The Launch Pad rockets - show us yours

[Queeg500]

I have flown the Krypton on an SU E30-4, straight as an arrow, good deployment and landed with just a little ding on the nose cone point. The other kits are still being finished up and waiting for good weather to fly. These kits are easy to build and inexpensive. I have built them stock - boring - but they are light, strong and stable. Those witch hats roll to such a sharp point they will put your eye out. All you need is a dowel, mousepad, patience and my method of moistening the paper by simply breathing on it - a porn method but it works. A bit of squadron putty on the nosecone is all the filler I used. Laminate the balsa fins with lable paper and they are plenty strong. Wick in some CA on the boat tails, sand and 2 coats of primer are all that are needed. Easy paint schemes with lots of vinyl tape and letters and you can really crank these kits out.

Love the SAABs! Hey, photo request: anyone built both versions of the Phoenix? 2.6 and 1.6? just want to see the size comparison. Thanks!

 

[Daddyisabar]

Love the SAABs!!

The 372 is the best bang for the buck - I love the tail cone, standoff fins and proximnity locators. The scale paint scheme is rather plain but after a few scratch & dings from flying it will probably get sent back to beauty school and receive some national insignia or even and automotive treatment. If you love rolling paper then the RB05A is for you, it has the longest witches hat of the lot I have built so far.

 

[RocketT.Coyote]

My headline-grabbing TLP Scud-B. CHAD-staged 2x D12-0 + 2x D12-7.
Saab 372 on Aerotech E15-4W.
Pershing 2.

 

[foose4string]

Finally finished the 'Wolf.

 

[Silverfish]

Hi all,

I have contacted TLP to ask about shipping one of their Hellfire models to the UK, bus as yet have had no response. I was wondering if anyone had brought a TLP kit who lives in the UK, and roughly how much it would cost??

Thanks ,

Silverfish

 

[dixontj93060]

Foos4string SWEET Seawolf!

 

[Pantherjon]

Maybe I've missed it, which wouldn't be the first time in my life, but was it the status of TLP? I remember that they were down for a while, but are they back up selling these great looking kits you're showing off?

Yep..They be back up and running Troy!

 

[luke strawwalker]

My headline-grabbing TLP Scud-B. CHAD-staged 2x D12-0 + 2x D12-7.
Saab 372 on Aerotech E15-4W.
Pershing 2.

Sorry but that's not a Pershing II-- Pershing I.

To see a Pershing II look at Foose4string's avatar-- Pershing II had a step transition and fins on the conical upper warhead section above the transition for terminal guidance of the warhead for extreme accuracy.

Somehow the Pershing II just looks like a 'meaner' missile than the Pershing I to me... :dark:

Later! OL JR

PS. NICE Scud! I'd like to get one of those myself!!!

 

[Queeg500]

TLP kits are on e-bay all the time but I haven't seen a Scud ever so that kit must be from the 90's?

 

[Boosterdude]

Wow, perfect timing. I just started a TLP Alarm yesterday, I post a picture later on the progress.

Awesome looking models being posted so far, well done all!

 

[sandmantoy]

My Alarm is one of my favorite rockets I have even made larger scale and small scale builds of it.

 

[luke strawwalker]

TLP kits are on e-bay all the time but I haven't seen a Scud ever so that kit must be from the 90's?

Did TLP ever release the SCUD as a kit?? Seems like I remember reading that TLP used to sell "plan packs" to build certain rockets that they never actually released as a complete kit... sure would like to get my hands on one of those SCUDS though!

They'd be easy to kitbash into an entire arsenal-- they were the basis of the Ghauri II's (Pakistani nuclear missiles), Shahab III's (Iranian soon-to-be nuclear missiles) and Nodong's (North Korean nuclear missiles).

That Shahab III just looks cool with that little transition section under the nosecone...

Coolest paintjob ever goes to the Ghauri II though... :dark:

https://www.fas.org/nuke/guide/pakistan/missile/hatf-5.htm

https://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/world/dprk/td-1.htm

https://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/world/dprk/td-2.htm

https://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/world/iran/shahab-3.htm

Later! OL JR

 

[Boosterdude]

Here are a couple of the TLP builds I have going on right now:

Alarm

Maverick

 

[Queeg500]

Whow! that's nice work dude. even unfinished they look great.

 

[jpaw33]

Here's my SAAB 372,FLAIL and the GABRIEL III.The Flail has Pershing decals from Excelsior.

 

[Rocketcrab]

Nice. I have a Gabriel kit but the finish is daunting. Great job!

 

[Lentamental]

Finally finished the 'Wolf.

How do you avoid the Krushnic effect when the motor is recessed so much? It seems like if you are getting any burn on the body tube, it is a sign that the motor is recessed in to far, and the body tube is acting as part of the nozzle.

 

[foose4string]

How do you avoid the Krushnic effect when the motor is recessed so much? It seems like if you are getting any burn on the body tube, it is a sign that the motor is recessed in to far, and the body tube is acting as part of the nozzle.

Are you referring to the fact I lined the tube with aluminum? There may not be a problem with it burning through after all, but I'd rather take precaution now than to have to deal with it later. The weight penalty was almost nil. The rocket only weighs about 8.5 ounces minus the chute, so it's hardly built bullet proof.

I didn't design the kit, I only built it. I don't remember the exact dimension of how far the mount is recessed, but it seemed like a lot to me too. As I understand it, the Krushnic Effect doesn't become a concern unless the motor is recessed more than the outer tube diameter. Matter of fact, I ended up shifting the motor mount back another 1/4 inch or so from where the instructions call for. It's as far back as it can go with the reinforcement coupler installed.

