Brocket Beta build thread

[Cape Byron]

There are many members on the forum who have spoken about plan packs in the past: What’s included?, What should be included?, Is it good value for money?, etc.

I’ve had discussions with people who want to sell plan packs and they ask for my advice. Which is a bit weird, ‘cause I have never sold a plan pack. Yet.

The idea behind this thread is to give people intending to sell or buy a plan pack a feeling for what you get, and even more importantly, what you don’t. From the past few months experience I can say that selling a plan pack is pretty much the same as selling a kit. You still have to do your design and testing, you still have to write and illustrate instructions. You still do the hard yards.

From a seller’s point of view you get to offer your design without committing hundreds, possibly thousands of dollars to inventory. You have the opportunity of getting your design in to more people’s hands (and airspace) because there is little or no shipping cost involved. This is especially important when you’re on the opposite side of the world to most people who want your designs and international postage is a kidney and change.

From a buyer’s point of view you get (hopefully) a well tested design that is (hopefully) something unique at a great price.

Win/Win, hey?

Well, I think it should be.

Enter the Brocket, stage left. A Gooney design based on a racing car. Some people said, “Great. When can I buy one?” Others said nothing.

The original Brocket design was bashed (severely) from an Estes Jetliner kit. Ah that elusive nose cone, so desired by scratch builders everywhere with a desirability slightly less than precious metals and free vintage motorcycles, but unobtainable without buying an Estes kit which contains said nosecone.

Lots of modellers already have said nosecone in their build pile. So... instead of buying Estes kits, gutting them, adding our own parts and then trying to sell our own kits (prolly at a loss by now) we decided to release the Brocket as a plan pack.

 

[Cape Byron]

Q and A. Always fun...

Q. The title says Beta. Why does a plan pack need a beta release?

A. The same reason a kit does. Are the instructions all they need to be? Could they be better? What does that illustration mean? I flew mine and it lawn darted.

Q. Why are you doing this in such a public way?

A. Well, it will hopefully benefit a few people here. People who want to sell plan packs will see what buyers want. Buyers who have never considered a plan pack might change their mind. I will get the feedback I want and need to produce a better product.

Plus, it’s a hobby. I have nothing to hide and I know I have a lot to learn. This forum is probably the best and largest focus group for LPR on the planet. That Win/Win thing again.

Q. How did you pick your beta testers?

A. By reading the posts on this very forum.

I asked people who had expressed an interest in the design, people who had a history of building similar designs, and people who weren’t hugely tied down by current projects. All these people had made constructive criticisms of kits they had built in the past.

I didn’t ask my mates in Oz who only fly HPR, for example.

I won’t prolly fly again until March 2022. There are seven (7, more than half a dozen) designs that need to be beta tested in the next 6-8 months and for a lot of that I can’t even fly. If this thread proves valuable I’ll be calling out for beta testers in the new year. Believe it.

Q. Do you have a sister?

A. Yes, but she doesn’t fly without her broomstick. Say no more.

If you’re a Brocket beta tester, post all your feedback here. If you aren’t, but still want to ask questions or offer an opinion please do so. This is for everyone.

If you bothered to read this far I commend you on your perseverance. Further information on the question, “Who is Bruce Lamington?” may appear later in the thread.

 

[Cape Byron]

Q. Is there room for more beta testers?

A. Possibly. If you're a gooney (goonie?) person with free time to build and you have a Jetliner or Baby Bertha in your pile that you want to sacrifice for my benefit, then message me. You will be credited in the final release with your name as a beta tester and receive the adulation of those around you.

 

[kuririn]

I am honored to be a beta tester for Cape Byron.
I received revised pdfs for the body wraps in letter size, the originals were sized for A4 paper which is somewhat uncommon in the states. (At least in Office Depot).


I printed two sets, one on glossy adhesive paper (r) and one on non glossy sticker paper (l).


The red in the .pdf is actually much brighter, my inkjet is printing it darker than it should be.
My thinking is that by printing on adhesive paper I can skip the application of glue to the wraps.
I clear coated the non glossy paper with a glossy clear.
TBC.

