Im building Maxi Alpha 3

rocket sok
Onebadhawk
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I've built a lot of these as gifts for various people. The main tip I would offer is to add epoxy fillets to the fins. They are only attached by little plastic tabs that tend to break easily. The epoxy adds a lot of strength.

The other thing is that some versions of the instructions have an error in the part about building the motor mount. When putting in the glue ring for the motor block, put it 3" inside the motor mount tube, not 2". When you are cutting the slit for the motor hook, cut it at 3 1/4", not 2 1/4".

Good luck! The first impression I had when building my first MA3 was that it is kind of cheap and flimsy, but it has actually become a favorite of mine. It doesn't cost very much to build it or to fly it. It flies really well. And it's a pretty good sized LPR rocket. the size makes it fun to paint and decorate. I've got lots of flights on mine. Enjoy!
 
I agree with Thirsty, although mine only has one flight on it currently (E9-6). Broke a fin on landing(exact problem Thirsty described), easy fix with epoxy fillets. Some fin reinforcement is a good idea, although the tabs breaking might actually protect the main fins from breaking.

While it's not as strong or high performance as Estes or Quest MPR, it's super light, flies perfectly, and uses cheap motors. Lastly, you might want to consider a baffle or small nomex, and maybe a nylon chute as this does use a lot of wadding.

maxialphaliftoff.JPG
 
I made sure the hook Was right in plans They changed it too 3 1/4 They must of heard :) Im going too go over it with epoxy :)

1409360254088.jpg
 
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Need to put epoxy yet then decals then clear coat then finished :)

1409401540099.jpg
 
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When I took the picture it wasn't glued yet I use epoxy before I finish it
 
Looks good!

I have no idea where you live, but if are anywhere near the SF Bay Area and can attend the LUNAR launch at Moffett Field on 9/20, you should bring it along and join the MA3 drag race SCrocketfan and I are planning. (No real prizes or competition. Just an awesome spectacle and glory!) I think we have 6 so far with just my group and SCrocketfan, and I'm sure we can recruit more at the field. Invitation is open to anyone who is attending the launch!
 
I *love* my Maxi Alpha 3, for the same reasons as others - flies well, etc. And yes, I had to reinforce the fins.
It was the first rocket I bought when I was "born again" a couple years ago. As a kid, I had the Maxi Alpha - not plastic, but balsa fins - and that was a favorite too, though scraping money for D engines from my allowance was hard.

A couple weeks ago I launched my MA3 on an Aerotech single-use E15-7 - it really took off. I wish I'd stuck in my altimerter.

What's the largest motor anyone has used on this model?
 
jcantalupo said:
I *love* my Maxi Alpha 3, for the same reasons as others - flies well, etc. And yes, I had to reinforce the fins.
It was the first rocket I bought when I was "born again" a couple years ago. As a kid, I had the Maxi Alpha - not plastic, but balsa fins - and that was a favorite too, though scraping money for D engines from my allowance was hard.

A couple weeks ago I launched my MA3 on an Aerotech single-use E15-7 - it really took off. I wish I'd stuck in my altimerter.

What's the largest motor anyone has used on this model?
Click to expand...

I used an E20-7, which I think is actually the same motor as the E15-7. I've got an MA3 that is getting kind of tired, and if it starts to look like it is time to retire, I'm going to try one of the F44's.

When I flew it on the E20, I was flying it in what I call "Colossus Mode," where I use an additional 14" payload section to make the rocket longer and heavier. It went over 700 feet.
 
I might get the 24/40 RMS hardware, so I'll try some of those motors eventually.
 
Thanks, I didn't know the E20 was single use, although I've hard about the cato record of the F44. I'm mostly thinking f12 like motors. Lower impulse motors that don't have a ton of thrust in the 30-50 Ns range. I don't know if a MA3 will survive a F44, might be too much thrust.
 
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I've never tried chad staging, but I think trying it with an E12 to an E9 might be fun. That's a pretty long burn. I have an extra set of fins that I wanted to use to make a real booster stage for the MA3, but I'm not really sure how to do it.
 
jcantalupo said:
I *love* my Maxi Alpha 3, for the same reasons as others - flies well, etc. And yes, I had to reinforce the fins.
It was the first rocket I bought when I was "born again" a couple years ago. As a kid, I had the Maxi Alpha - not plastic, but balsa fins - and that was a favorite too, though scraping money for D engines from my allowance was hard.

A couple weeks ago I launched my MA3 on an Aerotech single-use E15-7 - it really took off. I wish I'd stuck in my altimerter.

What's the largest motor anyone has used on this model?
Click to expand...

I've used the E18W, F12J, F24W, and F39T. the E18 gives great flights, with nice fire and smoke. The F12J is a little wiggly off the pad, but in calm conditions, the long burn is awesome! The F24W gives it an awesome, roaring flight to very high altitudes- no hesitation off the pad here! unfortunately, the F39T proved to be a biiiit too much... one fin shredded off, and the rest spiraled upwards for the coast/delay portion of the flight.

here are some videos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRBbIRYsfjw&index=7&list=UU_G_KJz4vG3P-U94bkkDq8g
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ImfyKzyIOA&index=10&list=UU_G_KJz4vG3P-U94bkkDq8g
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIDhmFL1SRk&list=UU_G_KJz4vG3P-U94bkkDq8g&index=18
 
Nate, those launch videos are awesome!

Thirsty, my dual stage mosquito build (which will fly at moffet for the first time next weekend) uses a regular BT80 coupler and will fit any mosquito. You could probably find a coupler that would fit the tail of an MA3. This thing will fly D12 to C11 (or D12 to D12/E12/E9), but it will need a 6 foot rod to get up to a safe velocity. With MA3 you probably need a D12 cluster on the booster or composites and staging electronics.
 

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SCrocketfan said:
Nate, those launch videos are awesome!

Thirsty, my dual stage mosquito build (which will fly at moffet for the first time next weekend) uses a regular BT80 coupler and will fit any mosquito. You could probably find a coupler that would fit the tail of an MA3. This thing will fly D12 to C11 (or D12 to D12/E12/E9), but it will need a 6 foot rod to get up to a safe velocity. With MA3 you probably need a D12 cluster on the booster or composites and staging electronics.
Click to expand...

That is 2-stage Mega Mosquito going to be cool to see fly.

The problem with adding a booster to the MA3 is that the bottom of the rocket is not a cardboard airframe tube that a standard coupler will mate into nicely. The bottom is the aft plastic centering ring that holds the fin can together, and there are also pieces of the fin tabs that intrude into that space. I'm sure it can be done, but I'm not exactly sure how to do it.
 
Agreed, they look awesome! I see what you mean about not being able to stage a MA3 with a normal coupler though. Depending on how the mosquito two stage works, I may try staging a MA3, but it would need a 29mm mount in order to launch safely on black powder motors.
 

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