build thread

This is going to be a single-post build thread. Maybe two if the forum software won't take all 6 photos at one go. We got a tube of badminton birdies at Big 5 yesterday to replenish our supply...of course I liberated one for nefarious purposes. I actually had an ulterior motive - to check out...

I've been holding off starting this one, but now seems to be the time. Let's kick it off with this, which was a jolly good bit of fun to make:

I decided I'll attempt air starting motors for my next rocket. A 29mm motor in the center would be ignited on the pad, and the two outboard canted motors would be air started. Skunk by mbeels posted May 20, 2019 at 11:28 PM I also wanted to do oblique nose cones. I couldn't find any for...

Hey all, this will be my first post on TRF! I decided I wanted to go for my HPR certifications after building rockets with my school’s rocketry program this past semester. So, I bought myself a LOC 4” Black Brant X to certify L1 and L2 with. I figured going with the biggest kit I could find...

After considering many options for my Level 1 rocket (Zephyr? Super DX3?) I chose the King Kraken. Besides being a really great looking rocket, I liked the tube fins and it could fly on Gs at non-HP fields. But mostly it is a great looking rocket. My plan is to do my Level 1 flight at Red...

Hi! I have been doing low-power rocketry for years, but I recently got interested in doing high-power rocketry, so after reading a book and talking to very helpful people on the forum I think I have a pretty good and detailed idea of what I need to do to build my level 1 rocket. It will be my...

I'm often asked how to build these fiberglass rocket kits that come with just the fiberglass parts and no instructions. So I decided to do a video tutorial on how I build them. This kit is a 3" Bomb Pop purchased from Chris' Rocket Supply. This rocket build is suitable for an advanced Level 1 or...

OK, let's get it started. I shall be building this guy: Here is the obligatory Wikipedia link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcubierre_drive. Credit to @dhbarr for originally suggesting the name. This build is considerably simpler than my last one, and I expect this build thread to be...

How did I get here? It's all Nytrunner's fault. And maybe Steven's, a little. I'm not normally a scale modeler. Although I admire a lot of the typical scale modeling subjects, I've never had the slightest interest in building any of them. Then Nytrunner mentioned his interest in this missile...

Greetings. This is a build of the Accur8 (aka John Pursley) Indigo Ragnarok Orbital Interceptor. John calls it a "short kit" which basically means it's a kitbash, in this case of the Estes Cosmic Interceptor. Here is what the finished model is supposed to look like: I say "supposed to"...

K'Tesh mentioned upscaling a Quinstar. I thought "ha ha that's crazy" but the idea seems to have wedged itself in my brain. It is highly unlikely I'd ever actually do this but it's fun to consider anyway. I would design it for 29mm black powder motors, probably with a BT60 body tube, which...

OK, let's get this party started. Background (even though no one cares) First time I laid eyes on Gary Byrum's (first) APRO Lander I fell in love with the design, and decided to build my own version of it, despite my trepidation at dealing with those gigantic transitions (prior to this build I...

Contents This thread started as a design exploration, but evolved into a real build. For those who want to skip the preliminaries, here's where things happen: Design exploration starts here (this post) Build preparation officially started at post 91 (although I also did some fabrication...

Time to get this build thread started. I debated whether to post it in the LPR or the Scratch Built forums: I think there's more participation in the LPR forum (it's just generally busier there), but I've decided give this one a shot here and see how it goes. I'm hoping I'll get this build...

While the finishing job on the Diamond Cutter plods towards completion, I wanted to get something else accomplished. So I pulled out one of my Black Friday purchases: the Odd'l Cyclone, which I thought was perfect for winter because no painting. Woohoo! I also decided recently that I need a...

And so I finally pulled this one out of the virtual build pile, the most overthought design in (my) history. Actually it's my first scratch build ever, hence the excessive head-scratching and hand-wringing. I'm not used to thinking about some of these things, and it hurts my brain. In a good...

Not counting a pair of E2X models I recently built with my daughter, this will be my first real build since the 70's. I like the Solar Warrior design a lot, and it seems just about right for my return to the hobby. I haven't seen much written about it so far, so I presume it's a fairly recent...