Built a rocket you didn't like?

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Zeroignite

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Anyone here assembled a rocket, done the finishing work, then decided you're just not happy with it?

Over the summer one LPR kit of mine... just didn't come out as well as I'd like. Things started badly when I didn't check the instructions and glued the nearly-symmetrical fins on upside-down... would fly fine, but it was enough to mess up the rocket's lines. The colors as-painted don't thrill me either, and the chrome vinyl is a bit wrinkled.

Without having flown, I broke off one of the fins due to careless mishandling aka hangar rash. Right now I'm thinking that rather than doing a repair I'd rather sand back down to the BT and start anew. It's not just that I mangled part of the build -- the design just doesn't appeal to me anymore.

Part of me feels... almost guilty for not liking the kit I bought and built. On the other hand, I figure things like this have probably happened to a lot of other folks here.

So what have you built and then not liked?
 
My first rocket was an Estes Spin Fin...

estes-spin%20fin%201355-1981%20cat%20livery.jpg


I hated that rocket (and I still do). I "got" it when I was one of the students who drew a "long straw" in my middle school science class. Mind you, it was a fair way of distributing a variety of rockets in that class, but I sure hated being one of the last to be able to pick.

The finish looked like something a kid would do. Problem was I had build static models for years, but I wasn't familiar with how to work with balsa. So, my fins looked like C*AP, and the body tube was messed up by all the glue... it was awful. Mind you, my skills certainly improved by by 2nd rocket (Stiletto), but you'd never guess that I made them if you compared them to what I'm working on now.
 
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Funny this thread popped up....This happened to me today, finished up an Estes Cosmic Explorer. Stock paint and decals and well,I just don't like it.
I've already decided to give it a D10 send off.
This happens from time to time, I build something and for some reason I don't care for it afterwards.
 
A couple of years ago, I went on a design/building frenzy. I was whipping out new creations left and right. At the time, I was ambitious about my ideas coming to life, (so to speak) and anxious to fly them. A year down the road and I'm looking at these rockets, as if to ask myself, "WTF were you thinking?" Me, being my own worst critic, really didn't care for them anymore, and so, I never flew them again. I won't even take em to a big launch! If those rockets had a voice, they'd be screaming obscenities at me. I'm sure all model designers have a few closet rockets. Even though they might fly pretty well, they don't measure up to YOUR standards.

As far as kits go, I still have an unfinished Sat-1B and a Sat-V, that are unfinished and shelved. Unless I get a really serious bug up my a$$, those rockets will never get finished. And I really don't care. They were manufactured about as bad as a Chinese lawn chair.
 
I have an Estes Space Eagle tat I am totally thinking of hiding away somewhere. I am so unmotivated to paint it for some reason I have no idea why.
 
Madcow Cricket. It's a great kit, but I'm still not totally happy with the finish. I didn't really finish the fins (no sanding, no sealing), the epoxy was messy, and I still don't like the colors. If it flies really well I might sand the whole thing and re-finish it.
 
Madcow Cricket. It's a great kit, but I'm still not totally happy with the finish. I didn't really finish the fins (no sanding, no sealing), the epoxy was messy, and I still don't like the colors. If it flies really well I might sand the whole thing and re-finish it.

Here's a motivational pic for ya. Everyone really liked my approach.

Cricket Finish.jpg
 
A lot of the first rockets I built have not so great finishes. I find though that once I fly them, I enjoy them for what they are rather then what they could be.
 
I have an Estes Space Eagle tat I am totally thinking of hiding away somewhere. I am so unmotivated to paint it for some reason I have no idea why.

Flies like a pig anyway, only rocket I have in good working order that I will probably never fly again. I'd give it away, but I don't want to disapoint the kid I would give it to. The Estes Space Eagle was going to be my answer to the OP's question.
 
Estes Patriot LPR.
I went with dark blue and red pigments and was going to put New England Patriots stickers on it.
I hate the colors and I never put the stickers on. And it flys as bad as it looks.
Its a POS.
Like Gary Byrum, I have a few scrathers that never should have got off the drawing board.
A couple of them I didnt even finish building.
 
