This Old T.I.E. Fighter

What's in the wallet... Star Bucks ?

Crawf56 said:

Here is my Darth Vader wallet. Seemed relevant.
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lakeroadster said:

What's in the wallet... Star Bucks ?

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Well played, sir.

Glued the nose cone together, using 5 minute epoxy.

And the painted rocket section. Headed down the home stretch.

The paint I used is Rust-oleum Ultracover. The color is "Satin Wildflower Blue". Hoping to make the rocket tube less visible, with the focus on the TIE.

Crawf56 said:

And the painted rocket section. Headed down the home stretch.

The paint I used is Rust-oleum Ultracover. The color is "Satin Wildflower Blue". Hoping to make the rocket tube less visible, with the focus on the TIE.

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I bet you could fly the sustainer tube without the TIE model given the vertical and horizontal "fins".

jmuck78 said:

I bet you could fly the sustainer tube without the TIE model given the vertical and horizontal "fins".

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You are probably right. The REAL challenge would be to see how SHORT the tube could be, and still have a viable model rocket.

But for me, this project is a walk down Memory Lane. It is also a small break from a large RC airplane I am building.

Breaks are great.

Me, for one, I like how you just build it.. and don't overthink it. Well done Sir.

Well, 'chute.

18" parachute from Apogee Components.

Out in the sunlight. Hope for a first launch tomorrow [1/27/19].

Crawf56 said:

Well, 'chute.

18" parachute from Apogee Components.

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That chute looks like it's spinning just laying there. I also had one of these as a kid. I wish Estes would bring these kits back into production. Your rocket looks fantastic.

gldknght said:

That chute looks like it's spinning just laying there. I also had one of these as a kid. I wish Estes would bring these kits back into production. Your rocket looks fantastic.

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Sadly, that 18" parachute became something of a problem.

It has fairly thick shroud lines, and I had to replace it with a 15" parachute. I was having trouble getting the 18" parachute to fit in the rocket tube.

The Force was with the Empire today. Successful launch of my TIE Fighter.

On the pad.....and launch!

Upward......time to deal with some rebel scum...

Onward...you can just hear the scream of those twin ion engines (in my imagination..).

Almost at apogee.

Returning from a successful mission. Lord Vader was pleased....

And the money pic.

Happy, I am.

"I love it when a plan comes together" Nicely done sir. Thanks for letting us enjoy the adventure.

Magnificent, it is. Happy you should be.

Beautiful painting.

Crawf56 said:

Upward......time to deal with some rebel scum...

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That! Is! So! Cool!

Lake and Crawl should have a drag race. X Wing vs. Tie. Classic.

Here is how I took the pictures:

CAMERA: Canon EOS Rebel SL1 [digital SLR]
LENS: 18-55mm lens, at wide angle [18mm], auto-focus.
SETTING: Auto-Speed

TECHNIQUE:
Just before ignition, I press and HOLD the pic button. I keep the button held down, and try to follow the rocket. Sometimes, I get great pics.

Note that most of the pics that you see were CROPPED using Microsoft Picture Viewer. Look at Post #76. The first pic is cropped; the second is the standard photo.

Once I get a pic like I want, I then use PhotoRazor [by Stormdance; free download] to make a smaller copy of the image, which is easier to upload.
https://www.stormdance.net/software/photorazor/software overview.htm

Here are some pics I took in Memphis last summer, including a CATO.
https://www.rocketryforum.com/threads/memphis-tn-mid-south-rocket-society-7-21-2018.147145/

Your blue paint really color-matches the sky pretty well and blends in to make the TIE fighter stand out in the air. Only thing possibly better would be a transparent "Phantom" rocket. Kind of the opposite technique of putting clear fins on a scale rocket, you would put a clear rocket on scale "fins"
Really nice job with the build and awesome flight pictures!

kuririn said:

Lake and Crawl should have a drag race. X Wing vs. Tie. Classic.

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Great idea.

But I [Crawf56] am in eastern Arkansas (near Memphis, TN), and I think Lakeroadster is in Colorado. A bit far.

Looking back at this project, the only thing I would have done different is the rocket tube.

I ordered the cheapest rocket tube, and should have gotten a slightly more robust tube.

The current tube is already showing a few kinks after one flight (up near the nose cone). However, I only plan to fly this model periodically, so it should be ok.

this just made my day a little lol

zenrocket said:

this just made my day a little lol

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Yeah me too, really enjoyed it. Wish I'd found it sooner.

Crawf56 said:

Onward...you can just hear the scream of those twin ion engines (in my imagination.]

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I always get a kick out of Sci Fi movies when you hear the engines scream and roar in space.....

Was one of the things I liked about Sandra Bullock Gravity movie, no sound in space.

Congrats on nice build and flight.

Here it is May 2023, and the TIE Fighter is still flying. On a C6-3.