Halloween Flying Saucer model for little over a Dollar

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georgegassaway

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Here's some pics and basic info on how you can convert a Halloween "spider web" candy bowl into a very nice flying saucer.

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The bowl is $1 at Target (in the bargain bin at the front of the store), and also Dollar Tree stores. I found them in three colors: orange, black, and purple. It's a bit over 10" in diameter.

The conversion is simple. Use sharp diagonal cutter pliers to cut out the center part of the web, leaving a hole that a BT-20 can fit thru. The plastic can crack between the webs, so be careful. Dull diagonal cutters would be an issue, so a sharp hobby knife blade would be better than dull diagonal cutters, be careful.

The motor tube is 2.75-3" of BT-20, whatever scrap you have available. Add a thrust ring if you want, or just let masking tape work both to hold the engine from kicking out and to act as a thrust ring.

Use two 18mm to 24mm (BT-20 to BT-50) centering rings to secure the mount to the saucer. Glue one ring on. Slide the mount into place thru the hole in the bowl. Apply glue, I used thick CA, 5 minute epoxy would also work. After curing, slide the other ring on and press in place to secure the mount (the two rings are a sandwich with the plastic bowl caught in between), making sure the mount is centered in the hole since it can be a bit off. Apply more glue to the ring and to the plastic.

For the launch lug mount, cut out a 1/4" standoff, I used 3/32" x 1/4" spruce about 1.25" long. Glue the standoff even with one end of the lug. Test fit to see if the lug will fit thru one of the web holes, you might need to use a model knife blade to open one of the web holes a little bit for clearance. Then glue the lug to the engine mount, with the lug aligned with the intended web hole.

Done.

It flies very nicely. On a C6-0 it goes well. i'm sure it'll work on a B6-0. Probably good on an A8-0, but there are few reasons to fly a saucer on just an A8.

A Photo album with more pics here:

https://imgur.com/a/Yuj4v#0

Flier is Ryan Stenberg, 3.5 year old brother of Alyssa & Zackary Stenberg. He likes orange. After I made up a "kit" for it (cutting out the web piece), he built this one with a little help.

- George Gassaway


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That's cool! I may have to make one of these if I find the bowl.
 
Economical and simple to build.
Great Halloween theme - and it looks like fun for the kids.
A winner! :)

Thanks George!!
 
Was just at Target and didn't read this post till I got home. Darn!


Launching rockets (or missiles in my case) is so easy a chimp could do it. Read a step, do a step, eat a banana.

Sent from my iPad Air using Rocketry Forum.
 
At the MASA launch Sunday, I flew the Halloween Spider Web Candy Bowl saucers few times. I flew three in a drag race. They fly evenly, so they mostly flew in formation with each other.

The three models and an unconverted bowl with a different type of "treats" in it. Just add some masking tape and this was all that was needed for flying.

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Loaded on the racks.

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Shot bit too soon, but got a good view of some of the people at the launch.

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Still a bit too soon.

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Juuust right!

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Imgur album is here:
https://imgur.com/a/Yuj4v#0

- George Gassaway
 
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I'm not certain how you are posting your pictures or what is different about this particular thread than others, but I can't see a single picture (I am assuming from the format and discussion that there are some). The link to an album goes to a webpage that my filtering software blocks automatically so maybe, if the rest of the photos are hosted there, this is the answer.
 
I'm not certain how you are posting your pictures or what is different about this particular thread than others, but I can't see a single picture (I am assuming from the format and discussion that there are some). The link to an album goes to a webpage that my filtering software blocks automatically so maybe, if the rest of the photos are hosted there, this is the answer.

They are hosted on IMGUR. So if your software is blocking IMGUR then you can't see them.

- George
 
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Thanks for posting this, George. I came home to find two of these baskets on the dining room table (I'd shown your post to my wife this morning). One is about to undergo the diagonal cutters :)
 
I picked up mine today... I had my choice of colors too... (so long as it was purple).

I'm planning on launching it in the cul-de-sac for the enjoyment of the neighborhood kids. They've had multiple opportunities to see me painting my builds, but never seen me launch. This I think should work nicely.
 
They are hosted on IMGUR. So if your software is blocking IMGUR then you can't see them.

- George

Yup, that must be it. Now that I'm at work they look pretty sweet. The "family friendly" filter at home doesn't like Imgur and claims that its a porn site. :eyeroll:
 
I picked up an orange and a black at Target. The only purple one in the bin had a broken rib.

I've got the black one ready to go at the next CMASS launch. Or maybe MMMSC, if it's not snowing this weekend.
 
I wonder how well it'll fly on a 20 year old D12-0... I guess I'll find out soon enough.

Managed to pick up an Orange one, and a 2nd purple one at Target. Target's ones are a little flimsier than Dollar Tree's. Dollar tree's webs are rounded on the outside of the bowl, whereas Target's are flatter and thinner.
 
I picked up 4 of the bowls tonight. I set one up for E9 motors so I will use an adapter in it and work my way up from C to E. If things go well, maybe even some F reloads. Anyone else bringing one to MWP this weekend? Drag Race?
 