QUOTE=rocketgeek101;758820]A lot of the first rockets I built have not so great finishes. I find though that once I fly them, I enjoy them for what they are rather then what they could be.[/QUOTE]
OK, you nabbed my attention on that note. Even though the finish job is 30 years behind me, and the balsa transition is loose and weak, this two stage rocket performed admirably. The 1st stage does this really interesting flutter thing that totally breaks it's fall, and looks really cool. The sustainer flies as one might expect it to. This model isn't one of my 'must do' rebuilds, but I have considered it. And ,OMG, it deserves a better paint job!

DSCF1660.jpg
 
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Yes. My TLP ALARM kit that I bashed. I have'nt flown it yet, and I'm sure it will fly OK, but it's just that when I built it I thought it was so great, but now since my Skillsets have improved, it embarrases me. Glue Rivets? Yuk. It disgusts me.
I'm going to stuff an F44 Single Use into it for its first Flight and Pray for a CATO.
Heck, maybe I'll stick a Roman Candle in it and just watch it burn.

This Thing 001.jpg
 
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Not sure if I've ever done this- there are some kits I've built at various "aerospace" camps with hot glue, markers and scissors. never really flown them- kinda just sat them on the shelf.
What I'd recommend would be to give them a D21/D10 (F44W, G80, etc) sendoff. Lose (or destroy) it in style! I tried that once... but I got the rocket back:facepalm:

Nate
 
I'm just finishing up my 4th and 5th builds, and there's something I don't like about each of them. This mostly has to do with my skills with the finish, which are coming along, but I still screw up certain things. I seem incapable of filling tube spiral seams and then sanding them down without scuffing the tube and raising little paper fuzzies that are impossible to get rid of.

The rocket I'm currently painting, a Skill Level 1 Estes Cosmic Explorer, was coming along beautifully until about an hour ago. I decided to paint on the red stripe details instead of using decals. The ring stripes (I opted for two) around the BT were nice, but the first one up the side ended up jagged, and then I saw little bits of red paint on my beautiful white fins! Not much - it's just some barely pink smudges, and I suppose I could paint over that. But I'm trying to finish this for a launch tomorrow, and I'm really pushing it.

On the other I just finished, I ended up with some paint dams due to a clumsy mask. The triangular shapes I was going for look great, but if you look close, you can see where the first layer of masking tape was.

lKgGRMh.jpg


Edit - also note, these fins are not properly filled. So, there's that...
 
For rockets that you don't like, but fly O.K., use them for giveaways at school/BSA/4-H etc. demo launches. Maybe they will get a kid to say, "I can do better than THAT!" Bad examples are always needed. I don't purposely screw up a model, but I often throw a Viking or Wizard together for a demo, and raffle it off (no money) at the end.
 
I usually figure out whether I like a rocket kit before completion. That being the case, it doesn't get finished. I'll just hand it off/give it away to anyone who expresses an interest.

Bigger rockets (MPR or HPR) usually get recyled into something I do like. It's the rocket butcher way.
 
Yep I have a bunch of rockets that I have built that just hang around in a box. Most of the time it is because I was experimenting with technique (papering fins, trying to fill spirals with primer, etc) or I was trying to work on my painting skills and others its because I just don't like the rocket.

Sometimes the idea of the rocket is better than the rocket itself!
 
I have an old build I tried to save but now just sits on the shelf. Originally was a hideous paint with poor balsa finish. Repainted it but then found out the engine mount is warped or something, can't get the engine to insert all the way without sanding the engine housing some. So it sits....
 
Gary, your Cricket looks great. Mine's not that bad, but compared to the MDRM next too it it really does not look great. I need to get decals on the MDRM...

How does it fly? I'm going to fly it on an f50-4 probably or Pro29 1 grain reload for the first flight.

cricket2.jpg
 
I have a Lexx Jett that I began to apply the first color coat after sitting for a year in a semi-gloss white base coat. A Krylon metallic blue but ran out of paint in the middle of the job. Then switched to Plasticoat metallic blue which worked fine airbrushed on. Applying airbrush silver as a secondary color has become a disaster and I may need to try another approach.
 
