Upscale Astrobee 1500

[MaxQ]

Took a moment to assemble what I have so far, minus the recruit motors...

 

[sodmeister]

I must say ,it`s looking very nice.You are doing a fine job ,you should be very pleased with yourself ,can`t beat a good old detailed scratch build.

Cheers

Paul T

 

[qquake2k]

It's looking great! There is a certain amount of satisfaction from seeing your efforts begin to take the shape of the original.

 

[MaxQ]

I must say ,it`s looking very nice.You are doing a fine job ,you should be very pleased with yourself ,can`t beat a good old detailed scratch build.

Cheers

Paul T

It's starting to get that momentum...I can see the end game around the corner.
Once the exterior is done, then comes the primer and filling holes and stuff......I enjoy painting so that will be fun.
A scale project really comes to life when the paint goes on.
I like the electronics part least of all, that and fins, which are a hassle but if not done right will be the first to break.

 

[MaxQ]

It's looking great! There is a certain amount of satisfaction from seeing your efforts begin to take the shape of the original.

Thanks man.
While I may join the dark side and do a level 3 someday, or some more Ex/research motors, I enjoy a moderate sized scale project - with cluster airstarts or staging...and of course, .........a low and slow flight is fun to watch.

 

[qquake2k]

Thanks man.
While I may join the dark side and do a level 3 someday, or some more Ex/research motors, I enjoy a moderate sized scale project - with cluster airstarts or staging...and of course, .........a low and slow flight is fun to watch.

Oh yeah, I'm all for low and slow!

 

[aerostadt]

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.

This sounds like a good trick. I may need to try this sometime.

 

[MaxQ]

Working on fins again...added the interior structure prior to fin sheeting.
Added a leading edge and trailing edge to each, and internal bracing to support the external fin sheeting each side.

 

[MaxQ]

I was pleased to see a package from Aero Pack this evening when I got home...my central 54mm and out board 29mm retainers.

So now I can wrap up the airframe and epoxy in the aft centering ring very soon now.
Before I do that, I added some more internal fin bracing on the interior wall of the airframe..this thing is getting pretty solid now.
Test fit on the Aero Pack 54mm retainer - appears to be good to go.

Also cut the indivdual fin sheeting and installed them.

 

[MaxQ]

After I glued the sheeting on all the fins I trued them up and applied a final wood trim for the leading edge and sanded an angle in that and trimmed all the sides even.
Some filling with wood filler here and there, and next comes glassing over the fins.

 

[MaxQ]

I figured with all the fiberglass weave I'll need to fill on the forward transition, I better get some primer on this thing.
Primer shows that yes...there is a lot of filing of pin holes and weave etc. yet to do.

 

[MaxQ]

The strap on Recruit rockets got the 29mm Aero Pack retainers installed with JB weld.

I had to tack fit the mylar FG nozzels on first - because the width of the motor retainers won't allow the nozzles to slide on the rockets after the motor retainers are JB welded on.
Sequencing...as with all scratchbuilds (hence no instructions) you need to use common sense, stay ahead of yourself, trial fit twice and not screw up.
(....ask me how I know that...LOL).

I used JB weld to do the final fitting of the nozzles after the retainers were installed. Some final wood filler cleaned things up.

 

[MaxQ]

So here's what I got so far...

 

[sodmeister]

Things are looking most exellent ,and it is quite the beast...I love it !!

Like you mention ,when scratch building, there are no instructions ,so things must be thought out many steps ahead and in a sequence ,because like you ,I too have learned the hard way (and that`s when necessity become the mother of invention LOL )

Keep up the good work !

Paul T

 

[MaxQ]

Things are looking most exellent ,and it is quite the beast...I love it !!

Like you mention ,when scratch building, there are no instructions ,so things must be thought out many steps ahead and in a sequence ,because like you ,I too have learned the hard way (and that`s when necessity become the mother of invention LOL )

Keep up the good work !

