PML Callisto - Round II

My first L-1 attempt a while back resulted in the loss of my first Callisto due to a few newbie mistakes. Needless to say there is a perfectly good rocket with a 38mm CTI case somewhere in the trees northwest of Varn Ranch, one day I someone will find it and hopefully I get it back .
Anyway , I acquired another one at the raffle last weekend and decided to give it a go again - given my past lessons learned this one will live to fly more than once
Managed to get it into primer and have a color in mind - maybe

It’s a great kit for a level 1, it will rely perform on H/I motors. I did mine with an Io, the callisto’s shorter brother then immediate converted it to dual deploy making it about the same as a Callisto in length

Hi Andy, love my Callisto too.
I would encourage you to foam the internal void in the fin can to give more support for the internal fin tabs as there is little room to get good internal fillets for support with the 38mm MMT in there. I later on foamed the inside of the nose cone for extra high speed support ready for when I move it up to larger I motors in about a month's time. Enjoy!

I left the rear centering ring off and buttered the inside extremely well, its solid.
Did manage to get it painted , sadly the pics do the color ZERO justice- Im pretty happy with the final product, still needs a little trim (accent) color and a decent quality Callisto logo. The one in the kit is a joke.

I like the looks of the Callisto a lot. The fin shape is nice.

I've always been a little leary of the piston system, as I heard that you have to be really careful to keep it clean or they can stick.

Do you build it stock? I've taken to putting baffles in all my builds, so I'd be tempted to replace the piston with a baffle.

Thoughts?

Tyler P said:

I like the looks of the Callisto a lot. The fin shape is nice.

I've always been a little leary of the piston system, as I heard that you have to be really careful to keep it clean or they can stick.

Do you build it stock? I've taken to putting baffles in all my builds, so I'd be tempted to replace the piston with a baffle.

Thoughts?

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My first one was given to me built / without the piston system and worked just fine.
I built this one without it as well. Im sure you will hear a 100 different opinions, thats just what worked for me .
Good luck.

Finally got around to adding the recovery gear / rail buttons and a little accent color.
Im pretty happy with it - The pearl in the green pops in the sun.
Now I have to figure out our new vinyl cutter so I can make a Callisto decal.

Andy Greene said:

My first one was given to me built / without the piston system and worked just fine.
I built this one without it as well. Im sure you will hear a 100 different opinions, thats just what worked for me .
Good luck.

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I prefer building with a baffle because it allows for a really nice central anchor point if you pop an eye bolt in it. An added bonus is that it also cools down some of the gasses before they get to your recovery gear. I still put my stuff in a nomex blanket, but it's just an added benefit.

I may get one just because I like the style and dimensions.

Finally got around to adding some trim and the decal - the pearl green really pops in the sun with the chrome decal.
If the weather gods play nice , it may fly an H-123 and a JLCR .

Looks great!
Wishing you a straight trail, soft landing, and short walk!