1/5 Scale Nike Hercules

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My jaw is on the floor. This might be the most over the top L2 build in HPR history. As well, it might also be the heaviest L2 in HPR history!!!

Over built is not even the half of it but the build is so impressive, I really care less!!! 😄 😄 😄

What exactly do you do for a living, if I might ask???

I vote for an L2375 White Thunder as a cross-load into an AT 75/5120 case........as I think you are going to be north of 100lbs. Weight has a way of really sneaking up on you with a build like this. Your build is insanely strong so I would use an equally strong motor. The WT propellant will be a bit more of a fit as far as plume look compared to the green of the L2200. Up to you though!! 🙃

This build is so aggressive and out there and its just absolutely awesome.
 
StreuB1 said:
My jaw is on the floor. This might be the most over the top L2 build in HPR history. As well, it might also be the heaviest L2 in HPR history!!!

Over built is not even the half of it but the build is so impressive, I really care less!!! 😄 😄 😄

What exactly do you do for a living, if I might ask???

I vote for an L2375 White Thunder as a cross-load into an AT 75/5120 case........as I think you are going to be north of 100lbs. Weight has a way of really sneaking up on you with a build like this. Your build is insanely strong so I would use an equally strong motor. The WT propellant will be a bit more of a fit as far as plume look compared to the green of the L2200. Up to you though!! 🙃

This build is so aggressive and out there and its just absolutely awesome.
Click to expand...

Thanks for your kind words. Yes. It’s heavy for L2. I can always use an M, but I agree that L2375 or L2200 gets it done. I’ll be posting weights later this week.

I’m a software engineer - specifically a director for software engineering at a clinical research firm outside of Philadelphia. I enjoy rockets because I can actually see what I’m working on physically come together. 6 months of building and planning, 2 minutes of terror and elation.
 
Okay. Lots of people concerned with weight, so here's an "alpha" weigh in. The booster is 35 pounds right now - no paint and missing a hatch and electronics sled. The sustainer is about 65% done - no paint, no avionics bay and no nose cone (expecting at least 15 pounds of nose weight for CG). The sustainer is 10 pounds - still needs second skin (blue tube) and fiberglass skin over that. So, let's assume for a moment that the sustainer ends up at 25 pounds. With the nose cone - around 75 pounds total. Still need to figure in shock cords and chutes...so, 85 pounds?

Let's use an L2200 for example here. 2200/4.5 = 488 pounds of thrust and 5:1 ratio, I need to stay under 97 pounds for a 5:1 safety margin. NAR requires 3:1.
 
sambatterman said:
Hello, I'm starting this chronicle of my 1/5 scale Nike Hercules build.

I started with an open rocket high level diagram and specification diagram:
This rocket will be approximately 9'5" long and about 30" in wingspan (booster fins). It will be around 70 lbs. loaded with motor and recovery materials.

View attachment 504154
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sambatterman said:
Okay, let's get into the build of the booster. Overall, the booster is about 38" tall and it's built around a 6" blue tube body tube.
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Sam,

Im sorry to "rain on your parade", but your model is NOT a 1/5 Scale NIKE- HERCULES.

You are using 5.5" ( 5.516" ) diameter Blue Tube tubes for the NIKE Boosters . . . The REAL NIKE M-5 Boosters are 16.44" in diameter. Therefor, your model is 1/3 Scale ( 1 : 2.98 ), not 1/5 Scale .

The length of your Booster tubes would be 45.22" in length, the 1/3 Scale Booster fins extend .973" below the base of the booster tubes, making the length of the Booster 46.193", not including the Interstage. Including the length of the Interstage, the total length of the Booster should be 57.33".

The length of the HERCULES Upper Stage would be 99.54" ( note that Alway's drawing does not terminate with a STA 0.00 point ).

Therefor, the overall length of a 1 : 2.98 NIKE HERCULES would be 156.87".

There are some serious conflicts in the specifications you have supplied, at least from a "Scale" standpoint .

Dave F.
 
Ez2cDave said:
Sam,

Im sorry to "rain on your parade", but your model is NOT a 1/5 Scale NIKE- HERCULES.

You are using 5.5" ( 5.516" ) diameter Blue Tube tubes for the NIKE Boosters . . . The REAL NIKE M-5 Boosters are 16.44" in diameter. Therefor, your model is 1/3 Scale ( 1 : 2.98 ), not 1/5 Scale .

The length of your Booster tubes would be 45.22" in length, the 1/3 Scale Booster fins extend .973" below the base of the booster tubes, making the length of the Booster 46.193", not including the Interstage. Including the length of the Interstage, the total length of the Booster should be 57.33".

The length of the HERCULES Upper Stage would be 99.54" ( note that Alway's drawing does not terminate with a STA 0.00 point ).

Therefor, the overall length of a 1 : 2.98 NIKE HERCULES would be 156.87".

There are some serious conflicts in the specifications you have supplied, at least from a "Scale" standpoint .

Dave F.
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Thanks Dave. Have fun building your own Nike Hercules. Please share your own build process and thoughts along the way in a public forum and open yourself up to anonymous criticism from people you'll never meet.
 
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Dave - a 1/3 model of the Nike Hercules was already built and flown by Wedge Oldham awhile ago: Wedge Oldham's Nike Project

His 1/3 scale rocket is 14.5' long and the sustainer was 10' long.

I am trying to build a 9.5' long sport scale Nike Hercules that fits in my car, is easily assembled at the field and is economical to fly multiple times.

This build is between Wedge's build (1/3 scale) and @dbpeirce 's way cool build (1/6 scale)...
 
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When it comes to rocketry, I have a bit of a split personality. I can be OCD about scale, especially when it comes to all variations of the Honest John missile but I can also embrace the fun of "sport scale" projects that resemble our favorite prototypes without being chained to the details.

This project definitely hits all the marks for being fun! And the stated goals of being easy to transport by car, economical to fly, and easily assembled are certainly worthwhile challenges of their own.

It also showcases the range of expertise that can be present in our qualification levels. Like Sam, I'm an L2 rocketeer, but this project exceeds my build abilities on many fronts. Not sure I've ever seen an L2 level project that was more complex. I marvel at it.

The Nike Hercules is my second-favorite rocket but more complex to build and fly than the HoJo to be sure. Can't wait to see this one in the air. Thanks for sharing each step of the journey with the rest of us.
 
lowga said:
When it comes to rocketry, I have a bit of a split personality. I can be OCD about scale, especially when it comes to all variations of the Honest John missile but I can also embrace the fun of "sport scale" projects that resemble our favorite prototypes without being chained to the details.

This project definitely hits all the marks for being fun! And the stated goals of being easy to transport by car, economical to fly, and easily assembled are certainly worthwhile challenges of their own.

It also showcases the range of expertise that can be present in our qualification levels. Like Sam, I'm an L2 rocketeer, but this project exceeds my build abilities on many fronts. Not sure I've ever seen an L2 level project that was more complex. I marvel at it.

The Nike Hercules is my second-favorite rocket but more complex to build and fly than the HoJo to be sure. Can't wait to see this one in the air. Thanks for sharing each step of the journey with the rest of us.
Click to expand...

- thanks for your note! I love the Honest John and am considering the Performance Hobby one here:

1/2 Scale Little John - Fiberglass
6" Fiberglass Rocket kit Includes the following components:
  • 6" 5:1 ogive G-12 filament wound fiberglass nosecone with aluminum tip
  • 6” x 1/8” G-10 fiberglass nosecone bulk plate
  • 6” x 48” slotted G-12 filament wound fiberglass airframe
  • 98mm x 22” G-12 filament wound fiberglass motor mount tube
  • (3) 1/8” x 6” x 98mm G-10 fiberglass centering rings
  • (4) 3/16” G-10 fiberglass fins with leading abd trailing edges beveled
 
sambatterman said:
- thanks for your note! I love the Honest John and am considering the Performance Hobby one here:

1/2 Scale Little John - Fiberglass
6" Fiberglass Rocket kit Includes the following components:
  • 6" 5:1 ogive G-12 filament wound fiberglass nosecone with aluminum tip
  • 6” x 1/8” G-10 fiberglass nosecone bulk plate
  • 6” x 48” slotted G-12 filament wound fiberglass airframe
  • 98mm x 22” G-12 filament wound fiberglass motor mount tube
  • (3) 1/8” x 6” x 98mm G-10 fiberglass centering rings
  • (4) 3/16” G-10 fiberglass fins with leading abd trailing edges beveled
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Were you of Performance Hobby's 1/3 scale 7.5" Honest John kit? I ask only because they also make a 9" HoJo kit, but I've never seen one "in the wild." I too have my eye on the 1/3 scale version as a possible L3 project. It lacks a lot of scale details, but it might be fun to try to add them using 3D printing and other techniques.

Do you plan on adding a lot of scale details your NH or going for the distinctive silhouette then let it fly approach?

HONEST JOHN, Fiberglass Airframe (Allow two weeks production time.)
7.5" 1/3rd scale kit.
  • fiberglass nosecone
  • 7.5" x 48" G-12 fiberglass airframe
  • 7.5" x 24" G-12 payload section
  • 7.5" x 16" G-12 fiberglass coupler
  • 7.5” x 2” G-12 switch band
  • four 3/16" G-10 fiberglass fins beveled top and bottom
  • 98mm x 30” G-12 motor mount tube
  • three 1/8" x 7.5" x 98mm G-10 centering rings
  • two 7.5" G-10 fiberglass Avbay lids
  • one 1/8" x 7.5" G-10 fiberglass nosecone bulk plate
 
I built a roughly 1/3 scale Honest John for my L3 certification. I used a nose cone from Ken at Performance hobbies and parts from LOC and detail pieces I had printed.
It is my 3rd favorite rocket behind the Ajax and Hercules.
 

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dbpeirce said:
I built a roughly 1/3 scale Honest John for my L3 certification. I used a nose cone from Ken at Performance hobbies and parts from LOC and detail pieces I had printed.
It is my 3rd favorite rocket behind the Ajax and Hercules.
Click to expand...
Very cool rocket. The spin jet stabilizers on the nose cone are well done.
 
dbpeirce said:
I built a roughly 1/3 scale Honest John for my L3 certification. I used a nose cone from Ken at Performance hobbies and parts from LOC and detail pieces I had printed.
It is my 3rd favorite rocket behind the Ajax and Hercules.
Click to expand...
Mile High Thrust plate? I'm using one on my Nike - it's a work of art!
 
sambatterman said:
I am trying to build a 9.5' long sport scale Nike Hercules that fits in my car, is easily assembled at the field and is economical to fly multiple times.
Click to expand...

A 9.5 foot long Nike Hercules would need to use 4" diameter tubes for the Nike boosters ( 1:4.11 scale ), with a tube length of 32.79" for each Nike booster. The Hercules sustainer would have a maximum diameter of 7.664" ( 1:4.11 scale ). At 1:4.11, the complete Nike Hercules would have an over all length of 114.6" ( .6" longer than 9.5 ft ).

Dave F.
 

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Ez2cDave said:
A 9.5 foot long Nike Hercules would need to use 4" diameter tubes for the Nike boosters ( 1:4.11 scale ), with a tube length of 32.79" for each Nike booster. The Hercules sustainer would have a maximum diameter of 7.664" ( 1:4.11 scale ). At 1:4.11, the complete Nike Hercules would have an over all length of 114.6" ( .6" longer than 9.5 ft ).

Dave F.
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Dave we get it . It's not true scale. I'm sure he is 100 percent aware of all the dimensions.
 
Ez2cDave said:
A 9.5 foot long Nike Hercules would need to use 4" diameter tubes for the Nike boosters ( 1:4.11 scale ), with a tube length of 32.79" for each Nike booster. The Hercules sustainer would have a maximum diameter of 7.664" ( 1:4.11 scale ). At 1:4.11, the complete Nike Hercules would have an over all length of 114.6" ( .6" longer than 9.5 ft ).

Dave F.
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Unreal dude... have you no restraint from poking someone in the eye, and what are you gaining from doing so?

Its SPORT scale, get it, ya happy now? Anyway, back to the pic heavy build thread that others are enjoying without pissing on it.
 
lowga said:
OK, now that's bad ass. I've wanted functional spin jet motors on a HoJo since childhood. Any videos of that thing in flight?
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Just my L3 Cert flight, so I wasn’t able to use the spin motors. It will go up again this June or July with them and I’ll try to get some video.
 
lowga said:
OK, now that's bad ass. I've wanted functional spin jet motors on a HoJo since childhood. Any videos of that thing in flight?
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lowga said:
OK, now that's bad ass. I've wanted functional spin jet motors on a HoJo since childhood. Any videos of that thing in flight?
[
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Honestly, you have enough documentation to prove you built every part of this vehicle , find yourself a couple TAP members. Yes a 4 grain L will be a nice low and slow flight to 2200 / 2500 feet , but a 5 grain motor opens up you to a large variety of motors . A Loki 5 grain blue motor would be a great motor for this beast .
 

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