Paul T

Thanks Paul.
Need to drill the Recruit motor hard points in the airframe and devise the attachments - then the hard work is over.
Well...there is a small (I hope small) matter of balancing for CG...
I've started drilling out the bottom of the nose cone as once I get a load of motors on the back end this thing will surely need some lead ballast in the nose.


Once it warms up a little I'll get the primer on overall.

Can't wait to start masking and painting.
That's the part that brings it to life.

 

[Rocketbuilder]

Wow, it looks great! Amazing work.

 

[aerostadt]

It's kinda tricky, but in some ways it is nice sounding rocket for scale and "clustering". For example, it looks like the central motor is much larger than the recruits, so if one does not ignite, which probably won't happen with CTI motors, the thrust imbalance will not be too bad. The scale model looks good, too.

 

[MaxQ]

It's kinda tricky, but in some ways it is nice sounding rocket for scale and "clustering". For example, it looks like the central motor is much larger than the recruits, so if one does not ignite, which probably won't happen with CTI motors, the thrust imbalance will not be too bad. The scale model looks good, too.

I wish I had room inside the outboards to cant the motors at even more of an angle...but I didn't.

I experimented with some very agressive angled outboards on a scratchbuilt project about eight years ago and the rocket flew straight even when one outboard didn't light...but I always had a larger central motor.
No doubt you've seen CJL's upscale Deuces Wild...(I think there is a well known picture where he had only one of the two angled outboards light, with no central motor - and these were huge outboard motors....and I think it still flew straight).

 

[Meatball 1]

Love seeing your projects, Jim. I definitely miss previewing them in person at Vikings launches.

 

[MaxQ]

Love seeing your projects, Jim. I definitely miss previewing them in person at Vikings launches.

Thanks Josh ...quite a compliment coming from a master builder and craftsman, as you've so often demonstrated many times.
This is only a big "sport scale"...not in your leaque by far.
I still like to look at pictures of your Saturn 1 ...awesome.
BTW: We need to get our guys together again soon.

 

[MaxQ]

Wow, it looks great! Amazing work.

Thanks..I do enjoy sharing the project progress, and hoping for some suggestions as well.
My guess on the central motor may be a redline ...depending on all up weight...say an I366R with
G 75 metalstorms in the outboards, purely for effect.
A central Black Jack might be an interesting contrast to the metalstorms too.

 

[bradycros]

I like the way your building this rocket, very cool build thread!

 

[MaxQ]

I like the way your building this rocket, very cool build thread!

Thanks!......BTW: do pigs fly?

 

[bradycros]

Thanks!......BTW: do pigs fly?

These ones do!

 

[MaxQ]

I laid 2 OZ. fibergalss on the fins, this process significantly stiffened the fin structure and hardened the leading edges.
I had enough overlap on the fiberglass to lay onto the body tube itself so I'm feeling pretty good about the fins overall at this point.

 

[MaxQ]

So I tackled the recruit motor attachment issue at this point in the build.
I laid spruce runners on each side of the airframe. These are directly over the internal spruce runners on the inside of the airframe.

The recruit motors will attach to these with something like a U shaped spruce clamp...(I know it is not to scale - but I'm more concerned about adequate retention/holding power...not looks).

As shown in the picture...I drilled through the airframe and then counter sunk a couple of set screws through the exterior spruce runner on airframe into the spruce runners inside the airframe.
The recruit motors will attach to these...

 

[MaxQ]

So I did a test fit of these recruit motors to see how things are shaping up on the back end....

Since I'm only considering 29mm G or maybe H motors in the recruits I wasn't thinking I would need to do much more than apply a healthy length of epoxy longitudinally on the spruce runner and the u shaped clamps that fit over over the spruce runners that are drilled and screwed into the internal bracing inside the airframe.

 

[MaxQ]

I set the fin can upright, looked it over.

This is kinda where I experienced my first real dissappointment with this build....appearance wise anyway....

Well.....what do you think?

 

[MaxQ]

The whole assembly at this point.
Little problem I noticed driving me crazy now...

 

[MaxQ]

Not sure what to do either....

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