 

[kuririn]

I should mention that I have two Estes Jetliners coming in the mail in a few days. I will be following the instructions and using that kit to build a stock Brocket. However I didn't want to wait so I decided to kitbash an ASP Stubby that was in my build pile. It has a balsa nose cone instead of the Jetliner's plastic one. The Brocket has an 18mm motor mount instead of the mini motor mount that the Stubby and Jetliner have. Also the Stubby's main tube is too short, so I'm using a BT-60 tube cut to the correct length from my parts stash.
So the first build will stray just a bit from the plan pack. The second build will be stock.

Anyhoo, the wraps were cut out. An angle tool was used to draw a straight line on the main airframe and both side pods. Each set of wraps was applied to a set of tubes to compare them.

First set: The adhesive on the glossy paper was weak, the paper kept lifting.


Second set: The non glossy paper sprayed with the glossy clear adhered much better.

Sections on the wrap are marked to be removed for glue adherence. These are for the pod and fin joints. Use an angle tool and make light cuts.


TBC.

 

[Cape Byron]

Good points @kuririn . The original printouts were designed for A4 paper, standard here in Oz. I also neglected to add fractional inch measurements to the instructions ('cause I simply didn't think about it). Should be sorted in the next day or so.

 

[OverTheTop]

Include a metric rule in the plan pack.

 

[neil_w]

Good points @kuririn . The original printouts were designed for A4 paper, standard here in Oz. I also neglected to add fractional inch measurements to the instructions ('cause I simply didn't think about it). Should be sorted in the next day or so.

IF ONLY YOU HAD SOME BETA TESTERS SO YOU COULD FIGURE THIS -------- oh wait, never mind.

 

[Sandy H.]

Include a metric rule in the plan pack.

Obviously. If you're going to use a completely random measurement unit and expect people to have a tool on hand using the same units then you're crazy. If you're not using a scientifically verifiable/pretty much constant length measurement, you might as well use the length of a random guys shoe to measure. . . hold on, there's someone at the door. Gotta go, a few big dudes (at least 16 stones each) wearing suits are concerned about my tape measure, apparently. . .

Sandy.

 

[kuririn]

The problem is not the actual measurement of length, because I have a steel ruler with both metric and Imperial scales.
It's when the instructions say "2.5 mm balsa sheet".

Instead of 3/32" balsa sheet.
Anyhoo, that's what beta testing is for.

 

[Cape Byron]

Anyhoo, that's what beta testing is for.

That and many other things.

Unfortunately, there is no absolute equivalent. My supposedly 2.5 mm balsa sheet really is 3/32", so 2.38125 mm (I think).

I also hate the way Word shows fractions in text, but not so much that I'm going to re-learn LaTeX...

 

[OverTheTop]

but not so much that I'm going to re-learn LaTeX...

Chicken. Once you start you will be addicted .

 

[Cape Byron]

Chicken. Once you start you will be addicted .

Been there, done that. Worked as an editor for a while and it was a required skill. Prolly why I hate Word so much.

 

[kuririn]

I sprayed the back of the recalcitrant set of glossy wraps with Elmer's adhesive.
They stick fine now, no lifting.
Guess I'll build two Brockets now.


The template for the canopy fin was printed on cardstock and cut out.
It was then traced onto balsa fin stock and cut out.
I thought I was using 3/32" stock but as it turns out it was actually 1/8".
You can round the edges if you like. I left mine square.


Cut two rectangles of adhesive paper.
Adhered one set to one side of the fin and started cutting around it.


Did the same with the other side


Voila!


I then sealed the balsa edges with white glue.


Will let the glue dry then it's primer and paint before gluing to the airframe.
Good night.

 

[Mugs914]

Just had a chance to see this thread... Awesome! Awesome work Kuririn, awesome design Cape!

I feel a little embarrassed that I wondered what a "Brocket" would look like, especially considering who designed it! Major facepalm when I saw the wrap...

For those who may not know, Peter Brock was an Australian race driver and, in my opinion, should be rated MUCH more highly on the world stage than he seems to be. Brocky was one of the all-time greats!

I will DEFINATELY need a Brocket in my fleet!



Brilliant!!!

 

[kuririn]

I'm thinking of resizing this and adding it to both sides of the cockpit.
(Not in the instructions, on my own).

