Minnie Magg Build

rharshberger · Feb 28, 2016

fyrfytr310 said:
I spent this morning filling grooves. I hate doing this and so I usually don't and simply live with the aesthetic penalty. I've decided on this build to spend a little more time to really try my hand at a good finish. We'll see if the effort is worth while.

I also decided to deviate from my plan of staying close to stock. I can't pass up this much room in the nose cone. I have cut the aft end off and will install a dowel through the forward end as an epoxy mount. I will then use a leftover FG bulkhead from another build, some epoxy and all thread to give myself some future Av-Bay mounting options.

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Great plan and great build so far, the Minnie Magg is one of my favorites for people to fly at launches. I always like to plan ahead. Here's my LOC 5.38L nose cone setup. I have added a section of 3" airframe inside the NC almost to the tip, which the coupler on the lid goes into.

fyrfytr310 · Feb 28, 2016

rharshberger said:
Great plan and great build so far, the Minnie Magg is one of my favorites for people to fly at launches. I always like to plan ahead. Here's my LOC 5.38L nose cone setup. I have added a section of 3" airframe inside the NC almost to the tip, which the coupler on the lid goes into.

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I really like that. I might steal that idea on my next wide body.

amell · Feb 28, 2016

rharshberger said:
Here's my LOC 5.38L nose cone setup.

View attachment 283639

How do you keep that in place? Just epoxy?

rharshberger · Feb 28, 2016

amell said:
rharshberger said:

Here's my LOC 5.38L nose cone setup.

View attachment 283639

How do you keep that in place? Just epoxy?

Click to expand...

Its actually sized to fit on top of the step where the exposed portion of the NC steps down to smaller diameter to form the NC shoulder. Then a bead of epoxy is run around the joint between the NC and the wood CR. Its partially a mechanical lock as it cannot be pulled back through the shoulder and a glue lock keeping i from moving either direction. The plastic is pretty heavily scored with 60 grit sandpaper prior to using the epoxy. Not to detract from fyrfytr310's thread but John Coker has a video about plastic nose cone conversion.

grouch · Feb 29, 2016

You can add a lot more strength to that if you drill three or four 1/8" holes through the nose cone and into the bulkhead. Then take a short section of 1/8" brass rod and push it into the hole filled with a bit of epoxy.

fyrfytr310 · Mar 1, 2016

So my plate is not stepped so it likes to move laterally. To stop this, I installed (4) 4-40 screws into the nose around the plate.

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I might be able to paint this week!

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fyrfytr310 · Mar 1, 2016

Forgot. Two direct hits on the CRs for rail buttons. Quite proud.

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rharshberger · Mar 1, 2016

Its looking good.

loopy · Mar 2, 2016

fyrfytr310 said:
LOL, I bet. I had met Lee and his brother last year at a launch and it was funny back then...

The only downside for me is that I am coming from Cincinnati and my hours can be somewhat unpredictable so my attendance might be spotty.

lol...definitely always a good time. I am involved in theater around the area, so I have times where I'm out for a few months at a time, but like to make it when I can. Build looks great!

loopy · Mar 2, 2016

apburner said:
Tell me more about build night in Dayton OH. I am in Frankfort KY but could see myself doing a road trip just for that once in a while. Sounds fun

If you ever get a chance, come on up! Every Tuesday night at eRockets. Real casual - just a bunch of people hanging out, building rockets, lightening the load of disposable income from time to time, and sharing stories. The website says 7-8:30, but most get there between 6-7, and I didn't leave last night until a bit after 10:30, and I wasn't the only one there that late...lol. Definitely worth the trip.

fyrfytr310 · Mar 6, 2016

Primer in action. 1st round on the airframe and 3rd on the nose.

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fyrfytr310 · Mar 8, 2016

Yup. Had to Dremel the fillet on the MMT but I got the retainer installed.

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fyrfytr310 · Mar 8, 2016

Oh and the edges of the retainer threads are friggin sharp.

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danielsadjadi · Mar 8, 2016

Before you paint take a look at this excellent thread Nathan made on doing a beautiful finish for the Minnie Mag, (or any other cardboard rocket)

https://www.rocketryforum.com/showthr...994#post589994

fyrfytr310 · Mar 15, 2016

Despite some obvious flaws, this is by far the best finish I have ever had on a build. The patience really paid off. I was going to put a camera shroud on this but now I kind of want to keep it pristine

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For those paying attention to the background, you should know that my paint schemes are largely decided by the content of my existing supply. Hence a lot of my rockets look similar.

rharshberger · Mar 15, 2016

fyrfytr310 said:
Despite some obvious flaws, this is by far the best finish I have ever had on a build. The patience really paid off. I was going to put a camera shroud on this but now I kind of want to keep it pristine

View attachment 285138

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For those paying attention to the background, you should know that my paint schemes are largely decided by the content of my existing supply. Hence a lot of my rockets look similar.

Looks like a SuperMag to me....

fyrfytr310 · Mar 27, 2016

This will fly on Saturday!

amell · Apr 1, 2016

Any video/pics of this flight yet?

fyrfytr310 · Apr 1, 2016

Well the launch is tomorrow sooooooo.......

. Actually it looks like it will be a rain out but Sunday looks better.

fyrfytr310 · Apr 3, 2016

It was a good day for flying but not for photo/videography... For this rocket both the onboard cam and iPhone camera operator failed. It flew on an I-300 to 1900'. I was going to throw in a J-500 but the day was growing short.

The chute did get tangled but it landed in soft dirt and the unexpected wind made the mishap kind of a good thing.

Minnie Magg Build

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