I have never been interested in the finishing part of rocketry and generally lose motivation and say I'm happy if the rocket looks good from 10'. Sometimes I pick an ugly color scheme, which has been fixed with more primer and a new look. I did have some unfortunate experiences with laminating epoxy when I had just become a BAR. These took a lot of filling and sanding to restore to my low standards :D

My real problems come when I don't like the over all lines of a rocket. I build a lot of odd and semi-odd rocs out of non-rocket components. Every so often I get one that I just don't like that much. Here's an example. I like the idea of the offset and oblong body sections, the curved fins and the floating tube fin, but somehow they all don't fit together well IMO. The colors also aren't my favorite but I don't want to repaint it.

tarkus ii dot i 002 (2) (640x238).jpg
 
Your first few builds won't be smooth and shiny. It's all part of the process.

We all have a few that don't live up to the catalog picture.
Lately it's just trouble with finishes - trying to get the paint smooth when spraying in high humidity.

I've been dissapointed when the face card decor isn't supplied with the kit.
A recent kit only gave you a stick on name banner.
The face card should state - DECALS and decor NOT INCLUDED!
 
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Sorry about the big pics. Doing this all on my phone.
So I'm new to rocketry (one year) and haven't gotten into the finishing aspect yet. Too much fun building and flying them. But I do have an evolution story:
This is my second lpr scratch build. Version 2
2013-11-08135229_zps9850814e.jpg

First version only had the aft fins and it wouldn't pass a swingline test so before flying I added the fore fins (now I know, wrong direction for adding stability.) So a bunch of weight in the nosecone, and off it went. But, of course, the grain of the wood was parallel to the airframe and POP went some aft fins. Tear them off, clean up and v.3
883_zps81d00283.jpg

It's the tall one. I was going to extend the airframe but didn't because I was worried about flying it on an a8_3 (I didnt have a scale then.)
On windless days, it flew beautifully with no rotation. I didn't care for the look until I saw it fly. Then one of the cats chewed on two fins. (I'll post a pic once I get it off my camera.) So time for trimming and filling. So now, it looks like this:
2014-09-13110222_zps66af0279.jpg
I'm turning it into a night flyer. I found a clip on bike light on the ground, gutted it and found the pcb fits perfectly into the nosecone. The clear payload will be stuffed with dollar store glow sticks in case the lig+t fails.

So if you don't like something, change it or use it to try a new process or skill. Well that's my two cents anyways.
 
Gary, your Cricket looks great. Mine's not that bad, but compared to the MDRM next too it it really does not look great. I need to get decals on the MDRM...

How does it fly? I'm going to fly it on an f50-4 probably or Pro29 1 grain reload for the first flight.

Thanks man. First flight was on a G80-7 Estes SU. Killer flight. I have an adapter that lets me use 29mm motors. Despite the warnings about landing and possible fin damage, it did well on that note. Soft sod farms don't hurt your rockets much. The video isn't the best but you can get an idea of how straight it flies.
https://s343.photobucket.com/user/glbyrum/media/CricketJune2013_zps606bca22.mp4.html?sort=2&o=6

btw, I used automotive paints for everything but the nose cone. That was done with Rusto 2X black.
 
Thanks man. First flight was on a G80-7 Estes SU. Killer flight. I have an adapter that lets me use 29mm motors. Despite the warnings about landing and possible fin damage, it did well on that note. Soft sod farms don't hurt your rockets much...

But flying at moffet probably will...

It's a very neat looking rocket and should fly well. Maybe I'll get it set up and fly it at October Skies, I'll probably steal the recovery harness from MDRM since I need the tubular nylon for a different build.
 
Yes. My TLP ALARM kit that I bashed. I have'nt flown it yet, and I'm sure it will fly OK, but it's just that when I built it I thought it was so great, but now since my Skillsets have improved, it embarrases me. Glue Rivets? Yuk. It disgusts me.
I'm going to stuff an F44 Single Use into it for its first Flight and Pray for a CATO.
Heck, maybe I'll stick a Roman Candle in it and just watch it burn.

View attachment 184295

Heck, that's a nice looking rocket Ramen . . . fly it and I'll bet afterwards you'll just love the rocket.
 
Heck, that's a nice looking rocket Ramen . . . fly it and I'll bet afterwards you'll just love the rocket.

Thanks.
It was my first TLP Kit, but if you look at it close it is all sloppy compared to what I do now.
 
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