Another scratch built underway

With the wonderful success of the Mace, and construction of the Mercury Redstone at a bit of a halt until the rain stops so I can get some paint on the body tube before attaching fins and some wrap decals (I don't have a painting room), I decided to go ahead and start "Shorty".

Shorty's Rocksim file

Shorty is being made with some extra parts I have and some homemade parts. The nosecone is what came with my TLP Sparrow that I replaced with an LOC cone for better shaping and ease of use. The body tube is an extra LOC tube I had laying around. The fins and centering rings will be made out of 1/8" 5 ply plywood from the hobby shop.

It will have a 24mm motor mount that sims out at between 800-1500 ft. depending on motor size.

Overall, it will be about 24" long with a body tube of 2.5" diameter.

Pics to follow.

Looking good! I like your fin designs using multiple angles.

Jason - Jason - Jason.....

29mm mmt - 29mm mmt - 29mm mmt....

If you don't you'll be...

sorry - sorry - sorry.

Listen to Uncle Ken on this one.

I gotta go with Ken on this one... 29mm mmt is the perfect accompliment to any small to medium sized rocket. The motor possibilities are almost endless. Ds (I think) through Hs. And since you are level 1, everything you make from now on must have H potential. Seriously, you must. Its a law really... Federal I think... I will look it up. And since you know a bunch of people who will gladly let you borrow their 29mm hardware... well... You have no excuse.

holy cripes.... Phil and I have agreed on something. We're doomed. It's the end of the world.

Bigger tubes are better! Motor adapters are your friend!

I love "stubby" rockets. Rockets with less than a 10:1 ratio.

Okay, I hear ya'll on the bigger motor mount, BUT, his rocket is that perfect 7-9 ounce rocket for 24mm motors. I am not an altitude-dude (I think I'll TM that, so no one else use it) so the RockSim looks great to me. This will be a lot like my Nordic Rocketry Meanie.

I bought a second Meanie and set it up to handle three motor configs, 1 x 24mm, 1 x 29mm or 3 x 18mm. I love flying it on 3 x C6-3's and Apogee 3 x D10-7's. But I digress....

I guess my point is, that a rocket this size, in my collection and flying field, and altitude-dudism (TM) is great with a 24mm. On the other hand, the only harm I see going to 29mm is a greater length of motor tube (reducing space for parachute and shoulder) and needing nose weight (increasing overall weight) to handle any of the 29mm motors.

Rocketry . . . it's good to have choices!

-Nick

Not a big deal, but on my Modified Nordic Meanie that was supposed to say 3 x C6-5's not 3 on the delay.

- Nick

Well, I got the fins cut out yesterday. That was about as far as I've gotten.

I'm still debating on MMT size, but I'm still leaning toward the 24mm mount with this one, since I've still got plenty of my 3" tubes to play with another one that will definitely be 29mm.

The Mercury Redstone has the paint on the fins now and is drying as we speak. I'll attach the fins, decals and recovery and it will be done! Then I can start working on Shorty for real.

Jason

Nick makes good points about the space for the chute, need for added nose weight, etc.

Despite my use of '!'s in my previous post, I usually am not really big on altitude either. I prefer most flights to stay in sight. However, I often upsize the mmt and end up using adaptors. I guess I just like the ability to use a bigger motor if I want to Finally, I have also had a couple of almost-bad experiences where my rocket grew in weight and ended up marginal for, say, most 24mm SU motors, making me wish I'd put in a 29mm mount. The penalty of 'real-time design'!

Jase, good luck on your Shorty!

Originally posted by KenParker
Jason - Jason - Jason.....

29mm mmt - 29mm mmt - 29mm mmt....

If you don't you'll be...

sorry - sorry - sorry.

Listen to Uncle Ken on this one.

Click to expand...

Or 24mm mmt 24mm mmt 24mm mmt -- CLUSTERED!

Think clusters, it helps the economy, and gets folks back to work ...

After a little hiatus from building, I worked on Shorty today.

I got the slots for the TTW fins cut in the body tube, got the 24mm (sorry guys, I just couldn't see ever launching this little bird on a 29mm motor) mount assembled with the shock cord epoxied down the length of the mmt, and also got the forward end of the motor mount epoxied in place in the body.

After it dries, I'll get the fins epoxied in place and fill the fin can with foam again for extra support on the body tube.

That's about it for now.

Jason

You disappoint me young Pada-Won learner. You have significantly hindered the force by your 24mm choice. You have taken one step on your road to the dark side. I pray you do not take another.

Jase,

Fear not, there is another.

The dark forces at Aerotech have just released...or at least have an advertisement for it...a 24mm F24 SU motor.

The ad states its tremendous potential over the Estes E9

Why does everyone pick on Estes?

sandman
NAR #77222

I guess cause Estes never made an M...

Originally posted by PGerringer
I guess cause Estes never made an M...

Click to expand...

Thank GAWD for that! Black powder Ms?!? Yipes, head for the hills!

hehehehe.

-Nathan

Originally posted by dasein668

Black powder Ms?!? Yipes, head for the hills!

Click to expand...

Hmm. I wonder what would happen if you just put a nozzle on a stick of dynamite?


Welcome aboard Nathan!

Got some pics of the near completed Shorty scratch build.

Shorty pics

Check them out!

Jason

Shorty's finally ready for paint. I got the last fillets poured this morning on the launch lugs and she's now complete!

Now I just need to figure out a paint scheme.

Pics to follow