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you are using gap staging for obvious reasons (let’s just say if the tie fighter was any closer to X-Wing it might be unseemly). You will need a good quality BT-50 connecting tube, as I think there will be a good bit of stress on it (then again, it passed the string test….)
the common accepted way of beefing up a tube is to put a lengthwise coupler in it. A cheaper, perhaps not as strong but probably “strong enough” is to cut a length of BT-50 along its length, slather it with WHITE glue (you DEFINITELY Do NOT want a fast tack) roll it a bit tight and slide it inside the outer tube.
how much $ is the plastic section? It’s definitely going to get cosmetically spoiled with the first flight, not sure if it will be STRUCTURALLY spoiled or not. If however it is not TOO expensive you may consider it an expendable part, and just replace it with each flight.
not sure how much you fly. pretty much all your constructs are both technical and cosmetic masterpieces, so you can be excused if you hang them on the wall after just one flight, although ALL of them would be attention getters at any club launch (did I miss the Hammerhead flight? That’s one I wanna see, this one as well.)
for me, since I am cheap and i figure particularly at club launches, once it’s on the pad nobody is gonna be able to see if the connecting tube is clear or not, i would swap out the clear for a robust BT-50 possibly strengthened with coupler or insert as above.
suggestion if you are going to be swapping tubes frequently. I assume you will use a tape wrap to connect the tube to the Tie fighter cockpit. For both the short segment permanently attached to the Tie, and the tail end of the non-clear launch tube, put a wrap of clear cello tape on the ends that will be covered with the tape wrap. This will reduce the chance that when you remove the tape wrap you will pull paint off the underlying tubes (or worse, possibly delaminate the tubes!)
it this flies well as a two stage, I’d submit it to Apogee rockets.
the common accepted way of beefing up a tube is to put a lengthwise coupler in it. A cheaper, perhaps not as strong but probably “strong enough” is to cut a length of BT-50 along its length, slather it with WHITE glue (you DEFINITELY Do NOT want a fast tack) roll it a bit tight and slide it inside the outer tube.
how much $ is the plastic section? It’s definitely going to get cosmetically spoiled with the first flight, not sure if it will be STRUCTURALLY spoiled or not. If however it is not TOO expensive you may consider it an expendable part, and just replace it with each flight.
not sure how much you fly. pretty much all your constructs are both technical and cosmetic masterpieces, so you can be excused if you hang them on the wall after just one flight, although ALL of them would be attention getters at any club launch (did I miss the Hammerhead flight? That’s one I wanna see, this one as well.)
for me, since I am cheap and i figure particularly at club launches, once it’s on the pad nobody is gonna be able to see if the connecting tube is clear or not, i would swap out the clear for a robust BT-50 possibly strengthened with coupler or insert as above.
suggestion if you are going to be swapping tubes frequently. I assume you will use a tape wrap to connect the tube to the Tie fighter cockpit. For both the short segment permanently attached to the Tie, and the tail end of the non-clear launch tube, put a wrap of clear cello tape on the ends that will be covered with the tape wrap. This will reduce the chance that when you remove the tape wrap you will pull paint off the underlying tubes (or worse, possibly delaminate the tubes!)
it this flies well as a two stage, I’d submit it to Apogee rockets.