First build as a BAR: Estes Solar Warrior, #3225

[swatkat]

So the Solar Warrior *finally* flew on a crystal-clear afternoon at Godlewsky Farm today, and I was relieved to see that she flew straight as an arrow, warped fins and all. The blue metallic paint got some appreciation.

For the early flights, the wind was a bit strong, so most of the rockets were weathercocking a fair bit, and the Solar Warrior was no exception (not too bad though).

First flight: C11-3, deployment almost exactly at apogee, rocket landed on the launch control table. Not super high but otherwise perfect. This engine is a reasonable choice for small fields (although not too small).

Second flight: D12-5, deployment a bit after apogee (not too bad though), rocket landed about 40 yards from the pad.

I had cut a spill hole in the chute because I really don't think this rocket needs a full 18"er. I'd say it was a good choice, descent was still totally fine.

Later in the day, the wind died down so I got brave and stuck in an Aerotech E15-7W (my first composite engine). And up it went... and up... and up... Hard to know how high it went, but it was way over 1000', possibly over 1500'. Need to sim it and get an estimate. I don't know how close to apogee the ejection was, because frankly it was a bit hard to see up there. And then began the descent... took about 3 minutes, spill hole and all. I didn't know if it was ever coming down. It eventually landed, after all that time, about 50 yards from the pad. This flight was definitely the highlight of the day for me. I would definitely only use that engine in a large field on a very calm day, though.

Overall, it flew fantastically and looked great doing so. It's a winner. I expect it to see a lot of flights in the future.

Oh, and after the three flights the only damage (if you can call it that) was slight scuff on the nose cone from where it landed on the launch table. Other than that, it looks pristine.

'Twas a great day!

Sounds awesome... You know you want to also try one of the F44-8's You'll need a little nose cone weight though.

 

[K'Tesh]

So the Solar Warrior *finally* flew on a crystal-clear afternoon at Godlewsky Farm today, and I was relieved to see that she flew straight as an arrow, warped fins and all. The blue metallic paint got some appreciation.

For the early flights, the wind was a bit strong, so most of the rockets were weathercocking a fair bit, and the Solar Warrior was no exception (not too bad though).

First flight: C11-3, deployment almost exactly at apogee, rocket landed on the launch control table. Not super high but otherwise perfect. This engine is a reasonable choice for small fields (although not too small).

Second flight: D12-5, deployment a bit after apogee (not too bad though), rocket landed about 40 yards from the pad.

I had cut a spill hole in the chute because I really don't think this rocket needs a full 18"er. I'd say it was a good choice, descent was still totally fine.

Later in the day, the wind died down so I got brave and stuck in an Aerotech E15-7W (my first composite engine). And up it went... and up... and up... Hard to know how high it went, but it was way over 1000', possibly over 1500'. Need to sim it and get an estimate. I don't know how close to apogee the ejection was, because frankly it was a bit hard to see up there. And then began the descent... took about 3 minutes, spill hole and all. I didn't know if it was ever coming down. It eventually landed, after all that time, about 50 yards from the pad. This flight was definitely the highlight of the day for me. I would definitely only use that engine in a large field on a very calm day, though.

Overall, it flew fantastically and looked great doing so. It's a winner. I expect it to see a lot of flights in the future.

Oh, and after the three flights the only damage (if you can call it that) was slight scuff on the nose cone from where it landed on the launch table. Other than that, it looks pristine.

'Twas a great day!

Photos Man! We Need Photos! (How else can you get your rocket into the calendar?) Videos work too.

Sounds like you had fun.

Now that the NC is available as part of the assortment, I may have to go ahead and build the one I bought (a couple of years ago) for parts.

 

[neil_w]

I decided I wanted to watch all the launches this time with my own eyes, and relegated the photography to others. That was a mistake, as I ended up giving insufficient thought to what shots I wanted. Next time, whenever that is, I'll have a better strategy

It didn't even occur to me that this might be calendar-worthy. The E15 launch might have been.

In the meantime, I did get some video which I'll post as soon as I get it sorted out.

 

[neil_w]

Here is some evidence that this happened.

