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I didn't see the landing, but nothing nearby it could have hit. Just a dry field, strong wind, and reefed 18" chute. I'm guessing it swung into the ground sideways.

This weekend, I managed to snap a TTW fin clean off my new Star Orbiter. Any advice on how to do better next time? The fin itself survived intact (probably because it was papered), except for a little bit of balsa that ripped off of the TTW tab. It took a good bit of paper from the body tube...

I have an upcoming launch at a school with a small field. Kids will be launching on 1/2A6-2, but I'm hoping to demo something with a little more noise. So... I'm designing an extremely slow rocket built on 2 x Estes BT-80 tubes (1 for body, 1 for tube fins). It currently sims out to about 42...

Thanks everybody for the suggestions. We're planning to go with: Estes Generic E2X for the kids (about $6/ea in bulk and easy assembly for little kids) Build day weekend before, so all kits are ready to fly on launch day 2 x 3-rod pads from local NAR club A prep table, pad attendants, and RSO...

Maybe that's it... the yellow coat was 5 days old, and the black was 3 days old. The black did seem to fare worse.

I have now ruined the paint on 2 rockets with Nu Finish. I thought the first was a fluke, but the second went even worse despite meticulous application according to the instructions. In both cases, it left the paint duller than before and left paint on the application cloth. The second time, it...

Thanks everybody for the great suggestions! Regarding NAR Model Rocket Safety Code, can anyone clarify what is meant by "open area"? I have 400' x 300' that is completely free of trees, but 400' x 400' if I ignore small trees on the edges. I am trying to convince the school to let me hand out...

I have been invited to do a demo launch for "Rocket Day" at a local school. Their field is small, only about 400' x 300', with houses on all sides. What rocket would you suggest to stay within the field but still be entertaining? A few options I'm considering: Existing Estes Ascender adapted...

[/LIST] Wouldn't drilling holes around the whole plate defeat the purpose of the offset-holes design? The idea was to have center holes on this plate, and outer holes on another.

Thanks for the advice! I ended up designing a variation on a half-moon baffle built with 1/8 ply around a 3/8 hardwood dowel with an eye screw through the top plate. Next time, $6 for an Apogee baffle sounds a LOT better.

Nice build thread! What baffle design did you use? I am also building a Star Orbiter. Going with a baffle built into the tube coupler. Trying to decide if 7 x 3/16" holes are enough on the bottom of the baffle, or whether I want to go half-moon instead. Don't think I can get bigger holes in...

Charring is a better description. The retainers do appear to be structurally sound. I have updated the original post title from "Melting" to "Charring". Thanks for the tip on separation from the blast plate. Pics attached: 1 - From left to right: Charred 29mm stock retainer / 24mm stock...

Has anyone found a way to keep the Estes plastic engine retainers from melting? After just a couple launches, the 29mm mount on my Ascender looks pretty rough. I'm trying one coated with high temp (grill) paint at my next launch. But I have also considered trying to coat one in metal foil.

Thanks for the tip on L3CC. I've got some reading to do! Aside from adding extra mounting stability for the fin, I like my slots because they add another connection between the body/motor and weigh almost nothing. In fact, my completed rocket weighs only 52 grams w/o engine.

My construction is all balsa & wood glue, but thanks for the tip on epoxy control! The completed rocket is ready to fly tomorrow!

I recently made an “indestructible” rocket for my 3-year-old that had 3/32” papered (tissue) fins mounted through-the-wall of a BT-20 tube. Of course, on the way to it’s first launch, something heavy fell on it and snapped the glue joint on a fin. I’m amazed the fin itself didn’t break, but it...

Any guess which part would fail first with a huge engine? The papered balsa fins? Maybe crush the BT60 tube?

I thought I would share my latest project, a kitbash between: Estes 1/10th Scale Nike Smoke (007247) picked for $7.91 on clearance Estes Pro Series II Booster (009752) picked for $2.15 on clearance The moment I saw this rocket - with it's BT60 tube - my inner child wanted to cram in an...