 

[Lentamental]

Ok, well I guess I misjudged the distance it had been recessed vs. tube diameter. the body tube diameter number, while a pretty good estimate, is still just a rough estimate. Take a tube that is infinitely wide, for example. No matter how long it is, there will never be any turbulence, because it is as if it weren't there. However, the smaller the tube, the more of an issue it becomes.
As long as it flys well though, then don't worry about it.

 

[dedleytedley]

I've built and flown four of TLP kits with recessed motor mounts(Saab 372,Hawk23A 2.6,Flail and Bullpup). Of those only the Bullpup has had the MMT area cooked but it's the deepest. The nozzle exit is 1and1/2 inches from the end of the BT. I think the heat damage is from radiant heating from the exhaust.
TLP kits move the MMT forward to increase stability so if you move it back you should rocksim it to be sure it's stable. If you do sim it please submit the CP data to EMRR Center of Pressure library.
You've done an outstanding finish on that Seawolf! I'm looking forward to the launch pics. Ted

 

[Lentamental]

Interesting note on the radiant heat. In that case, foiling the inside of the tube and rear centering ring could really help. That could be a test of your theory I suppose. They wouldn't be exposed to any of the hot gases, so as long as they reflect the heat away, they should stay in good shape. If they do get charred, then we can confirm that the tube is getting hit by combustion gases, and there is probably a little of the Krushnic effect going on.

 

[foose4string]

I've built and flown four of TLP kits with recessed motor mounts(Saab 372,Hawk23A 2.6,Flail and Bullpup). Of those only the Bullpup has had the MMT area cooked but it's the deepest. The nozzle exit is 1and1/2 inches from the end of the BT. I think the heat damage is from radiant heating from the exhaust.
TLP kits move the MMT forward to increase stability so if you move it back you should rocksim it to be sure it's stable. If you do sim it please submit the CP data to EMRR Center of Pressure library.
You've done an outstanding finish on that Seawolf! I'm looking forward to the launch pics. Ted

Thanks Ted!

I'll get around to doing a review for EMRR one of these days(with sim file). In the meantime, check out my thread on the Seawolf in the midpower section. I provided a link(which points to the TRF archive) for the Rocksim file in that thread. I played with the motor position in Rocksim and 1/4" didn't really make a huge impact. The 1 1/2 ounces of noseweight was enough to overcome any change it may have had.

 

[luke strawwalker]

Interesting note on the radiant heat. In that case, foiling the inside of the tube and rear centering ring could really help. That could be a test of your theory I suppose. They wouldn't be exposed to any of the hot gases, so as long as they reflect the heat away, they should stay in good shape. If they do get charred, then we can confirm that the tube is getting hit by combustion gases, and there is probably a little of the Krushnic effect going on.

Don't underestimate the effects of plume recirculation either... watch the vids of the Saturn V's during flight... their plumes were SO huge that they licked halfway back up the length of the S-IC stage not long before burnout and staging! :y:

Anytime you have a large tube, it leaves a substantial "wake" behind it, essentially a low pressure partial vacuum behind the forward moving tube that air has to rush forward into, "chasing" the rocket. That rushing air takes part of the exhaust gas with it, usually the slightly cooler slower moving exhaust on the 'surface layer' of the exhaust stream rocketing out the back of the motor as high speed. The main exhaust has too much power behind it to get 'sucked back' but the outer layers of hot gas don't, so they get pulled back with the air rushing in around the base of the rocket. This is ESPECIALLY prevalent after burnout when the motor is still producing quantities of hot gas with little/no thrust power behind it, which is much less energetic and easier for the air to push back toward the bottom of the rocket. Those gasses are still pretty darn hot, and I've seen plume recirculation blister the paint on the centering ring and tube inside end on a large diameter (3-4 inch) 24mm powered scratchbuilt I used to have.

AFAIK, the Krushnik Effect comes into play when the thrust plume becomes 'bonded' to the tube, changing the gas flow characteristics of the exhaust flow and robbing the engine of power having to "pump" the plume down the tube. Plume recirculation isn't as bad; it's just a form of base drag that happens to be pulling hot gas back against the base of the rocket in the base turbulence. The Krushnik Effect pulls the entire plume apart so that it exits the body tube at the diameter of the tube and spreads it so thin that the thrust virtually is spread too thin to do any good...

At least from what I've read of engine flows in over-expanded and under-expanded rocket engines... OL JR

 

[Boosterdude]

Here's the update on the Maverick all framed up. Fillets are done so it's almost ready to prime after some grain filler.

 

[foose4string]

So far, so good dude. Looks like you know what you're doing!

 

[Jeff278]

This is my latest, just needs primer and paint.
Question?
Does anyone use the putty that comes with these kits; I used the same Weight of Lead Shot and yellow glue to hold it in.

 

[Boosterdude]

Looks good Jeff!

The putty that was included in my kits was dried and hard as a rock. I mix the lead shot with epoxy.

 

[Jeff278]

Hey John, I’m not too far from you I live in Horse Shoe NC, that’s just outside of Hendersonville.

 

[Breeze1913]

Nice looking Hellfire.
Mine is at the same stage as yours, construction complete: waiting on paint. I did manage to seal the fins this last weekend.
Yeah, I used the nosecone clay; put some glue in first, packed the clay down tight, and squirted gorilla glue on top of it. I turned the nosecone upside down while it dried, hoping the swelling/bubbling of the polyurethane based glue will "pack in" and hold the clay in place over the long term.

Here's my only completed TLP kit. BTW, I really liked the facecard paint job on that earlier Gabriel.

 

[Stymye]

Here's the update on the Maverick all framed up. Fillets are done so it's almost ready to prime after some grain filler.

your one of the few people I've seen that actually fill the spirals before building! wish more folks here could see the benefit of doing that.

great work