Well, it took five stops during my dinner hour, but the last impulsive stop at Joann' Fabrics netted me the choice of a single black or purple bowl. It was 70% off, and totalled $1.06 on my credit card for the purple one. I wanted orange, but considering I had shopped Dollar Tree, Odd Lots, Crafts 2000, Gabriel Brothers and finally Joann's.... I'm counting myself lucky to find one at all. Probably should have popped for the other black basket as well, but I'm not certain who all's coming to the next club launch, and our resident "I'll fly and build ANYTHING" maniac may not be there. I want to challenge him to make one of these things too.

Now, What size motor are you making this for? I'm asking George here, since it's his project.... I'm not interested in burning an E9-4 or anything ridiculous. I just wanna know what size has been successful for you, so i don't waste any. I'm sure I've got a B6-0, but nothing else booster-wise.

Also, I got the concept of cutting out the center star to make room for the motor mount. And I understand the stand-off for the launch lug.
What I need help with is exactly what you are sandwiching the bowl plastic between. What am I looking for? Motor blocks? Plastic washers from Lowes? Centering rings? I have a limited number of choices, unless I try to cut them out of card stock with a circle cutter or freehand it.

I've got exactly ONE extra motor mount tube, and ONE pair of centering rings, with a metal motor hook, a thrust ring, and two odd larger rings (one is split) that are the reminants of a parts bag that Estes was kind enough to send my way to help on another project. This would be the third and final project that consumes it all, I think, so I want to make certain that I'm not squandering the remaining parts, incase I never get anymore...

By coincidence, I have a circle cutter now that I tried to cut centering rings for my toilet paper roll scratch build, and I have thick CA available.
 
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I managed to pick up a few bags of miscellaneous parts. I have also bashed some kits and changed out their motor mounts. So when I upgrade a 24mm kit to 29mm kit, those old rings go to surplus parts. I am also guilty of buying super cheap kits on sale or damaged kits in order to get a transition or a nose cone that I needed for another project. At which point, more spare parts go into the pile. I also won't always use the motor block that comes in a kit. A motor block for one size tube is often also used as a centering ring in another kit.

Also, you can actually buy the centering rings. Jonrocket (and other vendors) have a lot of the paper ones that you find in the kits: https://www.jonrocket.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=9_28&products_id=159
 
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Boy, you weren't kidding about those innermost web pieces being fragile! I busted eight of them just trying to cut the center hole out! Thank goodness I've got thick CA around to help repair them. And tonight, I'm making a run for the last black web bowl in town that should be on clearance.

I found I had two centering rings of the type you described, however, one was a split ring. Experience has taught me that I should have glued that around the "top" portion of the motor mount, and held it as it was curing, for a nice tight fit. The next step would have been to glue it down to the "bottom" of the bowl...and I should have placed the solid ring on from underneath, trapping the plastic bowl between those two rings AFTER THE FIRST HAD DRIED AND CURED! As it is, I'm pretty sure I'll get at least one or two flights out of the assembly.

For a launch lug, I have cut a few inches of plastic soda straw off, and it's currently curing on a 3/8" strip of BALSA that I had laying around, scrap. It might not be as strong as the same out of maple or pine, but I can't find my stir stick that I had sliced up for an earlier project....the wife cleaned up all my rocketry stuff out of the living room and dumped it all into a former toy trunk. I'm disappointed cause she'd howl if I did that to her sewing gear....but I have found most of my stuff and will make the deadline to have this done by midnight, so I won't be too upset.

Just wanted to stress how little stress those inner webs will take. And so make sure either your utility knife is sharp and strong, or that your diagonal cutters are very sharp! George was absolutely correct on this point, and stresed it in his instructions!

I considered using Elmer's Wood Glue on this, but wanted a little faster cure time, and so I went with thick CA...but I'm finding it runs and I've got dried patches on my fingertips and running down the outside of the motor tube, despite trying to be careful with it. A word to the wise!

EDIT: On my dinner hour tonight, I drove back to the same Joann Fabrics that I had bought the first purple bowl from for $1.06 and found the second black one with a sticker for $2 on it. While waiting (FOREVER) in line, I strolled about their checkout lane and saw their clearance bins, and wouldn't you know it, there was ANOTHER purple one with a $1 price tag on the bottom! The clerk scanned the bottom of both, and announced $2.12 please. So now I'm the proud owner of every plastic bowl in the valley, and will take the two unused ones to our club launch and challenge two others to build this on-site and do a drag race with me... I sure hope that it doesn't rain Nov. 15th on us!
 
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Launched one a C6 and one on a D12 today. Both flights were good. In the wind today, they both weather cocked, but they were still good flights and fun. Several positive comments were made about them. The D12 one suffered a large number of broken web pieces causing the motor to be canted at an angle by the time the flight was over. I don't know if this was due to the wind or the extra power of the D12 over the C6.
 
Definitely very cool to watch... Like a very open pyramid

The D12 at the end of the flight flipped over like a bowl and spun to the ground. They even got the attention of Rocket Rev and Tim from the trailer. So they are definitely cool saucers. Thanks for sharing the idea, George!
 
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