Upscale Astrobee 1500

[MaxQ]

I haven't had much time for the hobby recently but with some fall launches appoaching I thought I would try and scratch build a new high power project.

I like the look of scale rockets.
I like staging and airstarts.
The big stuff is cool but I like affordable flying with level 1 thru level 2 sized motors, and that makes for affordable building if it is kept simple and light weight.

I don't have access to a full workshop but I have managed to build some pretty nice large scale projects using nothing more sophisticated than a hand drill and a hacksaw.

I like the look of the Saturn Press kit Astrobee 1500...I have the 1/19th scale kit and Peter Alway's excellent kit data.

The outboard recruit motors on this project promise to make for an interesting flight if airstarted around a central motor...
I like the look of the rocket with the funky outboards and the extended conical transition to the smaller conical nose cone.

One evening with a calculator, a sketch pad and a list of Loc parts and it looks like a reasonably quick build will be possible.
About 60 inches in length....with two 29mm outboards and 54mm central motor.

 

[MaxQ]

When I first considered doing this project, I called up Sandman...he turned me a 4 inch diameter conical nose cone and some 1.6 inch recruit nose cones for the outbards in no time at all...(Thanks Gordon!)
With the difficult part done....I'm now stuck having to do this project.

Basic Loc airframe parts sized and ordered...the four inch diameter upper transition was easy to form around a Loc 4 inch body tube cut to size - using triangular cut balsa wood parts around the tube to fabricate the conical transition. The shroud for that transition is next.

 

[MaxQ]

Heres a test fit of the airframe...a paper shroud will be trial fitted on the transition.
Once I get the pattern made it will be time to fiberglass over it.

 

[MaxQ]

A couple of layers of 5 oz. glass over the paper shroud on the transition, ...this should hold up to some abuse.

 

[MaxQ]

The outboard recruit motors will have 29 mm motors in each and will be wired for airstarting with a GWiz doing the chore.
I sized some scrap mylar nozzles and after a trial fit - fiberglassed them...they are basically decorative pieces.
Thinking about some fit over motor tube motor retention.
The internal motor mount tubes will have a slight cant to them (like a Deuces Wild but not nearly as pronounced).

 

[thobin]

Sweet nice build. Subscribed!

TA

 

[MaxQ]

Hey, thanks for looking. (I like your avatar BTW - one of my favorites and the subject of a scratchbuild from 2 years ago)

I have the outboard nozzles set up to fit at an angle "for show"....but the internal 29mm are almost straight up and down with only a slight cant. The internal wall thickness between the 29mm tubes and the ID of the 1.6 inch diam. body tubes won't allow for a very aggressive cant angle.
But I figure even a little bit of cant angle can't hurt.

 

[MaxQ]

Here's a shot of one recruit outboard motor with a G 75 Metal storm for size comparison.
I think having two airstarted outboards will allow a lot of interesting variation in effects with the variety of motor choices out there.
I think some airstarted metal storms would look pretty cool, especially at a night launch, which I understand is planned for Culpeper this November.

 

[thobin]

Hey, thanks for looking. (I like your avatar BTW - one of my favortes and the subject of a scratchbuild from 2 years ago)ATTACH=CONFIG]98716[/ATTACH]

Mine too, that is my next scratch build.


TA

 

[MaxQ]

Mine too, that is my next scratch build.


TA

Here's mine...old in progress pictures .

 

[PeterAlway]

A couple of layers of 5 oz. glass over the paper shroud on the transition, ...this should hold up to some abuse.

This looks very nice--I'm glad my kit inspired you to go further with this subject--it's quite an attractive rocket. It should be impressive in flight

One quibble, though. It's not an upscale Astrobee 1500 if it's less than 31" in diameter! (I'd put a smiley here, but the huge assortment animated ones they have here are kind of weirding me out. So I'll just tell you I'm smiling while I say that.)

Peter Alway

 

[MaxQ]

Heheh...you are quite correct.

It is only an "upscale" of a scale model.:smile:

But it should be pretty cool.
The original kit is one of the great ones.

 

[sodmeister]

I have always liked this rocket ,so when I saw your scratch build ( I was on holidays and am getting caught up here on TRF) I was very pleased to see one built.

So I say to you ,thanks for taking on this project ,it`s going to be a great build and already looks killer !!

Needless to say ,I`ve subscribed


Take care


Paul T

 

[MaxQ]

I have always liked this rocket ,so when I saw your scratch build ( I was on holidays and am getting caught up here on TRF) I was very pleased to see one built.

So I say to you ,thanks for taking on this project ,it`s going to be a great build and already looks killer !!

Needless to say ,I`ve subscribed


Take care


Paul T

Thanks Paul.
Haven't taken any pictures this week...but I got the plywood fins cut out...actually they are the fin cores...they'll be thru the wall to the central motor mount and built up with triangular cross section, and skinned with ply sheet and then fiberglassed.

Bought a bunch of hardware fittings for the altimeter bay and motor mount...this will be dual deployment with a breakpoint near the forward transition...forward transition will house parachutes and will be retained to the altimeter bay with exterior screws.
Nothing particularly unique about the build or construction methods...standard stuff here.

The altimeter bay is big enough to allow a couple of altimeters and flight computers ...may put in a back up altimeter.

I'm debating whether the Recruit outboards should blow the nose cones off on a shock line...or should I glue them in to prevent loosing them - and simply drill relief/exhaust holes in the outboards when I use single use motors in the outboards....?

 

[MaxQ]

With the local launch sites harvested and open for flights, I'm feeling the need to get this done...

The central 54 MM motor mount is set up with conduit thru the centering rings for the airstart wiring ...

Sides of the motor mount tube are prepped (glassine removed and skinned and scored) for each of the ply fin roots to go through the airframe wall to seat on the motor tube..each will receive reinforcing ply strips along the length of each root.
Fin slots cut in airframe...these are for the core "base plates" of each fin...each fin will be built up on the outside to look like the triangular cross section of the full scale fins.
The altimeter bay bulkheads are drilled and setup for several different altimeters and flight computers....and assembled for trial fitting.



Did some filling and tapering of the forward transition. The fiberglassing left a little to be desired, not as smooth as I wanted.

 

[MaxQ]

So I lined up the ply fin cores and epoxied them in...will add the vertical strips along each side top the motor tube next.

I hate doing fins almost as much as doing altimeter bays...like to get this part over with.
But the effort here may pay off later.

My experience doing scale rockets - fins hanging below the bottom always take a hit under canopy.......particularly the one opposite the side that hangs on the parachute...it usually hits the ground first.

I'm adding reinforcements before its all over..and before sealing up the back end with the last centering ring.

 

[MaxQ]

The part I do like .....seeing it evolve from a sketch on paper.
Back to those recruit motors next. Attach points for these straps ons need some consideration...unfortunately they won't be scale.
Then the fin skins...........ugh.

 

[sandman]

Sometimes I forget about the parts I make and what happens to them.

Looking good!

 

[sodmeister]

I was getting worried you had forgotten about this project.....

Things are shaping up very nicely indeed ,this is going to look great ,no doubt about that !

Carry on and post often ( i know ,posting pics as you go along can be a pain ,but it has to be done LOL )

Take care


Paul T

 

[MaxQ]

I was getting worried you had forgotten about this project.....

Things are shaping up very nicely indeed ,this is going to look great ,no doubt about that !

Carry on and post often ( i know ,posting pics as you go along can be a pain ,but it has to be done LOL )

Take care


Paul T

Sure...glad to.
I'll post pics and some more comments on the build as I go along....although I'll be the first to admit there is nothing unusual or significant about this one...it is not a big heavy project for M or O motors, not a mach breaker...just a scale project done with no fancy shop tools - cobbled together in my den in my spare time.
As long as I have an audience of even one I'll keep it going...and if anyone has any thoughts or suggestions bring it on.
I still debating about the recruit motors...glue the nose cones on with an exhaust port for single use motor ejection relief....or make the nose cones pop off on a shock line?

 

[MaxQ]

Sometimes I forget about the parts I make and what happens to them.

Looking good!

Thanks. It got a good start with your hand tooled parts.

Keep dem parts coming Gordon, even if you can't remember how many ....

 

[MaxQ]

Motor retention....I have used these Aero Pack motor retainers on my Apollo Little Joe II scratch build, my Mercury Little Joe scratch build and various other projects.

I had a spare Aero Pack 29mm and trial fit it inside the fake nozzle of the recruit motor.

I think I can grab onto it and twist on and off for good motor retention and still have the nozzle look scale like.

I'd like to go that route as I can't think of anything as easy as this and I don't trust a friction fit and clips or nuts and bolts contraptions will not likely work here in the confined space of this nozzle.

Last night the Aero Pack Incorporated Website was up....so I placed an order for more 29 mm retainers and a big central 54 mm retainer.

https://aeropack.net/motorretainers.asp

I was supposed to get an email confirmation from Aero pack...haven't yet.
Anybody else order from them direct lately?

 

[pick1e]

View attachment 105000

Very cool upscale. When do you glue the cat in?

 

[MaxQ]

Very cool upscale. When do you glue the cat in?

That's a rescued cat, Azzy (Azure).
She doesn't even like to be held, let alone glued into something, so I'm afraid that is a remote possbility.

So....while we're on the subject of cats...enjoy this one while I go cook a turkey:

https://www.cnn.com/video/?/video/u...11/16/tsr-moos-skydiving-cats-controversy.cnn
Skydiving cats cause uproar.

 

[Rocketbuilder]

Cool, just saw this thread and I am quite impressed. I was also going to point out that this wasn't really an upscale, but Mr. Alway beat me to it.
This is certainly a nice looking rocket; I love the ones with outboard like that This one is kind of similar to the Shotput, isn't it?

 

[MaxQ]

Cool, just saw this thread and I am quite impressed. I was also going to point out that this wasn't really an upscale, but Mr. Alway beat me to it.
This is certainly a nice looking rocket; I love the ones with outboard like that This one is kind of similar to the Shotput, isn't it?

I should fix the thread title...wasn't thinking when I started it.
I'm so used to seeing "upscales" of small rocket models (Fatboys, Big Berthas etc.)

I vaquely recall the shotput...not sure of the lineage here....

https://rammb.cira.colostate.edu/dev/hillger/Shotput_image.jpg

 

[MaxQ]

Just got the word from Aero Pack confirming my order, so....... I think I can get this bird wrapped up very quickly...maybe in time for an early December flight at Culpeper.

Tomorrow I'm shopping for fin skins and internal fin bracing, wood strips for external detail trim,
and counter sink screws for the strap on recruit motor mounting strips that will drill into the airframe wall to seat against internal longitudinal ply bracing strips .......before I seal it all up with the last aft centering ring.

Aligning rail buttons tonight.

Will load up on some primer, white, black and reddish brown spray paint over the weekend.
Anybody prefer the new formula Krylon vs. Rustoleum?

 

[MaxQ]

Installled the rail guides on the airframe and put in internal fin bracing at the fin roots...and the internal bracing for mounting the recruit motors..

 

[MaxQ]

Laminated some ply sheeting on the ply fin cores where the parts join.
Started installing the fin but ends to get the triangular cross section.

This thing is starting to get heavy.......

 

[MaxQ]

Doing the trim parts on the nose cone and transition this evening.
I soaked some balsa strips in hot water, once softened they bend very easily and will wrap around the airframe and tack down with CA and fixer...have to work quickly though.
Managed to get it done with out gluing my fingers to the body tube.