Dran-lok / Superceptor--build

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Are you clamping all the curved balsa skins with clothespins? They don't seem like they'd be strong enough, especially with 1/16" balsa; I'm assuming you used 1/16" for the rest of it, and not just the NC, correct?
It definitely needs some pretty generously sized ventrals to help balance out the flared area in the front. Maybe a shape that was pointed at both ends and connected to the body in the middle, sort of like the barbs on razor wire, but curvier and more organic-looking? Maybe have a little more area at the front than the back, or vice versa...
Clear as mud? :blush: Whatever you decide on, I'm prepared to be amazed! :D
 
Rocketbuilder said:
Are you clamping all the curved balsa skins with clothespins? They don't seem like they'd be strong enough, especially with 1/16" balsa; I'm assuming you used 1/16" for the rest of it, and not just the NC, correct?
It definitely needs some pretty generously sized ventrals to help balance out the flared area in the front. Maybe a shape that was pointed at both ends and connected to the body in the middle, sort of like the barbs on razor wire, but curvier and more organic-looking? Maybe have a little more area at the front than the back, or vice versa...
Clear as mud? :blush: Whatever you decide on, I'm prepared to be amazed! :D
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I'm using 1/16 for all the skinning. I pre warped most of the pieces before I installed them. As for the ventrals--here they are. I moved them outboard. This effectively makes the air think they are bigger, although at this scale I think your pickin nits. I used 1/4 bass to help with the vertical tail mount - this will be covered later but makes for a very ridged mount--This will be the first thing to hit the ground----if the flights go as planned!!! I did a test fit of the mmt and had to cut off the tail extension--just too close. I notched the vert and reinstalled it. Keep an eye on this whole area later as the build goes on--lots of blending and stuff.--BTW---any of you guys near me---PLANO TX--- went to HT today and they don't have 1.14 mmt bt---anybody close got a piece they wanna sell--????----pics so far----DSCF0079.JPGDSCF0080.JPGDSCF0081.JPGDSCF0082.JPGDSCF0083.JPG--sorry for the sucky pics--they will get better!!
 
Huh. I honestly never would have thought of putting the ventrals on the undersides of the wings like that. For some reason --or perhaps no reason at all-- I assumed that they were to be mounted directly onto the body. Silly me! :bangpan:
Interesting overhang on the vertical stab. I wonder; maybe you could paint the bottom part of the overhang silver on just a little bit of it, as if it were bare metal exposed to the exhaust; maybe even a little weathering, too...? Hmm... should be interesting, whatever you decide on!
 
Rocketbuilder said:
Huh. I honestly never would have thought of putting the ventrals on the undersides of the wings like that. For some reason --or perhaps no reason at all-- I assumed that they were to be mounted directly onto the body. Silly me! :bangpan:
Interesting overhang on the vertical stab. I wonder; maybe you could paint the bottom part of the overhang silver on just a little bit of it, as if it were bare metal exposed to the exhaust; maybe even a little weathering, too...? Hmm... should be interesting, whatever you decide on!
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I had a few reasons for mounting them there. First and formost--it is by far the strongest area--the belly is only skinned with 1/16 balsa and is quite delicate, having no internal structure. Second- getting them straight to the airflow was easier here ,since I did not have to mount them on a compound curve. Finally, I think they'll be a little more effective in this location .
 
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Amazing. You need your own forum to separate your work from that of us mortals.
 
hornet driver said:
I had a few reasons for mounting them there. First and formost--it is by far the strongest area--the belly is only skinned with 1/16 balsa and is quite delicate, having no internal structure. Second- getting them straight to the airflow was easier here ,since I did not have to mount them on a compound curve. Finally, I think they'll be a little more effective in this location .
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Yea, but are you going to fly it?? Quality work going on there. I like that lots of modeling disciplines being incorporated in your rocket building. Very creative.
 
I'll fly her, but like most of my birds she'll probably only get 4 or 5 flights and then go to the display shelf. It's been a while since I messed with 29mm so we'll see how that goes. I got the wing fences on and the tails faired in. I also got the bracing for the intake skin in place- there is only going to be a small opening --just large enough to get the launch rod through--much larger and I'm sure it would shred the lower skin. I'm going to let this sit a while before I start final sanding and filling--the wing fences are purely decorative but make for a cool effect.----DSCF0085.JPGDSCF0087.JPGDSCF0089.JPGDSCF0090.JPGDSCF0091.JPG----------The "Super" was designed from the outset as a heavy attack penetration craft. To that end it incorporated certain features that the Interceptor and Berserker did not have. One of the most critical was the GRAV plating. Usually reserved for use on larger cruisers and carriers --it gave the 'Super" the ability to soft land on any surface. Coupled with it's photonic skin -it could be forward deployed and simply blend in to the surrounding area of a moon or planet. Armed with both energy and a wide variety of kenetic weapons the "Super" was well versed in ship to ship as well as pinpoint ground attack missions,
 
