TLP Hellfire AGM114A

[NZM305]

So Paul T and TopRamen are now watching this thread............. no pressure..... lol

 

[NZM305]

So not much work on the actual rocket this weekend, definitely going to use the skewer method and gorilla glue to secure the nose weight.
But did whip up this storage frame to hopefully keep the rocket in good condition

Storage Frame 1

• NZM305
• Nov 7, 2019

Storage Frame 2

• NZM305
• Nov 7, 2019

 

[KenECoyote]

So Paul T and TopRamen are now watching this thread............. no pressure..... lol

LOL! :rofl:

So not much work on the actual rocket this weekend, definitely going to use the skewer method and gorilla glue to secure the nose weight.
But did whip up this storage frame to hopefully keep the rocket in good condition

Wow, that is quite a display case! Very nice! :clap:

I'd suggest you make sure to put "UP" on the sides along with arrows pointing up and "TOP"/"BOTTOM!!!" since it would be terrible to have the closed box flipped over by some unsuspecting helper on the field. :wink:

 

[NZM305]

Lol its not for out in the field, just for in the garage at home so I can put it away whilst working on other things.

Played around with trying to make some rivets on a scrap bit of ply, some came out all right I think.

Fin Rivets

• NZM305
• Nov 18, 2019

 

[KenECoyote]

Lol its not for out in the field, just for in the garage at home so I can put it away whilst working on other things.

Played around with trying to make some rivets on a scrap bit of ply, some came out all right I think.

Okay, just trying to save you possible grief...I like to try to figure out ways things can go wrong.

Very nice rivets! Are they white glue? If so, what did you use to dimple it?

 

[NZM305]

Yep white glue, used a tooth pick and holding it straight up and down put the glue drop onto the fin, then got a small drop of water on the toothpick and put that right in the middle of the drop of glue. Let it dry and taa daa

 

[KenECoyote]

Thanks! I think I heard about that a while ago but completely forgot about it.

I got the clear holiday globes (60mm) I ordered on Amazon today and you won't believe this...I had a similar nosecone as the Hellfire on hand since I had ordered a bunch a while back when they were on sale and I wanted to do a few scratchbuilds. Well, on a different thread I'm scratchbuilding a custom design finless rocket, so for that I randomly decided how much to cut off the top of the nosecone to fit the look I was trying to get:

Well, when I got the clear globes, I decided to see how they fit the cone I had earlier cut...what the heck, there's a ever so slim chance it would fit, right?

It was close to a perfect fit! :eyepop: The globes have a small lip which can insert into the cut nose cone. The transition isn't perfect; however I figured painted it won't look half bad (or maybe some filler or transition and just mask off the front of the clear lens). I'll update if I ever get to the Hellfire (or upgrade the Maverick nose).

 

[K'Tesh]

Nice! Now what I'd do here is get a piece of gold colored foil and apply that to the inside of the nosecone at clear/opaque joint... That is, unless I was thinking of adding "hardware" to it (e.g. finding an old 110 camera or 35mm camera, and stealing its lens). I never did get a real good look inside the AIM-9's seeker head (I only loaded them on the aircraft, and mostly then only in the Load Barn (training center)). I've never been able to see a Maverick in person.

 

[NZM305]

Yeah I reckon that would work Ken, as you said a little bit of filler to smooth the transition and bring the paint a little on to the clear and it would look good.

 

[Rex R]

the tv guided maverick nose looks more like a watch-glass, the aim-9 Ls were similar except they were sort of milky white(or salt crystal) in appearance.
Rex

 

[TopRamen]

Here's a Seeker Head in action.:

https://search.yahoo.com/yhs/search...er+Head&ei=UTF-8&hspart=mozilla&hsimp=yhs-004

And here's a Paveway III Laser Seeker Head.




They all seem to look generally the same for the most part. A lens in a variable geometry axis hub.




This one might be simpler to imitate, and would negate having to add a lens.:

 

[KenECoyote]

the tv guided maverick nose looks more like a watch-glass, the aim-9 Ls were similar except they were sort of milky white(or salt crystal) in appearance.
Rex

Ah, then perhaps a bigger ornament case (I found 70mm and 80mm earlier) may be better. For me, I think the current one I have shown works since it's basically a compromise between the given nose cone (which actually has a narrow, almost-pointed tip). Come to think of it, maybe cutting the painted tip off the painted portion of my Maverick and replacing with a cut down portion of the 60mm case I have would work too.

Maverick to show the painted portion:

Also the pic I had included earlier of the Hellfire actually looks rounder from the angle it was taken and here is another one that looks rounder:

Maybe there are different shaped lenses between the two missiles and possibly within the same missile lines.

For my own use, I don't know if I would duplicate the inner workings (actually...just putting in a pic behind a smoked lens would probably work well) and I wanted it more for the clear plastic cover duplication figuring I can simply paint the inside black and then also add in the nose weight.

 

[TopRamen]

This image shows a fair amount of detail about what's going on in the Laser Seeker Head.:

 

[KenECoyote]

Dang! These pics are making me want to build mine; however I've promised myself not to until I get some other things finished first.

Rex - Sorry, I misunderstood your "watch glass" comment...I thought you were referring to it being flatter, but now that I've reread, I see you're referring to the clarity.

 

[KevinM]

I've been quietly watching this thread but figured I could add to the wealth with a couple more photos of the seeker head.

And an extreme close-up. (Sorry for the glare!)

I love the idea of re-purposing a Christmas tree ornament to make the dome- I was going jump in a few pages back and suggest that vac-forming the dome would probably give better results than casting, but the molded dome is even better. Building a light-weight knock-off of the reflector telescope behind dome shouldn't be too tough either if you wanted to go that far.

Also, just in case you're interested here's a close-up of what the actuator fins look like:

 

[NZM305]

Thanks for the pics Kevin, they all help with getting the details right
Slow progress at the moment, just doing some rivet work. Hopefully it comes out all right lol

 

[Woody's Workshop]

And fins marked out for cutting, going to paper them to strengthen them.

Why not paper the sheet of balsa before marking & cutting?
I've only done it once on a scratch build.
I used 2 pieces of HDPE and sandwiched the balsa between and lightly clamped to hold a flat profile.
I was much faster and easier than doing the individual pieces.
Tried it once on laser cut balsa, not so good a turn out.
Glue fill the laser gaps and made cutting the pieces out exceptionally harder.

 

[NZM305]

I might try that next time Woody, I think that could work out much easier for bigger fins as long as you remember which way the grain runs when you layout.

 

[KenECoyote]

Thanks for the pics Kevin, they all help with getting the details right

+1 Thanks Kevin! Looks great!

Why not paper the sheet of balsa before marking & cutting?
I've only done it once on a scratch build.
I used 2 pieces of HDPE and sandwiched the balsa between and lightly clamped to hold a flat profile.
I was much faster and easier than doing the individual pieces.
Tried it once on laser cut balsa, not so good a turn out.
Glue fill the laser gaps and made cutting the pieces out exceptionally harder.

Great tip Woody! I hadn't thought of that one for TLP kits!

 

[Trident]

Hi all,
Got my first rocket kit for xmas (after ordering it online and telling the girlfriend she was paying :lol.
I loved the idea of a scale version of something real.
This will be my first rocket build as my only previous rocket experience is an Estes Alpha kit from about 25yrs ago, so looking for any tips or tricks (I'm looking at you Sodmeister and TopRamen:smile
Thanks in advance,
Phil

Just saw this thread the other day, and wanted to jump in. My only TLP build is the Hellfire. I've only flown a couple times, but I used the Aerotech 24mm RMS motor. This rocket begs for more than a D12. The E18 was good, and the F39 was really nice. I have a bunch of rockets in storage since we are doing some remodeling, but I'll have to dig it out for an upcoming club launch. It drew plenty of attention when I first flew it because it just looks like it would not be stable with the narrow fins, and the forward fins.

 

[NZM305]

Any pics of your finished Hellfire Lee?
Not much progress the last few days, I did get the nose weight finished and glued in with the Gorilla glue (Much better option for that job).
CG is now right on 2.6" forward of the CP. Finishing up the rivets and then moving onto paint.

 

[Trident]

Any pics of your finished Hellfire Lee?
Not much progress the last few days, I did get the nose weight finished and glued in with the Gorilla glue (Much better option for that job).
CG is now right on 2.6" forward of the CP. Finishing up the rivets and then moving onto paint.

Sorry! I meant to post the other day ...

I do not recall why I painted the dome tan. I think it was suggested. I may repaint it black.

 

[NZM305]

Looks really good Lee. Yeah TLP paint plan calls for an ivory/tan dome, I'm guessing their color scheme is maybe a prototype or early model color scheme cause all the info I can find now say Hellfires only come in black

 

[Trident]

Looks really good Lee. Yeah TLP paint plan calls for an ivory/tan dome, I'm guessing their color scheme is maybe a prototype or early model color scheme cause all the info I can find now say Hellfires only come in black

Thanks! I didn't keep the instructions, but it makes sense that I took my cues from them on color and detailing. Back when I built this, it wasn't common to go looking on the Internet for real pictures of rockets or missiles.

 

[NZM305]

Thanks! I didn't keep the instructions, but it makes sense that I took my cues from them on color and detailing. Back when I built this, it wasn't common to go looking on the Internet for real pictures of rockets or missiles.

Lol, I'm probably on a watch list somewhere now from all my searches :dark:

 

[TopRamen]

Lol, I'm probably on a watch list somewhere now from all my searches :dark:

LOL! oint:


You can get some pretty sweet dimensional data by utilizing the "Freedom of Information Act".
On stuff they consider obsolete you can even get blueprints/detailed drawings of the internal components.

 

[NZM305]

Well started on paint tonight, I think this might take a while lol

Nose Cone Paint

• NZM305
• Nov 7, 2019

Body Paint Close

• NZM305
• Nov 7, 2019

Body Paint

• NZM305
• Nov 7, 2019

Another coat and then some sanding.... then repeat lol

 

[K'Tesh]

DAAAAAANNNNNGGGG!!! Dem's some MAD SKILLZ!!!

 

[TopRamen]

Awesome!!!!

It's always a nice feeling to get the primer on there!

She's looking great!

 

[KenECoyote]

:eyepop:


:clap: