Klingon Battle Cruiser!

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zilla475

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So, I was taking a bunch of my model kits down from my ceiling (I hang them up if they are planes or spaceships) and i got down my Klingon Battle Cruiser. Then, i decided to do the swing test on it, and whatta ya know! It flew almost perfectly! so, i am designing the new model rocket version, and I hope it turns out well! I plan on using an Estes A10-3T, or a B-64 in it, i don't think there will be adequate room for the B6-4, but i might try to see, beautiful model kit.........and it will soon be a beautiful model rocket!c:)

webcam-toy-photo1.jpg
 
I hope it goes well, and I would love to see launch video/photos. But keep in mind that one failed chute deployment could result in something that looks like it got hit by a photon torpedo with the shields down.

You could just buy this!
 
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Bat-Mite, I do not have even NEARLY enough money to buy that! (which is simply why i am making it out of this) and i will probably do some ground tests on the chute deployment. (It would be stupid for me to waste 25$)
 
Wow, the old Estes kit ? Sweet. Be sure to weigh it in flight configuration before deciding on the A10; the manufacturer says 3oz. max liftoff weight.
 
Actually, It is one of my Star Trek Model kits samb! the idea came to me after i did a swing test, and it flew pretty awesome! (The Enterprise however, it didn't want to fly at all) XD
 
zilla475 said:
Actually, It is one of my Star Trek Model kits samb! the idea came to me after i did a swing test, and it flew pretty awesome! (The Enterprise however, it didn't want to fly at all) XD
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Ohhhh ! The old AMT plastic model ? :blush: That will be a little more challenging. First thought is some kind of rear ejection motor pod setup.
 
How would I go about doing that? (I am pretty good at model rocketry, but some things come new to me) And I can't remember since it is around 5 years from when i bought it, but I am pretty sure that it is AMT, but i think it might even be a Revell model.
 
Look up all the Plastic Model Conversion (PMC) threads. Micromeister on the forum has flown a lot of them and they can be very challenging yet rewarding, but you have to get it right to avoid a flaming heap of burning goo.
 
zilla475 said:
How would I go about doing that? (I am pretty good at model rocketry, but some things come new to me) And I can't remember since it is around 5 years from when i bought it, but I am pretty sure that it is AMT, but i think it might even be a Revell model.
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Here's a thread with pictures of some of rear ejection efforts, including some of Micromeisters: https://www.rocketryforum.com/showthread.php?31551-Rear-Ejection-questions&highlight=rear+ejection

I might also pm GuyNoir; I believe he has flown this very model.
 
Daddyisabar said:
Look up all the Plastic Model Conversion (PMC) threads. Micromeister on the forum has flown a lot of them and they can be very challenging yet rewarding, but you have to get it right to avoid a flaming heap of burning goo.
Click to expand...

Every Klingons ideal way to go !
 
Thank you! I will read through all of this soon, i'm thinking about making either the top come off with a chute, or make it have two ejection tubes that come out the back, with one parachute each in them. So pretty much it splits off from the main motor tube, and have the parachutes loosely packed, so they can come out easy! (kind of like a motor tube that splits into two and does a U-turn on both ends out the back)
 
Aha, Revell Germany did kit this one as well according to Amazon. You might be "... boldly going..." with this one zilla ! :)
 
samb said:
I might also pm GuyNoir; I believe he has flown this very model.
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Yep.

Tried 'em two years straight at NARAM.

Never got a contest flight to work.

Did get test flights to do so, but man, get the CG as far forward as possible, and get some sweepback to the (clear) fins.

As for motors, I would not fly it with anything other than a C6-3. A B6-4 will guarantee you a prang.
 
GuyNoir said:
Yep.

Tried 'em two years straight at NARAM.

Never got a contest flight to work.

Did get test flights to do so, but man, get the CG as far forward as possible, and get some sweepback to the (clear) fins.

As for motors, I would not fly it with anything other than a C6-3. A B6-4 will guarantee you a prang.
Click to expand...

I have to admit, This will be an EXTREME challenge for me, i love exotic designs, and this will test my limits! :y:
 
While we're on the subject, is there ANYTHING out there to determine CP, margin of stability, etc., of all of these sci-fi vehicles? I've looked and searched and tried various sims, but can't come up with a good way to build a flying model of, let's say, the various transports from Aliens, Star Trek, and other vehicle enriched movies. Anyone?
 
To be honest, you really just have to balance it on a fine point and find the C.O.G. that way. I drilled a hole through my kit to do the swing test.
 
Finding the CG is easy, though you'll need to do it when the model is complete and has a motor installed. Finding the CP is trickier - good luck entering that thing into Rocksim or OpenRocket... Looking at the ship, I'd say it has plenty of fin area in the wings to make it stable in the pitch plane, but the engine pylons alone don't give enough area to balance the bulbous nose to make it stable in the yaw plane - which is why the Estes model has the extra fins. When the model is complete, swing test it, and if it doesn't want to "fly" forwards then you may need to enlarge those fins or add additional vertical fins.

Before starting, weigh the model and add on the mass of an A10-3T, then instead add on the mass of a B6-2. If the model plus an A10-3T is over about 142g then it will probably be too heavy for the A10-3T to lift reliably. I wouldn't chance a B6-4 in a model like this; the drag and mass make a B6-2 or C6-3 a safer bet.

Does the model have a bird of prey insignia underneath? The red and yellow markings on the wings say that it's not a Klingon ship, it's the same design but in use by the Romulans. :dark:
 
adrian said:
Finding the CG is easy, though you'll need to do it when the model is complete and has a motor installed. Finding the CP is trickier - good luck entering that thing into Rocksim or OpenRocket... Looking at the ship, I'd say it has plenty of fin area in the wings to make it stable in the pitch plane, but the engine pylons alone don't give enough area to balance the bulbous nose to make it stable in the yaw plane - which is why the Estes model has the extra fins. When the model is complete, swing test it, and if it doesn't want to "fly" forwards then you may need to enlarge those fins or add additional vertical fins.

Before starting, weigh the model and add on the mass of an A10-3T, then instead add on the mass of a B6-2. If the model plus an A10-3T is over about 142g then it will probably be too heavy for the A10-3T to lift reliably. I wouldn't chance a B6-4 in a model like this; the drag and mass make a B6-2 or C6-3 a safer bet.

Does the model have a bird of prey insignia underneath? The red and yellow markings on the wings say that it's not a Klingon ship, it's the same design but in use by the Romulans. :dark:
Click to expand...

For those of you who get the reference but don't know the story...

The producers of Star Trek thought the show was cancelled at the end of the second season. So they went about throwing away the models, some of the sets, props, etc. Then, due a massive letter-writing campaign staged by the fans, the show was renewed for the third season.

They wanted to bring back the Romulans for an episode, but unfortunately, the Romulan ship model was one of the ones that had been tossed, and they didn't have the budget to make a new one.

So they decided to go with what they had on hand, which was a Klingon ship. The opening scene was rewritten to show that the crew is surprised to see Klingon ships in Romulan space. Then Spock (I think it was Spock) simply says, "Intelligence reports Romulans now using Klingon design."

And that was that. :eyeroll:
 
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Bat-mite said:
For those of you who get the reference but don't know the story...
Click to expand...

Harlan Ellison in his memoir/original script of City on the Edge of Forever, gives a different chronology of the letter writing campaign. He claims he spearheaded the compaign, enlisting the help of SF fan clubs around the country, after the 1st season because Roddenberry told him they were about to be cancelled. When he found out the show was never in danger of being cancelled at that time, it was the beginning of their falling out. (Although Ellison seems to fall out with everyone eventually.)

Of course that doesn't necessarily mean there wasn't a 2nd letter writing campaign (although he seems to imply there wasn't and people just assume it was between seasons 2 & 3). I'm not sure I take his word for it, as he comes off rather frothing. It's an interesting read, although I think I liked D.C. Fontana's rewrite of the script more than his original.
 
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My info comes from The Star Trek Compendium by Allan Asherman. But I haven't read it in 30 years, so I may have forgotten some of the details. :eek:
 
Bat-mite said:
My info comes from The Star Trek Compendium by Allan Asherman. But I haven't read it in 30 years, so I may have forgotten some of the details. :eek:
Click to expand...

What I said was just according to Ellison. Although he was there at the time, I'm not sure I believe him.
 
zilla475 said:
Bat-Mite, I do not have even NEARLY enough money to buy that! (which is simply why i am making it out of this) and i will probably do some ground tests on the chute deployment. (It would be stupid for me to waste 25$)
Click to expand...

That one seems a bit over-priced to me. I trolled e-bay for a while before scoring boxed versions of both the klingon cruiser and the enterprise. They even came with the needed testors paint in the box. Alas, the paint was long dried out (and the thinner had completely evaporated.) I seem to recall paying about $25 for each. So better deals can be found if you keep an eye out for a bit.

Still haven't worked up the courage to build them yet...

Looking forward to seeing the progress on your flying PMC. :)

edit:
something like this is what I got: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000NOCJP2/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20
 
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Second on the Ebay thing. Keep an eye out and you'll find on very reasonable. They come up every 3 or 4 months and never seem to go for more than $30.
 
There are various stories about exactly what happened to the original Romulan Bird of Prey model, but the net result was indeed that in "Balance of Terror" the Romulans used a Klingon D7. And I mean Klingon - in the original version they didn't even bother changing the markings, so the "Romulan" D7 still had the Klingon symbol.

Those red and yellow markings come from the animated series. You can see a picture of such a ship here.

The remastered version of "Balance of Terror" shows D7's with different Romulan markings, and one of the three D7's has been replaced by a Bird of Prey.
 

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