hornet driver said:
I'll fly her, but like most of my birds she'll probably only get 4 or 5 flights and then go to the display shelf. It's been a while since I messed with 29mm so we'll see how that goes. I got the wing fences on and the tails faired in. I also got the bracing for the intake skin in place- there is only going to be a small opening --just large enough to get the launch rod through--much larger and I'm sure it would shred the lower skin. I'm going to let this sit a while before I start final sanding and filling--the wing fences are purely decorative but make for a cool effect.----View attachment 94130View attachment 94131View attachment 94132View attachment 94133View attachment 94134----------The "Super" was designed from the outset as a heavy attack penetration craft. To that end it incorporated certain features that the Interceptor and Berserker did not have. One of the most critical was the GRAV plating. Usually reserved for use on larger cruisers and carriers --it gave the 'Super" the ability to soft land on any surface. Coupled with it's photonic skin -it could be forward deployed and simply blend in to the surrounding area of a moon or planet. Armed with both energy and a wide variety of kenetic weapons the "Super" was well versed in ship to ship as well as pinpoint ground attack missions,
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For the ground attack role, you need to add some GRU-9879-D Mega-Pulse Magnetic-implosion driven Multi-barrel rotary particle energy cannons... commonly referred to as "Gatling guns"... Installed in flush-mounted pods with photonic skin adapters to minimize their sensor detection returns... but due to their unmatched rate of fire, these were THE weapon of choice for ground attack missions... Firing at 9,879 particle pulse bursts per minute, the rotary cannon was capable of almost the equivalent of the 7700 gigajoule output of a D-650 constant-particle stream beam gun in constant-fire mode, while being on a small fraction of the size and requiring considerably less power to operate, since the rotary barrels could be cooled between bursts and didn't need the constant forced cooling and energy drive of the constant-firing gun.

Here's the link to their construction... https://www.rocketryforum.com/showt...ighter-jet-quot-models&highlight=gatling+guns

Later! OL JR :)
 
luke strawwalker said:
For the ground attack role, you need to add some GRU-9879-D Mega-Pulse Magnetic-implosion driven Multi-barrel rotary particle energy cannons... commonly referred to as "Gatling guns"... Installed in flush-mounted pods with photonic skin adapters to minimize their sensor detection returns... but due to their unmatched rate of fire, these were THE weapon of choice for ground attack missions... Firing at 9,879 particle pulse bursts per minute, the rotary cannon was capable of almost the equivalent of the 7700 gigajoule output of a D-650 constant-particle stream beam gun in constant-fire mode, while being on a small fraction of the size and requiring considerably less power to operate, since the rotary barrels could be cooled between bursts and didn't need the constant forced cooling and energy drive of the constant-firing gun.

Here's the link to their construction... https://www.rocketryforum.com/showt...ighter-jet-quot-models&highlight=gatling+guns

Later! OL JR :)
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Ahh, but the "Super" was fitted with the GRU-9879-F, with 11,212ppbpm. Developement of the E model was discontinued after several failures in the magnetic partical feed field. The F was mounted under the nose on the centerline of the "Super"---pics of that later--Before the GRU-9879-F became available , prototype "Supers" were fitted with the D-650 / IRD-650 . Known as the "Drill" It's firing rate was variable and controlled by preasure on the trigger button, which proved to be a problem under heavy G loads and acceleration.
 
Started with the filling and sanding part---not much to look at ---DSCF0092.JPGDSCF0093.JPGDSCF0094.JPGDSCF0095.JPG---After three or four of years I finally went through my 1lb tube of filler--got a new one today at autozone---8.99--not a bad buy
 
Got the first coat of primer on today and just got done scuffing it---it was cloudy and cool all day so I went fishing while it dried. I had a bit of rusto white sandable left over so I used it up! Pretty happy with the results so far. The upper interface on the nc came out near perfect ,have not completed the lower one yet or the cover for the GRU-9879-F Gatling gun!---still needs a little shaping around the intake area, but not bad---DSCF0096.JPGDSCF0097.JPGDSCF0098.JPGDSCF0099.JPGDSCF0102.JPG----I'm ordering the 1.14 mmt from Hobbylink tonight, so I should have that in my hands in a couple days--hmm, need a chute too! Gotta look into that! Also need more primer--get that in the A.M. TRYING -to work out the colors on this one---I know I'll be using the same skin effect as the Berserker, but maybe in greens and black---ouuuu, maybe some tiger stripes----Yea that's the ticket---The Masoom Tiger---
 
I have to say I wasn't sold on this design when you started, but that last set of photos won me over, especially the 3/4 rear view. She's a beauty for sure and looks like she wants to fly. Keep it up!

kj
 
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kjohnson said:
I have to say I wasn't sold on this design when you started, but that last set of photos won me over, especially the 3/4 rear view. She's a beauty for sure and looks like she wants to fly. Keep it up!

kj
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I know what you mean! At first it was not coming out the way I had visualized it. I think I was forcing the issue--made some changes and started to let things free flow a bit and it started to come together. This one has sorta taken on a life of it's own. At first I was hoping for something a bit quicker to build and a tad simpler--Ya see how that worked out! It really looks nothing like my preliminary sketches--turned out to be a design as you go project---guess we all need those every once in a while--That 3/4 rear view is a kinda cool angle--can definitly see that in formation!
 
As awesome as it looks now, I can't even begin to imagine what it will look like painted! :eyepop:
 
DM1975 said:
My Interceptor build I re-cut all the fins out of plywood. I built it for high power motors and dual deployment so I didn't want them to break being as large as they are. I have another that I am building for a 38mm motor mount that will be plywood again, but this time I am fiberglassing the entire thing.

I can't wait to see what you come up with.
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DUDE--Post some pics of both! The 38 should be awsome! Do a build thread on the fg bird.
 
Currently, only 30 "Supers" were in service. Three prototypes were being flight tested with new ,unproven weapons systems. These weapons , if successful could be retrofitted to the fleet including the new Earther designed "Orion IV" ,a replacement for the aging Interceptor. Crews for the "Super" were hand picked from the best of the Berserker and Interceptor crews. The first dozen crews, the most aggressive and frankley most unruly, became known as the "Masoom Tigers" . Later, history would record, none of the 24 Tigers were lost or killed in action, all missions were successful if not spectacular and the Tigers had a combat kill kill rate far in excess of the Berserkers and Interceptors combined.------------OK , not a lot to show just sanding now. I'm going to quarter the rocket and sand and finish sand one quarter at a time. Should start laying paint in the a. m. --got a couple days off so we'll see where this goes---no motor tube but no big deal--we'll just plug the guts in later----H
 
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hornet driver said:
DUDE--Post some pics of both! The 38 should be awsome! Do a build thread on the fg bird.
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I have the one I have done posted somewhere in a thread here. Probably in the High Power section. It is painted in an Airwolf theme. I even have a video of the first flight while it was still in primer. I'll do a build thread on the 38mm one for sure.
 
hornet driver said:
Currently, only 30 "Supers" were in service. Three prototypes were being flight tested with new ,unproven weapons systems. These weapons , if successful could be retrofitted to the fleet including the new Earther designed "Orion IV" ,a replacement for the aging Interceptor. Crews for the "Super" were hand picked from the best of the Berserker and Interceptor crews. The first dozen crews, the most aggressive and frankley most unruly, became known as the "Masoom Tigers" . Later history would record, none of the 24 Tigers were lost or killed in action, all missions were successful if not spectacular and the Tigers had a combat kill kill rate far in excess of the Berserkers and Interceptors combined.
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:w: Thanks for the nod, Hornet!
For the curious: https://www.rocketryforum.com/showthread.php?40874-Orion-IV-Spaceplane Need to get some more work done on that! I'm kinda hung up on detailing the cockpit.

Have fun with the sanding. :rolleyes: Maybe a glass of wine will be in order. :wink:
 
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No prob RB! Well today is paint day! No rain and 97 outside later. I'm starting by fogging on a lite coat of krylon gloss black. I need a basecoat of black for the photonic skin effect. I know-I know--what are you thinking using krylon??---It's what I had. This is going to be in the sun this morning and should bake nicely--in theory. Later, the outside temp should make overspraying this a little less dicey. Guess we'll find out in a few hours---more later---H------DSCF0108.JPGDSCF0109.JPG
 
Dude, that looks slick. I'm gonna have to start skinnin some birds out with balsa like this. This just looks plain ole sexy...
 
Thanks bud, be prepared to sand your brains out if you go down that road! Another gratuitous photo------DSCF0111.JPG--------Shortly after the evacuation of the planet Keem ,a squadron of "Supers" were sent there and forward based on a high desert plateau. Ancient upheavals had left coal veins exposed across the surface of the desert floor . A harsh environment to be sure, it was as beautiful as it was deadly, and a perfect place for the "Supers" to hide.-------Now, you know the direction the paint will be going in----it will represent a ship from squadron FA-103--The Dragon Riders----History would record The Dragon Riders to be the first to see and fight the maruaders
 
Coming along now but I have a lot of blending to do --Have not touched the bottom yet---I've got a long-long way to go, but you get the idea------DSCF0116.JPGDSCF0117.JPGDSCF0118.JPGDSCF0119.JPG---more later---H
 
OK, I sprayed the bottom with a lite coat of satin black and then overspayed the entire thing with clear satin. ---DSCF0120.JPGDSCF0121.JPGDSCF0125.JPGDSCF0126.JPGDSCF0127.JPG----I'm not sold either way on the black belly---I like it! Just sorta missin something--hmmmm
 

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