet).