Q Modeling Andromeda Build

[Dseter]

I thought those fins looked a little different.I just recieved my Lance Delta ,very nice kits !

Those are some big fins on that Andromeda aren`t they !

Are you going to round off the edges of the fins ?

Yeah, I'm lovin' this revised Archer. Man I can't wait for warmer weather.

These Andromeda fins are gigantic for sure. Funny you should ask because I was wondering the same thing this past weekend while sanding the two fin joints. I think I will round them just a bit since the whole rocket has that futuristic spacey appeal and the round nose cone, it just seems right. Can't wait to see both of ours painted. What type of paint are you planning to use? I thought I would go fancier than normal and use Testors or even Tamiya primer and gloss black but it's also gotta hold up to outdoor conditions so I'm not certain yet.

 

[sodmeister]

Yeah, I'm lovin' this revised Archer. Man I can't wait for warmer weather.

These Andromeda fins are gigantic for sure. Funny you should ask because I was wondering the same thing this past weekend while sanding the two fin joints. I think I will round them just a bit since the whole rocket has that futuristic spacey appeal and the round nose cone, it just seems right. Can't wait to see both of ours painted. What type of paint are you planning to use? I thought I would go fancier than normal and use Testors or even Tamiya primer and gloss black but it's also gotta hold up to outdoor conditions so I'm not certain yet.

I did indeed give the fins a nice rounding over on mine .

Paint ,I`ll go with a Duplicolor primer and a Rustoleum gloss black lacquer finish.

Paul T

 

[Dseter]

Yahoo! Spring has sprung and rocket building is in full swing here in southern Idaho, or at least in my garage...So I used the supplied jig to put on the two decorative panels and then align and glue the fins to the big pods today. This is where the supplied jig really pays off. It has a nice notch for the first panel to fit into perfectly while the top rectangle panel sits at the top of the jig against the tube, it's almost too easy. Then the jig has a nice notch for the fin to sit into while it glues to the tube.

 

[oddmanrockets]

i built a 3in andromeda from scratch and to answer your ? on recovery I popped the main chute at apogee and split the rocket in the middle so when the parachute opened it seperated with about 30 ft of kevlar holding it together,that way on landing it didnt stress the body tubes

OK, it's decision time on my big Andromeda for the three different build options concerning transport and recovery. I'd really like to hear from those who have built, flown, and recovered this big bird and then either went into therapy after the disaster or were carried off the launch field on everyone's shoulders hearing your name chanted again and again after the perfect touchdown....or is that just my dream? Either way, would love to know what you would do differently or exactly the same based on actual flight experience with the giant Andromeda. Thanks!

 

[Kehoes23]

Qmodeling makes some nice up scale kits, I had the hawk eye kit, it decided to take a core sample on the last launch with out the nose cone and as soon as Q modeling is up and running again, I wlill be ordering a new one.
The build is looking good so far.

 

[Dseter]

i built a 3in andromeda from scratch and to answer your ? on recovery I popped the main chute at apogee and split the rocket in the middle so when the parachute opened it seperated with about 30 ft of kevlar holding it together,that way on landing it didnt stress the body tubes

Thanks for that info. I think a 3 inch diameter main tube would make that decision a little easier but this main tube is so small I'm afraid either I'd have a really tough time getting a decent size chute in there or I might even damage the tube stuffing the chute in. I still haven't committed yet, but I'm really looking at cone ejection more and more...Would love to see a picture of yours, though!

 

[Rocket86]

Glad to hear the build has resumed. The more I see of of it the more I want one.

 

[oddmanrockets]

heres my andromeda 3x upscale flown a couple times on an I366R

 

[Rocket86]

View attachment 124190heres my andromeda 3x upscale flown a couple times on an I366R

3X is mighty impressive! That's got to be about 11' of Andromeda. Very cool.

 

[Dseter]

View attachment 124190heres my andromeda 3x upscale flown a couple times on an I366R

Whoa! Dat's awesome! Would love to see a size comparison to a human and/or some flight videos of that one, very cool!
Got the pod/fins together today on mine and started securing the big main fins, ooooh I love Springtime....

 

[Dseter]

OK, used the awesome provided jig to align and glue in the big main fins. There is a pic earlier in the thread that shows the big fins in position on the jig ready for gluing.The jig is great as it gives you enough flat surface to set the big fins on and get them both exactly aligned across from each other and straight out from the main tube. The instructs have you apply CA to the fin root edges but I also applied a little Titebond 2 yellow wood glue inside where the through the wall fin tab would meet the wood of the motor mount. I applied the glue then set the fin in place applying light pressure inward toward the motor mount and down on the jig to keep the fin flat and held for a few minutes to be sure. The pics here are two different applications of Titebond 2 yellow glue fillets on one side of a main fin.

 

[Dseter]

Ok Friends- time to put on the fins with the pods. Trust is a must! Normally I would rely on the tried and true method of ancient times where I would finalize the 90 degree position of the opposite fins to my one good eye aligned with my one good thumb, but in this case, Q Modeling has you utilize their nifty 90 degree angle guide which works pretty good. Just tac the fins on spot with CA whilst using the guide.

 

[Dseter]

OK, I bounced around in the order of assembly a bit but it worked out. The instructs have you mount the long upper fins and dowels before adding those side pod tube fins and I can see why. You can use the provided jig with the rocket in the same position you left it when you added the big main fins to add these upper fins and dowels. I added the side fins after the main and before the uppers but I still had room on the jig to reposition the main fins on it and align the upper fins. Next step is to cut the dowels slightly at the ends for the correct angle to the upper fin ends and glue in place.

 

[Dseter]

A little more progress today. Started adding the long dowels to the main tube using tamiya yellow masking tape to hold in position.

 

[Rocket86]

It's looking good, thanks for the updates. On a side note, QModelling's site says they anticipate being able to ship kits again at the end of this year. I will have the big Andromeda!

 

[Dseter]

It's looking good, thanks for the updates. On a side note, QModelling's site says they anticipate being able to ship kits again at the end of this year. I will have the big Andromeda!

Wow John that's awesome! I'll be ordering the upscaled Nike-X immediately after they open, although Scott at K and S rockets provided me with a fantastic set of precisely cut upscaled Nike X fins with motor mount rings, body tubes and cone. I've already started filling the fin grains on those, More Andromeda pix and updates coming later today.

 

[Dseter]

Ok, finished a couple things over this weekend. Added the dowels to the radial fin and put that fin to the main fin using the nice 90 degree supplied jig. Next I'll be adding the top two main tubes by working on the shroud assembly.

 

[Rocket86]

Starting to really look like an Andromeda. I like it!

 

[Dseter]

Ok, more progress today. I jumped over the steps a bit as I wanted to complete the upper section with cargo bay and paper shroud. the next step I should be doing is putting the detail pieces on the big main fins so that will be next after this shroud business.
First they point out that the smaller main tube is marked with an 'X' which is the end to install the shroud guide rings. One ring will be at 1 9/16 inches and the other at 1/16 inch. I like to use what I call the ' paper' method to make sure my ring is centered all the way around the tube. I thusly cut a strip of copy paper and used the factory edge while wrapping the paper around the main tube making sure it doesn't spiral and stays overlapped perfectly giving me a nice centered mark all around the tube. I then left the paper in place just below my mark and put the lower ring on and hit with Titebond II yellow glue gluing just the inside of the ring(important!). The instructs have you tack in place with CA but for me the ring still wiggled around too much. I did the same with the upper ring. The third ring will be used at the bottom of the bigger upper tube to give you a lip for the shroud itself.

 

[Dseter]

Yahoo! Progress began again today as I have been quite sidetracked from finishing this brute with no place really to store it safely or possibly even to launch it. It seems now I may have both issues resolved and so am moving forward. Applied the detail pieces on the main wings both sides using the template and the yellow Titebond glue. I also applied very small fillets around each of the detail pieces to keep them in place and promptly went about sanding the main fins a bit more for smoothness. I have resigned to securing the two main body tubes permanently together and using the standard nose cone parachute recovery. I may not be able to finish the total painting of this one until next Spring, however.

 

[Rocket86]

Cool! I've been waiting to see if you could get back to it. It's good to hear that will have a place to launch it after all this. If Q Modeling ever does come back (no updates in the last year) I will have to have the two halves separable to store and transport it. Even my standard size Andromeda is that way. Good to see you back at it, and continued good luck with it.