Me and my baby:


Money shot, lifting off on the E15W-7 (cropped shot from video, so quality is not great):


Video of that flight:
[YOUTUBE]r3ynyUn_WOY[/YOUTUBE]

 

[morlock]

Love this rocket and your paint job! Was a seven seconds delay a bit on the long side?

 

[neil_w]

Thanks!

7s was probably a bit too long, but to be honest it was so high I couldn't really tell. The recovery system suffered no ill effects, in any case.

Ideal for this rocket is probably somewhere between 4 and 7 seconds (on the E, anyway), but I'm comfortable with the 7 based on this flight.

 

[ttbit]

Nice. Having someone else take the videos is the way to go. I missed a lot of my flights trying to take video.

 

[Flyfalcons]

Just finished mine last night. Really like the way this one looks. I split the launch lug into two pieces, and added some copper to the inside of the engine bell for a little flair. Looking forward to flying this one. I bought some C11-5 motors but might get some C11-3s instead to start with.

 

[neil_w]

Very nice, that copper is a slick touch! Maybe I'll try something similar with my foil duct tape sometime.

5 seconds will likely be too long a delay for the C engine on this rocket, although it still might be OK. C11-3 was just right for mine at least. But then I went right to the D and E anyway, since I was on a huge field.

What blue is that?

 

[Flyfalcons]

That is Rustoleum gloss white and metallic cobalt blue. Still needs a coat of Krylon gloss clear. My wife commented on how much she likes the color so that's good.

 

[neil_w]

Oh, so exactly the same as mine then. Looked different in the pics for some reason....

 

[Flyfalcons]

I'm sure it's the lighting. I need to get some pics in the sunlight.

 

[neil_w]

So I think that about wraps up the build from my end, after a mere 10 weeks. Thanks everyone for the input and feedback along the way. Overall I'm totally happy with my choice of this kit as a way back into the hobby, and would recommend it to anyone. Fun to build, looks great, flies great.

New techniques and materials tried, graded:

1. Construction:
   1. Titebond II: A
   2. Titebond M&T for fillets: A+
   3. Fill and prime before assembly: A
2. Recovery:
   1. Kevlar shock cord attachment: A
   2. Sewing elastic shock cord: A
   3. Snap swivel for parachute: A
3. Finishing:
   1. CWF for fins: not yet sure
   2. High-build filler/primer: A
   3. Rattle cans: B
   4. MicroSol/MicroSet: incomplete
   5. Future gloss coat: A+
   6. Wet sanding: B (works great but I do not enjoy)
4. Other:
   1. Composite E engines: A+++

Not bad, and I've probably forgotten a few.

Top lessons learned:

1. Decide up front how perfect I want the finish to be and allot effort accordingly.
2. When using CWF:
   1. Apply to both sides of the fins at once to control warpage (press if necessary)
   2. Always wear a mask when sanding CWF, if not whenever sanding, period.
3. Sand root edges of fins (especially multi-piece fins) on a hard sanding block to ensure they're straight and make complete contact with the BT, before gluing
4. Get or make a damned fin alignment jig.
5. When rattle can painting, use steady, even motion, even for light coats (just move faster). Waving the can around like a live downed power line does not produce good results.

Going forward, the trick for me is going to be #1. I way overspent time on finishing this one, at least partially because I was fumbling my way through the new techniques. I'm super-happy with the results, though, especially the blue, which is downright dazzling in the sunshine. I am not totally satisfied with the finish on my fins, so I'll have to keep experimenting there.

 

[neil_w]

Sounds awesome... You know you want to also try one of the F44-8's

Actually, I simulated it in OpenRocket (an approximation, anyway... you can't properly model the fin tips in OR) and the E15 produced the highest result, over 1600 ft. That doesn't leave me much motivation to try the F.

1600 ft though, not too shabby...

 

[wcravens]

Hey Neil,

I wanted to say thanks for the thread. I'm in a similar boat. I returned to the hobby last spring and am currently doing a build thread for my 10th build this year. I wanted to pull out the Solar Warrior I got in the sale but I pulled out the Photon Probe instead since I did want to do a thread. No reason to redux the SW since you did such a good job.

So anyway, double thanks. First for giving me some insight into my future Solar Warrior build but you also inspired me to go ahead and put the effort into a build thread of my own.

Onwards and upwards,

Wes

 

[neil_w]

Thanks.

I have to say it was way more fun building it this way, getting feedback along the way. I didn't know if anyone would particularly care about this build but thought it would be a good exercise for myself even if everyone ignored it. Turned out to have plenty of action here, so I'm very glad I did it either way.

When I originally selected the Solar Warrior for my first build, it was a very tough decision between that and the Photon Probe, so I'll be looking for your build thread.

In the future I will probably do a bit more of the build before starting the thread; for this one I really did post as I went along. Not sure which is better.

 

[K'Tesh]

Neal, Flyfalcons,

Wanted to say I really enjoyed the photographs. Thanks for sharing them.

They both look *SWEET*!

Nice build thread too!

 

[Vigilante_A-20_DEMON]

I'm in the process off building my Warrior. I'm now installing the bottom fins. Will post pics when done!

Well, here is my Warrior with the 1st coat of primer, and the nose cone that i have to repaint

 

[Vigilante_A-20_DEMON]

Well here it is, just finishedl. I decided to leave the tail cone white. The light is making the blue seem a lot lighter shade than it really is.

 

[neil_w]

Nice.

Try shooting without flash when you can, for more accurate color (at least if we're talking about a smartphone or point-and-shoot.

 

[Vigilante_A-20_DEMON]

Nice.

Try shooting without flash when you can, for more accurate color (at least if we're talking about a smartphone or point-and-shoot.

Yeah thanks. This damn digital camera has so many adjustments and menus. I am just learning how to use it. I was using old school film cameras until just a little while ago!

 

[ActingLikeAKid]

I'm probably overthinking this but... did you do anything special to align the "end bits" - the two layers that are laminated and go on the ends of the wings? Or did you just eyeball it?

 

[Flyfalcons]

I just eyeballed mine.

 

[Vigilante_A-20_DEMON]

I'm probably overthinking this but... did you do anything special to align the "end bits" - the two layers that are laminated and go on the ends of the wings? Or did you just eyeball it?

The Solar Warrior Estes kit comes with a simple balsa fine alignment jig to help align fins on body tube. The oval fins tips go one tight and quite square, at least they did for me. I aligned the triangle pieces on top of the 4 bottom fins by gluing and joining the 2 pieces root edges along a straight edge on a flat surface with a piece of wax paper underneath so the fin doesn't stick to surface. But i did the 2nd layer on the fine tip placement by eye. The upper body fins i did afterwards by eye and by help of the included tube marking guide like usual.

 

[cobra1336]

Saw this thread, my SW came Tuesday on my birthday. Tower hobbies, great deal, great service. Check them out.

 

[Woody's Workshop]

I must have went to the wrong Tower Hobbies website.
Very hard to find what your looking for unless it's R/C related.
Finally got Estes, but nothing but engines and stands.

 

[Flyfalcons]

Click General Hobbies -> Rockets and it takes you to their sister site, www.rocketfun.com . Tower is pretty focused on RC but the rocket stuff is there.

 

[ActingLikeAKid]

I went with a different paint scheme for mine... I let the twins pick the colors, so purple/pink/white it is! Going to try to make some decals with their names on them for the white section....

Also the Estes logo was my solution for when I tore the waterslide decal because I thought it was dry but it wasn't. I really like how it looks.
Also also: My Two Chuter (only five bucks at Estes right now, who could say no?)

 

[neil_w]

Two more perfect flights on a D12 and E15 today. The E15 (as before) was awesome and went way high, and drifted quite a long way despite very minimal wind. I'm gonna enlarge the spill hole, I think.

The D12 flight managed to land in a drainage ditch with a nice "splash". Thankfully, no damage. 5 flights into its career and this rocket still looks almost pristine. Definitely my favorite thing I've built so far.

Here are some liftoff pics from the D flight; burst mode on my iPhone did a good job for me today:

 

[ttbit]

Nice flamage!