Possible Star Ship kit in development

I'm slowly working a mid power “Bigdaddy” sized Star Ship based on the SpaceX Star Ship. I had thought of converting a Bigdaddy into one but it was too far off for my tastes. Open Rocket would not allow me the flexibility I wanted and being a film industry digital effects artist I decided to build a CGI model of my idea in Lightwave 3D my software of choice now since 1994.


I didn't just want to make things to proportions with a body tube, fins and a stock nose cone with a paint job for the windows. I want to make the proper shapes and also being a scratch model builder I plan to master the nose cone with the proper canards with the scale filets. In addition to that I also plan to have the scale windshield made from clear vacuum formed PETG.


Likewise with the tail cone I will make the scale fins with the taper and airfoil, landing pods on the tips and the fin filets. I will also have 6 dummy engines with one big engine tube for an E motor.


For the small passenger windows those will mostly likely be decals. Main Body tube will be a 3 inch diameter cardboard tube. Nothing fancy there.


The masters will be molded in silicone. The cast parts from Alumilite hollow cast. I have successfully done this in the past when I made my "Hostile Projectile" kits 10 years ago. I had stopped making kits to take care of my late wife who passed in 2013 from cancer.


Here are some pictures and even a short CGI video test I did to see how the model looks in space.


If it flies well and there is an interest I might make a short run of kits.

Registering eager interest, I need this in my fleet! Looks like a very do-able design.

Thanks that's good to hear. Here's some beauty shots.

What do you estimate overall length at? Based upon proportions, looks like ~15"-18"?

You are correct. I built the wire frame right over the side view of the Starship. Little smaller than the Bigdaddy but a 3 inch body tube.

Fascinating project! Gonna be a chunky one with the nose weight it’s going to take with all that forward fin area from the canards. Should make for a great demo rocket - one that even young students could recognize as a Space-X rocket. Can’t wait to see how your prototype flies

Very Interested

I think I made the canards to large compared to the original concept and plan to make them smaller for the very reasons stated. Thanks for the interest guys.

This is super-cool. I don't think I realized that the Starship was to have a paint job over its shiny stainless skin. Looks really spiffy.

The design changed. Now it's only 2 fins on the aft.

Yes I know but I really want to do this design.

Just ordered a bunch of supplies for two prototypes from Apogee. 3 inch body tubes, motor mount kits with laser cut center rings and 90mm engine clips for E12-6 motors, shock cord and some nylon chutes. I'll build two just incase the first launch is a learning experience.

In addition I'll be getting some wood to turn on my lathe today to make an accurate to the drawings nose cone. Looks like I have enough silicone for molds once I get the masters made. Tailcone will be all mastered with scale details. Just getting started.

Tailcone?

Yes. With the fins as they are just sticking on fins won't cut it. The filets and the shape of the fins are specific. The tail itself is also. It bevels in to the engine bells. The filets are hinged, thick at the root and they taper out to the LE. All this must be mastered and modeled to look correct to my CGI model. The nose and tail cone will be cast resin and the body tube a short section of 3 inch cardboard tube.

I'm still on this. Parts will be here on Saturday so monday I'll hit the lathe with some balsa and start with the nose cone.

Parts arrived from Apogee. I on the computer now designing the nose cone and preparing to lathe the nose cone out of balsa, It will get sealed and then hand detailed for molding.

Looks like a fun project, what size motor mount are you going to use?

mbeels said:

Looks like a fun project, what size motor mount are you going to use?

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24 mm. E12-6. Short fat and pretty.

Have you tried simulations yet in OpenRocket/RockSim? I’m guessing, if the finished rocket is roughly 45-50cm long and 280-290g, we’re looking at 1000-1200m apogee on an Estes BP E?

Scott_650 said:

Have you tried simulations yet in OpenRocket/RockSim? I’m guessing, if the finished rocket is roughly 45-50cm long and 280-290g, we’re looking at 1000-1200m apogee on an Estes BP E?

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Scott she's a bit over 17 inches in length with a 3 inch diameter. I have run sims in OpenRocket and I need to reduce the size of the canards and increase the main fins. The more I do it the more the stability increases.

Scott_650 said:

we’re looking at 1000-1200m

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1.2 kilometers? Something in me doubts this

Last sim I did was 310 ft. I reduced the size of the canards. I increased the size a small amount to make her stable. On a E12-6 310 ft. I had to add a bit of nose weight also but it stabilized the model similar to that of a Bigdaddy.

SteveNeill said:

24 mm. E12-6. Short fat and pretty. View attachment 394441

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Are you going to paint it in that livery? I was looking forward to seeing a shiny stainless finish from someone who knows how to do it.

BTW I'm building a booster for it too. However I will need to add clear plastic fins to it or it won't be stable.

jlabrasca said:

Are you going to paint it in that livery? I was looking forward to seeing a shiny stainless finish from someone who knows how to do it.

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Paint it. If it were an Atlas no I'd leave it metal but sue me I like the painted look.

Since this is a stubbier rocket, you could get away with ~1.7-2" of separation between CG and CP for glood flight. Keep up the good work!

Starship? Are Mick and Slick inside?

Cool design.

Here's the latest in Openrocket however I wasn't able to account for the fin landing gear pods. The booster version is just for looks. I will make a booster stage that is an actual stage after I get good results from the Starship it's self. To do the booster correctly that will mean and electronic timer details I will work out later and may offer the model as a two stage later.
Dotted lines on the fins indicate the clear fins.

SteveNeill said:

... but sue me I like the painted look.

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I will speak to my lawyers.

I was seriously hoping to see how you'd tackle the stainless finish. I am (slowly, slowly) working on a NACA RM10 and wanted to steal your technique.

Definitely interested if you decide to kit.