Dave,
I have the may 1983 issue with the scale data of the rocket and I'm in the process of designing with CAD for 3D print. Are all the dimensions shown in the issue correct and if not could you tell which ones need correction.
I don't want to put all the work into the CAD design and then having to change it. This is for the rocket only, not the launcher.
Thanks!
Leo
Leo,
As I previously posted, I am in collaboration with another rocketeer, developing a highly-accurate set of data for 18.26 IA. The data I have obtained, in addition to Don Larson's original data, came through several years of FOIA requests and international emails with the Max Planck Institute ( MPE ) in Germany, and other entities directly involved in the project.
With that said, at this time, I will only address the 1974 data and 1983 data from the Model Rocketeer and how they compare with each other. Yes, there are errors in both the 1974 and, most certainly, the 1983 data.
Here we go . . .
COLORS:
1974 . . . . . . . . . . . . 1983
FINS . . . . . . 1 Fluorescent Yellow / 3 Fluorescent Red . . . . . . . . 1 Fluorescent Yellow / 3 Fluorescent Red
NIKE BODY . . . . . . Flat White . . . . . . Flat White
CRADLE MARKS . . . . . . Artillery Olive . . . . . . Artillery Olive
UNITED STATES . . . . . . Black . . . . . . Gloss Black
INTERSTAGE . . . . . . Flat White . . . . . . Flat White
TOMAHAWK BODY . . . . . . Silver . . . . . . Natural Steel
FIN CAN . . . . . . Not Indicated . . . . . . Not Indicated ( clearly from the photo below, the Fin Can & Motor are NOT the same color )
DE-SPIN UNIT . . . . . . Silver . . . . . . Not Indicated ( might mislead a modeler into believing it is Red )
PAYLOAD . . . . . . Flat Red . . . . . . Gloss Red
PAYLOAD LETTERING . . . . . . White . . . . . . Gloss White
NOSE CONE BASE . . . . . . Flat Brown . . . . . . Bakelite Brown ( the nose cone base is made of Phenolic and has a "mottled" appearance )
"STRIPE" . . . . . . Cream . . . . . . Natural Steel ( impossible, since the nose cone is Ceramic, with a Phenolic base, Non-Metallic )
UPPER NOSE CONE . . . . . . Flat White . . . . . . Gloss White
GROSS DIMENSIONS:
1974 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1983
NIKE FINS . . . . . . . SAME . . . . . . SAME
BOOSTER LENGTH . . . . . . SAME . . . . . . SAME
BOOSTER DIAMETER . . . . . . SAME . . . . . . SAME
CRADLE MARKS . . . . . . Width Not Supplied . . . . . . 6" Wide ( no source cited )
FIN CENTER TO FRONT OF M-5 . . . . . . 114.0" . . . . . . Dimension Missing
FIN CAN . . . . . . Vertical Line - 9 Allen Head Screws . . . . . . Vertical Weld Line
TOMAHAWK FINS . . . . . SAME . . . . . . SAME
TE-416 LENGTH . . . . . . SAME . . . . . . SAME
PAYLOAD, INCL. DE-SPIN UNIT . . . . . . SAME . . . . . . SAME
PAYLOAD - NUMBER OF SCREWS . . . . . . SAME . . . . . . SAME
OVERALL LENGTH . . . . . . SAME . . . . . . SAME
That is a basic "head to head" comparison of the 1974 data and the 1983 data. So, for the purposes of what data has been widely available for the past 44 years and 35 years, respectively, it is as accurate as it has ever been, with the exception of the discrepancies noted above. With that said, the documentation being worked on will be highly-accurate, as nearly all of the data is coming directly from original photographs, drawings, and other documentation & correspondence, rather than reusing the 1974 & 1983 Model Rocketeer articles as "canon".
I am the owner of both the Larson & Kuhn data, and although I would love to share things in much greater detail, I will refrain from doing so, until our collaboration has produced a "final product" we are satisfied with and confident in its accuracy !
Dave F.