 

[Cape Byron]

I thought I was using 3/32" stock but as it turns out it was actually 1/8".
You can round the edges if you like. I left mine square.

Hmm. I thought of inserting a smartarse metric joke in here, but I'll keep it to myself.

Interesting Peter Brock trivia...

He grew up in my local area of Melbourne, and my mother was his high school science teacher. I met him a number of times over his life.

He was unfortunately fatally injured in the 2006 Targa West Rally when his car slid off the course into a tree on a hairpin bend. He was driving a Daytona Coupe, designed for Carrol Shelby by another Pete Brock.

He won the Bathurst 1000 km race an amazing nine times.

 

[kuririn]

Anyhoo, you should come up with a back story for this Goony, Ozzie.
I'm guessing that it's a Goonified version of a land speed record car.
Twin jet turbines to get it up to speed approaching the timing trap, then a rocket engine kicks in to give the acceleration to go supersonic.
First land car to break 1000 mph.

 

[Cape Byron]

Ah, I love a good back story.

I'll work on that.

 

[Mugs914]

Anyhoo, you should come up with a back story for this Goony, Ozzie.
I'm guessing that it's a Goonified version of a land speed record car.
Twin jet turbines to get it up to speed approaching the timing trap, then a rocket engine kicks in to give the acceleration to go supersonic.
First land car to break 1000 mph.

Oh yeah!! You could call it "Ros-Go"


Roscoe McGlashen's Aussie Invader 5R land speed record rocket car.

 

[OverTheTop]

In '89-'90 a friend of mine worked on the race telemetry in the Ford Sierra RS5000 that Brocky drove. He met Peter on a couple of occasions. His big takeaway was that he was a nice guy who could drive like a cut cat but had very little knowledge of the mechanics inside the cars.

A funny story relating to the Sierras was that they arrived in containers from overseas and when they opened the containers they found the car to be in pieces and needed to be assembled fairly completely. A bit of a shock for some people apparently at the time. Surprise!

 

[Cape Byron]

Oh yeah!! You could call it "Ros-Go"

That's funny. I actually have an LSR car styled design in the current notebook called "Ross Goes", part of the same series as the Go-Anna! I like your name better. Might have to steal borrow it.

 

[Mugs914]

Might have to steal borrow it.

I'd consider it an honor, mate!

 

[Cape Byron]

I'd consider it an honor, mate!

Consider it done. Your cheque isn't in the mail.

 

[Cape Byron]

Okay, the call for possible extra beta testers is officially closed.

Now if you'll excuse me I have termites to kill. Damned farm work intruding on my rocket time...

 

[OverTheTop]

Now if you'll excuse me I have termites to kill. Damned farm work intruding on my rocket time...

Starting an echidna breeding program?

 

[Cape Byron]

Starting an echidna breeding program?

The only two I can identify by sight on the property are "Chuck" and "Spiny Norman". If I've determined gender right these two won't be breeding together.

Fantastic animal. There's a cool rabbit hole to follow if you Google 'Monotremes'.

"Monotremes /ˈmɒnətriːmz/ are prototherian mammals of the order Monotremata. They are one of the three main groups of living mammals, along with placentals (Eutheria) and marsupials (Metatheria). ... The extant monotreme species are the platypus and four species of echidnas."

Your mates at Wikipedia.

 

[PaddyDaddy]

After reading about monotremes' distinguishing characteristic, I think I'll name my next rear eject rocket Monotremata.

 

[kuririn]

Canopy has been painted. Masked a narrow strip on the root chord for glue/fillet adherence. Will do a brush touch up after the fillets have been applied.


Printed two fin and pod jigs on copy paper, cut them out and glued them to some frozen food cardboard packaging.
Cut the fin slots a little wider than the template since I used 1/8" instead of 3/32" fin stock.


All of a sudden I'm getting hungry


Glued the canopy to the body tube.


Pod openings will be cut out later when I glue those on.
Gotta get some lunch.
TBC.

 

[kuririn]

BTW Ozzie, the instructions say the back end of the canopy fin is glued 1 cm from the tube edge.
But the cut out extends all the way to the edge.
Maybe need to move the cut out section forward by 1 cm.?